The Rail Engineer - Issue 88 - February 2012

February 2012

i s s u e

88

When it pays to BOGOF ONE OLD BRIDGE WAS REMOVED AND SUCCESSFULLY REPLACED WITH TWO NEW ONES

Bridge over the river Awbeg

Draining Dove Holes

New Year at New Street

A life expired two span underbridge is replaced with a concrete box culvert structure.

A track formation beset with too much water and very little drainage.

Nigel Wordsworth reports on the latest developments at Birmingham New Street.

written by rail engineers for rail engineers

available online at www.therailengineer.com

february 2012 | the rail engineer | 3

welcome Grahame Taylor’s

Operating notice will be controlled by East Kent Signalling Centre located at Gillingham - the shape of Signalling Control Centres for the future.

Four million rail passengers are likely to be affected by cable theft this year. This is the stark message behind Stuart Marsh’s article on what appears to be an unchecked bonanza for stolen copper. With much of the loot landing up in the shadier parts of the scrap industry it seems almost impossible to stop the racket. But there are practical attempts to turn the tide. Watch out for the red dye!

Nigel Wordsworth has produced two contrasting pieces this month. He’s been talking to Jon Shaw, a Senior Director at Bombardier to hear about how the train builder is recruiting - yes, recruiting engineering staff this year. This is slightly at odds, perhaps, with the received wisdom of ordinary news coverage.

As it’s January, Nigel has been back to stygian Birmingham New Street to catch up with progress on making the station less....stygian. The first stages of demolition of the void above the tracks have just started. In what sounds like a horrible job, guys with jackhammers are attacking the concrete slab above them. The new concourse is due to be complete in time for our next visit in January 2013.

In its widest meaning, the term permanent way can include everything right out to the boundary.

Terry Whitley reminds us of what’s involved in keeping a railway’s fences intact. It’s not just stockproof fencing but the burgeoning crop of noise barriers and high security fences.

And finally, my former colleagues in Manchester will probably raise a wry smile when they see that I’ve covered Dove Holes tunnel this month definitely the ‘short straw’ when it came to tunnel inspections. What should have been a mundane drainage renewal was complicated by limestone slurry and rivers of water - quite literally. Ghastly place - especially at Christmas!

Editor Grahame Taylor grahame.taylor@therailengineer.com

the rail engineer Ashby House, Bath Street, Ashby-de-la-Zouch Leicestershire, LE65 2FH

Production and design Adam O'Connor adam@rail-media.com

Telephone: Fax: Email: Website:

Engineering writers chris.parker@therailengineer.com clive.kessell@therailengineer.com collin.carr@therailengineer.com david.shirres@therailengineer.com graeme.bickerdike@therailengineer.com mungo.stacy@therailengineer.com peter.stanton@therailengineer.com steve.bissell@therailengineer.com stuart.marsh@therailengineer.com stuart.rackley@therailengineer.com terry.whitley@therailengineer.com Advertising Asif Ahmed asif@rail-media.com Nigel Wordsworth nigel@rail-media.com Paul Curtis pc@rail-media.com

01530 56 00 31 01530 41 21 66 hello@rail-media.com www.therailengineer.com

Editorial copy Email: news@rail-media.com Free controlled circulation Email: subscribe@rail-media.com

When it pays to BOGOF One old bridge was removed and successfully replaced at Sandhills Lane, Liverpool.

6

Back to Battersea Five new bridges and one new superstructure.

13

Bridge over the River Awbeg 16 A life expired two span underbridge is replaced with a concrete box culvert structure.

Draining Dove Holes 18 A track formation beset with too much water and very little drainage in the Peak District.

Strengthening masonry arches 25 Archtec has been successfully used by many bridge owners to help manage their bridge stock.

PHOTO: KAREN BRYAN

The Christmas blockades have come and gone.

This month’s issue of The Rail Engineer gives you just a taste of what went on.

Our cover story is Mungo Stacy’s account of the Sandhill’s two-for-one bridge offer. Bridge replacements are generally pretty straightforward exercises. It’s the services that complicate matters.

And sure enough Sandhills Lane bridge carried signalling cables to the adjacent IECC signalling centre and down in the road were the inevitable high voltage cables and, of course, a cast iron gas main.

Ore tunnel in East Sussex presented a whole catalogue of problems including a distorted lining in an aggressively excavated geology. Luck was on the side of the engineers when it came to access though. Not often does a tunnel have a complete purpose-made goods yard at one end lurking in the bushes.

The Maryport to Carlisle line never seems to be far away from a river. The Ellen, Waver, Wampool and Caldew, as well as innumerable becks. The first major viaduct after Carlisle is at Cummersdale over the Caldew. David Shirres went to look at the refurbishment and redecking. Although free of white-clawed crayfishes in the river, there were nevertheless several other issues to take care of.

Collin Carr has been delving into the rather dubious ground conditions around Bridge 6 next to the Battersea Dog’s Home. Dog walking routes, WW2 ordnance and the residue of the local power station were but a few of the hazards. Once sorted, the bridge renewal involved casting a concrete box within each of five spans ready for the Christmas blockade.

Here’s yet another piece of infrastructure that was installed within living memory and which is now life expired. The partial resignalling of the Kent Coast route at the time of electrification in the late 1950s is coming to the end of its serviceable life.

Clive Kessell looks at the first of three stages which

in this issue

New Year at New Street Nigel Wordsworth reports on the latest developments at Birmingham New Street.

30

Success in the South 36 Phase 1 of the East Kent Resignalling Project was commissioned over the Christmas 2011 period.

Skipton Expansion 54 Network Rail and Carillion, working under a MAFA agreement enhance the stabling capacity at Skipton for Northern Rail.

The small print the rail engineer is published by RailStaff Publications Limited and printed by Pensord. © All rights reserved. No part of this magazine may be reproduced in any form without the prior written permission of the copyright owners.

forthcoming

features

Sister publication of Signalling & Telecoms; Earthworks Infrarail Show Special; Environment

March April

4 | the rail engineer | february 2012

IN BRIEF Government focuses on metal theft

news

STATIONS

More investment - more passengers

In a move to curb cable theft on the railways, cash payments for scrap metal will be banned and penalties increased, the Home Secretary Theresa May announced recently.

Home Secretary Theresa May said: “People who deal in stolen metal are criminals, pure and simple. Their activities are bringing misery to individuals and communities as well as damaging our economy.

“We’re putting a stop to cash payments and we’re imposing unlimited penalties on anyone who breaks the law.

This government will do what it takes to protect the public, business and our national heritage from the scourge of metal theft.”

New locos Direct Rail Services has recently ordered a fleet of 15 newly designed mixed traffic diesel locomotives for use in its key intermodal and passenger train operations.

Chiltern Railways has experienced a huge surge in the number of passengers using its Birmingham to London route since the launch of their Mainline service 4 months ago, following a £250 million investment in the route.

The company has seen passenger numbers increase by 25% to 200,000 and earnings rise by 65%.

Chiltern say that this is not due to

passengers paying more for tickets, but because many more business travellers are choosing to use Chiltern services, which can reach London from Birmingham in just 90 minutes.

With plans for a much bigger car park at Solihull station, a station that has seen passenger numbers rise by 68.6%, having recently been given the go ahead, it is hoped that even more

passengers will be attracted to rail.

Thomas Ableman, marketing director of Chiltern Railways, said: “2012 is forecast to be another tough year and businesses will need to continue to make changes in order to remain competitive. We believe the combination of our pricing and journey times makes it hard to justify travelling with anyone else and our sales reflect this.”

INFRASTRUCTURE

The Vossloh Espana Eurolight UK locomotives are a derivative of the Eurolight locomotive (already running in Germany) and have been developed for the UK. Due to arrive in the UK in late 2013 the locos feature a 3750hp Caterpillar c175 engine and ABB AC traction equipment delivering a top speed of 100 mph and genuine mixed traffic haulage capabilities.

The locos will conform to the latest emission requirements and set new standards for driver environment.

Alliance and integration Network Rail has plans to form alliances with train operators as it looks to work more closely with operators and deliver passenger benefits more quickly and at lower cost.

Alliance framework agreements have so far been made, or about to be made with Abellio Greater Anglia, c2c, ScotRail, Northern and Southeastern. In addition, a ‘deep’ alliance, is being developed involving the Wessex route and South West Trains. This may see the establishment of a single, senior joint management team formed to look after both train and track on the Wessex route operating out of Waterloo - a much more integrated way of working.

£1.5 billion on signalling Network Rail has announced new framework agreements of up to seven years to deliver railway signalling projects worth approximately £1.5 billion.

Network Rail intends to award framework agreements to Invensys Rail, Signalling Solutions and Atkins, which cover the majority of signalling renewals and enhancements across England, Scotland and Wales. The agreements, which are expected to commence on 2 April, will operate for the remaining two years of control period 4 and can be extended by Network Rail to cover the whole of control period 5 (2014-19).

Simon Kirby, Network Rail managing director, infrastructure projects, said: “Network Rail is continuing to drive down the costs of Britain’s railway and is committed to meeting tough efficiency targets.

As the number of passengers and companies that rely on Britain’s railway continues to rise, the safetycritical systems we use to run a safe and efficient railway are more important than ever.

“These new frameworks represent a seven-year commitment by suppliers, allowing us to work closely with them to develop longterm plans for work to be carried out more quickly and efficiently.

The length of the agreements,

coupled with a visible workload, will provide much-needed stability throughout the supply chain and drive further cost savings and innovation across our signalling renewals and enhancements activities.”

february 2012 | the rail engineer | 5

news

ROLLING STOCK

CONFERENCE

New train order

Britain’s experience in developing Europe’s first liberalised passenger rail market can help inform rail policy for other EU countries, a conference at the European Parliament will hear.

A conference being jointly held at the European Parliament by the Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC) and the Community of European Railway and Infrastructure Companies (CER) will explore how Sir Roy McNulty’s May 2011 report into value for money in Britain’s railway can provide lessons for other European countries on infrastructure reform.

EU stakeholders will hear how Britain’s experience of operating in a liberalised environment on rail for more than 15 years can play an important role in the European Commission’s consideration of new legislation on rail market opening and on the sensitive question of structural models, which is due by the end of 2012.

CER Executive Director Libor Lochman said: “The McNulty report raises questions that are important for all European countries. The case of Great Britain demonstrates the

PHOTO: JONATHAN WEBB

McNulty in Europe

need for sufficient flexibility to allow Member States to develop national rail sector models that truly deliver.”

‘Britain’s Rail Value for Money report - An inspiration for future EU Rail Policy?’ will be held on Wednesday 1st February from 18:00-19:45 at the European Parliament.

A Bombardier Class 379 on test at the Derby factory.

Workers at Bombardier’s factory in Derby have received a belated Christmas gift with the announcement that they have won the contract to construct 130 Electrostar vehicles for Southern in a deal worth £188.8 million.

Construction of the 26 five car class 377/6 trains will commence in late 2012 and all will be delivered in time for the expanded December 2013 timetable. The original plan was to use the 23 class 377s currently on lease from Southern to First Capital Connect to support the Thameslink programme but a competition was launched in September 2011 when it became obvious that these would not be

returned to Southern in time for the December 2013 timetable changes.

The new units, which will be similar in appearance to the National Express East Anglia class 379s, will augment Southern’s existing fleet on some of the TOC’s busiest Metro routes into London Victoria.

The Department for Transport is contributing £80 million towards the total cost with a financial competition being held early in 2012 to secure the remaining funds.

RMT general secretary Bob Crow said: “The Southern order is both welcome and deserved and shows that Bombardier is geared up to deliver top quality engineering.”

Keynote speakers lined up for Infrarail seminars for an impressive lineP lans up of keynote speakers during the seminar programme at this year’s Infrarail exhibition have now been confirmed.

On the opening day of the event, 1 May, Minister of State for Transport Theresa Villiers, MP will make a presentation, after earlier formally opening the show. The keynote speaker the following day will be Howard Smith, Chief Operating Officer, London Rail at Transport for London. And on 3 May Network Rail’s Director, Investment Projects Simon Kirby will be speaking.

The seminar programme is being organised by this magazine. Open to all show visitors free of charge, presentations will be made within the main hall and will also include papers on significant developments in rail infrastructure technology.

By mid-January more than 120 exhibitors had confirmed their participation in the event, with just a few stands remaining. This year’s show, the ninth in a successful series, will bring together latest railway infrastructure products and systems from many of the industry’s leading suppliers, covering track, civil engineering, signalling and communications, electrification, stations, depots and all other fixed assets.

Taking place at the NEC in Birmingham from 1 to 3 May, Infrarail 2012 is supported strongly by Network Rail and is also endorsed by the Railway Industry Association, the Rail Alliance, the Rail Plant Association, the Institution of Railway Signal Engineers and the Permanent Way Institution.

Infrarail 2010 Seminar Theatre was a hive of activity.

Pre-registration now open Pre-registration to attend the exhibition is now available via the show website. By preregistering, visitors to the event save paying a £15 entry fee on the door and get faster access

to the exhibition hall. The website also provides an up-todate list of exhibitors and the latest news on all that will be happening at this year’s event.

w www.infrarail.com

6 | the rail engineer | february 2012

bridges & tunnels

When it pays to Re: signalling

writer

Mungo Stacy Cutting out the old bridge.

hazards of the January Sales are T heofficially over. This is, after all, the

Mabey Hire installed a pair of prefabricated truss bridges.

February edition of the rail engineer magazine. But did you emerge unscathed?

Or are you right now sitting on a can’t-leavethat-there sofa? Or trying not to open the credit card statement?

At sales time the high-street environment can be decidedly less friendly than going trackside. Everywhere you look are discounts of 50%, 60%, 70%. Two-for-one on new safety boots; offer-ends-today on Bluetooth hands-free sets; clearance of assorted lefthand-thread Whitworth nuts - how can you resist the genetic triggers of scarcity and urgency? The shop-windows are excellent displays of the marketers’ techniques.

Like all good ideas, it was only a matter of time before cross-industry fertilisation occurred. Rail engineers working over Christmas to replace the bridge at Sandhills Lane in Liverpool decided to apply these promotional methods. They chose to implement the Buy-One-Get-One-Free scenario, a common and effective sales technique which, however, is rarely presented using its acronym.

During a 103-hour possession, one old bridge was removed and successfully replaced with two new ones. This £3.4 million project was delivered by Birse Rail on behalf of Network Rail. The line was handed back to traffic three hours early.

BOGOF

The Birse Rail team has a long history with Network Rail’s London North Western route.

Their current Civils Framework Agreement is approaching its seventh anniversary.

Graham Gallagher, Birse Rail’s project engineer, has been involved with the Framework throughout this time. “Sandhills is one of the most difficult ones we’ve done”, said Graham.

Mark Walker, Birse Rail’s regional framework manager, commented, “The big challenges were the interfaces and planning”. Signalling was foremost among these. The Sandhills IECC signalling centre is just beyond the bridge and controls the Merseyrail Northern and Wirral Lines. Over one hundred cables cross the structure.

“It took six months’ work just to get the cables moved”, said Walker. “On a normal redeck project we’d start detailed planning a few months before hitting site but on this one we were heavily involved from a year ahead”.

Temporary suspension arrangements or scaffolding bridges are commonly seen on underbridge replacements. However, for this project a pair of prefabricated truss footbridges were provided by Mabey Hire and installed in April 2011. Since these temporary structures were to be in place for more than six months, a full Form A/B permanent works design approval was needed.

The footbridges, by their very nature, came with an integral safe walking route.

This was a crucial consideration for maintenance since the diversions would last in some cases for nine to ten months.

The walking routes allowed for easy installation of the diversions and also provided a high-level crossing between abutments during the removal of the bridge.

Diversions were carried out by the maintainer, Network Rail, from May to November. Away from the bridge, the cables occupied both cesses and were also routed within the wide six-foot. Few were as straightforward as a simple slew. Many under-track crossings existed and many cables required additional loops to be cut and spliced in.

Unidentified or redundant cables were a key concern. At the outset around 20% were thought to be unused. However, every single one needed to be proved dead and severed or diverted off the bridge deck. The maintainer treated this as an opportunity to rationalise the cabling. It is a credit to the entire team that all connections and disconnections were made without problems; the consequence of a mistake here could have been a shut-down of significant sections of the Merseyrail system.

“It was all about teamwork and regular meetings”, remarked the Network Rail scheme project manager, Dan Wilcock. “With so many different interests involved, we often had 20 to 30 people attending the weekly progress meetings”.

Upstairs downstairs As well as services on the bridge, services below the bridge presented a problem as the road and footpath were full of utilities.

Chris Spragg, Birse Rail’s assistant contracts manager, remembered, “There were high voltage cables and a cast iron gas main. We had a restriction of absolutely no additional load being imposed onto the gas pipe”.

The old deck was built in the days before bearings and the designers thought it could now be acting as a prop between the abutments. Removing the deck could allow the abutments to rotate inwards. To prevent this, 56 ground anchors each 30m long were installed into the abutments.

february 2012 | the rail engineer | 7

bridges & tunnels

18 Depots Nationwide

Thirty two years of the experience of all forms of

enhance and extend their useful lives.

existing road, rail and pedestrian footbridges

Design and strengthening schemes by HBPW

ranging from masonry to cast iron, wrought and

Consulting Ltd carefully consider integration of

historic reinforced and pre stressed concrete

temporary works within the scheme to

bridges has given HBPW Consulting Ltd

facilitate works and in many instances to

unrivalled experience in the assessment and

maintain traffic on the structure during the

innovative strengthening of structures to

process of strengthening.

t. 01777 869896 e. mail@hbpwconsulting.co.uk w. www.hbpw.co.uk

8 | the rail engineer | february 2012

(Bottom) Ballast starts to go down on the new twin decks.

(Inset) The second new deck is moved into position.

An earth platform against the wall would be the usual way of getting the drilling rig to the right level for the anchors. Unfortunately this would be directly over the gas main. In this case, trench boxes were used to prevent load being applied to the pipe.

Early on, it was decided to use selfpropelled modular transporters for the deck replacement. This avoided the risk that high winds could delay a crane lift. No doubt this assessment was informed by the view westwards from the bridge, where the skyline is dominated by the four spinning turbines of the 10MW Port of Liverpool wind farm.

The transporters supplied and operated by ALE were originally developed for moving heavy rigs for the offshore industry. They are modular and work on the principle that you keep adding wheels until you have sufficient load distribution. Even so, the old deck weighed 450t and mathematics tells us that only an impractical infinite number of wheels would satisfy the restriction on the gas main.

Instead, ALE used 15m-long bridging mats to span the footpath and pipe. Two 14-axle transporters with a total of 112 wheels were used to drive out the old deck. The gross bearing pressure below the wheels was around 75kN/m2.

bridges & tunnels Highway code

Two new Us

Each axle is individually steerable and adjustable to ensure uniform load distribution. A computer sorts out all this clever stuff under the control of one operator. However, the road crossfalls, gradients and additional bridging mats made this a challenging geometry. At some locations during the drive, axles at either end of the transporter unit were at opposite extremes of the maximum 600mm stroke.

ALE carried out a trial run a week before the main possession. Although a swept-path analysis had been carried out, this checked that there were no unforeseen issues with clearances or street furniture - a traffic island and four street lights had already been removed. It also checked that critical clearances were as expected below one of the cable bridges, which had been set just high enough to allow the replacement decks to be driven in below it.

Any load in excess of 40t being moved on a public highway is classed as an abnormal load, and this one was no exception. ALE submitted a Special Order to the highways authority for each of the moves in order to gain consent from the council and Merseyside Police.

The old deck was built for four tracks but now only carries two, and suffered from a lifeexpired timber deck. The tracks are pushed to the edges of the bridge by the adjacent island platform at Sandhills station. This gives a wide unused central section: in railway terms, the six-foot; but actually more like 40-foot. The 20m width of the old bridge gave a dark tunnel-like appearance for road users.

Since the station precludes any future additional lines or slews, only the trackcarrying sections of the bridge were replaced. Two nearly-identical U-type decks were installed with a wide light-well between them, making a dramatic difference to the feel of the road below.

Fabrication was by the Lanarkshire Welding Company.

The decks span 22m between bearings, which is longer than the maximum 20m length for Network Rail’s standard detail. The decks are square, with bearings on wide cill beams which accommodate the 15 degree skew of the decks to the road. The preliminary Form A design was carried out

by Tony Gee & Partners. Detailed design was carried out in-house by Network Rail’s civils design team led by Bob Standring.

Standring commented, “This was the first replacement underbridge we’ve designed since the team in Manchester was formed in April 2010”. The standard low-maintenance and low-construction depth features of the U-deck were kept, which allowed the old height restriction of 16’ to be removed.

Deeper webs and thicker flanges were needed to suit the increased length. Bob Standring stated, “Being co-located with the Birse Rail framework team really paid off for this design, given the number of interfaces that had to be considered”.

The decks are 3.3m wide between webs, the maximum for this type. Despite this, horizontal tolerances are extremely tight because of the curvature of the track, the station on one side and pointwork on the other. Standring recalled, “The decks had to be positioned to suit the track alignment. We designed for a 25mm installation tolerance”.

SANDHILLS LANE Bridge Replacement “I am immensely proud of all Stobart Rail employees who gave up their Christmas, to safely and successfully deliver the civils and P-way aspects of the Sandhills Bridge Replacement. A great collaborative achievement, equally shared by all parties.” – Kirk Taylor, Managing Director

Incorporated in 1993 as WA Developments by Andrew Tinkler, now Chief Executive Officer of Stobart Group, Stobart Rail represents the civil engineering and rail-based freight elements of the UK’s leading multimodal transport business.

Stobart Rail is one of the UK's leading names in rail network maintenance, repair and improvement.

The company is active throughout the earthworks, structures, permanent way, drainage and lineside infrastructure sectors of the rail industry and offers a presence throughout the UK.

Stobart Rail holds a Network Rail Principal Contractor's Licence and Rail Plant Operating Company Licence, as well as a comprehensive list of Link-up accreditations.

The Company's wide-ranging expertise, innovative approach, experienced workforce and extensive fleet of plant is also deployed undertaking development projects and delivering improvement works at a number of major Stobart Group facilities.

Stobart Rail operates an award winning training school, ensuring all operatives and staff are qualified to the very highest standards.

David Richardson Plant Hire t. 01228 518 150 e. david.richardson@stobartrail.com Kirk Taylor Managing Director t. 01228 882 300 e. kirk.taylor@stobartrail.com Liam Martin Rail Freight Director t. 0151 424 6724 e. liam.martin@stobartrail.com

stobartrail.com

10 | the rail engineer | february 2012

bridges & tunnels

Station approach

Precast L-shaped concrete sections fill the gap between the two new decks.

Back in service.

Achieving these tolerances in practice was complicated, again, by the gas main. The decks were driven in with cill beams already attached. Ideally, the twin 8-axle transporters used for the new decks would have been positioned close to the abutments to ease the fine positioning of the 270t load. However, the gas restriction meant the units had to be positioned towards the centre of the road. Obviously this magnifies a small adjustment of the transporter into a larger movement at the deck ends.

“The skill of the operator on the night was absolutely key to achieving the tolerances”, Chris Spragg commented. “In the end, we were within 3 and 6mm on one deck, and 11 and 16mm on the other”. In addition to aligning the cill beams, the clearance at track level was checked using targets on the deck.

In particular, checks were made at the critical pinch points generated by the end - and centre-throws of the train vehicles.

Another tight area was the interface with the station building. The artistically-curved shape of the ticket hall reflects the £6.7M refurbishment completed on 7 July 2008, and which gained the Station of the Year award at the National Transport Awards in October 2011.

The undersides of the old beams were around 2.5m below rail level due to the depth of the beams. Thus a 3m-deep hole was needed to release them and this meant excavating below the new station building.

Owing to the poor ground conditions, the new ticket office had been built on piles and thus could not be undermined. A temporary works check was carried out assuming a shallow soil angle and partial exposure of the piles, but in the event the soil stood at 85 degrees.

In addition to working round the building, signals ML53 and ML55 close to the platforms had to be removed, and later reinstated, to allow for the excavation. The end of the platform ramp also needed to be temporarily removed. Precast L-shaped units, cast by Shay Murtagh, were installed to reinstate the gap between the two new decks, and will ultimately be faced with brick cladding. The civils and permanent way works were carried out by Stobart Rail.

The station was open for the last 48 hours of the possession, somewhat ironically allowing passengers to buy tickets for the bus replacement service. “Barriers separated the worksite from the platform”, recalled Gallagher, “but we’re not usually used to having the public so close to our works”.

Shopping around Shoppers like to ”buy one get one free” because they appear to get a good deal. In reality the success of the promotion relies on the price of the ”one” item taking into account that two items are being sold.

However, on this project the two-for-one deal has paid off for all concerned. Certainly the price reflects what has actually been provided. But it also represents an economic solution, providing the minimum square metreage of new bridge while removing unwanted redundant areas, using standard low-maintenance details and modern installation techniques.

The new bridges also have combined walkway and cable routes cantilevering from their sides. The maintainer could be forgiven for wishing for 70% off or two-for-one on the number of diversions - as they start the long task of diverting those one hundred signalling cables back into their permanent homes.

12 | the rail engineer | february 2012

bridges & tunnels

Reconnecting

Royston

ramps, pedestrian and cycle links. Funding for the £3.8 million project was largely provided by Hertfordshire County Council, with contributions from the charity Sustrans and from North Hertfordshire District Council.

Small bridge - big techniques

Hertfordshire town T heof Royston has become increasingly divided by the Hitchin-Cambridge railway line that runs through its centre as the town expanded each side of the line.

With only two official crossings, on the bypass at the northern end of town and next to the railway station at Kneesworth Street, there was evidence that a number of people, including school children, had been crossing the railway line to avoid a long detour.

Something had to be done.

It was decided that a subway at a location adjacent to the allotment gardens was the best option. Since then, design work progressed and the project was granted planning approval, with conditions, in May 2009.

The land required for the project, both on a temporary and a permanent basis, was acquired by Hertfordshire County Council through Compulsory Purchase Orders.

Birse Rail was awarded a contract in February 2011 to complete the detailed design and construct the underpass,

Building a pedestrian subway is similar to building a road bridge, just on a smaller scale.

Birse Rail opted to construct the 400 tonne bridge offline, and then move it into place using a self propelled transporter, as had successfully been done with considerably larger bridges at Selly Oak and Alderley Edge.

An intensive works programme was undertaken during the Christmas possession which included isolation of the OLE, removing 36m of the twin track plain line railway, excavating and removing approximately 1000m³ of spoil and, following installation of the bridge, the reinstatement of the track and signalling and telecoms cables. The structure was then backfilled and the railway line reinstalled.

The successful installation of the subway was a key milestone on the project and will be operational to the public in the Spring of 2012, enabling Royston residents to cross the railway line safely.

Hertfordshire County Council Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport, Stuart Pile said: “We are delighted that the new Royston Rail Crossing is nearing completion. The work between the partners in the project has resulted in a timely and coordinated approach that we hope creates a new route for Royston residents to use.”

february 2012 | the rail engineer | 13

bridges & tunnels

For Battersea

writer

Collin Carr

Five new bridges and one new superstructure

the south bank of the Thames, O nopposite Victoria station, on the disused site is Battersea Power Station.

Alongside the power station there is another smaller but just as well known location, the Battersea Dogs & Cats home.

Between these two locations are the Up and Down Fast and Reversible lines to Chatham that pass over the Battersea reversible line, the up Stewarts Lane line and two sidings. The structure that carries the Chatham lines over the others is known as the Brighton Goods Bridge No. 6. The bridge is a complex five span intersection bridge with skews that vary from span to span.

During the late summer of last year, the rail engineer wrote about Bridge No.6 at Battersea and the complex preliminary work that was underway in preparation for the final stages planned for Christmas 2011 (Issue 83, September 2011). This work has now been completed and the following is a recap of those preparatory stages and the completion work that took place during a nine day blockade over the Christmas period.

Headache for track maintenance The rail-over-rail bridge was constructed just before the First World War, in 1913. The construction of the deck for each span consists of wrought iron longitudinal girders, cross girders and rail bearers. The Up and Down Chatham lines are both supported on a cross-sleepered track on longitudinal timbers, whereas the reversible line runs on wheel timbers. As you could imagine, it has been a headache for track maintainers for many years.

The longitudinal girders span between padstones supported by brick piers and masonry abutments. The main girders are discontinuous over the intermediate piers allowing each

span to behave independently. The structure is hemmed in by the Dogs’ Home and the Power Station which is ripe for development. The underlying concern for Network Rail is that if and when a development scheme is approved, access to their Brighton Goods Bridge No. 6 is likely to become even more difficult, hence the urgency to carry out any remedial work now that may be necessary.

Stunningly effective and bright SMC Lighting Towers - LED lights are here.

The need for full RU loading Previous assessments, undertaken by Atkins Rail in 2004, concluded that the structure was generally sound but that the cross girders limited the route availability of the structure. Network Rail had decided that at such an important location, any new structure would have to comply with full RU loading. Therefore, knowing that train disruption had to be kept to an absolute minimum, Tony Gee and Partners, design consultants, prepared various preliminary schemes for Network Rail to achieve this objective.

Subsequently, these schemes were developed into more detailed options by the current designer, Mott MacDonald working for BAM Nuttall, which was appointed as Principal Contractor by Network Rail. The value of the completed work is approximately £12m.

The chosen design requirement was to construct an in-situ reinforced concrete box in each of the five individual spans. The top of the box was designed to be at the level of the soffit of the existing superstructure, thereby allowing the new structure to be constructed whilst the existing bridge was still in operation.

Network Rail’s Project Manager Phil Avery explained to me that the innovative design was chosen to allow minimum rail disruption and to maintain rail pathways into London

Stand back and admire how these units perform.

Call now!

• 85 hours of super silenced operation for reduced noise pollution and greater fuel efficiency • Full 9m hydraulic mast extension in only 12 seconds • Mast deployment alarm and auto-descend safety system on park brake release • Network Rail Approved’ ArcGen Hilta products are high quality, reliable and robust.

Together with our proven experience this provides a premier offer. We understand the need to deliver the very best product performance to you and your customers, helping you grow your business.

Call our sales team now!

Call: 0845 4090272 | Visit: sales@arcgenhilta.com Visit: www.arcgenhilta.com

14 | the rail engineer | february 2012

bridges & tunnels tables were supported on trestles to ensure they were at the required height for installation. Wheels were fixed to the base of the supporting trestles and angle rails bolted to the soffit of the new concrete box.

Then each table in turn was moved into its final position using turfers and the reinforcement coupled together to form the roof of the concrete box. Intermediate staging enabled the vertical reinforcement to be coupled to the side walls.

The process worked very well. There was a 24 hr possession for each span to remove the timber decking and expose the

Waterproofing in place. 3000t of bottom ballast being spread.

(Right) Demolition of the existing steel structure.

Victoria from Kent. It utilised a series of weekend possessions and blockades of individual lines leading up to Christmas 2011 and then, from Christmas Eve, a 9 day blockade, closing all lines for 3 days and the top three Chatham lines for a further 6 days.

Work started last February with 24 hour working from August when the individual lines were blocked. The main blockade started on Christmas Eve. This allowed valuable time to prepare the site for this critical and final phase of the work.

Ground Conditions Local Liaison Two weekly liaison meetings were organised with the Dogs’ Home to ensure that the walking routes for the dogs were realigned well in advance. A cattery had to be relocated as well and buildings demolished, plus a number of health and safety issues had to be addressed, relating to the proximity of the animals.

A “super highway” was constructed for a cluster of important and potentially dangerous cables and an ordinance survey undertaken to ensure that there were no nasty surprises still lurking around from WW2.

The design demanded a significant level of site ingenuity. Contaminated ground conditions were created by man as well as the local animals. In the past, the area around the power station was used as a water treatment plant so the ground conditions were rather suspect, especially around spans 1 and 2. To stabilise this area, four piling rigs were brought to site, operated by Keller Piling. They installed more than 100 reinforced concrete piles over 12 weeks during weekend possessions to underpin the existing piers and abutment.

The piles varied from 300 to 450mm dia. and were founded into London clay ranging from 13 to 18m below ground level.

Minimising disruption to trains Concrete was poured to form the base slab, followed by the construction of the side walls.

A polythene membrane was inserted between the existing abutments, piers and the new concrete forming the walls, to enable them to act independently. Reinforcement couplers were cast into the walls approximately a metre below the soffit of the existing superstructure to receive the connecting reinforcement bars that would extend down vertically from the top slab of the box girder. So far it was all relatively straight forward, the real challenge was how to construct the top section of the concrete box to enable it to fit directly below the soffit of the existing superstructure whilst minimising disruption to trains.

Complex reinforcement installation Three tables were constructed on which the substantial 32mm diameter reinforcement framework was fixed to form the top section of the concrete box. The

reinforcement. Two concrete pumps were then installed alongside the structure and approximately 400 cubic metres of concrete was poured in an eight hour period. It proved to be an effective method requiring substantial on-site skills and this phase of work was completed two weeks before the Christmas blockade. In total 1,100 tonnes of reinforcement and 4500 cubic meters of concrete was used. The new reinforced concrete boxes are designed to carry the required rail loading and they were ready to act as the base for the bottom ballast for the new bridge deck when it was planned to be exposed over the Christmas period.

Removing the old superstructure The Network Rail Scheme Project Manager, Alfie Chimedza, and Site Construction Manager Paul Adams, worked alongside BAM Nuttal’s Site Project Managers, Rick Kopek, Emily Short and Tony Russell to ensure that everything went according to plan.

Two road mobile cranes, of 350 and 500 tonnes capacity, were used to remove the existing steel deck. They lifted road-rail plant onto the bridge superstructure to remove the three existing tracks. Then two 35t tracked excavators armed with large hydraulic cutters were used to cut the steel superstructure into sections which could be removed from site by the cranes, exposing the top face of the concrete box and parapets. After making good the pier tops, sections of waterproofing were welded together to form a continuous waterproof membrane for the new wider bridge deck.

The drainage system was then installed and 3,000 tonnes of new bottom ballast were transported to site by an enddischarging ballast train provided by

february 2012 | the rail engineer | 15

bridges & tunnels Network Rail, using 80 self discharging wagons. Discharge wagons can only operate on track with up to 50mm of cant, hence the restricted length of each train.

These trains had to arrive in maximum units of ten wagons in length to accommodate for the canted track off the bridge deck which increased to 75mm away from the

bridge. This work was completed after three days. New sleepers were then brought to site and positioned with roadrail machines, the rail was dragged onto site, clipped, welded and distressed, and the track• tamped to line• and level.

•

Success!

This challenging undertaking was to replace a five span rail over rail bridge. The technique used to construct a bridge within a bridge, to five different skews and spans, The published 9 day • ••proved very effective.

•• •• •

Success! Bridge 6 works complete and open at full line speed.

(Left) Placement of bottom ballast using a Lafarge Standard Discharge Train.

Christmas blockade was to be handed back at 4am on the 3 January 2012. As a result of innovative engineering methodologies and collaborative working, the possession was actually handed back at 16.00hrs on Saturday 31 December 2011, 3 days early with all three lines operating at full line speed.

The new structure will require minimal maintenance and the ballasted track will improve ride quality. The new superstructure will have adequate clearances and walkways to provide a safer working environment. The new Route Availability will offer improved flexibility for operators. Brighton Goods Bridge 6 was a successful project and a credit to all concerned.

New Brochure now available

Keyline has all the right connections to offer solutions for your rail project through a rail compliant delivery service Contact the Keyline National Rail Office on 0844 892 2677 or email rail@keyline.co.uk

www.keyline.co.uk TRACKSIDE

TUNNELLING

Registered

PLATFORMS

STATIONS

TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT

TRANSPORT LINKS

SITE SAFETY JB65086 01/12

16 | the rail engineer | february 2012

bridges & tunnels

Bridge

over the River Awbeg 313 was a two span steel U nderbridge bridge located on the main Dublin-Cork

Installation of the last ballast retaining units.

(Below) Culverts craned into place in sequence. (inset) Piles put into place by 3 Machine operated Piling Hammers.

railway line. The bridge is situated in a Special Area of Conservation and spans the River Awbeg, which is a major tributary of the River Blackwater. It is a picturesque part of the country, and the Awbeg contains a population of otters, as well as salmon and white-clawed crayfish.

In December 2010, the condition of UB 313 was assessed by specialist engineers within Irish Rail as part of their Asset Management System. Due to extensive deterioration to the central pier and the bridge abutment bearing plates, a design solution of steel strapping was applied to the central pier on the Down side. It was also deemed necessary to impose a temporary speed restriction of 10mph on the Down side and 25mph on the Up side across the span of the bridge in order to limit vibration and reduce further movement of the pier.

Irish Rail determined that the best permanent solution was to replace the life expired two span underbridge with a concrete box culvert structure and funding for the project was agreed and approved under the 2011 Railway Safety Programme.

environmental engineering and building contractor with operations in the UK and Ireland. Although better known for heavy civils works, it also specialises in slope stabilisation, trenchless techniques and excavator mounted piling. The company has been a principal contractor for Irish Rail for over 25 years.

Planning to improve A 59-hour period on 28-31 October 2011 (the Irish October Bank Holiday weekend) had been determined at tender stage as the first window of opportunity. The existing bridge was to be replaced with two new culverts, and the work included diversion of the River Awbeg, removal of the existing track, dismantling of the existing bridge, excavation for culvert installation, placing of precast culvert units, construction of retaining walls and ballast retainers and track replacement.

The river diversion works used an old arch culvert under the railway line approximately 100 metres from the site, and were undertaken prior to the weekend possession

by Irish Rail personnel. The precast culvert units were to be provided free issue by Irish Rail and two precast suppliers were used in order that they could be manufactured in time.

Following a tender process, on 3 October 2011 Coffey Construction was appointed as main contractor for the project. Coffey Construction is a civil engineering,

Softer ground Nine days before the possession started, it became apparent that the existing ground conditions required excavation of soft material two metres deeper than was originally thought necessary. This required a sheet piled cofferdam to be constructed around the area to be excavated and the excavation of 6,000m3 of material, a ten-fold increase. Coffey used three of its piling hammers to install the sheet piles in order to meet the deadline date of line closure, working on piling and excavation works 24 hours a day, as most of this excavation had to be undertaken prior to the possession starting. A supported section of original ground was left in place around the bridge piers and abutments. This work and other preparatory works were undertaken with look-out protection in place, which allowed work to be undertaken close to the railway during the day. As a result of these measures, the extra excavations were completed in time and the possession could proceed as planned.

Each of the precast units weighed 30 tons, and these were unloaded in advance of the possession into specific locations on site ready for lifting into place in accordance with the pre-approved crane plan. The existing bridge deck was estimated to weigh 100 tons.

To safely lift, remove and replace the bridge components, two heavy task cranes, with lifting capacities of 500 and 750 tonnes were set up, one on either side of the railway line.

Bridge Replacement works At 22.30 on Friday the 28 October, Coffey Construction was granted a TIII Possession of the railway line. The track was cut by Irish Rail, all cables were disconnected, and Coffey removed six sections of railway track each 18 metres in length. The ballast was removed down to bridge deck level using excavators, the holding down bolts of the old bridge were cut and the bridge deck was divided into two halves for lifting purposes by cutting the steel plate which connected the bridge beams.

february 2012 | the rail engineer | 17

bridges & tunnels

Once the bridge was removed, the area around the bridge was dug out - up to 3.0 metres below river bed level - and backfilled to form a solid base for the new culverts.

Three 45-ton excavators were used within the constrained space to dig out the remaining 2,000m3, with five A25 dump trucks drawing away the unsuitable material to a site stockpile. Over 2,000m3 of class 6N stone was built up in layers to the finished level for the base of the culvert. Coffey used old rails to act as screeds for the newly installed culverts to ensure that all culverts were placed on a level bed. An environmental consultant monitored all site works to ensure that Coffey Construction adhered to its agreed Environmental Management Plan.

As the working period was limited to 59 hours, Coffey planned the works with gangs working 12 hour shifts with 12 hour rest

periods between shifts for all site staff. Coffey had carried out many similar projects to fixed possession deadlines. Each of the multidiscipline gangs was familiar with all aspects of the works, which meant that work could proceed at full efficiency whether the works were behind or ahead of programme at changes of shift. Coffey’s use of directlyemployed labour for its civil engineering works allows it to respond quickly to arising situations and also facilitates robust management of safety and quality.

Concrete components A total of 84 U-shaped culvert units were installed to form two box sections. Each unit was 7.5m wide by 2.85m high and 2.0m long. A gang of eight personnel were allocated to work with each crane, with each crane working away from the centre. A time of 17 minutes per unit was the maximum programme time available to sling and place

Athenry, County Galway, Ireland +353 91 844 356

Telco House, 284 Southbury Road, Enfield, EN1 1TR. +44 208 447 9199

each unit for the deadline to be met. A 50mm blinding layer was placed over the culverts to level up any irregularities between the units, and eleven precast ballast retainer units weighing 29 tons each were placed over the culverts. At the four corners of the bridge, six precast retaining units per corner were placed to form wing walls to hold back the railway embankment and the river banks.

Coffey placed the railway ballast in 2 layers of 200mm which were compacted using 4-ton double drum rollers. The site was handed back to Irish Rail for them to lay the new sections of track nearly a full day ahead of programme at 11:00am on Sunday 30 October 2011, completing the works in a 40 hour possession period.

Trains are now once again running over the picturesque River Awbeg at line speeds of 90mph, so passengers don’t have as much time to enjoy the view!

St James Business Centre, Linwood Road, Paisley,PA3 3AT. +44 141 258 7476

www.coffeygroup.com info@coffeygroup.com

(Above) Culverts in place, surrounded by piles creating cofferdam. (inset) River Awbeg reopened after completion of the project.

Time-lapse video: coffeygroup.com

18 | the rail engineer | february 2012

bridges & tunnels

Draining

Dove Holes

writer

Grahame Taylor

The six foot drain Before (above) and After (right).

modern sedimentary rock. The original builders did at least recognise that they had a problem and so incorporated a very large drain down the middle of the tunnel. But regularly, over the years, this became choked and so water made its way down the 1 in 90 gradient taking whatever route it could find. At first through the ballast and then, when that’s clogged, it’s over the top of the ballast. In other words, Dove Holes tunnel floods and at times the flooding is spectacular.

railways have a T heknack with names.

Generally they are eminently descriptive, evoking in a word or short phrase the very nature of the location.

Think perhaps of that desolate curve on the main line north of Darlington called Linger-and-Die. Or maybe the various Factory Junctions throughout the country. But sometimes names are deceiving.

This month we visit Dove Holes. And what does that conjure up? Idyllic ruralism? Well, think again. Dove Holes village is an ‘ordinary’ strip of development on the A6 just south of Buxton on the edge of the Peak National Park. It has a station. It’s a couple of platforms with bus shelters, but that’s on the passenger line that winds its way up from Stockport.

Deep beneath Dove Holes is Dove Holes tunnel on the old main line to London.

Too difficult box Subterranean rivers It is 2984 yards long and it is not a particularly pleasant place. Driven through gritstone and limestone, it saw off several contractors in its construction. The discovery of three subterranean rivers just about put the tin lid on everything. Dove Holes tunnel is synonymous with water. It’s not just the rivers but also the run-off from the hills and the quarries in the area. Added to this is a pernicious limestone slurry that finds its way down the track drains into the tunnel where it gradually reverts back to a

So that’s the background. A track formation beset with too much water and very little drainage. In short, it’s a track maintainer’s nightmare. By the time Gary Hastie, Network Rail’s Scheme Project Manager, and his team arrived on site the track had just about had it. A 5mph speed restriction was causing serious disruption to the Freightliner limestone traffic not to mention the ever-present worry for the track engineering staff. There had been a number of previous attempts to solve the problems of Dove Holes but these had been variously postponed. The tunnel was firmly in the ‘too difficult box’.

february 2012 | the rail engineer | 19

bridges & tunnels

Nine-day blockade Although the remediation project was primarily driven by track renewals, there were signiďŹ cant civil engineering elements in the form of 1000yds of drain renewal. In addition there was a need to correct the structural clearances that had been disrupted over the years. The renewals, the drainage and the gauge works were all interlinked.

There were two major relaying items 1700 yds on the Down line and 1008 yds on the Up line. It was alongside the Down line renewal that the 1000yds of drain renewal was situated.

The original scheme involved a proposed nine-week blockade, but Gary entered into new negotiations with customers Freightliner and DBS and work was broken up into manageable chunks in extended rules of the

route possessions and main possessions on the weekends prior to and after Christmas.

But over the holiday break the project team were allowed a nine-day blockade. Network Rail Operations, and in particular Operations Manager Dave Ramsbottom, were instrumental in helping the team maximise the access opportunities negotiated.

Limestone slurry The Christmas blockade became available because that’s the time that the Cemex quarries shut down. Gary admits that the date was accepted reluctantly - primarily because of the risks of bad weather. High up in the Peak District the weather can be atrocious. But given the inevitable, the team managed the potential risks accordingly by breaking the job down into smaller parts.

The original drain structure was a stone culvert with thick roof slabs buried under the ballast. Seemingly of generous proportions it succumbed to a mixture of the limestone slurry, occasional nudges from track laying plant and plain old age.

Attempts had been made to relieve matters with the insertion of plastic pipes laid in the remains of the culvert but these too were now overwhelmed. The solution demanded by the track maintainers, and designed by Babcock Rail Consultancy, was for an open channel drain 1 metre deep and 700mm wide laid so that the galvanised lids can be removed for drain cleaning. In addition, cess drains in the form of gutters have been installed to pick up the acute areas where the tunnel lining leaks, taking the water to the six foot channel.

Excavating for the new drain.

20 | the rail engineer | february 2012

bridges & tunnels

Cruel surprise

Installing sections of the six foot drain.

Bespoke concrete units This of course created a challenge to reinstating correct structural clearances through the tunnel as the channel drain in the six foot was a physical obstruction that didn’t occur with a buried pipe - except at catchpits. As a result the final track renewal required the use of EG47SD (shallow depth, short ended) concrete sleepers.

Babcock Rail are partners in the IMT (Integrated Management Team). They subcontracted the civils works to BAM Nuttall who engaged QTS to carry out the drainage work with their extensive range of plant and equipment. The bespoke reinforced concrete units were made by Macrete and were shipped over from Ireland.

To have some chance of success, the water coming into the tunnel was stopped by intercepting it at catchpits at the upstream mouth of the tunnel and pumping it into a local stream called Dale Brook. But there was still plenty of water from within the tunnel that had to be managed and 40 metre stretches were pumped around the moving worksite. The Down line was first removed and excavated to within 70mm of final depth. Gary Hastie commented: “There were constraints with wagon availability over Christmas but we were able to excavate the drain, placing spoil onto the exposed track bed. After Christmas, more wagons became available which allowed the final depth to be reached. It was always likely that there could be surplus excavated material and so contingency measures such as creating temporary stockpiles were planned.”

In the weeks before the main blockade there were exploratory forays into the tunnel to test out working techniques and logistics. But Dove Holes came up with a cruel surprise. The six foot drain did not run down the centre of the tunnel! It was offset and, for part of its course, ran under the Down line. This meant that there was more excavated material than anticipated.

The pre-Christmas possessions gave the opportunity to install necessary services. The radio communications system, by High Motive, gave coverage throughout the tunnel and the surrounding areas.

Ventilation in the shape of powerful Mantra fans kept the tunnel clear of fumes. For the blockade most of the tunnel was lit. Early in the project, brackets were fixed to the walls so that the lighting and the cables could be fixed quickly.

Difficult access At both ends the line is in deep rock cuttings before the portals are reached. At the Southern (Peak Forest) end the access is close to the possession limit and this disturbs the normal working of the quarry trains. The main access was established from a field that had been rented off a farmer at the Chinley end of the job near Chapel-enle-Frith station approach. From there, having signed on, all personnel were ferried to the site of work on the ‘taxi’ - a road/rail personnel carrier supplied by TRAC. Gary was impressed the way everyone coped with the very difficult conditions. The tunnel isn’t a pleasant place to work and there are areas where water pours into the tunnel from the roof and from the side walls.

They noticed that, just three hours after heavy rain on the Peaks, it starts to rain in the tunnel.

Overpumping And the weather? “Right on cue there was heavy rain, initially before the start, but then the weather faired up until the Thursday when it poured down again.”

Like their Victorian ancestors, the project team had a problem with the subterranean water courses. At one point we had fourteen hours of extremely heavy rain and we had no option but to keep well clear and go back to a 40 yard portion which was completed after Christmas.”

The largest river is visible at a point where there appears to be a refuge, but this refuge has iron bars across precisely to stop you getting in. Water pours from way above the tunnel and disappears into the six foot drain dramatically increasing the flow.

In the early days of the work, the water that had to be diverted around the site was almost overpowering. At its peak, QTS had three 6” diesel pumps running full bore just to keep pace with the torrent that emerged from the tunnel walls. As Bruno Martin, QTS’s Construction Manager observed, “It was a challenge to keep on programme because of the sheer amount of water. But we perfected a conveyor belt type of approach and were able to increase our productivity steadily as the days went by.

The tunnel gradient falls steeply towards Chinley so, as we worked upstream towards Peak Forest, we had less and less water coming down on us.”

Postscript So perhaps Dove Holes can now take on a slightly less malevolent guise. Six thousand yards of track has been either renewed, lowered, realigned or tamped. The drain has been replaced. Water flows where it should and all is undeniably tidy. Gary admits that “To see it all completed was a bit of a proud moment.”

But don’t kid yourself. At around 1000ft above sea level in a bleak corner of the Peak District, Dove Holes tunnel is still a terrible place to be in the winter. Always treat railway names with caution!

t 4QFDJBMJTU 1MBOU 4VQQMZ

t %SBJOBHF BOE 5SBDL $MFBOJOH

t 7FHFUBUJPO .BOBHFNFOU

t $JWJM &OHJOFFSJOH

QTS Delivering a complete rail drainage service.

01357 440222 enquiries@qtsgroup.com

QTSGROUP.COM

QTS’ unique specialist drainage plant, equipment and highly skilled drainage personnel deliver a complete rail drainage renewal, repair and maintenance service. t Surveys

t 3FQBJST

t Inspections

t $MFBSBODF

t %FTJHO BOE JOTUBMMBUJPO

t 5SBDL DMFBOJOH

22 | the rail engineer | february 2012

bridges & tunnels

writer

tunnel works miners are back in the Southeast of C oal England. Twenty three years after the closure of the Betteshanger, the last pit in the Kent coal field, miners from Wales and the North-East are once more beneath the rolling countryside. But this time they’re not looking for coal.

Amalgamated Construction has its roots in mining. It was born from the engineering division of the former National Coal Board and many of its personnel have direct experience of pit work. They are Network Rail’s main contractor for the extensive works being carried out to stabilise and secure the future of Ore Tunnel.

Thomas Cowie is Network Rail’s Project Manager looking after, amongst other things, the Ore tunnel project which is being undertaken during a nine week blockade between Hastings and Rye. This blockade enables a long list of other infrastructure works. But more on this later....

Erecting service bridge before removing two underbridges.

Distorted profile Thomas explains that the tunnel, a Victorian structure, was constructed almost certainly by drill and blast methods as it passed through a mix of clay beds and inclined stratified layers of limestone and sandstone. The parabolic, brick lined tunnel was smashed out through the rock. The profile is distorted, particularly around the crown and it is believed that packing is poor between the rock and the lining in the drilled and blasted sections.

Over generations there have been many repair exercises in various parts of the tunnel. All the repairs have been short term due to the previously limited possession times available. They are at the end of their life so it is time to replace them with something more permanent.

Grahame Taylor Shotcrete lining The tunnel is extremely wet. As Thomas observes, “It’s really unbelievable how much water comes through it! And that’s primarily one of the reasons for the deformation. The water is taking the mortar out from the bricks.”

To put matters right some sections will have sprayed shotcrete linings applied to the roof of the tunnel. These will be held in place and strengthened using rock meshing over the top of the new lining, with carbon fibre ground anchors or dowels installed between the new lining, through the brickwork, into the rock above. They are there to hold the weight of the lining so that it causes no additional load to the existing tunnel structure.

Hidden shafts There are many other minor works within the tunnel such as renewing previous water catchment systems, especially in the huge ventilation shaft in the middle which is like a flume. There are four hidden shafts and strengthening work will be carried around their bases as they’re adding pressure to the walls.

Sections of brickwork throughout the tunnel that have been damaged through grout loss are being repaired or stitched.

There are some fractures of the walls which need to be repaired and there is a significant section of the roof which is bulging which is going to be cut out and strengthened with a shotcrete lining.

There are several areas of the tunnel where injection grouting behind the lining will eliminate voids. With these and other measures, it is hoped to manage some of the water which is doing the damage to the tunnel and to the track.

Preparatory work Work started on Monday 9 January, but before that there was an element of “softening up”.

Thomas recalls that, to minimise the time needed for the blockade, they did a considerable amount of preparatory work in advance. “Anything practical that could be done before the blockade was done. So, for example, we set up our accesses, our compounds, installed lighting systems, water mains and emergency telephone systems.

“We spent most of November and December working night shifts installing ventilation systems. We have at least two very large Factair fan systems which will provide flowing air through the tunnel, and all the machinery in use has been thoroughly serviced to ensure that emissions are at a minimum. Expensive catalytic converters have been fitted to every machine. These new filters, which are changed weekly, are meant to remove some 95% of particle solids from the air. The fans are really a precaution because we are trying to remove most of the problems at source.”

Total Rail Solutions: The Right Plant For The Right Job Supplier of RRVs at Ore Tunnel Contractor for renewal of drainage through Ore Tunnel Infinitely flexible, TRS works under a ‘One Team One Objective’ philosophy, offering the highest levels of personal and professional service to all our clients.

Our services include: • RRV & RMMM Plant hire inc provision of Plant Operators Licence.

• Vortok Rigid Barrier: Short and standard telescopic sizes available for dry hire or installed and removed.

• Site Lighting: VT1 or Link lights.

• Holdfast RRAPs: Dry hire only or installed and maintained.

• Off Track Works: Drainage, Track access steps & temporary roads.

• Cable Route works: Supply, Clearance, Installation, refurbish.

• Labour Hire: Including Crane & machine controller.

• Package works including UTX installation, Signal bases, Platforms and PWay.

Tel: 01962 711642 E-mail: info@totalrailsolutions.co.uk www.totalrailsolutions.co.uk ISO 9001 Registered Firm

International Accreditation Board

ISO 14001 Registered Firm

International Accreditation Board

Certificate No. GB2002956

Registration No. 0044/1

Certificate No. EM2000303

Registration No. 0044/1

24 | the rail engineer | february 2012

bridges & tunnels

tering tunnel.

Drilling rig en

Access issues Logistical problems “Ore tunnel is a double line bore but with a single line which leads to many logistical problems. Although complex, by working with our delivery partner, everything has been managed very successfully. We did several shifts of trial work to see what to expect and to practice some of the movements because the single line meant that once setup for the day then that’s it! We have to make sure everything’s in the right order in the tunnel as we can’t drive through each other!”

At the end of the tunnel work there will be a full track renewal including the ballast subgrade and the track drainage. As part of the project, geotechnical drainage that runs through the tunnel from cuttings and embankments will be renewed.

Access to the tunnel could have been a serious problem but the project was extremely fortunate. The local area was quite industrial in the past and it’s now a massive redevelopment area. Very near to the railway there is the site of a former coal fired power station and this has been secured for access. Even the old sidings have been found. In fact the access at the west end is fantastic - it couldn’t be better. At the other end there were some difficulties because the best places were reached either through bogs or marshy land, but access has been secured.

Journey time improvements But the tunnel is not the whole story. With a nine week blockade available, just about everyone wants to take advantage of this extraordinary opportunity.

Murray Motley is a Senior project sponsor with Network Rail. As sponsor for a longer term scheme to improve journey times between Ashford and Brighton he has a great interest in the blockade.

Murray explains that, “The journey time improvement scheme had been developed to a point where we knew what we needed to do and what it would cost - but the costs were fairly high and, given that this is a rural railway, we were struggling to justify it. But what has actually happened is that much of what we were going to have to do is being picked up as part of routine maintenance.

“So, for example, if track has been relayed then that’s part of a normal renewal maintenance cost rather than a discrete scheme cost and so the actual money we have had to provide is just the incremental cost of putting the track back at a higher speed. The line is currently 60mph throughout with permanent speed restrictions in various places, but the aspiration is to get it up to 75mph.

“Although we won’t be able to open at the higher speed because we still have work to do on some structures and level crossings, the track will be ready for it because we will have done a substantial part of the overall scheme.”

The line’s not completely shut because there’s still the traffic to and from the Dungeness nuclear power station. Trains run two or three times a week with nuclear flasks. But Network Rail have worked with DRS to concentrate their period of operations so that they could get longer periods of blockage of up to five days at a time.

Bridgeworks

Tunnel Ventilation DURING ENGINEERING WORK Factair provide a complete temporary tunnel ventilation and air quality monitoring service.

We control the environment within the workplace by managing and clearing air pollution from sources such as:- multiple engine exhausts, ballast handling, welding, cutting and grinding.

Elsewhere in the blockade Network Rail are renewing two overbridge decks, repairing about 18 footbridges and several culverts. An embankment is being repaired and there are about six areas with major track renewals. In amongst all this the track maintenance organisation is doing the maximum it can within the constraints of everyone else working including a mile’s worth of relaying.

SERVICES WE OFFER INCLUDE: Feasibility studies with adaptable ventilation schemes to including both self contained engine driven and modular electrically powered fans to allow tailored solutions Deployment and maintenance staff Continuous air quality monitoring and pollution warning service Environmental condition report on completion

Factair Ltd 49 Boss Hall Road Ipswich, Suffolk IP1 5BN

t: 01473 746400 f: 01473 747123 e: enquires@factair.co.uk www.factair.co.uk

Grout train.

The two overbridges are at Three Oaks and Doleham and were not planned to be renewed until fairly late on in 2013. They had to be fasttracked. There’s a bit of risk because both bridges are covered in services.

But, even in a worst case, they won’t affect the blockade if they’re not finished. As a result road closures have been reduced from six months to just three weeks, drastically hacking the costs by up to 50%. The existing superstructures will be reconstructed by contractor Dyer and Butler with repairs carried out to the wing walls and abutments to give a design life of 120 years, maintenance free for the first 25 years. Precast concrete bridge beams are being installed at both sites in series as each bridge acts as a traffic diversion route for the other. All this work, including re-instatement of the highway, will be complete by 1 April 2012.

Stockpiles Of course, everyone wants to get their trains in. To get the most from the blockade there’s an Ore blockade coordination meeting every two weeks to thrash out details. In parallel, Orpington Maintenance teams led by Helen Warnock, the Infrastructure Maintenance Engineer, have spent months dropping equipment and materials around the line in secure locations so that it’s there ready for the blockade. Also trains and roadrailers have been parked up in various locations along the line so that they’re in position and don’t get in each other’s way.

A new coalfield?

The blockade ends on 11th March.

But there will be a subsequent weekend possession to mop up works that can’t be done before the track renewal work in the tunnel, such as work on manholes. The fabric of Ore tunnel will be secured for at least 20 years.

The Kent coalfield was discovered during an early attempt to drive a channel tunnel - at least that’s what it says on the internet so it must be true. This time miners will emerge from Ore tunnel probably with not one piece of coal - but who knows?

february 2012 | the rail engineer | 25

bridges & tunnels

PHOTO: KAREN BRYAN

Strengthening masonry arches

nearly fifteen years, the arch F orstrengthening design and build service known as Archtec has been successfully used by many bridge owners to help manage their bridge stock. Now, this technology is being used for railway bridges and is set to introduce similar benefits to those that have been well recognised by highway authorities.

Originally the motivation for developing the Archtec system was the introduction of 40/44 tonne vehicle load rating and to provide a cost effective alternative to traditional assessment and strengthening routes. This driver continues, particularly

Cintec Rail

overseas, but increasingly in response to rail traffic rather than road. It is now also recognised as offering an alternative, affordable and sustainable solution compared with traditional saddling, or in some cases bridge replacement, by improved use of mostly existing materials.

Archtec has involved a significant research programme over the years including advanced analysis, full scale tests and the monitoring of bridges. A special team was formed, which includes academics, engineers/analysts, project managers and specialist contractors, to deliver this service.

Internationally, around 250 bridges have

now been strengthened with many more assessed and found to be adequate. This team is a partnership which brings together several specialists; Cintec International Limited, Rockfield Software Limited and Ramboll UK Limited (formerly Gifford).

The illuminated Royal Border Bridge.

Calculating the strength of arch bridges Despite masonry arches being ancient in form, it remains notoriously difficult to accurately assess their strength. Their behaviour is complex and involves the interaction of individual parts, blocks, bricks, mortar and fill. Several methods for

Masonry Repair & Strengthening

Temporary strapping as emergency measure

Installing anchors Enterkin & Crawick railway viaducts

Completed anchoring before replacing cores

Complete diagnostic, design and installation service Cintec International has provided

Operating either as a main contractor itself, or through

Network Rail and formerly British Rail

Cintec’s approved contractor network, the company is

and many County Councils and other

able to provide either project specific solutions through the

Local Authorities with a long term and

client engineer, or a turnkey service including complete

cost effective structural solution for

diagnostics on all masonry structures from initial

strengthening and stabilising bridges

assessment, finite element analysis, full design and through

and similar structures.

to anchor installation and completion.

Cintec International Ltd Cintec House, 11 Gold Tops, Newport, South Wales, NP20 4PH

Telephone: +44 (0) 1633 246614 Email: hqcintec@cintec.co.uk

Fax: +44 (0) 1633 246110 www.cintec.co.uk

26 | the rail engineer | february 2012

bridges & tunnels

assessing the strength of arch bridges have become well established, for example limit analysis, which is a vital activity where traffic loads increase. However, their generalised use is limited and their application for designing strengthening difficult. Finite element analysis has also been successfully used although modelling materials to obtain realistic behaviour is challenging.

Instead, the Finite/Discrete Element Method (FDEM), which involves the automatic computation of interacting bodies, is applied in the Archtec strength assessment and strengthening design processes. This is a generalised approach, as is finite element analysis, which means that any geometric form of masonry can be simulated. As a result, there are no restrictions to the arch bridge arrangements that can be considered, for instance the number of spans, rings and piers that can be assessed. Similarly any type of loading, from highways, railways and even ground movements, can be applied.

The application of FDEM has marked a step change in the level of sophistication which can now be applied to the structural analysis of masonry arch bridges. Not only can it be used to accurately assess strength, but also to determine bridge deformation, including important non-linear effects, making it possible to assess behaviour at both strength and serviceability limit states. Being a generalised approach, the behaviour of complex bridges can be assessed where, for example, a concrete saddle may exist, a bridge has been propped and, in the case of strengthening, retrofitted reinforcement is introduced.

Strengthening weak bridges

Installation process – drilling from above.

Arches conventionally fail by the development of four hinges leading to a mechanism. The design basis for Archtec strengthening is to locate reinforcement where hinges are predicted to develop so as to improve bending strength. By providing additional strength in this way, the arch barrel is better able to resist live load and peak compressive stresses in the masonry are reduced compared with similar unstrengthened cases. The same procedure is applied to more complex bridge arrangements, including multi-span arches, although failure mechanisms and reinforcement positioning requires different locations to be considered in design.

The method of strengthening involves the installation of Cintec anchors. These have been developed to allow the retrofitting of stainless steel reinforcement around the

circumference of the arch barrel. The reinforcement is then grouted into holes, which have been precisely drilled into the bridge using a diamond coring rig, providing a shear connection with the masonry. It is this shear connection, and the method of grouting within a fabric sock, that is vital to give the required bond strength.

Installation can either be made from the road surface or, in the case of multi-span structures, from below. Once the work is completed there is no evidence of any major intervention to the bridge, a characteristic that is particularly important for historic structures.

Accurate 3D geometric modelling is required both to develop the FDEM model using the true shape of the arch barrel and also for setting out calculations and the accurate positioning of reinforcement. 3D laser surveys are increasingly being used to provide high-density survey measurements (point clouds) and, by using hybrid 3D CAD software, the built environment and proposed works are combined saving time and improving efficiency. Any buried services are also included.

Advantages The use of reinforcing systems in arch barrels, and particularly the Archtec system, has attracted considerable interest in recent years as it is becoming recognised that, in many cases, it is a viable alternative to more extreme works such as traditional saddling, lining and replacement. Archtec strengthening provides an effective and economic method of restoring and strengthening masonry arch bridges where the following advantages are often important: • Through the use of FDEM the first stage in any Archtec project is to accurately assess the existing bridge strength. This allows accurate matching of strengthening to the loading requirements if the bridge is weak, thus minimising the scope of the work.

Alternatively, it may be found that strengthening can be avoided; • Modest scope of works - strengthening requires small scale construction activities such as drilling and no heavy equipment and movement of materials; • Archtec is un-intrusive compared with more traditional solutions such as saddling, lining or reconstruction, and being embedded into the masonry has no impact on head room; • A more sustainable solution with little environmental impact, embodied energy and carbon emissions compared with traditional strengthening and replacement; • Ease of installation - can generally be installed from above or below a bridge with relatively simple access arrangements; • Speed of installation - can generally be installed in short and often partial bridge possessions; • Ability to accommodate existing buried services - it is usually possible to work around them thereby avoiding expensive diversions; • Minimal disruption to users, low cost and reduced programme risk compared with

february 2012 | the rail engineer | 27

bridges & tunnels

(Left and below) Typical 3D laser survey showing coloured point cloud

•

•

•

•

traditional strengthening and replacement; Improved Safety as a result of smaller scale of work compared with traditional strengthening and replacement; Good whole life performance through the use of long proven materials and components; No or minimal effect on the appearance which can be of particular importance in relation to historic and listed bridges; A method of installation that is used to verify the way the bridge was originally built - each drilled hole provides a core of information which can be used to confirm construction, for example barrel thickness.

Strengthening road over rail bridges One of the first road-over-rail bridges to be strengthened using the Archtec system is Keith Haughes Bridge in Scotland. This is a single span brick masonry arch bridge which carries a trunk road across a network railway line. Earlier assessments had indicated that there was insufficient strength to provide the required trunk road live load rating. Following a further assessment process, including SV196 abnormal loading, Archtec strengthening was selected and together with other remedial work the project was successfully completed in 2010. Key to the successful installation was minimal disruption to both road and rail traffic. Being a small scale

construction activity, with no movement of bulk materials, enabled the work to take place in short possession periods, and by using techniques such as laser scanning and 3D modelling all activities could be accurately planned in advance.

Typical FDEM model, shows how geometry is developed from 3D laser point cloud.

Main image: Geotechnical engineering for the DLR 3 car enhancement project, London

RAIL EXPERTISE Having acquired Gifford, we are now able to offer experience and capability in all aspects of engineering for the rail sector. From development archaeology to bridge engineering; level crossing surveys to platform design, railway buildings to station infrastructure.

And we can call on the wider resources of the Ramboll group currently working on major European projects such as the Danish Signalling Programme (ERTMS), the Copenhagen City Circle Line, the Fehmarn Belt Fixed Link and helping to accommodate increased rail capacity in Norway.

In the UK Gifford’s contribution to the Archtec partnership won the Queens Award for Enterprise: Innovation in 2002. The process has gone on to win many awards both here and overseas.

Contact Tim Holmes 023 8081 7500

www.ramboll.co.uk

Complete bridge replacements at Caversham and Vastern Roads, Reading

Replacement bridge deck; Arnside Viaduct, Morecambe Bay

Laser scan prior to Archtec strengthening process, Haughs Bridge, Morayshire

28 | the rail engineer | february 2012

bridges & tunnels

Cummersdale makeover £1 million life extension writer

David Shirres Stephenson, Engineer for the G eorge Maryport and Carlisle Railway, reported that the cost of construction would be low as the level nature of the countryside did not require expensive engineering works. One exception was the 57 metre long, three span Cummersdale viaduct which spans the River Caldew at a 52° skew two miles south of Carlisle. This viaduct was the most significant structure on the railway which was initially opened as a single line in 1845 to carry coal from the Cumbrian coalfields to Carlisle and Maryport docks. The current twin track viaduct structure was a 1910 upgrade.

Although the coal mines are long gone, the line still carries fuel with oil trains to BP’s Dalston oil depot and nuclear flasks from Sellafield. So the Christmas disruptive possession for the refurbishment of Cummersdale Viaduct was timed to end at 02:50 on 28 December, to maintain freight paths to and from Dalston.

Network Rail’s Cummersdale viaduct project is a £1million design and build package of work to renew the deck, install waterproofing and drainage, grit blast and paint the steel riveted-plate main girders and provide scour protection. The principal contractor is May Gurney and the contractor’s designer is Pell Frischmann.

Environmental support was provided by JBA Consulting which undertook the baseline ecology and bat emergence surveys as well as giving advice on the river’s Special Area of Conservation (SAC) designation for crayfish and salmonid fish.

This work identified that white-clawed crayfish were not present in the Caldew branch of the SAC and, with the agreement of the Environmental Agency and Natural England, JBA proposed that this species did not require a specific survey. However, the presence of salmonid fish in the Caldew meant that any in-stream work could not be carried out during the spawning season between the end of September 2011 and

June 2012. Early identification of the environmental constraints at the site and the careful timing of works meant that no delays were experienced to the project in spite of its location within a SAC. Work started on site in September.

Vegetation within 3 metres of the bridge was cleared. Scaffolding to support a crash deck under the bridge and encapsulation around the main girders had to be completed before the spawning season started.

Grit blasting and painting of the girders was undertaken by Jack Tighe. After this was completed, rectangular holes were cut into the encapsulation to provide ventilation and also a sneak preview of the new Holly Green paint finish which replaced the previous light green.

The Christmas Possession The largest item of work was the planned redecking, waterproofing and provision of a drainage system during a 77 hour disruptive possession from 21:00 on Christmas Eve to 02:50 on 28 December. This work was entrusted to Stobart Rail under May Gurney’s supervision. The life-expired timber decking was to be replaced with 46 steel units fabricated by Britcon (Scunthorpe) Ltd. These units, typically 2.7m long x 3.4m wide x 0.75m high, have an L-shaped cross section to give improved ballast retention.

february 2012 | the rail engineer | 29

bridges & tunnels Christmas in Carlisle was mild and mainly dry, but with 30 mph winds.

Although this would have prevented the use of cranes, it did not disrupt the Cummersdale work which only required low lifts by on-track plant. To enable these to work from the adjacent line, the redecking was planned to be carried out one track at a time with the Up line removed first.

The 120 foot long, jointed track panels on the bridge were cut into 60 foot panels and removed from the bridge by a tandem lift. Once ballast had been cleared, the timber decking was removed by 360° excavators, enabling the tops of the steel girders to be treated prior to installation of the steel deck units. The crash deck and encapsulation prevented any contamination of the river during this work.

Applying NR/L3/INI/CP0064 By the early hours of Boxing Day morning the Up side of the bridge was ready for its new steel deck units.

However, during marking out with the bridge dismantled, it was found that some units did not fit into the stonework at the end of the bridge. This unforeseen problem was resolved on site, but the resultant delay was greater than the possession contingency time.

As required by Network Rail standards, possession plans must include hold points beyond which work should not proceed unless the expected progress has been achieved. The Cummersdale viaduct possession had two hold points, the lifting of the Up line and the lifting of the Down line. As the criteria for the second hold point had not been met, Network Rail’s standard NR/L3/INI/CP0064 “Delivering Work within Possessions” required that the work could not proceed beyond the second hold point. As a result, at 10:00 on Boxing Day morning, the decision was taken not to commence the replacement of the second half of the deck and Network Rail agreed that the timber deck under the Down line could be replaced in a future disruptive possession. Whilst this was understandably frustrating to those on site, this instruction ensured there was no risk to the handback time for the possession of 02:50 on 28 December.

Remaining Work The Site Construction Manager considers that the experience gained from the Up line deck replacement will be useful when the time comes to replace the Down line deck. Time consuming marking out will not be required as deck unit positioning will be determined by the units already in place under the Up line.

Environment Agency restrictions on accessing the water during the salmon spawning season will determine when the scour protection works at Cummersdale viaduct can be finished, as the installation of riprap stone around

the piers for scour protection cannot be undertaken until June 2012 - after the spawning season.

Completion of the bridge re-decking work will be dependent on May Gurney securing suitable levels of possession access to the route during 2012, which is normally restricted to Sunday mornings and Christmas Day/Boxing day.

During the period of the possession, the level of the River Caldew rose after a particularly heavy rainfall and the water was fast flowing, showing the challenge that the salmon face to swim upstream to lay their eggs. This also demonstrated the need for scour protection, and the difficulties associated with its installation.

Functional and Unobtrusive Network Rail’s Scheme Project Manager, Chris Chatfield, commented, “The maintenance and re-use of the existing main girders, combined with the installation of new waterproofed steel deck units, optimises the most efficient blend of old and new materials to secure the working life of the structure over the long term.”

The steel-plate Cummersdale Viaduct is only a few metres above the river, has no graceful curves or tall piers, and so is unlikely to attract much attention from those who walk beneath it on the Cumbria Way long-distance footpath.

As one of the project team said, “It is not a thing of beauty, but it is functional and looks right to me”.

However, with the completion of its refurbishment the viaduct will continue to be functional for many years and, resplendent in its new Holly Green coating, it might even attract more glances from those who walk or cycle under it.

This article was written following a site visit to the viaduct for which May Gurney’s assistance is greatly appreciated.

The bulk of the work took place during a 77 hour possession over Christmas.

30 | the rail engineer | february 2012

feature writer

Nigel

Wordsworth

New Year at New Street Swinging in the new Navigation Street footbridge.

Artist’s impression of the new atrium with its domed ‘ETFE’ roof.

New Year. A time of plans for the T hefuture, broken resolutions, and the rail engineer’s annual visit to see the latest developments at Birmingham New Street Station as the Network Rail and Mace partnership continue to develop one of the country’s most significant stations First, a quick recap - or you can read issue 75 (January 2011) page 27. The current Birmingham New Street Station was opened in 1967 after a complete rebuild. The 12 platforms are below ground level in a slightly curved box.

Above the platforms, on a large concrete slab, sits the passenger concourse at one side and a multi-story car park on the other. Above the concourse is the Pallasades shopping centre.

New Street is the country’s busiest station outside of London, and it is getting busier.

Being largely underground, the platforms cannot be extended, nor can more be added. They are already operated as A and B platforms, in fact there is even a C, so the only way to enhance capacity further is to get more trains in and out more quickly. And that means moving more passengers on and off the platforms more quickly.

Currently, there is one access to each platform from the concourse, and that concourse is quite small, low ceilinged, and has no natural daylight. In short, it is a bit crowded and depressing. What is needed is a larger concourse, a higher ceiling, and some daylight.

Someone came up with the simple solution - knock through the wall into the car park next door, and expand the concourse into that. However, car park floors don’t have much headroom, as you’d expect in a multi-story car park. So the next simple solution was to take out the first floor completely, leaving a double-height area.

That should do it.

But what about letting some daylight in?

Simple once again - drive upwards through the middle of the Pallasades shopping centre right through to the roof and put a transparent dome on top to let the light in.

All this would leave the exterior of the station untouched and still sixties concrete.

So the suggestion was to clad it all in shiny stainless steel to reflect the sky.

Don’t you just love these simple plans?

But in essence that is what was agreed.

First stage, take out the first floor of the car park (all 7,000 tonnes of it) and build a new concourse in there with escalator and lift access to the platforms. Second, move the concourse into the new area and close the old one, gut it and rebuild it, while at the same time removing two floors of the Pallasades shopping centre (20,000 tonnes) and constructing a dome on the roof from ETFE (Ethylene Tetra Fluoro Ethylene) - the material used for the Eden Project in the UK and the Beijing Olympic Aquatics Centre, nicknamed the “Watercube”.

Last year So the Birmingham New Street Redevelopment project was born. At the time of the rail engineer’s second visit, last year, the removal of the first floor of the car park had just been finished. The concrete had been cut up into handy-sized pieces, still weighing 10 tonnes or more each, and moved on a bespoke rail arrangement sideways out of the building. A forest of bright-orange props and stays from RMD Kwikform kept everything supported and in balance while the work was going on.

One snag was that the main service spine for the whole station runs just behind the wall of the existing concourse, so one of the main tasks was to relocate that into the roof of the new concourse area.

Outside, the 20-story residential Stephenson Tower would have to be demolished to make room for the new scheme. However, the design for the new Birmingham Gateway, as the revised New Street is being called, included two new towers. These were to be free-standing, multi-use blocks with retail in the ground floor, offices above, and residential above that. With the current low demand for office and retail space, these towers were not to be built as part of the station development.

Also in Christmas 2010, it had been planned to take out and replace the Navigation Street footbridge. However, the weather had been so bad with temperatures down to -15°C, that it had to be delayed until Christmas 2011.

ROAME from Invensys Rail.

A totally integrated solution Our centralised suite of control applications allow you to manage and monitor trains safely, efficiently and reliably.

Now thanks to ROAME (Railway Operations Administration & Maintenance Environment), you can seamlessly integrate all your railway intelligence into a single software solution. This gives you the flexibility to react to critical incidents - maximising safety and service delivery.

No wonder we score highly with train operators the world over.

What’s more – ROAME is mobile too!

Our reputation is assured thanks to the well known rail signalling companies Westinghouse, Dimetronic & Safetran, who together make up Invensys Rail.

Find out how we can help you succeed, visit www.invensysrail.com or call +44 (0) 1249 441441

Proud to be Network Rail’s Supplier of the Year 2011

32 | the rail engineer | february 2012

The old footbridge comes out while the new one awaits, pre-assembled.

Work had started in de-cluttering and resurfacing the platforms, with BAM Nuttall working on Platform 1.

So that was the situation a year ago.

The first brackets on Stephenson Street for the new façade.

By 6 January 2012, much had changed.

After months of careful planning, the Navigation Street footbridge had been replaced, much to the relief of the engineers.

If they had missed doing it this time, perhaps due to more bad weather, they would really have been in trouble with timings. However, the steel framework was lifted into place on Boxing Day with no problems. A temporary fire-proof lining had been added so that passengers were already using the new bridge and were protected from the ongoing work to add the cladding to the outside of the frame. When that is complete the lining will be stripped out and the finished bridge exposed.

Stephenson Tower had gone - well, almost.

All that was left was about one story high of scaffolding. Due to its proximity to the station, the tower couldn’t be knocked down so it had to be taken down, in effect folded inwards on itself with the rubble going down the lift shafts and being taken away at the bottom. A time consuming process but just about complete.

However, there had been two major changes to the design over the year. In December 2011, designers Atkins had been winding down. The major work had been done, and a team of just 10-20 people was envisaged to keep an eye on the project and sort out the inevitable wrinkles. Now, however, the team was still 130 strong - and busy. What had changed?

New for 2012 In February 2011, John Lewis Partnerships announced that they will open a new store in Birmingham - at Birmingham New Street.

This was a major change in the plan for the station, and needed a lot more detailed design work.

feature Of course, these announcements don’t happen overnight. The design team first became aware of the possibility back in 2009, when Project Chicago looked at the feasibility of adding a major store to the development. This was to have been on the north east corner of the station, but after a time everything went quiet. Then the plan was back on again, but now moved to the south west. The two proposed separate tower blocks were deleted, and an extension designed. The façade will be continued around the store and, because it is taller, extended upwards. However, the upper layers will be transparent rather than stainless steel to allow light into the store.

Atkins is doing the structural design of the new store and the way it interfaces with the station. Atkins Engineering Director Stephen Ashton explained: “This has been a significant piece of design for Atkins. There was always passive provision for a major structure in that area - the two towers development. But they were separate from the station and John Lewis is integrated. So we have had to take out some of the south west corner of the building and add on three levels above the Pallasades.

“We have also had to alter some of the other plans to accommodate the new store.

For example, British Transport Police were to have had accommodation in the Hinterland (New Street-speak for the basement / service area) but we have now had to move them to the upper retail level.”

John Lewis is a major change, but isn’t the only one. The original design called for the new service spine in the car park area to be constructed on site. However, delivery partner Mace brought a plan to Atkins for it to be of modular construction, built off-site by NG Bailey and then simply assembled after arrival.

Each module could be tested in the factory, and while the cost was similar the assembly

times would be much quicker. Atkins went along with the plan, but the design had to be integrated into the original scheme.

Another change was at platform level.

Currently, there is ducting in place to extract diesel fumes, carry them up the height of the building, and expel them above the roof.

These were to be replaced with new extractors but using the original ducts.

However, Mace suggested using impulse fans, hanging from the ceiling over the platforms, to blow fumes out either end of the station. Atkins and NG Bailey are working together to implement this design change which includes the re-design of the power distribution of the power supplies from the roof down to platform level.

Stephen Ashton anticipates that all these design changes will be complete by the end of March. However, that may not be the end of it as the project team will be instigating “Project Bluebird”, a cost containment exercise to prevent over-runs and ensure that the most cost-effective designs and processes are used.

Ongoing work Everything has to be planned and calculated to the nth degree. As Chris Montgomery, Network Rail’s Project Director, told the rail engineer: “If we get things wrong, we have the opportunity to completely mess up the network. This is the biggest interchange in the UK and every Cross Country service goes through here around 400 of their train crew are based here. A train leaves on average every 37 seconds so if we get it wrong, it goes wrong in a big way.”

On top of that are the passengers’ impressions of Birmingham. Around 75% of business visitors to Birmingham arrive by train, as well as 65% of all first time visitors to the city.

Atkins is the lead consultant on the £600m re-development of Birmingham's New Street Station. Our group wide, multidisciplinary team have been involved in the project from inception to construction.

The Birmingham Gateway Project which includes the new John Lewis store is due for completion in 2015. This will see the area around the station opened up, knitting the city together as well greatly improving the passenger experience, turning New Street into a bright, modern focal point for Birmingham.

The multidisciplinary services Atkins is providing include: · Lead consultant / design management · Production architecture · Civil and structural engineering · Highway design · Building services engineering · Interior design · Environmental services · Sustainability · Landscape architecture · Geotechnical engineering · Rail Systems

Plan Design Enable

34 | the rail engineer | february 2012

A service spine module is slid into position beneath one already hung in place.

feature

Funding for the project, currently at around £600 million, comes from several sources, and each partner has their own aims for the projects, which Chris Montgomery called “Key Requirements”. For example, the regional development agency, Advantage West Midlands, contributed £100 million and their key requirement is jobs for local people. So the project has opened the Birmingham Gateway Construction Academy, connecting with local colleges and offering both apprenticeships and mid-term training.

One hundred training modules a year are being offered, from apprentice sessions to executive briefings.

Richard Thorpe, Mace’s Project Director responsible for New Street, is pleased with the results this training is

having. “This project is long enough for us to put young people through a complete apprenticeship during the lifetime of the project,” he commented.

“So instead of them having to change from one worksite to another in the course of their training, they can join us here at New Street and leave fullyqualified.”

Extra employment won’t just be available during the building of the station. Chris Montgomery estimated that the long-term effect would be 1,000 new jobs, 650 of them with John Lewis. Many of these will have been long-term unemployed.

Approximately 1,000 people are working on site at present, ramping up to a peak of 1,200 by the end of March.

Project management is about 140, 60% Mace and 40% Network Rail, but working as one integrated team with no duplicated roles.

With so many stakeholders in the project, including investors, retailers, TOCs, even local taxi drivers, 30-40 staff each keep in touch with an allocated group of stakeholders. There is a monthly stakeholders’ briefing.

Work in progress Looking around the station, what is happening right now? Martyn Woodhouse and Paul Dalton, both Senior Project Managers, were pleased to show off the latest developments.

The Navigation Street bridge is in, and being clad. The brackets for the stainless steel façade are going up along Stephenson Street - the mountings are all in place and the brackets themselves, each one different, are now being attached. The first elements of the façade itself should be in place by April.

Birse Rail has won the contract to refit platforms 2-11, and are busy with platform 10. Only one platform face at a time can be taken out of service to keep sufficient capacity on the other 11 platforms. General decluttering is taking place, waiting rooms and other old buildings are being removed and lift shafts and escalator accesses

installed, along with new paving. David Higgs, foreman on the project, was most enthusiastic about the work taking place.

The service spine modules are arriving in the old car park and are being hung from the ceiling - all 260 tonnes of them. They have to be installed in a particular order to avoid eccentric loading of the building. Construction is almost complete and, when all services have been transferred, the old spine can be demolished.

The first stages of demolition of the void up to the roof have just started.

Behind some blue plastic safety netting, men with jackhammers are attacking the concrete slab above them. Soon a new forest of orange RMD Kwikform supports will appear to hold everything together. In the shopping centre, hoardings are in place and retail units are being relocated. It looked like Poundstretcher was the last one still operating!

At one end of platform 1, the old Lamp Block has been demolished and a smart set of new prefabricated offices installed. These now need to be clad externally and fitted out internally before they can be handed over to those 400 Cross Country employees who are currently in temporary accommodation next to the site of Stephenson Tower.

Over the road, the boundary wall on Hill Street had been decorated with large murals by local artists. These were painted on the roof of the car park and then fixed permanently to the wall, brightening up the area.

There are 80 individual contractors on site, not counting sub-contractors, and all have plenty to do as this is one of the largest refurbishment projects in Europe. To put things in perspective, Chris Montgomery described it as “costing half the price of Wembley Stadium and being delivered in a year less - but we have to stay open for matches every day!”

The new concourse is due to open in December 2012, just in time for our next visit. We’ll be back…

RMD Kwikform struts hold everything in place.

•

•

*"•+#•/%"•'"3• +*/-& 0/+-.•/+•/% /•.0 "..•% .• ""*•/%"•2+-' --&"!•+0/• 3• • 2&'#+-)

%-&.• +(( *!

"2• /-""/• / /&+* • &-)&*$% ) • " %*&

•

•

•

(•) * $"-

+(") *• • +), *3

•

Coleman and Company was removing 7,500 tonnes of concrete from what used to be a car park, using modular Megashor trusses designed and supplied by RMD Kwikform.

The challenge was to remove a mezzanine car parking slab to create the new double height concourse and ticket hall areas. The only barrier between the demolition and twelve busy station platforms was the relatively thin floor below - so there was no room for error or disruption.

Call us now on

This meant taking down large sections of concrete and removing them from the building without causing too much noise, dust and vibration. Most importantly this had to be done without over loading the lower floor, which is only designed to take the weight of vehicles. ● ● ● ●

Modular Megashor Truss system Low truss height fitted into confined headroom High truss strength and stiffness minimized saw cuts Trusses readily adapted in-situ to suit different spans

•

•

+-•1&.&/•0.• /

•

222 -)!'2&'#+-) +) 222 -)!'2&'#+-) /1 1 &(

("•#+-•. ("• *!•%&-"

36 | the rail engineer | february 2012

feature

Success in the

writer

Clive Kessell

Gillingham Signalling Control Centre.

Kent Coast electrification of the late T he1950s was all about eliminating steam traction and only partial modernisation of signalling on the North Kent line route was undertaken. New signal boxes were commissioned at Rochester, Rainham, Sittingbourne and Faversham, 30 boxes were abolished and the remaining boxes were adapted for the new electrified railway.

Colour light signals were installed all the way to Ramsgate, but the boxes on the Dover line retained mechanical lever frames and semaphore signals. Four-tracking was provided between Rainham and Newington but, elsewhere, the layouts were largely unchanged. Whilst other elements were modernised piecemeal in subsequent years, new cabling and much of the telecoms, the signalling has remained essentially the same until now. Being well over 50 years old, something had to be done.

The East Kent Resignalling Project Designed to be commissioned in three phases with many intermediate stages, the project centres on the new East Kent Signalling Centre (EKSC) located at Gillingham. Constructed in the style of Upminster, Derby and Didcot, this is the shape of Signalling Control Centres for the future. Equipped initially with only 2 control workstations, the centre is big enough to accommodate 12 desks as its area of operation expands.

Phase 1, which was commissioned over the Christmas 2011 period, covers the area from east of Sittingbourne to Minster Junction and Buckland Junction just short of Dover Priory. Fringe boxes are at Sittingbourne, Minster and Folkestone East.

Extensive track remodelling has taken place at Ramsgate (both the Minster and Dumpton Park ends of the station) and Faversham with plain lining being done at Whitstable, Herne Bay, Birchington and Canterbury East. Old signal boxes have been abolished at Faversham, Margate, Ramsgate, Canterbury East and Shepherdswell.

Canterbury East box, built high on a cantilevered girder, is in a conservation area, so how to use this to best advantage in the future is open to debate. Similarly, Ramsgate box is listed.

Later phases of the project will extend the new signalling westwards from Sittingbourne to fringe with the Victoria Power Box west of the Medway towns and on from Minster to link up to the Ashford box boundary. Contracts for these sections have still to be let.

The Signalling System and Equipment Phase 1 of the project comprises 332 SEUs (Signalling Equivalent Units), the modern day methodology for sizing a signalling area.

The heart of the scheme is the SmartLock computer-based interlocking installed at EKSC and divided into seven VIXLs (Virtual Interlockings) to cover the extent of the resignalled area. SmartLock is one of the new generation of Solid State Interlockings

South (SSI) with more processing capacity and much reduced size compared to earlier designs of SSI. The EKSC workstations are entirely screen based with no conventional signalling mimic diagram. This is a modern version of the Integrated Electronic Control Centre (IECC) designed originally in the 1990s. Setting of routes is mostly automatic from timetable and train describer source data but the signallers can use a tracker ball if changes to the planned schedule are required. In addition to the signalling control screens, additional VDUs give access to the SPT network, the Cab Secure Radio system and telephone / mobile contact to stations, control offices, electrification controls, TOC offices and both the internal and external telephone networks.

Trackside, new signals of the LED type have been provided throughout, these being a mixture of 3 and 4 aspect according to traffic needs. Headways have been improved to give a maximum of 6 minutes on the lighter used routes. A flashing yellow is provided on the down line at Faversham to give advance warning when trains are diverging towards Ramsgate. Points are operated using HW2000 point motors supplied by Invensys, known to be robust and reliable machines. Except for the station areas at Faversham and Ramsgate where TI21 track circuits are used, the whole area has been converted to axle counters using the standard Thales product. In all, there are 254 axle counter sections. Track circuits remain in the two areas named because this

february 2012 | the rail engineer | 37

feature is where trains can split and join. Experience has shown that the toing and froing movement whilst this happens can cause axle counter mis-reads, which must be avoided if reliable working is to be achieved.

Six level crossings exist on the resignalled routes of which five are AHBs that remain essentially unchanged except for the indications being transferred to EKSC. The sixth crossing, at Teynham, was a manned gate crossing but this has been converted to a CCTV controlled full barrier crossing controlled from EKSC. On telecoms, new SPTs have been provided at every main line signal but point zone telephones have been eliminated reflecting the increased use of mobile telephones by maintenance staff. Dial up telephones are hosted off Chatham exchange, this being able to accommodate the short code dialling (17x) to access the electrification control rooms.

Key to all of these has been the availability of the Network Rail FTN (Fixed Telecom Network). This nationwide fibre and digital transmission network, with its almost limitless bandwidth and dual routing capability, was always intended to be used as a control and command distribution system for all branches of rail engineering.

Thus the SmartLock, level crossing, SPT, radio and general purpose telecom communication requirements are all borne upon the FTN. Constructed in ring topology, any break in the fibre cable is immediately detected and the digital signals are automatically diverted via another route.

The Project and Contractual Structure Network Rail chose to use its now well tried hub and spoke model for project control. The Network Rail project team form the hub and directly control all the supply and installation contractors as the spokes.

Contracts have been let on a fixed price basis but allowing variations for any remeasureable work. The principal contract base consists of: • Signalling Solutions Ltd (SSL) - the Alstom Balfour Beatty joint venture company to deliver signalling projects, including the signalling system design and data preparation, the provision of the SmartLock interlocking equipment at EKSC, the provision and onsite installation of 372 lineside equipment cases, 10 REBs, 254 axle counter sections, 118 track circuits, 195 new signals, all AWS /TPWS units, plus the level crossing equipment

provision at Teynham and the re-control of the AHBs. SSL carried out the test and commissioning of the signalling equipment and also all the signalling work needed to accommodate the stageworks and fringe box alterations; • Buckingham Construction Group nominated as principal contractor, they undertook all external construction works

(Above) Laying cable troughs in the gloom of winter.

Rail construc on services include:

!Major re!signalling schemes !Pla"orm construc#on and extensions !Rail engineering; civil & structural engineering !Troughing Route !Sta#on and Passenger Area construc#on and refurbishment !Sta#on car parks; at grade, decked and mul#!storey !Bridge Structures and Retaining Walls, including Piling !Embankment stabilisa#on and protec#on !Depots and Trainwash facili#es !Earthworks, Embankments and Cu$ngs !Railway track beds & ballast opera#ons !Lineside Structures, Founda#ons, Culverts and Ancillary Struc! tures All Opera#ons are undertaken under a full, Network Rail approved, Prin! cipal Contractors Licence (PCL) and all appropriate Link!Up product code registra#ons.

Buckingham Group Contrac ng Ltd. Silverstone Road, Stowe, Buckingham MK18 5LJ Tel: 01280 823355; E!mail: enquiries@buckinghamgroup.co.uk

38 | the rail engineer | february 2012

•

•

Fortunately it wasn’t a white Christmas as work started at 00:05 on Christmas day.

• •

including cable routes, cabling, signal post erection and recoveries, building foundations, signal box demolition and level crossing conversion; GE Transportation Systems (GETS) - the EKSC control centre system and equipment including the control console screens; Siemens - telecommunications work but with a sub contract to Northgate for the provision of the SPT switch (based upon an Ericsson MD110) and to Demovo for the SPT touch screens; Balfour Beatty - track remodelling including switch and crossing work; Network Rail Internal Maintainer - Point conversions.

The Cab Secure Radio (CSR) terminals for EKSC have been provided from spare units held by the Network Rail telecom team who designed and adapted the terminals for their new environment. After commissioning, the redundant CSR terminals in the 5 closed boxes have been returned to store for future maintenance spares. The CSR control areas have been reduced from 5 to 2 and, following a desk top exercise by Thales, 3 of the 19 base stations giving radio coverage to the lines have been recovered.

Provision of trackside power has required a new power cable throughout. This has been designed as a mixture of 3 phase and single phase. SSL undertook the power system design and supply for the whole area, with the support of IUS as a subcontractor, for the provision of 10 new supply points, the upgrade of two substations and high voltage work at EKSC. Since the majority of the route is now equipped with axle counters, impedance bonds have been removed except in the remaining track circuited areas. Signal testing was undertaken by SSL. Reviewing the Test Plans produced by the SSL Tester in Charge was overseen by the Network Rail Testing and Commissioning Manager.

A significant problem during installation has been cable theft. This menace, that is rampant in all parts of the world, has had to be combated by improved security at depot sites and increased vigilance at the trackside.

Phase 1 has consisted of 24 track stages, the last one being the Christmas commissioning, with earlier stageworks having to be done utilising weekend abnormal possessions. A good record of safety has been achieved with no major accidents or injuries.

feature

The Christmas 2011 Work

Future Plans

A total possession for the entire project area was taken at 00.05 on Christmas Day morning. There were 13 parts to the possession, including extensions to the limits so as to permit fringe changeovers.

This allowed optimisation of testing and consequent shortening of possession time so as to give back access to the TOC and enabling services to be resumed over the commissioned sections. The gods were with the team since the weather was very favourable for the time of year. The changeover went according to plan and handback occurred in three elements: • 04.00 on 28 December from Sittingbourne to clear of Ramsgate station but including Ramsgate depot, allowing the TOC access to the depot for train maintenance purposes; • 04.00 on 29 December from Faversham to Buckland Junction, thus permitting a service to operate to Dover and beyond; • 01.00 on 3 January from Ramsgate station to Minster.

Early planning works for Phase 2 are underway and currently within GRIP Stage 3.

Future Phases are in the early stages of development. These will convert the remaining lines in East Kent not yet controlled by an existing power box. Such is the flexibility of modern signalling systems that the contractor supply base will be tendered competitively. The basic specification will remain unchanged but it is likely that obstacle detectors will be introduced at level crossings if trials elsewhere are successful.

Thanks are expressed to Bruce Kirkpatrick, Keith White and Steve Gausden from the Network Rail project team for willingly sharing their experiences and for their enthusiasm and commitment to making the project a success. Also to Maria Griffin from SSL for detailing the scope of the signalling contract and Simon Walkley of Buckingham Group for his comments on the civils side.

Whilst there were some inevitable minor glitches during the commissioning period, the co-operation between the various parties was commendable and emerging problems were quickly resolved. Special mention must be made of the relationship between Network Rail and Southeastern.

This has been first class with established mutual trust in place. Regular monthly meetings had been held for several years preceding the commissioning and ad hoc ones at other times. Southeastern produced an illustrative booklet for briefing drivers that detailed what was to be done, which in itself has received much commendation. No significant delay minutes have been incurred as a result of the project.

A big bonus for the TOC is that Ramsgate depot movements can now be carried out without impacting on the main line and equally any main line isolation of the traction power supply does not impact on the depot.

TM

!"#$%&'(!)*+,"#$,&*#-%#*,..!$(* #-!*+,/0&!#!*0'+#1$!*'"*$!%&2#'/!

IconisTM is a centralised supervisory system that gives you complete visibility and control over your network operations. Constant, simultaneous information on all trains and stations in a single screen set.

The system increases the reliability and traffic flow across your network by pre-empting conflicts and improving incidence recovery time through the provision

of accurate information and real time positioning of services.

Iconis has been successfully implemented world-wide across complex networks and integrates ATS, SCADA, Passenger Information and Security, providing conflict management, train graphing, re-planning, decision support and a range of other features to ensure the smooth running of your network.

• Automatic routing for routine work • Fast problem-identification and solution • Smart operation and incident tracking • Scalable and configurable, simplifying complex systems

!"#$%&"#'()*!"%*+()#!"%#("#),!*+*$a Balfour Beatty and Alstom UK company

!!"#$%"&$"'()*"((&&""""+,-./0+1,233+,10.345+.,06+,-.""""77760+1,233+,10.345+.,068.9 Signalling Solutions Limited, Borehamwood Industrial Park, Rowley Lane, Borehamwood, Herts WD6 5PZ

40 | the rail engineer | february 2012

a

electrical/electronics

hidden gem

UK Power Networks Services

the rail engineer reports on a W hen significant project, it is usual for the precise location to be given. Then readers who know the area can visualise the work being undertaken, and imagine the challenges that the project engineers face.

However, it is an indication of the significance of a recent electrical substation renewal, which UK Power Networks Services

A tight squeeze as the first transformer is lowered into place.

undertook as part of SSR2 (Sub-Surface Railway 2), that London Underground Limited (LUL) has requested the precise location not be disclosed. What can be revealed is that it is central, that it is surrounded by

listed buildings, and that access is limited. It is also a major thoroughfare in its own right, so the entire operation affected not only LUL’s passengers, but the London public at large.

More trains - more power This renewal forms part of a programme of 14 substation replacements on London’s sub-surface lines. Its purpose is to increase passenger capacity by allowing more modern trains to be run. Eventually it’s expected that the planned 191 new Bombardier S Stock trains will allow a 65 per cent capacity increase on the Circle and Hammersmith & City lines, 24 per cent on the District line and 27 per cent on the Metropolitan line.

In electrical engineering terms this means that the new substations and associated transformers not only need greater capacity, 2.5MVA rather than the existing 1.5MVA, but that they are significantly larger and heavier.

In the constricted environment of a subsurface railway that is a challenge, and one compounded by the structural confusion left by over a century of building works and improvements.

Yet, at this location, those years of previous building work would prove to be an unexpected boon rather than the expected hindrance.

Re-using the unused Beneath a public park adjacent to the station, a previous generation of engineers had constructed a subterranean power station. Unused and empty, it had long been derelict, was partly flooded and, though unsuitable without a great deal of work, was the ideal location for a new substation.

Rail Safety Summit 2012 19th April 2012

Holywell Park Conference Centre, Loughborough

The Rail Safety Summit is a conference for rail safety managers, infrastructure owners, rail stakeholders and training professionals. Leading figures from the rail safety, security, risk assessment and training professions will be in attendance.

08.30 – 09.30

Registration and Exhibition Viewing

09.30 – 09.40

Conference Opening

Colin Wheeler

09.40 – 10.05

Preparing for and dealing with emergency incidents

Willie Baker Emergency Incident Consultant

10.05 – 10.30

FirstGroup’s Approach to Influencing Behavioural Safety

Seamus Scallon Safety Director, UK Rail FirstGroup

10.30 – 10.45

Q&A

10.45 – 11.15

Coffee / Exhibition

11.15 – 11.40

Railways: Where are we on the ‘Safety Awards Rostrum’?

Steve Diksa Assurance Services Director Bridgeway Consulting

11.40 – 12.05

The road to ‘World Class’

Catherine Behan Head of HS&E Capital Programmes Transport for London

12.05 – 12.30

Q&A

12.30 – 13.30

Lunch / Exhibition

13.30 – 13.55

Leadership and Zero-Accident Cultures in the Workplace

Jeff “Odie” Espenship President Target Leadership

13.55 – 14.20

Better Together

Steve Enright Head of Safety and Operational Standards Southern

14.20 – 14.35

Q&A

14.35 – 15.00

Coffee / Exhibition

15.00 – 15.25

Safe use of road-rail vehicles

Liesel Von Metz HM Inspector of Railways

15.25 – 15.50

Improving Safety in Train Maintenance depots

Christian Fletcher Director Zonegreen

15.50 – 16.00

Q&A

16.00

Conference Close

BONUS: Network Rail Safety 365 Truck on site

railsafetysummit.com

42 | the rail engineer | february 2012

This technique of reclaiming existing infrastructure, of bringing old facilities back into use, has been common throughout UK Power Networks Services’ involvement with SSR2. This is one of the largest ever upgrades planned on London Underground, and one of the most challenging ever undertaken in a major capital city where space is at a premium.

Bringing redundant assets back into use, therefore, makes practical as well as commercial sense, and goes a long way towards ensuring that the public are inconvenienced as little as possible.

Preparations (Below) The 12,500kg transformer being manoeuvred into position. (inset) The derelict underground site before being reclaimed.

Construction work began with the demolition of various structures; a long abandoned overhead crane, brick walls of varying vintages, and walkways that had become dangerously unstable. Above ground, tree surgeons were called in to clear branches and allow access, whilst hazardous material was carefully identified and safely removed.

electrical/electronics Over the following months, two new concrete floors, new access stairs and a twohour fire separation wall were built. This new wall, which now divides the underground area, left around 30% of the original floor space for future station use with the remainder being the new substation site.

To make matters even more complex, all personnel, materials and equipment could only reach the site via one, small access shaft that originally formed part of the ventilation system. And, of course, all building debris had to come out the same way.

Throughout these early construction stages, one of the overriding concerns was to keep inconvenience to the general public to a minimum. In fact, few passengers, or pedestrians, or even people simply enjoying sunny days in the park, would have been aware of the major construction work taking place beneath their feet.

The big day comes Finally, on the last weekend of October, and after months of work and planning, everything was ready for the sub-station equipment delivery.

This was substantial and weighty equipment. The three, 2,500kW KNAN transformer rectifier units had already been substantially modified but they still weighed 12,500kg each and they only just fitted between the roof beams of the old power station. And there was also nothing lightweight about the eight-panel 11kV switchboard, the seven-panel DC positive and negative switchboard, the battery

chargers (complete with batteries and RTU) and the marshalling cabinet that came with them.

Even though the new equipment was delivered in its component parts for final assembly on-site, it was clear that the ventilation shaft was no longer sufficient, so a larger main ventilation shaft was opened for the first time. A section of the park was fenced off and footpaths and grassed areas were covered by protective roadways.

At 6am on Saturday morning a 150-ton crane began to be assembled. Permission had already been granted for it to be located within the park, and for it to be driven over the Underground Lines below. This was soon followed by three low-loaders carrying the transformer-rectifiers, and the complex lifting operation began.

Work continued throughout the day, and by nightfall the first stage of the operation was complete with each one of the transformer-rectifiers having been safely lowered out of sight ready for assembly.

Next day the process began again, the lowloaders returned carrying the switchboards and remaining equipment, the main ventilation shaft was reopened, and installation resumed. By 8pm on Sunday evening the lifting operation was complete, and on Monday morning, when the protective roadways were removed, it’s unlikely that any passing commuter could have guessed at the scale of the operation that had taken place. The whole process had taken less than one weekend.

Out of sight - out of mind It’s in the nature of sub-surface railways, and indeed of electrical engineering in general, that the work, though complex, is hidden. For instance, completing SSR2 will require 12km of 11kV cabling and over 20km of fibre optics for the advanced signalling systems, yet the travelling public will see nothing of this. That’s why it’s doubly important that disruption is kept to a minimum. Quite understandably, there can be little expectation of sympathy when the reasons are concealed deep below ground.

Steve Howes, UK Power Networks Services’ SSR2 Project Manager explained: “That SSR2 is challenging goes without saying, but we know we’ll be judged on more than our technical abilities alone. The travelling public doesn’t want to be impressed by how we’ve designed a piece of electrical infrastructure or how we’ve incorporated the latest technology, they just want their journey to be as reliable and predictable as possible.

“So working unusual hours in unexpected conditions is the norm rather than the exception for us. I think we only consider our work to be truly successful if it delivers the results that LUL desire without the public realising how that happened. In fact, if we’ve done our job correctly, they shouldn’t be able to tell we’ve been at work at all.”

UK Power Networks Services work on SSR2 continues, and with the scheme not due for completion until 2013, many more projects of comparable scale and complexity are planned. But given equal innovation and teamwork there’s every chance that they’ll be completed, just like the new substation, where most Londoners will not see a thing.

february 2012 | the rail engineer | 43

electrical/electronics

The

writer

Stuart Marsh Theft. Like the proverbial bad C able penny, it’s a subject that keeps cropping up, although the monetary value concerned is somewhat higher. The continuing menace of cable theft from the national rail network, the London Underground and other metro systems shows no sign of abating - quite the reverse in fact.

Issue 64 (February 2010) of the rail engineer reported on new initiatives intended to curb the theft of lineside cabling. Two years on and the problem has increased, despite Network Rail and the British Transport Police (BTP) allocating huge resources to tackle the problem. Network Rail’s latest half-yearly results include a telling comment: “Comparing the six months under review to the same period in 2010, 92.8% of trains ran on time compared to 93.5% last year. Performance has been adversely impacted by increasing levels of cable theft.”

continuing menace The direct cost to Network Rail over the past three years has been £43 million, of which about two thirds is compensation payments to train operating companies. It’s estimated that four million passenger journeys a year are affected.

Financial Year

Number of incidents

Delay Minutes

2008/09 2009/10 2010/11 Total

742 656 995 2,393

283,167 321,570 365,265 970,002

Compensation Total Direct Cost Cost to Network (Schedule 8) Rail (Estimate) £7,858,516 £10,931,350 £12,137,220 £30,927,086

£12,264,682 £13,961,998 £16,510,663 £42,737,343

Upsurge BTP figures show a seven-fold increase in cable thefts and related incidents on London Underground and a 350% rise across the rail network as a whole during the last five years.

The increased price of refined copper (to a peak of £6000 per tonne in February 2011) is a significant factor in the general rise of cable theft incidents. Scrap insulated cable has about a quarter of that value, but there is nevertheless a startling correlation between the level of cable theft and the price of copper. A drop in the price of scrap metal during 2009 saw a reduction in railway cable thefts, but the price has risen over the past two years, and so has the incidence of theft.

The increased price of refined copper is a significant factor in the general rise of cable theft incidents.

44 | the rail engineer | february 2012

electrical/electronics Fighting back

A high grade BCM Glassfibre Reinforced Concrete cable trough.

In the current financial year, by November 2011, there had been 675 incidents causing 284,556 delay minutes, with £10,088,206 having been paid out in compensation.

Depressing figures indeed and the problem is by no means restricted to rail.

Cable and metals theft generally is estimated to cost the national economy upwards of £770 million per year.

Disruption

Stolen cable in Nottinghamshire.

Cable theft has become one of the most serious problems affecting railway operations. The crimes range between the audacious and the reckless; from organised and well planned operations to acts of downright stupidity. All are hugely disruptive. Andy Trotter, BTP chief constable, has said: “Cable theft is a spectrum of crimes - at one end is the opportunist who steals a few metres to make some quick cash, at the other there are links to organised crime.” For

example, a small amount of cabling stolen last October from the lineside at Crossgates near Leeds was valued at just £140, but its loss affected 160 services, caused 2,955 delay minutes and cost Network Rail around £46,450.

The following month, and at the other end of the scale, more than 1,000 metres of overhead power cabling was stolen from Silver Street near Broxbourne. As the cable, energised at 25kV, was brought down it started localised fires, extensively damaged the lineside cabling and severely disrupted the signalling system. The damage took two days to correct and the cost was estimated at £100,000. The thieves not only put themselves in grave danger, but also presented a safety risk to the engineers who had to deal with the ensuing chaos.

These crimes are committed because the high price of copper makes it seem worth all the risks, which include stiff sentencing if caught. So what can be done?

Tagging products such as SmartWater can be very effective. This liquid contains uniquely assigned chemical traces that can be used to identify stolen property, and indeed the thieves, to specific locations and to identify scrap yards that are accepting stolen cable. SmartWater, which is virtually impossible to remove and can withstand burning, provides the police with irrefutable proof of ownership. Forensic trap devices are also in use to mark offenders’ skin, hair and clothes and thereby associate them directly with the crime scene. Since the deployment of SmartWater in the Nuneaton area of the West Coast Main Line during November 2010, there has been a 21% reduction in cable theft incidents, contributing to a 35% reduction in delay minutes on the route.

RedWeb’s Advanced Molecular Taggent Technology (AMTT) provides another innovation in forensic tagging which has recently been used with success in the Sunderland area. Each batch of taggent has a uniquely encrypted molecular signature that is registered to an individual user and location. RedWeb’s Molecular Taggent contains a red dye which remains on the skin and clothing for several days, plus an indelible dye which can only be seen under UV light. Again, once the Molecular Taggent trace has been swabbed and tested, the signature can be linked back to the crime scene. RedWeb’s Molecular Taggent Technology is also available as an invisible covert solution, without the coloured dye.

To deter theft, Network Rail is now making more use of cabling that contains tracers throughout its composition - the so-called Spanish Cable. On new signalling schemes Network Rail has also invested in deeply buried cable routes (see the rail engineer issues 75 and 81 - January and July 2011).

february 2012 | the rail engineer | 45

electrical/electronics These measures have been very successful, as has steel banding, which makes it difficult to remove cables from lineside troughing.

Network Rail is also experimenting with alternative conductor materials such as aluminium, and looking at increasing the usage of fibre optic cabling, which has no scrap value. CCTV systems (including ballast cams) have proved useful. Other anti-theft measures, such as trembler devices and even the use of helicopters with “spy in the sky” equipment have been effective too. Network Rail spends £2 million each year on these mitigation methods. In addition it has funded extra BTP officers and has used private security firms to patrol cable theft hotspots and construction sites. In partnership with the BTP, it has also undertaken a scrap dealer education programme.

Revised legislation All of this is very well, but as Dyan Crowther, Director of Operational Services at Network Rail, points out: “To an extent our actions can help us manage the crimes but, despite our efforts, they continue to increase. We believe that the only way to significantly reduce metal crime is to take away the illegal market and that more robust legislation and police powers are needed to achieve that.” Within the rail industry, legislative change is widely considered to be of key importance. At present, under the Scrap Metal Dealers Act 1964, the requirements are merely that a

dealer must be registered by a local authority, that a dealer must keep accurate recordings of dealings and that a dealer must not acquire scrap metal from a person under the age of 16. Significantly, there is at present no requirement for a seller to prove his identity. Cash transactions are the norm, so there is virtually no traceability on scrap metals and this allows corrupt practices to take place.

Things at last look set to change. On 8 November 2011 the House of Commons Transport Committee took evidence on railway cable theft. Evidence was provided

by Dyan Crowther of Network Rail; Michael Roberts, Chief Executive of the Association of Train Operating Companies; Ian Hetherington, Director General of the British Metals Recycling Association and by Paul Crowther the Deputy Chief Constable of the British Transport Police.

Dyan Crowther stated: “There isn’t one silver bullet that will solve cable theft on the network. What we are now looking at is to attack the supply chain at source and put some focus in terms of where the thieves dispose of the metal and make that a lot more difficult for them.” Both she and Michael Roberts sought regulatory action to complement the ongoing operational work and security initiatives undertaken

by Network Rail and the BTP. Paul

Upgraded GRC Troughing Now with full E&P approval

After extensive consultation with leading Network Rail personnel, focusing on the safety and security of troughing systems currently available, and further development and trial installations; BCM GRC Ltd are proud to introduce our UPGRADED GRC Troughing System.

The revised system now incorporates stainless steel connectors and BCM GRC's unique cover fastener. The inclusion of the connector overcomes concerns regarding the on site positioning of support stakes and the cover fastener now “locks” the lid to the channel giving greater security and reduced opportunity for cable theft.

The BCM GRC Cable Channel System allows continuous cable runs to be installed at ground level, over bridges and through tunnels. The system includes lightweight, easily installed ground and elevated channel together with a full range of accessories which include ‘T’ pieces, joint boxes, channel bends, asbestos replacement channel and concrete replacement and substitute lids.

BCM system has full Network Rail approval for all E&P and S&T projects

Developed in consultation with leading Network Rail Design teams

Complete service offered including design, manufacture and supply direct to site

Lightweight, economical and fire resistant units

Fully lockable lids ensuring complete security

At 20% of the weight of equivalent pre cast concrete units and being more cost effective than the alternative, the BCM GRC system is the perfect safe and secure solution for all your elevated cable routing projects.

Contact our technical team to arrange for a demonstration of the system.

www.bcmgrc.com 01948 665321 info@bcmgrc.com BCM GRC Limited, based in Whitchurch, Shropshire have recently been awarded the supply contract for the Harrogate Area Signaling Renewal, they will be supplying the main contractor Amey Rail Ltd (E&P) with 6500 metres of elevated cable troughing and associated steelwork including support stakes, brackets and cover fasteners.

46 | the rail engineer | february 2012

Forensically tagging rail cable with RedWeb.

Crowther highlighted a need for greater Police powers, citing the 1964 Act as “Steptoe and Son legislation which hasn’t kept pace with current methods.”

Ian Hetherington stated that the British Metals Recycling Association (BMRA) would also like to see regulatory reform with a “dismantling of the Scrap Metal Dealers Act and those powers vested elsewhere and powers of identification to be embedded nationally.” He qualified this by saying that a tightening of the regulations needed to be preceded by a change in enforcement practice. “We do not want voluntary arrangements. We want enforceable, tight, sensible laws”, he continued. “It is truly bizarre to find that the police cannot, as of right, enter a yard that is operating illegally in this trade.”

A multi-point plan was put forward that included: • A tougher licensing regime to replace the present registration system, with clear requirements upon the dealer to take steps to reduce the risk of purchasing stolen materials; • Increased Police powers to access, search and investigate all premises owned and operated by a scrap metal dealer; • Measures to restrict trade in scrap metals to cashless payments; • A requirement for dealers to obtain positive proof of identity of those selling scrap metals; • Increased powers of closure of rogue scrap dealers; • Use of approved dealers for the receipt of legitimate scrap cabling from the rail industry; • A requirement for dealers to keep metal in the form in which it is received for 96 hours.

Further evidence was presented to the Commons Transport Committee on 29 November by Norman Baker MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Transport. Again, the need for changes to the 1964 Scrap Metal Dealers Act was highlighted. There was recognition, however, that any amendments should be effective and should not penalise legitimate

electrical/electronics

metal recycling businesses, as could be the case with the enforcement of cashless transactions within a traditionally cash-based trade.

Norman Baker responded that he did not think business was well served by the present arrangements. “Every single incident on the railway - there were 995 last year on the network - is causing major disruption to passengers and business. Doing nothing, in my view, does not help business.” Answering fears that the proposed changes could merely drive illegal scrap trading underground he said: “We have to make sure that we do not simply move the problem.

Part of what we are doing, if we did take action on the 1964 Act, is to look at what the criminal would do. Where would the criminal take his copper?” He then continued: “My

honest belief is that the most significant way of dealing with this issue is to shut down the [illegal] supply chain rather than trying to catch people afterwards and penalise them. There is a disincentive to steal if an outlet cannot be found, and we should concentrate on that.”

Meanwhile, as the law is being reviewed, the BTP continues to proactively target offenders and rogue scrap dealers. There are about 110 officers working full time on metal theft counter measures. Their aim is to make cable and metals increasingly difficult to steal and to reduce the attractiveness of these items to metal dealers. They are fully supported in this by Network Rail and by local police forces. The harder it becomes for thieves to steal cabling and dispose of it, the greater is the risk of them being caught and prosecuted.

february 2012 | the rail engineer | 47

electrical/electronics Authorised dealing As it stands, the supply chain can be very convoluted with dealers selling to other dealers in pyramid fashion. Once stolen materials have entered into this chain there is little chance of identification and they can easily become mixed with legitimately sourced materials. The Police are powerless to act unless the scrap can be proven to be stolen. As we have seen, chemical tagging can help and Network Rail has recently implemented a mandatory policy for the disposal of redundant cabling, similar to that operated by BT and other utilities.

The Network Rail disposal route is through the National Delivery Service (NDS) and its appointed metal recycler. In the case of disposal of surplus cable that belongs to a contractor working on the rail network, a contractor declaration and a cable disposal Movement and Receipt Log is completed.

Trial scheme Whilst Network Rail and the BTP work hard to deter thieves and keep the network running, it has become clear that they need back up. Tougher sentencing for cable thieves in the courts and additional powers for the police to tackle rogue scrap dealers would help, but the real way to significantly reduce metal crime is to take away the illegal market. To that end, progressive changes to the 1964 Scrap Metal Dealers Act are expected in due course. In addition, on 15th December, Lord Faulkner proposed an amendment to the Legal Aid, Sentencing

and Punishment of Offenders Bill, which would make cash transactions for scrap metal sales illegal.

Pre-empting this, three police forces in North East England, a hot spot for metals theft, are now trialling a scheme under which scrap sellers must prove their identity.

Operation Tornado, spearheaded by the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO), the Home Office, British Metals Recycling Association (BMRA), BTP and Northumbria, Durham and Cleveland Police, came into effect on 3 January. It aims to make it easier for sellers of stolen metal to be traced. The trial will last for six months, but there is an option to extend it and to introduce it to other regions. For the four million rail passengers who are likely to be affected by cable theft this year, this is good news indeed.

For more information on smartwater please visit our website:

w www.smartwater.com

48 | the rail engineer | february 2012

electrical/electronics

Ethernet on trains Easy maintenance Even when designed to be reliable, it is important that maintenance, when required, is still straightforward as, when network components have to be replaced, it will be done by a maintenance engineer with little or no network expertise. This engineer, wanting to replace a suspect switch in a network, will wish to be able to take an unconfigured spare unit off the shelf, simply unplug the old device and plug in the new.

This is possible if a copy of the configuration is stored on a removable memory device which is constantly connected to a port on the switch. As long as the operating system of the switch can support fluid configuration techniques, with the configuration downloaded from a USB stick at power up, then this is relatively easy to achieve.

Westermo Viper Ethernet switches.

Automatic Network Configuration thernet has been proven in many industries to be a very effective technology for providing data communications backbones. Ethernet switches featuring a range of networking protocols are now being used to build these networks on trains, allowing a state of the art TCS (train control system) to manage every aspect of the train operation.

The onboard rail environment is one of the toughest imaginable for any electronic devices. An Ethernet switch which is going to be used in a network on a train has to exceed the tough EN50155 standard which covers a wide range of environmental requirements and ensures that equipment can survive the rigours of onboard operation.

E

Reliability A primary requirement for the Ethernet switch will be exceptional reliability.

Unscheduled maintenance work is massively expensive, not just in the cost of the repair, but also in the reduction of service time of the affected train. Reliability of equipment can be assessed using MTBF (Mean Time

Between Failures) figures as defined in the MIL-HDBK-217 standard. The challenge for the designer is to maximise this figure but still reach the requirement of the EN50155 standard. For instance, the equipment must be able to operate from a wide DC voltage input ±40% as well as surviving high transients and having a long holdup in case of power loss. These factors introduce circuitry that can dramatically reduce the calculated MTBF figure. Despite this, by using high quality components it is still possible to have designs exceeding 350,000 hours.

Carriages in train sets may be replaced from time to time, and whole sections can end up being reversed as these carriages are joined and rearranged. Any network must be able to automatically reconfigure to allow for these changes, as the

february 2012 | the rail engineer | 49

electrical/electronics

Compactness Switches are often required to be mounted behind wall panels or in tight spaces. The design must be

•

!•

• #

"

•

•

•

••

Resilience

••

•

There will be instances of power failure to cars within a train set, and cables may occasionally be damaged.

The network must be able to cope with these points of failure to prevent service delays or even safety issues for the train operator.

Ring structures can easily be created on a carriage to provide some form of network resilience locally. This can be provided using layer 2 protocols such as RSTP (Rapid Spanning Tree Protocol) or proprietary rapid recovery systems like Westermo’s FRNT (Fast Recovery of Network Topology).

It is impossible to have separate paths between cars, so dual backbones are used to provide some resilience.

Protocols such as OSPF and LACP can be used to control these links but, in the event that power is lost to a carriage, built in relays on the switches can ensure that a network path is provided through the powerless carriages.

• •

•

Manufacture and testing of equipment The EN50155 standard even goes so far as requiring mandatory functional and isolation tests on all units as part of the manufacturing process, meaning that companies wishing to build switches to meet the requirements of this market must have excellent quality control over the production process.

All in all, it is tough for an Ethernet switch to operate reliably and for many years on a train. Only companies with a deep understanding of Ethernet IP technology, with high quality production facilities and onboard expertise, can offer products that are going to be fit for purpose.

Westermo is a leading innovator within the onboard rail Ethernet switch market and the recently launched second generation of onboard switches.

# !" #$ "! ! & !% $ ! # $" $ $! & ! "$ $ !"# $' ! ! !$ ! "$! # $'! !$ #"$ ! !#" ! !" $' $ $ "!% % ■

#

With Ethernet connections being used for many train subsystems from the actual TCS to PIS (Passenger Information Systems) and infotainment systems, it is possible that devices could be connected to the wrong port on a switch or excess data could be generated, hence jamming the network.

Also, with so many sub-systems and devices operating on the network, there are risks that data congestion could occur if mistakes are made on connection. Video traffic requires high bandwidth and hence must not be able to interfere with critical operation data such as that controlling braking or drive.

Firewalls can be used to block all but the required data from certain sections of the network. VLANs (Virtual Local Area Networks) can also be used to segregate networks, and prioritisation of data can guarantee delivery of critical packets on time.

!$

• " • •& " • • • ! ! • !• # !• ! # ! • ! • • %!

■

!

•

•

e sales@westermo.co.uk

" • • !

• • !

• $ &• ! $ &• " ! &• "

!& • " • • " • • •! !"

•

• !( •

•

$ !•

•! •

'

••

!

! "!

$ !

• • %

!

•

•$ ! •& "•

" !

•

#

!

" ! • • •! •

•$ ! • • •! • ! ! •

•

#

Network Security

compact, with the depth of the product often being the critical factor.

The ability of the switch to provide firewall functionality and, for instance, secure remote access support is important as this can remove the need for another box.

%%% %

personnel undertaking the change will be unable to manage the network. For example, it is the job of a TCS to ensure that the correct doors open when at a station and that the information appears on a specified display in a particular carriage. The train control system must rely on the network to be able to report if it has changed and then automatically reconfigure to allow for that change.

A combination of networking protocols such as OSPF (Open Shortest Path First), LLDP (Line Layer Discovery Protocol) and LACP (Link Aggregation Control Protocol), allow networks to be dynamically changed as the cars and carriages are changed around without the need to call on a networking specialist to reconfigure the network.

Each device on each carriage should be “plug and play”

! # !&• #

•

••

•

50 | the rail engineer | february 2012

theft is a major problem on today’s M etal railways. Stuart Marsh has looked at the subject as a whole elsewhere in this issue, but to an extent nothing deters criminals more, nor is more likely to catch them in the act, than boots on the ground.

Bridgeway Consulting Ltd (Bridgeway) are not new to the security issues affecting the rail infrastructure, having first introduced a dedicated security team, all with COSS permits, on the West Coast Mainline upgrade projects in Rugby and Nuneaton back in 2007. Extensive cable theft, and the lack of security companies with railway experience, gave rise to Mike Bass, Security Operations Manager for Bridgeway, embarking on an ambitious project of staff training and innovating new security techniques to combat criminality on the railways.

This preventative approach has seen all Bridgeway security personnel involved attain Security Industry Authority (SIA) badges. Senior staff gained additional skills, including firearms awareness in the USA, and even joined forces with the British Transport Police (BTP) to become part of the BTP Special Constables team.

(Inset) Mike Bass in Ghillie suit on surveillance.

electrical/electronics The SIA have recognised the standards achieved by Bridgeway as a security provider by awarding the company SIA Approved Contractor status for two years in succession, putting Bridgeway in the top 25% of UK companies involved in the scheme.

Bridgeway ensured that communication was effective and precise. This ensured that security personnel were at the right place at the right time and understood trends of abnormal movements on the infrastructure, which were reported to the BTP.

Coordination Successes Recent completed success stories include deployments on the West Coast Mainline as part of the Bletchley signalling upgrade project and in the East Midlands covering the Knighton Junction area of Leicester. In addition to this was the successful delivery of phase one of the Water Orton resignalling project, which was completed in November 2011. This covered Tamworth, Nuneaton, Coleshill and Water Orton to the east of Birmingham.

Both the Bletchley signalling project and the works at Knighton Junction recorded zero number of incidents while Bridgeway Security were patrolling the site. In addition to this Water Orton’s level of criminal activities reduced significantly allowing site work to be completed in a timely manner.

It was found that obtaining information on local areas near project sites did not provide any tangible benefits when undertaking preventative actions. To achieve a zero number of criminal activities, the Bridgeway security team adopted a number of measures which included military-style special operations techniques such as observation, guarding and intelligence gathering. The use of technology such as night vision, electronic devices and smart phone alerting was also beneficial.

Stand and Deliver

Patrolling both on and off track, as well as using electronic alert devices, has been effective. But what has really made a difference is that Bridgeway Security has coordinated with Network Rail Management, BTP and local police, as well as all stakeholders involved in delivering and maintaining infrastructure services. This approach also assisted in planning with BTP and Network Rail to prevent intrusion on project sites.

Working together from the planning stages to project completion, Bridgeway has designed better methods of protection for permanent long term solutions against attack.

It should also be noted the valuable contribution that local residents have played in preventing rail crime as relationships were built up. Likewise, the Bridgeway team has helped raise the awareness of Network Rail’s involvement in the community by reducing local crime levels and making residents feel more secure in the area.

Additional benefits of the teams patrolling has been raised levels of health and safety reporting back to the route maintenance teams and deterring acts of violence towards track workers.

By setting the goal of preventing theft on the railway, more has been achieved than simply capturing those who are responsible for metal theft and its expensive loss to both Network Rail and, ultimately, the tax payer.

february 2012 | the rail engineer | 51

feature

On the

edge writer

Terry Whitley travelling on the train, staring W hen blankly out of the window, whether in rolling countryside or in towns, there is one thing that you always see, yet hardly ever see. It’s there if you look for it, but otherwise it just goes past in a blur. You might even find yourself following the line of it, yet you still don’t really see it.

The fencing.

Network Rail has a statutory duty to protect fencing the railway, or provide another suitable barrier. So, along with hedges and ditches, fences occur alongside most of the railway lines in Britain. And those fences have to be maintained.

When the time comes to replace a fence, and that can vary from a short length to a long run, a variety of skills can be required. The old fence has to be removed and disposed of in line with current regulations and the need to recycle as much as possible. Vegetation that has grown up along and through the old fence has to be removed or cut back. The new fence may need the ground prepared in advance - in the worst case that could even need piling. And then the fence itself has to be installed. For these reasons, it is best to call in a specialist contractor.

History H W Martin (Fencing Contractors) Ltd was incorporated in 1976 and forms part of the H W Martin group of companies. Based in the village of Blackwell in Derbyshire, only five minutes from the M1 motorway, the

company operates nationally and, so far as rail is concerned, holds a principal contractor’s licence.

The company’s roots are very much in the railway industry, as founder and managing director, Harold Martin, carried out lineside fencing works for British Rail in the East Midlands during the 1960s and early 1970s.

Changes in the industry brought an end to this work, and so the company moved on to what proved to be a long and fruitful association with British Coal. Following the decline of the coal industry, the company looked around for new markets, and identified the rail industry as being a developing market for its fencing products.

The first rail contracts were won in 1996 in the North West of England. Through continued investment the company is now a national framework contractor to Network Rail, delivering a National Fencing Renewals Programme throughout England, Scotland & Wales.

Over the years, H W Martin has been involved in a number of key railway projects including the Channel Tunnel High Speed Link (now HS1), and the route modernisation of the West Coast Mainline.

This included the biggest single fencing contract the company has undertaken, on the Trent Valley Four-Tracking Project.

Trent Valley The contract was for the design and build of 6km of noise mitigation barriers up to 5 metres in height and 28km of security fencing on the railway boundary. The scope of works included driven steel piles and augered pile foundations and temporary works for access to the top of cutting slopes at certain locations. The contract was completed on time and within budget. H W Martin designers worked in tandem with the client to find engineered solutions to a number of different challenges on the project.

52 | the rail engineer | february 2012

feature

Responsibility

(Above) Mulcher for ground clearance (right) chipper within possession.

Noise attenuation barrier.

Alongside this work, H W Martin also won the contract for the construction of the access points which included pedestrian, vehicular and RRV access points on this project.

In 1998, Railtrack, the infrastructure controller at that time, began a programme for the removal of specific species of tree that were causing problems to the safe and punctual running of trains due to leaf fall.

The company saw this as a further opportunity to serve the railway industry, and quickly put together a highly skilled team of forestry workers with all the necessary equipment to deliver the work offered. Today these services are offered to a number of clients within the rail industry on an ongoing basis and include the removal of dangerous trees, flail clearance and scrub clearance either by traditional methods or by use of a self-propelled mulcher.

To date, the company has delivered fencing and vegetation clearance for the railway industry to a value in excess of £150 Million.

Other styles Whilst majoring in steel palisade, mesh and stock type fencing, as specified by Network Rail, staff are able to erect all of the proprietary fencing systems currently available on the market in compliance with the appropriate part of BS1722. One example of this is a contract for the design and build of noise attenuation barriers on the Stirling-Alloa-Kincardine line.

The company continues to seek new products, such as GRP fencing, to add to its portfolio. In 2010, the H W Martin Group purchased William Bain Ltd, a fence manufacturing business specialising in the manufacture of high specification security fencing which has traded for 125 years. This fencing has gained SEAP Class 3 and 4 classification and is currently being used as the “first line of defence” at many CNI (Critical National Infrastructure) designated sites throughout the UK.

Safety is naturally a key priority as the company strives to achieve a zero tolerance culture. There is a strong commitment to training which seeks to develop employees throughout their working life so that they are skilled in the tasks that they undertake and are certificated to the appropriate standards including CITB, Lantra, NPORS and NPTC. Sentinel track safety training is carried out in-house for grades such as PTS, LKT, IWA, HTC & COSS. This training is even offered to external clients.

Railway property, of course, backs on to the property of others. So H W Martin staff have had to become skilled at liaising with residents, property owners, farmers, local authorities and utility companies, as the need arises. In addition, operating in the countryside alongside railway lines, in farmland, woodland, forest, national parks as well as in residential areas, the company is committed to protecting the environment by: • Preventing pollution • Controlling and reducing emissions to the

environment • Focusing on energy consumption, with a view to reducing depletion of natural resources • Recycling and reclaiming materials • Reducing waste to landfill • Complying with legislation regulations and relevant codes of practice at all times.

In addition, there is a commitment to social, environmental and ethical conduct within the business. Corporate Social Responsibilities (CSR) are taken seriously and policies and systems are in place across the group to ensure that all aspects of CSR that are relevant to the business are addressed and monitored. There is an established investor relations programme, regular customer satisfaction surveys are carried out and every supplier’s performance is constantly monitored.

So next time you stare out of the window of your comfortable railway carriage, just focus on the passing fence for a moment, and remember how it got there.

Quality. Security. Experience.

H W Martin (Fencing Contractors) Ltd is one of the UK’s leading names in Rail boundary Fencing, Noise attenuation barriers and Lineside Vegetation clearance.

We are able to service any requirements throughout England, Scotland & Wales.

HW Martin (Fencing Contractors) Ltd Fordbridge Lane Blackwell Alfreton Derbyshire DE55 5JY

The Company holds a Network Rail Principal Contractor’s Licence as well as a comprehensive list of of Link-Up accreditations.

Tel: Fax:

01773 813214 01773 813339

The Company’s wide-ranging expertise together with an experienced workforce and extensive owned plant puts HW Martin at the forefront of an ever changing market.

Email:

fencing@hwmartin.com

We would welcome any new clients to add to our existing portfolio.

www.hwmartin.com

54 | the rail engineer | february 2012

feature

Skipton

writer

Nigel

Wordsworth

Expansion

at The Rail Engineer, we like to H ere report on the major infrastructure projects on Britain’s railways - the grand schemes, multi-million pound undertakings that will have significant benefits to the entire railway network.

These often involve several major contractors, hundreds of engineers, and usually some great photography!

However, we shouldn’t fool ourselves that this is all that happens. For every major project which we report on, there are many smaller ones that go unreported which are just as important for local operations. So it’s good, from time to time, to cover those as well.

One such project was the recent work at Skipton Sidings. Northern Rail had two-anda-half storage sidings to park up their class 333 trains overnight. Capacity was needed for three extra 4-car sets, and there was no room at Skipton. So Network Rail was approached, in spring 2011, with a request to enhance the stabling capacity at Skipton to accommodate these additional units in time for the December 2011 time table change.

Exisiting layout The existing sidings ran alongside the main line at Skipton. Numbering from the main line outwards, a single set of points turned off the line into road 1. A set of points then split off road 2 and a second set then

turned off road 3. Roads 1 and 2 were full length while road 3 was only half length as it is restricted by a dog-leg in the boundary fence. Total standage was 797 metres. There was a wide gap between roads 1 and 2, taken up by OLE stanchions and a rudimentary CET (controlled emission toilet) station.

Network Rail, working with Atkins, came up with a set of proposals to remodel the site to give four full-length roads. Road 2 would be moved over into the dead space next to road 1, and would be split to form a new Road 2A. There would still be room to move Road 3 over a bit as well, and make it full length giving an overall standage of 1,050 metres.

This seemed to be a viable scheme, and the proposal was submitted to the Network Rail Investment Panel for Grip 4 - 8 authority on 26th July 2011. This was under five months before the new sidings had to be in operation!

The project was swiftly authorised, and topographical and ground investigation surveys commenced to support the Grip 4 and 5 design stages.

Fortunately, on 11 August Network Rail announced its new Multi Asset Framework Agreements (MAFA) which cover small and medium sized projects combining signalling, track and civils.

Carillion arrives As a result, Carillion, the MAFA contractor for the London North Eastern area, was already appointed so they could get straight on with the work without the normal delays caused by the need to invite tenders.

Carillion’s welfare facilities arrived on site on 2 September.

Network Rail, Northern Rail and Carillion agreed daily site access arrangements.

Carillion would take a T4 possession every day, with OLE isolation, and the site would be handed back to Northern Rail each evening to enable the stabling of trains. This enabling works phase was to be followed by an agreed extended two week continuous access to the Siding 2 and 3 area to facilitate the major track remodelling works.

february 2012 | the rail engineer | 55

feature

The finished layout - delivered in just 13 weeks.

Work continued apace. The surveys showed that the ground onto which track 3 would be moved had a distinct slope. Trains have to be stabled on near-level track to prevent any danger of run-aways if brakes are inadvertently turned off during parking and servicing, so arrangements were made to level off the ground during the possession.

installations in the New Year, and some drivers’ walkways and fixed shore supplies still had to be completed. However, the project team, under Network Rail’s Martin Whyatt and Carillion’s Neil Lindley, had accomplished what they had been asked to do - completely remodel Skipton Sidings in 93 days from arriving on site.

Taking possession All was ready for the two week possession from 21 November to 4 December. The existing tracks 2 and 3 were removed, and the site levelled.

OLE stanchions were removed and replaced with a new headspan arrangement with columns installed on piled foundations.

Tracks 2 and 2A (now renamed 2A and 2B) were relayed in their new locations.

A new set of handpoints occupied the space previously taken up by the CET station which has now been relocated and extended to provide facilities to Roads 1, 2 and 3.

Road 3, full length this time and on the newly levelled ground, was laid into position. Concrete walkways were installed, and the new signalling and telecoms systems tested over the weekend of 3-4 December. The whole site was then handed over to Northern Rail a week before the timetable change (11 December) so that staff could familiarise themselves with the new layout.

There were still things to do. For example, lighting was temporary but would be replaced with permanent

Unusual In many ways the project was unusual, and lucky. As Martin commented, it seemed strange for his men to be working days and sleeping at night, but days were the only access they had for the first eleven weeks of the project. The weather had also been kind. If there had been heavy snow in November and December, as there sometimes is in Skipton, then things would have been more difficult. And the launch by Network Rail of the MAFA system also helped speed things up.

Following the hand-over, Martin Whyatt reflected: “The success of this project reflects the tremendous achievement that has only been possible due to a determination to rise to a unique challenge for the benefit of Network Rail’s customers and travelling public alike. There was major commitment and support from all parties involved, particularly, Network Rail - including Route Asset Managers, NDS (provision of Engineering trains and bulk materials, track / ballast / sleepers), Network Rail Operations, Northern Rail (estates / station

managers and operations staff), and of course Carillion. The timing of the MAFA rationalisation was perfect for this project and it enabled us to engage in a more open and collaborative way with the chosen supplier.

“The last 5-6 months have been extremely intense and there are many positive lessons to take from our experience.”

STRUCTURAL PRECAST FOR RAILWAYS

• Bridge Deck Construction • Station Platforms • Bespoke Units

MOORE CONCRETE PRODUCTS LTD Caherty House, 41 Woodside Rd, Ballymena BT42 4QH N.I. T. 028 2565 2566 F. 028 2565 8480 E. info@moore-concrete.com

www.moore-concrete.com

56 | the rail engineer | february 2012

feature writer

Nigel

Wordsworth

Bombardier

recruiting

Derby engineers design both the interiors and exteriors of new trains.

(Right) Jon Shaw.

all seen the headlines about W e’ve Bombardier’s factory in Derby. They all reported on the recent loss of the Thameslink contract, job losses, and even threats to the plant’s long-term future. These headlines were large, and loud, and usually had at least one exclamation mark after them!

While it was certainly bad news for the company, some of the headlines were misleading, and even inaccurate. They have also, to some extent, masked Bombardier’s recent successes in other areas. Winning a £354 million contract to supply a new signalling system to London Underground is a significant order, and the bulk of it will be made in the UK at Bombardier’s Plymouth factory. Derby has won an order too, for £189 million of trains for Southern. Both excellent pieces of news but, to some extent, lost in the wash of reporting the “bad news”.

However, when the rail engineer was told that Bombardier were actually seeking to take on 50 extra designers, then it became obvious that Derby wasn’t as dead-in-thewater as some were trying to make out. It was time to go to Litchurch Lane to find out for ourselves.

Worldwide experience Jon Shaw, Senior Director - Engineering, was only too pleased to put time aside to explain what was behind the move. He has only recently joined Bombardier, having had a most interesting international career so far,

and sees his present role as being one of the most exciting yet. His remit is to further strengthen the UK-based engineering team.

Bombardier has an industry-leading reputation for innovation in its international markets and Jon is determined that the UK team will be part of this success.

A local lad, having grown up in Eastwood, Jon joined British Rail as an engineering trainee. He was also an apprentice at Mansfield Town FC before moving down to London to join the design office at Westinghouse where he was involved in EMC testing of the Eurostar fleet. From there, he moved to Lloyds Register Rail, first to look after the early tilting tests on Pendolinos, and out to their office in Hong Kong.

One of Jon’s clients was Hitachi, and he helped them to prepare their bid which resulted in the order for class 395 trains.

Once that contract was placed, Jon moved over to Hitachi in Japan and spent seven years designing the class 395 and seeing the project through from the initial concept to standing on the dock as the first finished train landed at Southampton.

The next move was to Ansaldo STS as Head of Engineering for the Asia Pacific region, and

thence to Global Vice President, Engineering at the Ansaldo headquarters in Italy.

Now he is happily back in Derby and Senior Director for Bombardier, where he has been running the 250-strong design office for the last eighteen months. In that time he has moved it from looking solely at designs for Derby-built products to being one of the major rolling stock design centres for Bombardier as a whole - Derby is now a Worldwide Centre of Excellence.

Overseas business As a result, the Derby design centre attracted £4 million of engineering business from other parts of the Bombardier business in 2011. Derby designers are working on aluminium car bodies for double-decker coaches for Switzerland, more car bodies for high speed trains in Italy, and the interior of the new São Paolo monorail which is being built in Canada.

Some external testing and development work is also undertaken. A VTG flatbed bogie wagon was outside having been through the test shop where bogie movement and various other checks take place.

february 2012 | the rail engineer | 57

feature

“It is a great shame that we didn’t get the Thameslink contract”, commented Jon Shaw.

“All our people put their heart and soul into that design, which we thought was an excellent one. We really wanted to see it through into production. However, elements of the design will still be incorporated into future new trains, so the work won’t all be wasted.”

Passenger Information Systems and Train Control Management Systems under test.

International recognition

There was an interesting visitor inside the shop as well. Blackpool tram number 03, one of the new German built Flexity 2 trams launched at the end of last year, was being tested for tilt stability. Shims of various thicknesses were being placed under the wheels, some on the left and side and others on the right to induce twist into the vehicle, to see how the wheels unloaded as the tram was tilted.

New designs Derby designers are also working on UK designs. The recent Southern order is for a hybrid train made up of elements of class 377 and class 379 Electrostar EMUs, with a different interior to either and a new train control management system (TCMS), so design work on that is needed.

And they are also working on what is known as the eVoyager. This is a plan to add one more car into existing Voyager (and Super Voyager and Meridian) trains with a pantograph fitted so that, once the train is under wires, it can be run off the overhead electrical supply and not the onboard diesel engines. This is not yet a firm order, but Bombardier is developing the design just the same. It involves integrating the overhead supply with the existing onboard busbar, and also modifying the control system to accommodate the new power supply.

Jon Shaw is enthusiastic about this project.

It involves both electrical and mechanical design teams at Derby, and as Voyager is a steel-bodied design they also have to work with the designers of the original Voyagers which were built at Bruges. When it becomes a firm order, the steel bodies are

again likely to be built abroad, but the detailed design and the fit-out will be undertaken at Derby.

Worldwide Centre of Excellence All of Jon’s hard work to develop the Derby design team into an international office has paid off. As already mentioned, Derby is now a Worldwide Centre of Excellence for aluminium body design, TCMS, electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) testing, systems integration and human factors (otherwise known as ergonomics).

Bombardier’s engineers in Derby are also involved in supporting the company’s drive to optimise the energy efficiency and environmental performance of its products, an approach which is yielding noticeable results. Just in January 2012, Laurent Troger, Bombardier’s President, Services, called Derby “best for production engineering for Bombardier worldwide”.

Staff development is important to Jon’s whole approach. All engineering managers have done time on the production line, Jon included, to experience first hand how designs are turned into a finished train.

During the recent publicised cutbacks, no engineers were made redundant. Now, 50 more are needed to work on various projects. As well as eVoyager, and the upcoming bid for Crossrail, large projects are anticipated to come out to tender in South Africa. This could provide the opportunity to use some of the technology developed for the abortive Thameslink offer and, with the experience gained on the Gautrain project, Bombardier should be in with a good shout.

The level of expertise in Derby is already getting recognition within the group. Just before Christmas, a telephone call from Austria, where production problems were being experienced with the roofs of new trains for the OBB, resulted in two Derby engineers flying out to help solve the problem. Also, Colin Scott has become the first Engineering Specialist level ES3 in Derby. This is the top engineering grade within Bombardier and Colin now can be called up to assist with and audit designs by other Bombardier design departments.

In addition to the 50 engineers that Jon Shaw is now looking for, he will take on a further 15 young engineers this year. Five will be apprentice engineering technicians, five engineering graduates earmarked for management roles, and five more graduates to become engineering specialists. This so called “Dual Career Path” gives the maximum opportunity to the new intake.

Even the fifty new designers won’t all be rail people. Jon Shaw estimates that 50% will be from inside industry, but the others could be from other areas such as systems integration specialists from the defence industry. In addition, production engineers from the automotive industry can be welcome, as are the so-called Vehicle Architects who work on style and ergonomics.

So, at the start of 2012, it’s far from doomand-gloom in Derby. The engineering department is buoyant, and busy, and planning ahead.

Jon Shaw and his design team have made Derby a Worldwide Centre of Excellence.

RailwayPeople.com Fast track your career

thousands of great rail jobs... ...awaiting your application.

www.railwaypeople.com

february 2012 | the rail engineer | 59

senior appointments

Right now, you have a unique career opportunity.

Having successfully secured new orders, Bombardier Transportation are actively seeking skilled and motivated engineering and science professionals to work within our world leading Derby based UK Engineering team.

Opportunities exist in: s -ECHANICAL AND %LECTRICAL 3YSTEMS Ref: T-RS1-ENG-UKDY-10

s 6EHICLE %NGINEERING Ref: T-RS1-ENG-UKDY-15

s 4RAIN #ONTROL INCLUDING 3OFTWARE %NGINEERING 3OFTWARE 4EST %NGINEERING Ref: T-RS1-ENG-UKDY-11

s )NDUSTRIAL $ESIGN AND (UMAN &ACTORS Ref: T-RS1-ENG-UKDY-16

s 0ROJECT %NGINEERING Ref: T-RS1-ENG-UKDY-12

s $ESIGN !SSURANCE Ref: T-RS1-ENG-UKDY-17

s 3TRUCTURES %NGINEERING Ref: T-RS1-ENG-UKDY-13

s %LECTRICAL 3YSTEMS #OMPATIBILITY Ref: T-RS1-ENG-UKDY-18

s %LECTRICAL -ECHANICAL )NSTALLATION % #!4)!

Ref: T-RS1-ENG-UKDY-14

s -ATERIALS AND &IRE Ref: T-RS1-ENG-UKDY-19

As part of this team, you will be responsible for engineering the entire rolling stock lifecycle – from inception through to decommissioning, including manufacture and testing at our Derby facility.

In return for your work, you will be rewarded with competitive contractual benefits including the opportunity to participate in our award-nominated flexible benefits scheme.

If you believe you can effectively bring your engineering expertise to our leading edge rolling stock design, manufacture and maintenance business, please visit: http://careers.bombardier.com/home for further information on these roles and to apply, quoting the relevant reference number.

Bombardier Transportation – 2011 Winners of the Power Panels Award for People Effectiveness at the Institution of Mechanical Engineers Manufacturing Excellence Awards

The QSS Group Limited is a leading supplier of Safety, Quality, Environmental and Engineering consultancy services to the railway industry. An excellent opportunity exists for highly motivated and enthusiastic individuals to be part of a leading edge company whose portfolio and reputation within the industry continues to grow. As the demand for our services increases, we are seeking to strengthen our team with the following key appointments:

HEAD OF SAFETY SERVICES PRINCIPAL SAFETY CONSULTANT & TRAINER ASSOCIATE SAFETY CONSULTANTS Our Safety Team provides a wide range of health and safety support to railway companies. We are seeking to appoint self-motivated and experienced safety professionals with a strong health and safety background within the railway industry.

The Head of Safety Services will be responsible for developing and leading the delivery of our safety support services to rail businesses, including health and safety consultancy, safety auditing and safety training work streams. You will have a good network of relationships within the railway industry and ideally have some experience of identifying and developing business opportunities within a consultancy environment.

To apply:

•

The successful candidate will hold as a minimum, a NEBOSH Certificate in Occupational Safety and Health and will also be a member of IOSH,

•

Practical knowledge of the regulatory framework for safety in which the railway industry operates,

If you would like the opportunity to enhance your business skills and appreciate the leadership and growth of an expanding company, please apply now by submitting your cv, covering letter and details of your current remuneration package to careers@theqssgroup.co.uk.

•

A detailed knowledge of the development and implementation of Safety Management Systems within the railway,

•

A detailed knowledge of the Health and Safety at Work Regulations,

•

Safety Auditing skills with particular reference to ROGS requirements,

•

A minimum of 5-10 years’ experience within the railway industry,

•

Excellent interpersonal and communication skills,

•

A good network of relationships within the railway industry and some business development experience would be an advantage,

•

Experience of working within a consultancy environment is desirable.

Closing date for applications is 31st March 2012.

A full description of our company and services can be found at www.theqssgroup.co.uk

TH E

Q SS G R O U P

The Principal Safety Consultant & Trainer will have a strong railway operational safety background. The successful candidate will be involved in the delivery of support to a wide range of rail businesses in improving the performance of their people and their systems and processes. Delivery of high quality training and coaching and taking the lead in auditing management systems will be the core of the job but the ability to build on those to the customer’s advantage is critical. You will be Lead Auditor trained with a minimum of 5 years’ experience of train operations including stations and train despatch. You will have a training qualification and suitable experience of delivering a wide range of health and safety training courses.

Generic Job Skills, Experience & Qualifications:

TM

!"#$%&'()*+&,$-.%"/"01&,.2,34& 5$$67%0&'8!"6$34&,!27%4&9"#7%0

The AtlasTM ERTMS system now accounts for more than 70% of all full level 2 supervised tracks across Europe, a system that is not only delivering on its promises but is also tried and tested in commercial operation.

The adoption of ERTMS is a significant development for any rail network and demands a solution that is proven in practice

and is flexible enough to provide interoperability with existing OEM’s and incorporation in both new and existing trains.

Combining the expertise and experience in managing major rail projects with Europe’s most chosen ERTMS platform, Signalling Solutions offers a complete package that can be relied upon to perform.

Atlas in operation: • More than 26 million miles under Atlas ERTMS supervision • More than 1100 trains equipped with Atlas ERTMS • More than 2000 additional trains to be equipped with Atlas ERTMS • More than 50 train types to be fitted with Atlas ERTMS • More than 25 million hours of fleet operation

!"#$%&'()"&*'(+#')"#,(-#,!)*#' a Balfour Beatty and Alstom UK company

!!"#$%"&$"'()*"((&&""""+,-./0+1,233+,10.345+.,06+,-.""""77760+1,233+,10.345+.,068.9 Signalling Solutions Limited, Borehamwood Industrial Park, Rowley Lane, Borehamwood, Herts WD6 5PZ