Home Blog Page 137

Rail Sector Deal – One Railway: Digitally Connecting the Nation

When the government and the rail industry recently agreed a new Rail Sector Deal, intended to deliver more for passengers, create jobs and drive economic growth across the country, it was hailed as a key milestone in the government’s modern industrial strategy.

The Rail Sector Deal is intended to help increase the exchange of ideas between the rail industry and other sectors, predicting problems on the network before they arise and solving them through innovative working.

It all sounds like a good idea. But how does it work? And why does the railway need such a deal now when it never had one before?

Rail Engineer sat down with the three people who have been instrumental in developing, co ordinating and agreeing the deal through to ask those questions, and others. Gordon Wakeford – industry chair of the Rail Supply Group and also chief executive of Siemens Mobility UK, Philip Hoare – chief executive officer of SNC-Lavalin’s Atkins business in the UK and Europe, and Anna Delvecchio – commercial account director at Amey and the winner of the Woman of the Year award at the 2018 FTA Everywoman in Transport & Logistics Awards, who had all arrived at the Institution of Civil Engineers fresh from a meeting at 10 Downing Street.

Strategy launch

The Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS) introduced its new Industrial Strategy on November 2017. This was built on five foundations – ideas, people, infrastructure, business environment and places.

Each ‘foundation’ had three key policies. For example, the first policy under Ideas was to raise total research and development (R&D) investment to 2.4 per cent of GDP by 2027. Under business environment was the policy to launch and roll out Sector Deals – partnerships between government and industry aiming to increase sector productivity.

The first Sector Deals were in life sciences, construction, artificial intelligence and the automotive sector. Creative industries and nuclear followed, and then aerospace and rail were launched on the same day – 6 December 2018.

Speaking at the launch of the Rail Sector Deal, Gordon Wakeford recalled the government’s green paper ‘Building on Industrial Strategy’, which was issued in January 2017 and challenged industry “to provide government with compelling and detailed proposals of how, working in partnership, both sides, government and sector, could agree a sector deal to further the competitiveness of the sector”.

He went on to explain that, after a long and sometimes bumpy journey to reach a conclusion, government and industry had developed a sector deal that “will be transformational”.

“One word that shines through this document,” he continued, “is collaboration. We will increase productivity, we will reduce costs as an industry, we will move from ‘boom and bust procurement’, we will introduce new technology, release data as an enabler, improve the skills of our workforce, and not only increase local ‘value add’ through import substitution but also refocus on ways to double exports.”

Graham Stuart, Minister for Investment at the Department for International Trade, spoke on behalf of government: “Much of the network is bursting at the seams. When things go wrong, as they have this year following problems introducing the new timetable and widespread, and often unnecessary, industrial action, passengers endure poor performance, which means the railway faces greater levels of public scrutiny.

“We all know that we can do better, and that we must raise our game. This collaboration and cooperation that we are launching today between government and industry is one way of responding to that.”

The intention is that, through improved engagement between industry and government, the supply chain will understand future demand better. This will both enable companies to invest with confidence to increase skills and innovation and will also help the industry reduce the cost of building and maintaining the railway, support the sector to increase its exports, attract small businesses to the market and encourage more young people to pursue a career in the rail industry.

One Railway at Number 10: (L-R) Philip Hoare, Anna Delvecchio, Gordon Wakeford.

The bigger picture

Since that day in early December, the rollout of the new Rail Sector Deal has continued to involve both industry and government.

Gordon Wakeford started by outlining what the Rail Sector deal actually is. “It is a coming together of government and industry to look at the bigger picture, looking five years hence and even beyond that. It asks what we can do, as British industry and government, to make a real go of this industry – this rail industry of ours.”

As Anna Delvecchio explained, a sector deal is a partnership between government and industry on sector-specific issues that can create significant opportunities to transform sectors, boost productivity, innovation and skills. It is not a commitment to engage in a contract favouring individual suppliers or an offer that may pre-empt or prejudice a contract.

“But the essence of the deal remains the opportunity to transform the railway through digitalisation, enhanced customer experience and sustainable business models,” she continued. “Over the last 18 months, we have held numerous roundtables, had meetings with key stakeholders in Government and across industry and engaged the supply sector from train operating companies and OEMs through to the smallest of SMEs. We had over 200 companies come forward to help us, including new entrants, to develop the deal.”

Philip Hoare was keen to point out what the deal meant for the supply chain: “The sector deal requires the industry to come together and have a conversation. I think the supply chain had too quiet a voice for too long, in terms of how policy is set and how decisions are made in the rail industry, and the big advantage for the supply chain is that this deal enables us to have a voice with government we have not had before.”

“It’s government in its widest sense as well,” Anna emphasized, “so not just the Department for Transport but BEIS (Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy), the Department for International Trade and also the government-owned bodies such as Network Rail…”

“And that’s what sets it apart, certainly from our perspective,” Philip Hoare broke in. “We haven’t gone to government asking for lots of money. We’ve asked them to come and join a conversation to help us improve our lot as a rail industry – that’s what the deal’s been about.”

Government in its widest sense: (L-R) Jeremy Hotchkiss (DfT), Wendy Richards (DIT), Anna Delvecchio (RSG), Jamie Bend (DfT), Shamit Gaiger (RSSB/DfT), Patrick Malone (DfT). (not shown – Mike Noakes, BEIS)

A greater voice

Readers might say that the industry did ask government for lots of money – just over £53 million for CP6 (including Scotland). But it wasn’t the industry – under the current mechanism, it is Network Rail, a government-owned organisation, that negotiates the Control Period funding with the Department of Transport and the ORR, including the detailed plans for how the money will be best spent.

“In developing the settlement for CP6,” Philip Hoare continued, “there was little supply chain engagement in how to deliver best value best and how we could help drive efficiency, working closely with Network Rail to optimise what could be delivered – the supply chain was not engaged in that discussion.

“And that’s the difference. One of the things here is that, as we develop CP7, industry will have a voice in how best to spend that money for the benefit of the railway. We’ll be part of the team alongside Network Rail, advising them on how best we can deliver value and efficiency – the supply chain will have a much stronger voice.”

It must be remembered that the Rail Sector Deal is all about cooperation and collaboration. So, it wouldn’t replace Network Rail submitting an application for funding to government. However, the amount requested would have been calculated following wider consultation than at present.

“Fundamentally, we would have a much stronger voice in determining, with Network Rail, how to get better value from future investment in rail, although ultimately it will still be a settlement between Network Rail and Government,” Philip Hoare emphasised.

 “The amount of engagement we’ve had from Network Rail has been phenomenal,” Gordon Wakeford stated. “Sir Peter Hendy has been an advocate right from the outset,” Philip Hoare added, “and we’ve now had two CEOs from Network Rail who have both actively supported what we’re doing.”

One conversation

It might seem that there are two separate topics. One is the supply chain engaging more with Network Rail, which had already been happening with early contractor involvement and other initiatives, and the other is Network Rail’s conversation with government about the funding package.

“They’re not separate though,” Philip Hoare explained. “If you look at how the delivery structure for this has been set up, it’s about having 18 people in the room, representatives from government and from Network Rail and from HS2, as well as from the supply chain, working together to solve a problem.

“So, if, for example, the discussion is about making significant reductions in the cost of Digital Rail, everyone is in the room. It’s about having that collective, collaborative viewpoint.”

Hands off, not hands-on

As the new Rail Sector Deal will involve industry – the supply chain – working with the Department for Transport, one of the potential stumbling blocks will be the DfT’s propensity to micro-manage everything, driving up cost. It happened with the design of the OLE portals on Great Western electrification, and on the Hitachi-built IEP trains to run under it, so what will prevent the Department from trying to do the same with these new collaborative committees?

“Hopefully, the more we’re engaged, the wider industry – including Network Rail – with government, this programme of work will be more effective,” Gordon Wakeford commented in response to that suggestion.

“It’s about better-informed choices,” Philip Hoare agreed.

“The Sector Deal alone is not going to fix the railway,” Philip Hoare expanded. “It’s a strand, an element, of a solution that will make our railway perform better for our customers. But it’s one strand of that, of which the Rail Review is another, ticketing reform is another, all working together to improve the industry as a whole.”

Work to do

The Rail Industry Strategy is now published, and available on the Rail Supply Group’s website, and a number of workstreams have been agreed. Each will have an ‘Industry Champion’, two further champions – from government and from the client (usually, but not solely, Network Rail) – and a delivery team, which will be a mix of industry, trade associations and interest groups together with two or three secondees.

There are four main workstreams. Digital Railway will look at the transformation of the railway through digitalisation and seek to reduce unit costs, to agree a roadmap for asset renewal and to come up with a strategy and a delivery plan.

The second workstream is Mobility/Data, and this will look at the development of a data platform, innovation and opportunities for pilot schemes.

Sustainability is the third workstream, to concentrate on delivering a sustainable UK rail sector at home and abroad. It’s a big topic, and one of the first priorities will be to agree a mechanism to improve supply chain engagement through CP6 and beyond. This will include the smoothing of work pipelines (reducing ‘boom and bust’) and so facilitating investment decisions. Government will need to be involved, as will Network Rail and HS2, which should have similar approaches, and the whole result must be in alignment with the national infrastructure plan.

Export and inward investment is one of the big goals of the whole investment strategy, so this workstream will look at capabilities and opportunities, assess overseas markets and monitor mentoring and secondment programmes.

These four industry workstreams will be supported by three more initiatives that will impinge on all of them. Skills & People will develop the skills base that the industry so badly needs, Productivity will look at ways to increase efficiency in everything that the railway does, and there will be a pilot scheme run in conjunction with the Rail Forum Midlands that will look to increase SME involvement, enhance the offering and take-up of apprenticeships and develop engagement with schools and colleges.

So that’s seven workstreams in total. Industry is now being asked to ‘volunteer’ to serve on those workstreams, with a list to be published by the end of February.

Industry representatives at the launch of the Rail Sector Deal.

Moving forward

The Rail Sector Deal is a big thing for the industry. Its foreward, signed by secretary of State for Transport Chris Grayling, Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Greg Clark, and Gordon Wakeford as Chair of the Rail Supply Group, states: “The UK’s railways are critical to our country’s economic success, as they have been since the age of Brunel. The Government is determined to ensure our railways continue to be at the cutting edge of global trends and build on the enterprise that invented, innovated and advanced rail travel throughout the world.

“The private sector has a significant part to play – privatisation has reversed decades of decline and heralded the fastest expansion of our railways since the Victorian era. This Sector Deal looks to build on the strong partnership working between the rail sector and the government to exploit the opportunities of new technologies, improve the efficient use of our rail network capacity and enhance the experience of the passengers who use our railways, by improving the service they receive.

“The Sector Deal will enable companies to drive innovation, invest in research and development, upskill the workforce and look beyond the UK to export markets worldwide. This Deal provides certainty for the industry with clarity and involvement in shaping investment in our railways for the first time and, through this collaboration between government and businesses, it will provide better railways for the country’s rail customers.”

Perhaps the last words should be left to Philip Hoare, Anna Delvecchio and Gordon Wakeford, who spearheaded the programme:

“One of the things that’s been really important is – why are we doing this?” Philip questioned. “We’re doing this because we fundamentally believe that we have a great railway in the UK that could do better. When I was working on the Rail Sector Deal, I didn’t think about the company I’m working for, I thought about how to make the railway better in the UK and I think that ethos, coming into it, is critical and I hope that we maintain that.

Anna Delvecchio added: “As a rail industry we should be proud about how far we’ve come and the role we’ve played in shaping the Sector Deal. Now it’s up to us to collaborate and work in new ways to make sure the rail sector deal is delivered. Behaviours will play a key part in making this happen.”

“There’s no doubt that this is a genuine opportunity for the industry to take centre stage in the country’s push to boost productivity – let’s make it happen.” concluded Gordon.


Developing the Rail Sector Deal, which encourages collaboration and involvement, has been a collaborative effort in itself. Gordon Wakeford, Philip Hoare and Anna Delvecchio would like to thank government department colleagues Mike Noakes (BEIS), Shamit Gaiger (DfT) Donald McNeill (DIT), Sir Peter Hendy and Andrew Haines (Network Rail) and Mark Thurston (HS2), as well as industry organisations and associations such as RDG, RIA, RFM, RA, UKKRIN, RSSB and NSAR, plus individuals too numerous to mention, all of whom played a key role in speaking with ‘one consistent voice’ to government and making the Rail Sector Deal a reality.

Christmas 2018: Westbury North junction renewal

Christmas and New Year at Westbury saw the station and its associated routes closed for 12 days to carry out some long-awaited major works in one fell swoop. The main work was the reballasting and renewal of 12 switch and crossing units, along with associated plain line, to resolve some track quality and maintenance issues. At the same time, the Westbury station platforms were modified to accommodate the new rolling stock being progressively introduced on Great Western services.

Westbury station lies on the main route from Paddington to the West Country. Whilst many of the faster Great Western services to Plymouth and/or Penzance bypass the station itself by using the avoiding lines, about half the services do call at Westbury.

There are interchange possibilities with services between Cardiff/Bristol and Southampton and, eastwards along the coast, services to Weymouth, and there is also a developing service to Swindon.

In addition, there is heavy freight traffic from the stone quarries in Somerset. All of this makes Westbury a busy railway node.

Train service arrangements

Planning the alternative provision of services throughout the 12-day Christmas closure was, therefore, something to which careful consideration had to be given. For inter-city stopping services between London and the West Country, nearby Frome was deployed as the alternative calling point to Westbury. It is quite a rarity nowadays for Frome to be privileged with such trains!

Frome also became the starting point for Weymouth services. The Bristol to Southampton trains had to be terminated at Trowbridge and Warminster, either side of Westbury, with a replacement bus connection in between. Trains to Swindon were replaced completely by a bus alternative.

To prepare rail travellers for all this, a carefully thought out publicity campaign was mounted by Network Rail’s communications team, in association with the affected train companies. Advance warnings of the altered transport arrangements were prefaced by explanations of the longer-term benefits to accrue from the project works. Some of these warnings included letters to season ticket holders, use of social media, on-train and station announcements, press releases to local media and the holding of local awareness sessions.

Project scope

One of the primary drivers for the project was the need to address the condition of the track layout at the north end of Westbury station, which provides routes to and from three platform lines and two non-platform lines towards Trowbridge and towards the main line to Newbury, Reading and Paddington. The existing layout, dating from the early 1980s, was in 113lb rail on timber bearers and was becoming difficult to maintain, with some evidence of cyclic top, and as a consequence there had been temporary speed restrictions in place for some time.

Proposals for the renewal and reballasting of the whole layout had been reviewed since early 2015 and three alternative variants were evaluated. The option selected and approved in February 2018 was to carry out a more or less like-for-like renewal in terms of the facilities and layout, using NR56V rail on concrete bearers.

The designed scheme did take the opportunity to shorten the overall length of one crossover, which, whilst lowering the design speed through it from 40mph to 30mph, had the benefit of avoiding bearers interlaced with another unit, as in the previous layout.

Apart from that, and the realignment of some curves was necessary in conjunction with short sections of plain line renewal, there was little change to the layout. however, gauging checks had shown the need for minor modifications to the end sections of the platforms, which was achieved by adjustment of 170 metres of coping slabs.

To have carried out this renewal of the overall layout in piecemeal fashion would have required several weekend possessions, still involving complete closure of all routes through Westbury and with the necessary revised passenger arrangements as described previously. Also, it would not have been easily possible to create the new layout in its improved design form, with repositioned switches and a shortened crossover, without elaborate staging and a temporary loss of facilities between each weekend possession. Therefore, the scheme lent itself ideally to the “blockbuster” approach of an all-in-one extended closure.

Having determined the economic benefits of the long possession for the trackwork, it was evident to Network Rail that the opportunity could be taken to prepare the way for the platform extensions needed to accommodate the new fleet of Class 802 IET (intercity express) trains being introduced.

The platform extensions at the south end of the island Platforms 2 and 3 required the rearrangement of signalling, telecoms and power supply infrastructure, the relocation of three signals and the removal of a foot crossing. This work is continuing, but use was made of the major possession over Christmas and the New Year to carry out much of the preparatory civils work for the platform extensions.

Implementation and resourcing

Just to the north of Westbury North junction, there is an area of unused railway land, in the triangle between three routes, which was ideal for both the delivery of materials and pre-fabrication of the switch and crossing units. This was used to great advantage from September 2018 and in the weeks leading up to the Christmas closure.

The trackworks were the responsibility of the S & C South Alliance, a partnership of Network Rail, Colas and AECOM, with the latter carrying out the design being carried. The subcontractors for plant were AP Webb and Readypower.

In total, 11 road-rail vehicles supplied by AP Webb were in use for the removal of the old trackwork and ballast and for the relaying of the new track layout – three JCB JS175 excavator/cranes, two Terex Schaeff HR42 excavators for loose sleeper laying and lighter excavation, four Rail-Ability Railmax excavators for heavier digging and spoil loading (also capable of lifting a 30ft concrete track panel) and two Cat D4 dozers. Altogether, these machines handled 9,300 tonnes of spoil.

In addition, a small mini-digger, not rail-mounted, was available for digging an undertrack crossing. A Kirow 1200 crane, supplied by Colas, handled 78 pre-fabricated switch and crossing sections. They also supplied two S&C tampers for the project.

Platform work at the northern end of the station, carried out by MECX, involved removal of existing coping stones, tactile strips and the macadam surface as the last 30 metres of the platform required lowering to enable falls to go to the centre of the platform rather than falling towards the track. This would prevent any issues with prams, wheelchairs and other wheeled objects running away towards the tracks.

The works entailed lowering the levels of the platform oversails and reducing the macadam levels. New dish drainage and carrier drainage, including new catchpit chambers, were installed and this was then connected to the existing track drainage. A new macadam platform surface was laid and the copers and tactiles re-bedded and re-pointed.

MECX also constructed three new signal bases at the south end of the station, where the ongoing signalling work is being carried out by Linbrooke. The necessary civils works associated with the alterations, such as the foot crossing, drainage works and an undertrack crossing, were undertaken by Chris Francis Contractors.

OSL was responsible for the signalling testing and commissioning. RES was the E&P supplier, MacRail Systems provided site access control and DB Schenker was responsible for engineering train movements within the sidings.

Labour was provided by McGinley, Ganymede and Vital. Patterns of three 9-hour shifts over each 24-hour period were established throughout, with some specialist staff working individual 10 or 12-hour shifts. Overall, whilst there were wide variations in the actual number of staff present on site at any time throughout the blockade, depending on the particular activities happening, the staffing averaged out at approximately 40 per shift.

Main possession

The possession commenced on schedule at 04:00 on Sunday 23 December 2018 and was scheduled to be handed back at 04:00 on Friday 4 January 2019.

Removal of the old trackwork and progressive reinstatement of the new was carried out in five stages, working broadly from east to west across the overall site. The new track layout, installed on bottom ballast, was completed on schedule by 23:15 hours on Friday 28 December.

Stage 6, the delivery of final top ballast and tamping of the site throughout, took place over the following 48 hours.

Everything ran according to the programme up until Stage 7 of the project. Stage 7, running from 19:00 hours on Sunday 30 December through to planned handback at 04:00 on Friday 4 January, comprised final welding and stressing, signalling testing and commissioning and handback procedures.

Within this overall period, nine hours had been allowed for handback and contingency and 48 hours was originally allowed for signalling testing. However, a further review a few weeks prior to the blockade highlighted the project’s challenges of carrying out the S&C renewal simultaneously, as there were a lot of point-locking and route- locking changes that would affect the S&C renewal side of the station, due to the changing track lengths and the fact that there are both main and draw-ahead routes into the platforms at Westbury.

An extended test period would be required to facilitate the signalling system at Westbury, which is a relay based system and so all testing had to take place on-site, as opposed to more modern software-based signalling systems that can be tested off-site on simulators before the commissioning. It was therefore decided to extend the testing to 72 hours.

Despite a detailed and fully checked design, the new signalling arrangements, as installed, would require thorough in-situ testing. Many possible combinations of train movements and train starting positions would have to be exhaustively tested before every possible situation had been proven and test logged.

The welding and stressing throughout the site was completed on schedule by 19:00 on Monday 31 December, which left just the planned 72 hours of wheels-free access for the signalling testing.

Unfortunately, at the start of the shift on 31 December, an issue with the interlocking from a shunt signal was revealed. This was highlighted immediately to the AECOM design team to resolve; with a formal test log being issued on 2 January. It proved to be especially complicated to design a way out of the problem and, in the event, the whole of the remaining time allocated for the testing and handback was used up by the time a solution had been found.

So, at about 20:00 on the Thursday, the new design was ready to be implemented, but, with a few extra snags encountered during this modified installation and with over 120 wires to be terminated, a 23-hour overrun resulted.

Appraisal

Sarah Fraser, project manager for Network Rail, commented that it had been a great disappointment for the project team to have experienced this overrun after such careful planning, which included “a generous time allocation” for the signalling testing and commissioning. She was obviously also very sorry for the disruption to passengers, with the temporary arrangements for services having to continue for another whole day.

However, overall, the team should be pleased and proud to have planned and renewed a complex track renewal, making excellent and economic use of the major closure opportunity, which will now bring improved reliability and maintainability for many years to come.

Christmas 2018 at Battersea Pier junction

This Christmas, Battersea Pier junction became the latest focus of intense activity as it was renewed over an 11-day blockade. Battersea Pier junction is one of London’s busiest junctions.

Located one mile south of London’s Victoria Station, it is used by 240,000 passengers each day. It is located at the junction of the routes to Chatham and Brighton, immediately to the south end of the Grosvenor Bridge across the Thames. It also provides the access into Thameslink’s Stewarts Lane maintenance depot.

The junction contained some of the oldest (dating from 1970s) and worst infrastructure on the Sussex route. There were deteriorating geometry issues with poor top and poor alignment, which were affecting ride quality and could have resulted in potential speed restrictions. The site also included 19 priority rail defects.

These problems would have been very difficult to remove through the routine maintenance regime in this very busy location. As a result of the junction’s conditions, an £8.5 million renewal was approved by Network Rail in 2015 with the objectives of reducing maintenance, providing a 35-year life, significantly improving asset reliability and enhancing the passenger journey experience.

Complex plans

The S&C South Alliance (Colas Rail, AECOM and Network Rail working together) was tasked with the project, which was not going to be a simple one to plan, given its location bounded by the Thames, the site of Battersea Power Station, 10-storey blocks of flats and a hotel. In addition, the main access point for the site was through Battersea Dogs & Cats Home.

The extent of the works was clearly going to be a challenge, as this would comprise the replacement of 12 point ends and a fixed diamond crossing, 1,300 metres of plain line track and 1,800 metres of conductor rail, together with replacing 10 point machines and associated cabling and power supply.

Being in an urban location, largely on elevated structures, storage and access were very restrictive and the site was surrounded by residential properties. The project’s procurement list included 4.5km of rail, 3,750 concrete sleepers and 8,000 tonnes of ballast.

The replacement of the junction’s track was designed on a like-for-like basis, with minor changes to enhance its alignment. The existing layout was on a mix of concrete and hardwood bearers but the replacement was to be entirely in concrete, with exception of a few timbers above the Grosvenor Bridge’s abutment.

To validate the ground survey, the AECOM design team made use of a Vogel R3D unmanned aerial vehicle (drone) to undertake a 3D topographic survey, outputting to a point cloud and orthophotos (true to scale images) of all five route kilometres of the affected track. The use of this form of high-accuracy survey is still relatively unusual at this scale but saved many weeks of traditional surveying. Plowman Craven, which undertook this work, had to satisfy the requirements of the Civil Aviation Authority, Police, Port of London Authority as well as avoiding affecting the peregrine falcons on Battersea Power Station.

Stakeholder management

With the site surrounded by residential properties and a hotel, the 11 days of intense activity on the site had great potential to result in complaints. As a result, there was significant public engagement with local residents through meetings with the Battersea Residents Association, as well as direct communications including letter drops and press releases. Residents were pleased to be informed and involved and were hungry for more information over the weeks leading up to the project. The team monitored noise and dust throughout the course of the work, and both were, at all times, within agreed limits. As a result of the teams’ engagement and site management, no complaints were received, a remarkable result given the location and season.

Closing such a major junction was clearly going to have a significant impact on services and travellers. The team worked closely with Govia Thameslink to plan diversionary services and to maintain access to Stewarts Lane depot for fleet maintenance. It was agreed to begin the blockade on Sunday 23 December as Saturday was rightly foreseen as a day of heavy traffic with people heading off for the holiday.

As a result of the blockade, Victoria’s Platforms 9 to 19 were closed and there were no Gatwick Express services from Victoria Station, with replacement services running from Blackfriars and London Bridge.

Most Southern services were diverted to London Bridge, with a limited service to Clapham Junction. Buses were used to replace train services for local journeys between Clapham Junction and Victoria.

An extensive information campaign took place during the autumn with posters, press releases and social media being used to inform travellers of the revised services.

Through close cooperation and coordination, the revised service pattern worked well, and there were no issues reported on the regular gold command calls. There had been concerns about potential crowding at Clapham Junction as a consequence of the revised services but, due to the major advance communications campaign to passengers, this proved not to be a problem.

During the autumn, the maintenance team paid special precautionary attention to the diversionary routes to ensure that they would not be adversely affected by the greatly increased traffic of diverted services over the blockade period. They also had resources on standby for any defects that might occur.

Establishing access

Being a landlocked site, access was not straightforward. Battersea Dogs & Cats Home is located in the vee between the two routes. The team had built a good relationship with staff at the Home during a previous project at Battersea Park and, as a result of their continued cooperation, was able to use the Home site as the primary means of access for both people and plant. The road/rail access point was at the far end of the Home and pedestrian access was via steps up to the track level from its car park.

Given the large volume of activity through their site, the Home were unaffected by the works, even on Boxing Day, the busiest day in the calendar. (It’s the most popular day to collect a dog, apparently).

A second RRAP (road-rail access point) was available in Battersea Yard and pedestrian access was also available from Battersea Park Station, providing multiple access and evacuation points.

The project compound was within Cory Environmental’s yard in Wandsworth Road, with a mini-welfare site at Havelock Terrace close to the site. Each shift across the blockade had 50 to 100 people on site and a fleet of four buses ferried them to and from their place of work.

Preparing the panels

The new S&C was manufactured by VAE at Worksop as 90 separate components and delivered by tilting wagon over a three-week period. Conventionally, these would have been offloaded alongside the work area for simple craning-in during installation. At Battersea Pier, the dense track layout precluded this and, as a result, the components were laid alongside the Battersea Reversible and Stewarts Lane lines.

Prolonged track access to make these deliveries was initially seen as a severe constraint to the project. As a result of collaboration with the operators, this problem was overcome by their offer of 08:00-20:00 possessions of these routes, apart from occasional access requirements for empty stock movements. This greatly eased the delivery activity and enabled the luxury of daylight working too.

Following vegetation and site clearance, together with levelling works to the wide cesses alongside these routes, the components were delivered to site in early December. Each was unloaded by Kirow crane and placed in its designated location, ready for collection and installation during the blockade. A quarter of the new S&C units were too large to transport in one piece and were delivered broken down into components. These were re-assembled as part of the delivery operation.

To reduce the volume of work to be carried out in the blockade, the plain line between the crossovers on the Up and Down Brighton Fast were re-laid in a 27-hour possession in mid-November. In addition, some advance S&T works were carried out at the end of November. Before the commencement of the renewals, RSS Infrastructure (RSSI) was tasked with relay room works, onsite installation, LOC builds and the build up of points operating equipment.

Due to the complexity of the layout and the need to plan the delivery and storage of track panels, a detailed installation plan was needed.

11 days of Christmas

The 11-day blockade began at 01:05 on 23 December, with the project’s 13 engineering trains already stabled in Victoria station and the 13 RRV excavators and two RRV dozers at the RRAP. Small tools and geotextile were brought to site by the RRVs, the trains brought ballast and removed spoil, equivalent to 675 lorry movements.

The project was managed as three sites, site 1 on the Up and Down Brighton Slow, site 2 on the Brighton reversible and site 3 the Up and Down Brighton Fasts.

During the blockade itself, the Up and Down Brighton lines were blocked but the Up and Down Chatham lines remained open throughout, except for Christmas Day and Boxing Day. To provide a safe site on the Down Brighton Slow, an engineering train was stabled on the Chatham reversible as an Adjacent Line Open barrier.

The full depth excavation exposed a number of historic signal bases and cabling. These could have delayed progress but had been foreseen from the team’s experiences on its previous project at Battersea Park in 2016 and resources and time had been allowed for this.

Once the geotextile and bottom ballast had been placed, spread and compacted by the excavators and dozer, then the S&C components were brought to site from their temporary storage and placed by the Kirow crane.

Works to power supply and signalling cabling were restricted to dis- and re-connections. A future improvement will be to enhance the power supply to the switch heating.

During commissioning, RSSI carried out four-foot installation, relay room changeovers, final points setup and handover. Following completion, the team also provided after care support and cover for follow up works.

As part of the contingency planning, the team had a standby RRV and fitters available at the access point, together with a spare Kirow crane and locomotive on standby at Hoo depot.

The first priority was to hand back access into Stewarts Lane depot to allow public services to recommence. Contingency planning was meticulous for the three sites should there be any delay. However, the project was completed on time, accident and incident free, and handed back to operational traffic at 45mph line speed at 23:00 on 1 January. Empty stock proving runs between Victoria and Clapham then took place before traffic recommenced at 04:00.

As works were completed, part of the RRV fleet was re-deployed south to Factory Junction to deliver a second, smaller project there, delivered by the same team.

As a high-profile project, it received several senior visitors over the blockade – Rail Minister Andrew Jones on 24 December and Network Rail CEO Andrew Haines accompanied by John Halsall, route managing director, on 27 December. All were delighted with the progress in carrying out such a complex project and praised the team delivering it.

Thanks to Network Rail’s Paul Harwood and Adam Kotulecki for their help in preparing this article.

Czech Republic: RegioJet brings new Bombardier TRAXX locomotives into passenger service

RegioJet, the independent Czech railway operator that also runs services in Slovakia, has introduced its new Bombardier TRAXX locomotives into passenger service on the route from Prague to Ostrava and Návsí.

Once the new locos have proved themselves on domestic routes, they will be used to haul trains further afield to Brno, and internationally to Bratislava (Slovakia) and Vienna (Austria).

The new Bombardier TRAXX MS2 locomotives can operate at up to 160km/h and are approved for service in the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Austria. This will be the first time that TRAXX locomotives have been operated on regular passenger services in the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

At the same time, two additional open-plan coaches, manufactured by Astra Vagoane Calatori of Romania, have been delivered. Featuring touch-screen entertainment at each seat, RegioJet will take delivery of 16 such vehicles this year.

The new vehicles form part of RegioJet’s multi-million euro investment in its passenger fleet, driven by a recent 30 per cent increase in passenger numbers as the company introduces new services to both Vienna and Brno.

Network Rail announces new track systems contracts that will last for ten years

Network Rail has announced two (shortly to be three) track systems contracts that could cover the next 10 years and be worth around £5 billion to the successful bidders, or over £10 billion of work when the cost of free-issued materials and services is included.

Great Britain has been split into three regions for rail systems delivery – Scotland, Central (London North West, London North East and East Midlands route) and South (Anglia, South East, Wessex, Western and Wales routes).

Defined as covering “anything needed to make the rail system work including track, points, overhead lines and signalling”, these contracts for track and rail systems replace the nine existing frameworks for plain line and switches & crossings that covered CP5.

Felixstowe, Christmas 2018.

Those nine geographic contracts, S&C north and south and seven for plain line stretching from Scotland to the South East, were awarded to five organisations in total, so the new arrangement means that Network Rail only has three contracts to administer – a saving in itself.

The new North Alliance is made up of Babcock Rail, Arup and Arcadis, while the South Alliance is Colas Rail and AECOM – the same companies that comprised the S&C South Alliance during CP5.

The Central Alliance contract will be announced in about a month, Network Rail programme director track Steve Featherstone told Rail Engineer.

He also explained the reasoning behind the new arrangement. “We previously split the contracts between S&C and plain line as we wanted to build up expertise,” he exclusively told Rail Engineer. “We knew there would be some inefficiency because of that, but all of the advances in high-speed handbacks of S&C and plain line, and improved reliability, have come from concentrating our resources. It’s no good being ‘Jacks of all trades and masters of none’.

“Now we have that expertise, it’s time to combine the contracts again and hopefully retain that expertise while regaining the efficiency.”

Steve also explained what was meant by track systems including overhead lines and signalling. “When we do a track job, remodelling a junction for example, then the OLE and the signals often need removing, resiting and replacing. Under the terms of the new contracts, all of that will be done by the alliances.

“For example, we recently completed the remodelling of Liverpool Lime Street. From a mile out, all of the overhead work was done by the current alliance teams. At all stages of the work the track and OLE have to work as a system. It was all kept in house, which is much more efficient. We adopted the same approach at Euston, Wembley, PARR and lots of other schemes”

Track work at Liverpool Lime Street station, June 2018.

Each contract includes designers as well as contractors, to bring their experience together. This both reduces time and cost.

Steve pointed out that this multi-disciplinary way of working already takes place with minor civils as well. “If we replace the track through a station,” he said, “we usually have to reset the platform coping stones to maintain gauge. We don’t get another contractor in, we do it ourselves.”

The new contracts are for ten years, which will cover both CP6 and CP7, but with a break clause after five.  So, provided the contractors do a good and efficient job, there will be no need to go out to retender until 2028.

All of which leads to greater efficiency, and saves Network Rail, and ultimately the taxpayer, money.

Electrification renewals at Forest Gate over Christmas 2018

The London and North Eastern Railway started to electrify the Shenfield to Liverpool Street line during the 1930s; civil engineering work had started before the Second World War but the conflict delayed completion till 1949. The electrification system was 1,500 volts DC, which had been the standard at the time. However, British Railways switched the line to 25kV AC, its new standard, in November 1960.

The converted system continued to give service for many years but, as a fixed tension system, it was very vulnerable to temperature changes – the contact wire could sag severely at high temperatures, resulting in speed restrictions and severe capacity reduction in hot weather.

The system would also be under excessive stress in cold weather leading to failures and poor current collection performance. As the configuration was that of ‘compound equipment’ (with a third conductor in the contact system), the installation was heavy and slow to work on, parts were scarce and expensive, and catastrophic and complex failure modes were regularly experienced – the DC arrangement was designed before modern section insulators.

Essential upgrade

In the 21st century, the decision was made that the existing converted system was no longer fit for purpose and designs were drawn up to install modern overhead line equipment (OLE).

The philosophy behind the renewal programme was far reaching. The new arrangements were to include full mechanical independence, with registration arranged so that each wire would have its own individual catenary support and registration arm with knuckles removed.

A further characteristic, which would befit complex sites such as Forest Gate, would be to segregate main line and crossover wire runs with crossover wire runs to cover one pair of tracks only, where practicable.

As a final contribution to reliability, the new design would remove multi-track spanwire registrations and section insulators would be removed and replaced with overlaps where practicable.

Rather than traditional tensioning devices, in the form of balance weights, the new installation incorporates automatic tensioning equipment in the form of Pfisterer’s Tensorex spring tensioning system. This allows suitable contact system performance to be maintained within a normal range of temperatures and requires minimal maintenance compared with the balance weight system.

The contact system performs with near constant tension and there is no need to run cross-track wires, nor is there a need to build additional masts to support weights on an A frame.

It is worth noting that the system has been proven in Switzerland for approximately 15 years with, reportedly, zero failures.

Introducing GEFF

The system developed for the Great Eastern conversion was designed by Furrer+Frey, which has been involved with the general works for more than ten years. The generic name for the system is ‘GEFF’ and the Network Rail certificate of acceptance for the design was issued in 2012.

The conversion is technically an extremely challenging programme of works due to the complexity of the existing infrastructure and its interface with the operational railway. In total, 345 wire runs and associated structures for a new auto-tensioned overhead line system are to be installed.

In summary, the Furrer+Frey design delivers enhanced electrical clearance, reduced wind loading and mechanical simplicity. Structural life costs will be reduced and even future renewal will be simplified. In addition, the new configuration results in improved signal sighting – a welcome bonus on such a busy piece of railway. There is easier adjustability/repair and the equipment is faster and safer to work on.

The new installation features Pfisterer’s Tensorex spring tensioning system.

Progress has been maintained on the system renewal and only a relatively small part of the system remains to be completed. There has already been a significant improvement in OLE performance with a reduction in faults and service disruptions – there has been a direct correlation between wire runs renewed and a reduction in delay minutes.

Coupled with the contact system it is the question of structures and foundations. Replacements have been built to recent Eurocodes with a standard choice of side-bearing concrete foundations and a generic range of tubular piles. However, there have been a high proportion of custom foundations due to inner London build constraints, with examples being gravity pads, piles and special shapes.

Christmas at Forest Gate

One of the areas still to be completed was the strategic junction at Forest Gate on the Great Eastern main line. At this junction, the multi-track main line is joined by the route from Barking which also continues over over the main line on a bridge. Thus the site is complex and strategically important to the reliable running of the Great Eastern services, with the potential for any problems to cause major delays for the travelling public.

James Hill of Network Rail described the works and emphasised that, due to the nature of the normal intense service through the site, the works were planned to be undertaken in a ten day Christmas blockade between the twenty third of December 2018 and the second of January 2019. Under the management of Network Rail Infrastructure Projects, with design by Furrer+Frey, contractors and plant were mobilised and site work commenced following the last services before Christmas.

The opportunity had been taken to ensure robust preparation for the works and, as well as materials management issues, a small number of electrification structures were replaced before the blockade. The construction main contractor was Network Rail’s OCR team while stage work design was supported by OLE Limited at Derby, which also provided site design support; essential to ensure that, where adjustments were required to preconstruction approved design, in the light of emerging physical situations, the installation complied with required design standards.

James mentioned that some structures were reused where the positioning was suitable and that the new GEFF design allowed quantified choices to be made. The new equipment weighs approximately 50 per cent of the original DC equipment and the radial and wind loads are also less than the earlier DC installations.

GEFF anchor loads are also around 60 per cent of those for DC, so, in theory, all of the old structures can be reused. Furthermore, there are generic decisions still to be made regarding crossovers and, as that is the nature of the Forest Gate situation, those choices came into play. The old DC equipment is heavy with low uplift and high rise and fall, whereas the GEFF is light with a higher uplift and no rise and fall. So, the design had to be assessed with this in mind.

The decision was made to undertake as much preparation and pre-build as possible, aiming for 90 per cent preparation prior to wiring. However, germane to the preparation planning process were the drivers that, when compared to the older DC installations, GEFF cannot carry some high ex-DC radial loads, the catenary height is lower, the contact height is different and catenary sag is considerably less. A hybrid installation philosophy was therefore carried out during preparation works, leading to reduced in-possession time when finishing off.

Project support

Across the total Great Eastern renewal scheme CPMS (Collaborative Project Management Services) has been active in a project support role. CPMS has successfully supplied the client with a full project delivery solution including programme, project delivery, planning, document control, engineering, procurement and commercial management services. It has also developed and successfully discharged a principal contractor competency on behalf of the client.

Mat Baine of CPMS explained that his organisation has an extensive team of engineering and construction industry experts and delivers on-the-ground construction works, backed by full RISQS accreditation. He emphasised that work does not end once construction is complete, follow-up was by an experienced and efficient ‘entry into service and handback’ team.

In order to support the project, CPMS worked directly for clients and third parties progressing alongside the railway. The company’s railway experience helped to translate and ease the path towards the successful delivery which was achieved at the rewiring site.

Of great value was the recognition of the benefits of a close collaboration between engineering and construction throughout a project’s lifecycle. Expert and early involvement during development helped to incorporate value engineering and streamline buildability into the scheme.

A culture of ‘safety first’ has been effectively embedded on the whole project along with the implementation of a full suite of project controls, including schedule adherence, unit cost modelling and KPI reporting metrics. Across the programme, to date, the delivery solution provided by CPMS has been seen to generate efficiency improvements of 25 per cent for the client.

Successful conclusion

The Christmas work at Forest gate has benefitted from a focus on instigating a significant change in the safety performance of the GE project. Starting with a focus on getting the basics right through to seeking new and innovative ways to deliver the works in a safer, more efficient manner, CPMS has worked with the supply chain and site operatives to understand and improve how the project is delivered. A measure of the success has been a new and highly targeted safety campaign, CPMS has increased the volume of close call reporting on the GE project by over 300 per cent.

All of these measures have been successfully implemented to bring safety to the forefront, culminating in the effective performance in the delivery of the Forest Gate works.

Central to the planning, accompanied by the vital materials and plant management task, was that, to achieve renewal, it was necessary to remove and replace nine wire runs with severely restricted staging options. James explained that works were purely OLE related with no permanent way remodelling. The track layout, however, is complex, with four crossovers in the junction configuration.

In all, some twelve and a half kilometres of overhead contact system were replaced during the planned blockade and normal services resumed, as planned, on the second of January.

This heavily trafficked piece of railway will assume even greater significance when the existing services are joined by the full Crossrail service when the route will be upgraded to an auto transformer 25-0-25 kV system; passive provision having been created at Forest Gate during the works.

With Forest Gate complete, there is now a continuous section of auto-tensioned GEFF OLE on the electric lines from the country end of Stratford station to Chelmsford, a distance of 42km. There remains only one major section of renewal to undertake, in the very complex Stratford area. Once that has been finished, the Great Eastern Route will be able to deliver massively improved reliability in all weathers, for the advantage of railway customers.

All in all, it adds up to a successful near-conclusion to a complex project.

Christmas 2018: Weaver to Wavertree resignalling

Weaver to Wavertree resignalling is one of the latest resignalling schemes to be completed and involved new signalling between Edge Hill station, just outside Liverpool, and Winsford station in the south. Weaver Junction, the oldest flying junction in Britain, is located on the West Coast main line between Warrington and Crewe, connecting to Liverpool via the Runcorn Railway Bridge and Wavertree junction.

The signalling between Weaver and Wavertree junctions was a mixture of mechanical, relay and solid-state interlockings (SSI). The condition of the lineside infrastructure was very poor indeed.

There have been a number of attempts to carry out a line-of-route resignalling and control point rationalisation over the years. The Inter-City business sector of BR developed a scheme in the late 1980s, but railway privatisation got in the way and it never happened. Railtrack’s priorities were elsewhere, although they had to carry out some resignalling at Ditton and Halewood to deliver the West Coast upgrade.

Between 8 and 18 December in the year 2000, a new NX panel box at Ditton was commissioned, leading to the closure of Ditton No.1 and Ditton No.2 lever frame signal boxes. It was planned that this would eventually result in the closure of Halton Junction, Runcorn, Speke Junction and Allerton Junction signal boxes, but it took another 18 years for this to be delivered, such was the scale of the signalling work required in the North West with other routes having priority due to their condition.

Finally, in control period five (CP5), a line-of-route scheme to resignal and recontrol the route has been successfully delivered. The scheme was part of Network Rail’s £340m Liverpool City investment programme and the Great North Rail Project. Five signal boxes have been removed, with control moving to the Manchester Rail Operating Centre (MROC) as part of Network Rail’s wider modernisation programme in the region.

Having the ROC available as a control point was one factor to enable the scheme to proceed, along with the availability of the IP-based FTNx telecoms network core, together with the resignalling of Liverpool Lime Street also taking place in CP5. Along with improved asset condition, better reliability and more efficient operation, the scheme has also improved connectivity to Allerton train maintenance depot and facilitated the Halton Curve connection to Chester.

Resignalling requirements

The project was classed as the resignalling of Allerton, Speke, Runcorn and Halton interlocking areas, a ‘re-lock’ of Garston, and a ‘re-control’ of the Ditton and Halewood interlocking areas.

In simple terms, a ‘re-lock’ means a new interlocking and lineside train detection, points and signal equipment, while a ‘re-control’ involves the existing interlocking and signalling being controlled from a new location, in this case the Manchester ROC.

Allerton, Speke, Runcorn and Halton signal boxes were mechanical frames with a mixture of 1962 P-Style and 1980s 930-style relays. The lineside assets were in very poor condition, not surprising given their age and extensive use on a busy main line.

Garston area was a relay interlocking controlled from Speke signal box. The interlocking was renewed in 2005 following arson at Garston signal box. Control was by means of individual function switches (IFS) on an illuminated diagram at Speke. The interlocking and lineside assets were in good condition but required modification or replacement in order to make them suitable for recontrol to the ROC.

With IFS, a separate button/switch is provided for each signal and for each set of points, and the assets are operated in a similar manner to a lever frame. The signalperson must move each set of points to the desired position before operating the switch or button of the signal controlling them. This type of panel needs the least complex circuitry but is not suited to controlling large or busy areas.

Ditton and Halewood interlocking areas were MkIII SSI areas and the equipment was in relatively good condition. However, with signalling technology improving all the time, there were benefits in upgrading some of the lineside assets as the replacement of the existing, obsolete SSI trackside equipment would facilitate an improvement in performance.

The fringe signalling arrangements to Carterhouse Junction had been informally recovered in the past, but they now needed to be recovered formally.

Implementation

The scheme was instigated just over six years ago. Since then, there has been a lot of effort by the many team members to develop the scheme, secure the funding, organise access for the blockade and integrate the works. Integration, in terms of design, construction and blockade management, is sometimes taken for granted, but no scheme can exist without this and the work involved should not be underestimated.

Siemens Rail Automation (SRA) is the framework resignalling contractor for the area, assisted on the Weaver to Wavertree scheme by Haigh Rail as a sub-contractor. Throughout the works, there has been a culture of collaboration with Network Rail and the other programme partners, enabling the project team to achieve high standards of delivery.

Buckingham Group Contracting provided all the civil engineering requirements, with Readypower Terrawise as a sub-contractor. In one 48-hour period within a 199-hour blockade of Weaver to Wavertree, they recovered 132 location cupboards, 54 signals, nine signs and erected eight new signals and gantry droppers.

The interlocking is a Siemens Trackguard Westlock – a flexible, microprocessor-based interlocking that provides an advanced, digital signalling system but safeguards investment in existing infrastructure as it is fully retro-compatible with SSI. A Trackguard Westlock interlocking can manage an area equivalent to four original SSI interlockings, allowing interlocking cross-boundaries to be eliminated or repositioned and improves route setting times.

The architecture is a flexible design and permits the interlocking to be connected in a variety of ways, to provide the most appropriate architecture for each location. This flexibility allows it to be applied adjacent to existing SSIs, to recontrol existing SSI trackside equipment or to be applied directly in its own right.

Phase one of the Weaver to Wavertree re-signalling Scheme, between Weaver junction and Ditton East junction, entered into service at 23:55 on Tuesday 8 May 2018 as planned. This was the first deployment of the Siemens Westrace Trackside System (WTS) in a distributed configuration and under 25kV (which in itself is notoriously difficult for new technology, due to electrical noise), abolishing Runcorn and Halton signal boxes. A new Westcad ‘Wavertree Workstation’ was located at the Manchester ROC to control the route.

WTS is an evolution in trackside-signalling control, providing a flexible, modern, network-compatible system which is capable of replacing trackside functional modules (TFMs), relays, and other legacy equipment in a wide variety of trackside applications, bringing all the previous benefits but with even better processing performance, input/output (I/O) options, availability and diagnostics than before.

As an internet protocol (IP) network-based solution, rather than one that operates over a baseband datalink as traditional TFMs would, WTS makes use of the highly flexible, network-based communications network to allow a wide variety of architectures to be implemented. Complex station layouts can be signalled using a centralised architecture and, for lower density areas, I/O modules may be spread along the trackside. This enables the applications engineer to mix both architectures to optimise the solution.

Through the use of optical fibre cables on the trackside, the IP-network can also be used for other system communications such as remote condition monitoring, automatic power reconfiguration and axle counter systems.

Train detection on the route has been provided via the Frauscher Advanced Axle Counter (FAdC) and a Westrace Network Communication (WNC), using auto re-convergence via a Signalling Private Network (SPN) communications design and trackside fibre. Network Rail Telecoms (NRT) commissioned the required lineside IP communication links back to Manchester ROC, which provided data communication links for Liverpool Lime Street resignalling as well as Weaver Wavertree.

The WTS with integrated FAdC is the result of nearly 10 years of development and moves the railway away from the equivalent of low speed ‘dial-up’ internet speeds to the fast broadband internet. Prior to this solution, SSIs (the devices that control signals, points and other lineside equipment) from the eighties were connected along the trackside with a bespoke copper data cable running at 20kB (dial-up internet was about 56kB – remember how slow that was!). WTS uses CISCO IP technology, amongst other things, and integrates with FTNx and a trackside fibre cable running at 100MB (as a guide, domestic superfast broadband is about 75MB).

The solution is more than ‘Digital Ready’. It is the future and its first full use (and under 25kV) is in the North West. Not only is the control from Manchester ROC lightning fast, there is capacity for much more future functionality and, just like domestic ISP (Internet Service Provider) Broadband, the system uses IP routing and switching so that, if a key part fails or requires maintenance, there is always another path available. It feels like the railway really has moved into the 21st Century.

Phase one also enabled the reintroduction of a bi-direction route to Chester via the Halton Curve. This will allow a new service between Liverpool and Chester, serving Liverpool Lime Street, Liverpool John Lennon Airport, Runcorn, Frodsham and Helsby. The plan in the future is for a two-way hourly service with connections to North Wales.

At Edge Hill the Weaver to Wavertree project team integrated with Siemens’ Liverpool Lime St team to provide a Westronic 1024 TDM to replace a life-expired Electronic Route Setting Equipment (ERSE) installed in the 1980s. This entered into service at 20:26 on 26 of December 2018.

Fast forward 100 years in 10 days

Finally, phase two, Allerton/Speke, was entered into service earlier than planned at 21:36 on Tuesday 1 Jan 2019. This six-mile section incorporated the railway between, but not including, Halewood West junction and Wavertree junction, abolished Allerton and Speke signal boxes and transferred signalling control to the Manchester ROC. Alterations to fringes at Edge Hill, Ditton (Halewood) and Hunts Cross were also undertaken. New manually reconfigurable signalling power supply points (PSP) were also created at Edge Hill PSP, Allerton ASP, and Halewood PSP.

As part of the project, the 100-year-old signal box at Speke near Liverpool was replaced with the same cutting-edge technology as described in the phase one works. Which, by coincidence, was the 100th and 101st Westlock signalling interlockings which Siemens have installed in the UK.

This complex and challenging phase saw the new signalling system introduced without incident whilst also enabling Northern Trains access into the strategic Allerton train maintenance depot. Situated near Liverpool South Parkway station, Network Rail took control of the depot in 2011, transforming it from its near-derelict state into a modern electric train maintenance facility, servicing Northern Rail’s fleet of trains. Prior to the Weaver to Wavertree resignalling scheme, not all the signalling routes were available, but full signalling access has now been provided along with electrification.

Listed building

Plans are in place to demolish the Allerton and Speke signal boxes over Easter in 2019, but Runcorn signal box is a listed structure and so it will remain untouched until a new use can be found for it. With the redundant signal box being close to Runcorn station, could the local community or a local business find a useful purpose for it? Time will tell.

Ditton signal box is a relative new structure so it will also remain, although its location is such that finding a new operational or community use for it will be a challenge.

The project created a depot and compound on Network Rail land at Speke, consisting of a two-storey site office located on what was effectively waste land, which received a sustainability award early in the project. This was achieved due to a number of creative initiatives that included using refurbished second-hand cabins and material to construct the depot. Discussions are now under way for the benefits of the site to be used by the maintainer in the future.

Thanks to Jillian Buckley, Steve Whelan and Chelsea Green for their assistance with this article.

Christmas work at Wellingborough North Junction

One of Network Rail’s bigger Christmas jobs in 2018 was that at Wellingborough North Junction, 57m 0ch to 69m 40ch on the Midland main line (MML). The main works here took place between 22:20 on Sunday 23 December 2018 and 04:00 on Monday 2 January 2019. Within those timescales, there were two sets of works, the first stage involving the Fast lines and the second the Slows. Prior to the first of these, some significant enabling works were needed.

These works were a key part of the improvement of the MML between London St Pancras and Kettering, and through to Corby. Essentially, the overall scheme will provide additional track capacity by re-instating an Up Slow line between Sharnbrook Junction and Kettering. The second track between Kettering and Corby was installed and commissioned in Feb 2018. Electrification to Corby will follow and is underway. In addition, significant signalling improvements are being made.

Prophecy fulfilled

As I spoke to Network Rail’s Chris Buxton, I had to smile to myself as I recalled how, years ago, I criticised the Corby/Kettering singling scheme, then being implemented by British Rail, because the new signalling installations for the single line were being installed in the trackbed of the track being removed. I thought it short sighted, as this would obstruct any future re-doubling of the route, but was laughed at by colleagues. “It will never happen” was the comment.

So, here we are with the double track being re-instated on the Slows, to give a four track railway north of Wellingborough. To tie this in properly with the existing three-track layout at Wellingborough and to the south, it has been necessary to remodel the North Junction in preparation.

Enabling works

The first works in preparation for the Christmas job involved the installation of a new signal gantry – LR34/LR36 – north of the junction at about 66m 15ch. This was undertaken during week commencing 13 October and the associated new signals on the gantry were installed and tested so that they could be commissioned during the Christmas works.

De-vegetation works were carried out on the Down side of the line adjacent to the GBRF Neilson’s Sidings and a site where Bovis Homes are undertaking groundworks in preparation for a new housing development. A temporary fence was also installed adjacent to the line here.

These works, undertaken between 8 and 10 October, were crucial to the main project, as will be discussed later.

Delivery of new ballast and sleepers for the main works on the Down Slow line side commenced on 2 November, these being stored in the GBRF sidings. The S&C for the Fast line works was delivered to the lineside on weekend 36. All this meant that the vast majority of the materials required were available on site before the Christmas works began.

A significant further preparatory task was completed with the removal and relaying in plain line of 701B Points, the connection in the Down Main that serves the Down Goods Loop.

Preparatory signalling and points heating works, such as running out and pre-testing cables, installing transformer bases and the like, also took place.

The final and critical preparatory job was the construction of a formation for a temporary rail ‘haul road’ on the Down side along the intended path of the future headshunt north of the main worksite. This was to allow the laying in of a temporary track here, along which the materials for the Slow lines works would be hauled from the sidings to the junction worksite. The formation was constructed to main line standards in order that it can serve as the formation of the Up Slow when that is installed later.

The site was previously a headshunt for the reception line of the GBRF sidings.

The work was carried out in two stages.

Fast line works

The main works began with the relaying of the Fast line connections of the new junction layout. These comprise, working south to north, a facing crossover connecting the two Fast lines (702A/B), a facing crossover from Down Fast to Down Goods Loop (701A/B) and a trailing turnout (703B) in the Up Fast that was to form part of the crossover from the Up and Down Slow (future Down Slow) to the Up Fast.

All of these involve ‘F’ switches and, in due course, the speeds through them will increase from the present 25mph to 40mph. The speed increase is a part of the reason for the renewal of the junction, though for signalling reasons it will not be implemented until the full scheme is commissioned at Christmas 2019. However, the main reason for the renewal was that the S&C was approaching the end of its operational life.

The Fast lines S&C work was all delivered in modular panels to the trackside prior to the main works, being delivered by road from manufacturers Progress Rail. Installation was carried out using Network Rail’s Kirow 1200 rail crane, working at nights from 23 December to 2 January.

Track panels were installed using Network Rail’s Kirow crane.

Slow line works

The Slow line works used modular S&C units delivered to site on tilting wagons. Once again, working from south northwards, these were the second end of the Down Slow/Up Fast crossover (703A), a facing crossover (704A/B) that connects the future Down Slow (now the Up and Down Slow) to the future Up Slow. All of these again employ ‘F’ switches. Finally, there was a crossover to connect the sidings into the future Up Slow (currently a headshunt).

These Slow line works were completed on the nights of 27/28 and 28/29 December. The remainder of the slow line works, renewal of 800 metres of the Down Slow and installation of the new Up Slow 800 metres, were completed between 00:20 on 24 December and the 04:00 on 2 January, with the last 24 hours being ‘wheels free’ for Siemens to commission the signalling.

The new Up Slow is to be used as the current head shunt until final commissioning of the project during December 2019. Materials stored at the GBRF sidings were hauled to site along the rail haul road by Unimogs pulling rail wagons. All the spoil was taken out by the same means.

Programme changes

The original programme for all of this involved nine different stages due to the constrained track access originally available. However, in early 2018, new access arrangements became possible, permitting the staging of the works over Christmas and New Year, as described.

Since this new programme permitted all of the S&C works to be tackled in one hit, the future programme of work becomes much easier to complete in the planned timescales. These works include the necessary new signalling installations, the completion and connection of the additional track between Wellingborough and Corby, and the completion of the electrification scheme through to Corby.

Finishing works

The track works were finished by S&C tampers supplied by VolkerRail and Babcock Rail. The crossovers were parallel tamped by the two machines working in tandem. This is important, as it is the most efficient and effective way to ensure that the support under the through bearers of the layouts is consistent. This avoids the risk of twist faults in the track and the potential derailments this may cause, and it ensures that the bearers are not damaged by being less well supported at certain points than at others.

The two tampers were employed thus between 20:35 on Christmas Day and 05:35 on Boxing Day. Tamping shifts involving one tamper then followed over the night of 30/31 December.

Additional Works & Project Statistics

Additional works, besides the signal gantry already discussed, included capping air shafts of a culvert under the line, installing under track crossings and installing, testing and commissioning point heating on all the new S&C. A significant workload was undertaken by Siemens, which was responsible for the signalling works including the commissioning of all the new sets of points, the speed signage for the new layout, signalling alterations and commissioning as well as some signalling recovery works.

The statistics for this work programme are impressive. 10 point-ends were installed, and about 1,600 metres of plain line, necessitating some 3,235 concrete sleepers/bearers. 13,000 tonnes of spoil had to be removed and 10,750 tonnes of new ballast was laid. Nine engineering trains were used, in addition to the Unimog haulage used on the Slow lines works.

To the great credit of all concerned, particularly the main contractor, Amey and signalling contractor, Siemens, these 10 days of works were completed without any accident or incidents. The Slow lines were handed back at line speed and the Fast lines with a 50mph planned temporary speed restriction. Some 100 individuals gave up their Christmas/New Year holidays to work on the site, allowing the work to be undertaken at a time when the railway was in significantly less demand from users, minimizing disruption to customers.

The completion of these works leaves the project in excellent shape to complete the whole scheme next Christmas.

Thanks to project manager Chris Buxton and media relations manager Amy Brenndorfer, both from Network Rail’s LNE & EM region, for their assistance in compiling this article.

Innovative structural drainage for retaining walls and bridge abutments

Guest author: Alan Bamforth, managing director of ABG Ltd.

Railway infrastructure has retaining walls and bridge abutments. Inherent in the design of these structures is the requirement for adequate water pressure relief behind the wall. This is provided by a drainage layer at the rear of the wall that safely directs water from the retained ground to a collection pipe and/or weep-holes at the base of the wall.

Traditionally, the drainage layer is constructed using granular crushed stone, typically 500mm thick. Technical studies of highway structures for the Transport Research Laboratory in the 1980s identified that this traditional drainage was often failing due to:

  • Cracks in the face of masonry retaining walls, often identified by tell-tale calcium staining;
  • Clogging of the drainage stone due to infiltration by the backfill soil;
  • Poorly graded drainage stone;
  • Damage to the water proofing on the rear of the wall by the sharp angular drainage stone.

Introducing geosynthetics

Innovation since 1990 has led to the proven use of geosynthetic drainage for these back-of-wall applications. At the forefront in the UK is ABG, manufacturer of the Deckdrain geocomposite range, which consists of a cuspated high-density polyethylene (HDPE) high-strength core bonded to a specific non-woven geotextile. It has a BBA (British Board of Agreement) certificate of Fitness for Purpose for structural drainage.

ABG Deckdrain was installed recently on the Bermondsey dive-under for Thameslink – a project that achieved a CEEQUAL Excellent rating.

This project was particularly interesting as it involved both existing Victorian brick arches and new concrete structures. Installing traditional crushed-stone drainage to the rear of structures that were six metres high and 100 metres long would normally require 600 tonnes of crushed stone. Instead, principal contractor Skanska chose to use ABG Deckdrain that was supplied in ten rolls weighing, in total, just 600kg.

The reduction of 30 deliveries to just one was not only a great logistical benefit but also saved over 54 tonnes of CO2 . In addition, the fast installation of the ABG Deckdrain also led to a safer working environment.

Proven performance

The real innovation, however, is the development of test methods and research by ABG to provide the reassurance that engineers need to trust in something they have not used before. ABG Deckdrain is manufactured from HDPE, a polymer with a life expectancy in excess of 120 years. To ensure that Deckdrain can withstand the long-term ground pressure, extensive SIM (Stepped Isothermal Method) creep testing at pressures of 250kPa has demonstrated 80 per cent retained performance after 114 years.

The drainage flow performance is also accurately tested to BS ISO12958, using soft foam in contact with the Deckdrain to replicate the soil backfill and ensure that the geotextile surface of the Deckdrain is loaded exactly as it would be when installed in the structure.

Being UK based and specialising in geosynthetic drainage, with a 30 year history, ABG has a focus on engineering for engineers, which means ABG have a great deal of experience and are always willing to help.

Systems integration: navigating increasing complexity

Guest author: Nassar Majothi, director of the rail specialist services group at WSP London.

All too often, major infrastructure programmes are subject to significant complications, which can delay delivery and breach the budget. In the rail sector, larger and more complex programmes are expected to deliver greater outputs in the face of limited resources. This means a step change in management capability is more important than ever.

To meet the demands of increasing urbanisation and population growth, the global railway sector has seen significant investment over the last few decades, both to build new and to upgrade existing infrastructure. Developing management approaches that provide more certainty in the delivery of economic infrastructure is key to instilling confidence from government and other investors.

Railway programmes, which are characteristically lengthy and complex, share delivery difficulties common with other major economic infrastructure. That they tend to be hundreds of kilometres long, cover varied geographies and environments, and usually require extensive line-side furniture to integrate with trains and the modern digital consumer, only adds to the challenges facing today’s railway programmes.

The innovation in programme management and engineering management capabilities needed to manage this complexity has, for the most part, not kept up with the pace and scale of delivery challenges facing major programmes. However, systems integration (SI) is an increasingly popular solution, which seeks to solve a complex problem by dividing the whole into smaller parts.

Beginning at the end

From efficiently coordinating technical development of missile defence programmes in the 1950s to the customer-led delivery of today’s major programmes, SI is a fundamentally pragmatic approach to managing complexity.

An idea for a new product, system or service is often proposed in terms of the final desired outcome, whether that’s meeting consumer needs, transporting people, saving time, or transforming a place. The SI approach begins with this end in mind, demanding that the operational outcome, the end user benefits and even how a system of people, processes and technology can achieve those outcomes, be determined from the outset.

Breaking down the grand idea into pieces that are understandable and deliverable, while maintaining the desired outcome for the end user, is the domain of the systems integrator.

SI structures the delivery of complex rail infrastructure programmes by enabling a holistic approach that can be practically applied throughout the programme or system lifecycle. This focus on delivering the desired outcome, be it increased railway capacity or another whole-system measure, is a step beyond the traditional ‘divide and conquer’ approach favoured by programme management, where delivery is broken down into discrete parts. SI gives a more holistic view, supporting decision making that priortises effort, and providing a ‘line of sight’ through the fog of complexity.

In the UK, WSP has been applying systems approaches to programme delivery since the mid-2000s, beginning with the Victoria line upgrade (where the author worked as a systems engineer and WSP, through a previous acquisition, had provided project and programme management services) and the East London line. These projects were the genesis of a tool that is still used today – SI:D3 (System Integration: Develop the strategy, Define the system, Deliver integration). It can be adjusted according to complexity and risk, and as a result, continues to be applied to a wide range of programmes in the UK and internationally.

Clear vision from the start

SI can connect the overarching vision with the need for technical development and delivery at the front end of a given programme. This, often ‘fuzzy’ front end usually includes aspirational objectives, which are sometimes politically driven, and can be difficult to translate into operationally and technically tangible outputs.

Experience has shown that the earlier that an SI approach is implemented, the greater is the liklihood of getting to the point of clarity and defining the journey of transformation. On projects such as the Thameslink Programme, Northern Hub and TfL’s Deep Tube Upgrade Programme, WSP has found it is the only approach that works. On all of these projects, interactive system architecture diagrams have been used to understand the overall transformation, including that of people’s roles in the system, and the construction phasing.

For example, one of WSP’s many roles on the Thameslink Programme was as part of its systems integration team. The company’s System Migration Plan (SMP) choreographed the intricate dance that all parties needed to perform so they could deliver this enormous upgrade without disruption and ensure the railway could remain in use throughout. It defined a series of configuration states – changes to the railway associated with greatest risk – establishing them as the primary milestones in the SMP. A series of systems architectures – physical, geographical and operational – linked to the configuration states defined in the SMP, described in detail how the railway needed to change.

WSP’s systems engineering and integration team is embedded across projects on Northern Programmes, where it manages the technical design integration activities across its entire portfolio. This has included facilitating design integration between engineering disciplines during design, development and construction, which has assured compliance to the project requirements, standards and procedures. Using an Action Tracker database, the team logs and tracks actions from design reviews and records the status of design documents to manage requirements and outputs on key projects such as North West Electrification.

Thameslink – London Bridge station. (Thomas Graham)

Holistic system design

When conducting system design, it is important to consider how the design fits into the whole and how one element impacts another.

This is not always obvious. For example, a goal may be to run trains closer together to improve capacity. This would, of course, involve designing the signalling control system accordingly. However, plans would also have to consider the rolling stock braking capability, platform re-occupation, track layout and additional demands on the traction power supply system.

Careful system design, modelling and simulation are also essential in designing a safe and high-performing tunnel ventilation system. After all, in order to consider the impacts of heating and cooling on passenger safety and comfort, one must also consider the impacts on the signalling system, train aerodynamics, train regulation for both efficient running and safe separation of trains, walking and escape routes, installation, logistics and the reliability of assets.

The railway systems requirements that were developed on High Speed 2 (Phase 1) were embedded into HS2’s standards and mandated for use. A unique railway project for the UK, these requirements had to surpass the current industry standards.

For example, track alignment criteria for 400km/h line speeds required a review of track alignment design criteria, including a thorough review of international standards and best practice examples of high-speed rail from around the world. This ensured that the resultant designs provide for future technology and consumer changes and meet the key project requirements of journey time and capacity, augmented with a series of models that demonstrate that the high capacity and speeds needed can be realised without compromising passenger comfort and safety.

The system of systems

SI can also be applied at route level, bringing together multiple projects and programmes across a control period for the coordination of ongoing benefits realisation, through both asset owner and train franchise.

The Greater West Programme Industry Systems Integration (TGW ISI) pulls together disparate and discrete projects to update and electrify both a railway built by the Victorians and train services that run from the west of England to London. This programme, estimated to be worth £5.6 billion in total, represents the biggest rail enhancements portfolio in the UK and introduces new classes of rolling stock in the form of Bombardier Class 387 commuter trains and Intercity Express Programme (IEP) Class 800/802 units from Hitachi.

SI was used to manage big changes to the programme, and a unique collaborative approach was adopted to account for all consequences and deliver every service change on time. WSP will continue this successful approach in its new role as industry system integrator for the East Coast main line and Midland main line.

East London Line – Hoxton Station. (John Sturrock)

The future of systems integration

SI capability will need to mature quickly if it is to handle the software, IT and connectivity elements that have become a feature of our more complex railway systems. Software is less tangible and harder to visualise than physical assets, and software developers work to a more iterative lifecycle, so the problem of software components not talking to each other is not always apparent until the testing and commissioning phase, when the stakes are higher. SI labs could reduce this risk by re-creating the physical, software and data assets through the programme lifecycle.

BIM tools and methods are now common and showing practical value. A robust SI approach could develop an end-to-end digital project that unites each lifecycle stage using tools that map requirements to designs, schedules and contracts in a highly visual and accessible format.

To get the return on investment for major railway projects, investors will want to maximise ridership opportunities and revenue streams. To this end, a programme needs to deliver a system that is aligned with the needs and wants of people at the initial transport planning phase, even detailing how people will interact with the technology. Accordingly, human-centred design is a focus for WSP, which is already building a human factors team and sees it as central to the development of a ‘future ready’ railway.

With the rapid trend towards global urbanisation there is a greater role for rail as an agent of mobility, and global investment in rail solutions is expected to reflect this.

Rail’s green credentials continue to provide a good option for modal change that reduces emissions and, with urban land use planning enabling over-site developments that integrate with smart cities, highways and automated vehicles, rail is also a good platform for the next generation of integrated transport. It follows, then, that more requirements will be put on railway projects, making the technological and operational challenges greater still.

The scene is set for the system integrator to play a larger role in infrastructure development, ultimately determining the success or failure of programme delivery.