Rail Engineer - Issue 148 - February 2017 by Rail Media

Engineer

by rail engineers for rail engineers

FEBRUARY 2017 - ISSUE 148

Chr Che istma er s DELIVERING RAIL CAPACITY

AND NOW - CROSSRAIL 2

NEW BALLAST CLEANER

A review of the recent IMechE report “Increasing Capacity: Putting Britain’s railways back on track”.

TfL director Michèle Dix outlines her plans for London’s next commuter railway that is planned to open by 2033.

Network Rail High Output receives its fifth ballast cleaner and now has the world’s third biggest high-output fleet.

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Rail Engineer • February 2017

Cardiff Resignalled

David Bickell catches up with the Cardiff Area Resignalling Renewals.

Contents Christmas Cheer A review of all the work carried out over Christmas and the New Year.

Thameslink – progress around London Bridge Clive Kessell on opening the first stage of the Bermondsey dive-under.

Manchester Ordsall Chord 34 Paul Darlington is impressed by this essential element of the Northern Hub. Christmas down the drain 38 Grahame Taylor considers Sevenoaks, which has always been a soggy tunnel.

98 hours at New Cross

Christmas on Crossrail 40 Peter Stanton travels the ‘On Network Works’, from Maidenhead to Shenfield. Carillion, Crossrail and Christmas Finishing off Stockley and closing a platform at Paddington.

End of the line 46 Graeme Bickerdike reports on closing one Thackley tunnel to protect the other.

32 Working safely at height

Rud fall protrection anchorages ensure the safety those who have to work at height.

Balloons in Stanton tunnel Blocking up the ventilation shafts as part of high-speed train testing.

Delivering future rail capacity

Built in Barnsley 58 Installing overhead electrification in the Severn tunnel called for special drilling rigs. A tale of two RCMs Malcolm Dobell explains the difference between RCM and RCM2.

High Output’s new ballast cleaner Network Rail has the world’s third-largest fleet of high output machines.

Safe and efficient access using digital technology 70 Dual Inventive’s high-tech solution to securing access for engineering work. And now, Crossrail 2 With Crossrail now 75 per cent complete, what comes next?

Access all areas (an alternative to scaffolding) BeaverTW’s Superaccess system simplifies providing access for workers.

Rail Industry Capability Delivery Plan 84 Issued recently by RSSB on behalf of the industry, this plan looks to the future.

See more at www.railengineer.uk

We’re looking to highlight the latest projects and innovations in

Rolling Stock/Depots

Plant & Equipment

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Rail Engineer • February 2017

Creating capacity

Editor

(at Christmas)

David Shirres david.shirres@railengineer.uk

Production Editor Nigel Wordsworth nigel.wordsworth@railengineer.uk

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“Christmas travel chaos as rail network shuts down” was a typical headline about the festive season’s engineering work. As Nigel Wordsworth shows in his overview of work done, newspapers could not avoid the ‘chaos’ word. Afterwards there were reports of how ‘swathes of Britain’s rail lines were brought to a standstill’ for work over the festive period. The reality was that less than five per cent of the network was affected. But then, why let the truth spoil a good story? For rail travellers over the festive season, this disruption is particularly unfortunate. Yet major work cannot be done without closing the railway and every effort is made to keep closures to a minimum. Passengers are given two months’ notice to plan their journeys and the work was done at a less busy time with little business travel. The press hardly mentions this, neither was much said about the workforce of 24,000 who missed their Christmas whilst exposed to often foul weather or how passengers will benefit from this work. Renewals reduce failures and enhancement projects reduce overcrowding. The press often, and rightly, highlights railway overcrowding, so it’s odd that it protests when work is done to ease this problem. Much in this month’s magazine shows the benefit from the £103 million pounds’ worth of Christmas work. Chris Parker describes the complex challenge of renewing eight S&C units, including two switched diamonds, during a 98-hour blockade at New Cross. Grahame Taylor reports on the renewal of 260 metres of drain in the twomile Sevenoaks Tunnel in difficult conditions, part of a programme of work to restore linespeed to 70 mph. Other Christmas work features concern enhancements. The Christmas Cardiff signalling enhancement was Network Rail’s largest single phase signalling commissioning. This complex work and its benefits, including two new platforms at Cardiff, are described by David Bickell. In two years, the six billion pound Thameslink programme will increase service frequency between St Pancras and Blackfrairs from 16 to 24 trains per hour. Clive Kessell reports how the large package of work done at London Bridge was, in Churchill’s words, “the end of the beginning” of this programme. December 2018 will also see the opening of Crossrail’s central section tunnel. Peter Stanton reports on Crossrail surface work in London, Berkshire and Essex that had 4,000 workers doing station, signalling, track and electrification work. Not only was this work essential for Crossrail to open on time, but it delivered an immediate benefit to Paddington’s passengers by bringing Stockley flyover into use. Another cross-city link on which much work was done over Christmas was the Ordsall Chord in Manchester , the start of which was delayed over a heritage wrangle. Paul Darlington explains the work done and how it delivers a heritage gain by making Stephenson’s Grade 1 listed bridge, built in 1830, fully visible for the first time since 1860.

DAVID SHIRRES

Additional rail capacity also requires new trains, such as the Hitachi class 800 that are soon to run out of Paddington and Kings Cross. We report why testing these trains required balloons to plug the ventilation shafts of Stanton tunnel on the Melton test track. On the subject of rolling stock, Malcolm Dobell pays his second visit to a rolling stock maintenance conference about RCM - an abbreviation with two meanings, both of which require the manipulation of vast data sets and look set to transform train maintenance. Transforming track maintenance is the half a mile of yellow machines that make up a high-output ballast cleaner, an impressive bit of kit. Network Rail now has an even more impressive long yellow train as this one works under the third rail. Chris Parker explains. Graeme Bickerdike gives us two tunnel stories, both concerned with capacity. In one, he describes the Barnsley connection for the precision drilling of thousands of holes in the Severn tunnel’s roof as part of its electrification work. On a historic note, Thackley tunnel was supplemented by another bore in 1900. The original tunnel closed 50 years ago, and has been infilled twice. Graeme explains why. The Institution of Mechanical Engineers recently published a rail capacity report, which we summarise this month. With demand predicted to continue to increase, it considers four, quite different railways to show how capacity is managed, projects in the pipeline and the sometimes-radical action needed to provide extra longterm capacity. This includes the need to accelerate rail innovation. Paul Darlington explains how the industry’s Capability Delivery Plan defines the key requirements. The intention is to focus the supply chain to meet twenty-first century innovation challenges. Another radical solution is building Crossrail 2, as Nigel describes. Rail capacity is a huge problem. There is much in these pages on what is being done and what needs to be done to carry more passengers and freight. For many years to come, this will continue to offer challenges to railway engineers and keep Rail Engineer supplied with interesting features. As your new editor, I was glad of the opportunity to read these articles as they came in from our writers. They tell an inspiring story, with no mention of any chaos.

NEWS

Rail Engineer • February 2017

Rail Minister Maynard to open Railtex Rail Minister Paul Maynard MP is to open this year's Railtex at the NEC. Member of Parliament for Blackpool and Cleveleys since 2010, Paul Maynard took up his post as Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Transport in July last year. His responsibilities cover rail, including housing development, railway security and light rail. As well as formally opening the threeday event on 9 May, the Minister will deliver a keynote address expected to give valuable insights into current Government rail policies. His speech will be a highlight of a wide-ranging programme of activities taking place throughout Railtex. In addition to keynote addresses from leading industry figures, this will include technical seminars, discussion forums and project briefings by representatives from organisations such as HS2, the DfT, the Rail Delivery Group, Network Rail, Midlands Engine and the Rail Supply Group. These will all take place within the exhibition hall and will be open to

everyone attending Railtex. Meanwhile, stand reservations continue to flow in, with 340 organisations having confirmed their participation by midJanuary. Among the latest companies added to the list of exhibitors are track warning systems manufacturer Schweizer Electronic, paints and coatings specialist Trimite, RISQS-approved signage supplier Viewtec Signs, and construction, civil engineering and utilities infrastructure provider JBP Utilities - all providing more evidence of the diversity of products and services to be featured at the event. Railtex 2017 takes place at the NEC in Birmingham from 9 to 11 May. Registration for free entry to the show opened via www.railtex.co.uk at the end of January. This gives access to the exhibition over all three days, as well as the events mentioned above and much more. The website also features a regularly updated list of exhibitors plus all the latest Railtex news.

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The lengthy process to procure trains for HS2 has commenced. The Department for Transport is initially looking for up to 60 “high specification trains to transport passengers at around 225mph on Britain’s new high speed rail service”. After the publication of the Periodic Indicative Notice (PIN), there will be an industry event on 27 March at which interested companies will be able to find out more about the bidding requirements and process. This will be followed by the issuance of the Pre-Qualification Questionnaire (PQQ), which will include further details of the trains’ specifications. A short list will be drawn up from those companies who return the PQQ, formal tenders will be invited during 2018 and the contract will be placed at the end of 2019. By the time that the contract

is awarded, the UK may well be outside of the EU. Indeed, Secretary of State Chris Grayling, in announcing the start of the procurement process, commented: “Hundreds of jobs will be created in building and maintaining these trains, representing a great opportunity for British based businesses and suppliers.” So he clearly expects them to be manufactured in the UK. However, as the UK is still a member of the EU, the invitation to tender has to include companies regardless of whether they have a UK manufacturing base. So it will be interesting to see how the rules change during the actual process.

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Rail Engineer • February 2017

Bad weather affects Crossrail testing - intentionally! Bombardier's new Class 345 trains for Crossrail, which will be named the Elizabeth line once services commence in 2018, have been undergoing climatic testing in Vienna.

including thick snow and ice, is another crucial step towards making sure that the trains perform as intended whatever the weather.” Bombardier has recently commenced series production of the 66 nine-car Aventra trains for Crossrail, having completed the preproduction test trains.

One of these is now in London for overnight testing in east London. The first few trains will go into service, in seven-car configuration, between Liverpool Street and Shenfield in May 2017. The first nine-car trains will be introduced onto the Paddington-Heathrow service in May 2018 and Elizabeth line services will commence

between Paddington and Abbey Wood, running through the new tunnels under London, in December 2018. Graduate engineer Steven Merryweather from Bombardier’s vehicle engineering team inspects an icy bogie in Vienna’s Rail Tec Arsenal test centre.

Extending Midland Metro The Midland Metro Alliance has started clearing vegetation along the proposed route of an extension of Birmingham's light rail network from Wednesbury to Brierley Hill. The 11km route will reinstate part of the disused South Staffordshire line. Overgrown sections of the route will be cleared over the next couple of weeks to allow structural and environmental surveys to be completed. Construction of the route is expected to start in 2019 and it is due to open to passengers in 2023. It is one of several extensions of the network either already underway or at the design stage. Councillor Roger Lawrence, lead member for transport for the West Midlands Combined Authority, said: “Whilst this is not the formal start of work on the extension it is the

first step towards it. “There is a lot of work still to be done but, once it is complete, the Black Country and wider region will reap the economic rewards of having an extended modern tram system running through it.”

PHOTO: CHRIS JENNER/SHUTTERSTOCK, INC.

The Rail Tec Arsenal test centre can replicate various different weather conditions at temperatures between -25ºC and +40ºC. Cold, hot, windy and foggy weather, all of which can be expected in the UK at some time or another, can be simulated and used to test traction motors, heating and ventilation systems, windscreen washers and wipers, horns and a host of other systems. The driving car of one of TfL’s test trains was in Vienna for three weeks before Christmas, undergoing these searching tests. Dean Taplin, Bombardier’s senior vehicle engineer, commented: “Subjecting the new trains to a range of climatic conditions,

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Rail Engineer • February 2017

CHRISTMAS WORKS

NIGEL WORDSWORTH

Chr Che istma er s Ordsall Chord.

hristmas is always a problematic time for railway users, operators and maintainers. Many people want to travel to see families and loved ones that they may only see once a year, and the logical way to cover long distances laden down with presents and other goodies is either by car or by train. In addition, some families move about, spending two days here and two days there over the holiday period. So, there is quite a demand for rail transportation, often from people who aren’t frequent train users. On the other hand, passenger numbers are still well down on those for a normal day during the rest of the year - often by as much as 50 per cent. So, if a line has to be shut, then the only passengers it inconveniences are those few Christmas travellers, although they understandably don’t like it. Which is why major work gets done over Christmas, when it is actually possible to close sections of the railway without inconveniencing regular commuters.

Christmas chaos Plans for closures are made well in advance, with announcements in local media and, in some cases, alternative routes arranged. After all, the whole railway network isn’t closed, except for Christmas Day, just some particular parts of it. This year, in fact, as much as 95 per cent of the network was unaffected. So it’s all very orderly. However, this doesn’t stop the sensationalist headline writers in the national press:

“XMAS RAIL HELL: Brits face rail chaos over Christmas…” (The Sun) “Christmas travel chaos could be worst ever as rail network shuts down…” (The Telegraph) “Christmas of rail chaos to disrupt festive family time…” (Mirror) “Christmas chaos for train passengers…” (Express) Two things are particularly noticeable about these headlines. Firstly, they were all written in October when Network Rail announced its plans so that travellers could avoid the effects of them. So the “chaos” hadn’t yet happened. Secondly, the Oxford English Dictionary defines chaos as: “A state resembling that of primitive chaos; utter confusion and disorder.” How announcing that a length of railway line will be closed in two months’ time, so that prospective travellers can make alternative arrangements well in advance, equates with “utter confusion and disorder” is a mystery. But that’s headline writers for you. Perhaps the headline for this article should read: “Orange Army combats Christmas chaos” let's get all those clichés into one statement!

Anticlimax? Of course, after months of planning, that didn’t happen at all. Billed as “the largest Christmas upgrade in Network Rail history”, the amount of work successfully completed was impressive, and there was no sign of chaos. 24,000 people were out working on the railway over the holiday period - that’s the equivalent of the entire population of a town the size of Ryde, or Rugeley, or Arbroath. They worked on 200 different projects at 3,000 worksites, racking up 600,000 hours of work and delivering over £100 million of railway enhancements as part of Network Rail's Railway Upgrade Plan. Of the 200 projects, 32 were classified as RED, in accordance with the DWWP process (Delivering Work Within Possessions). RED sites are judged to need greater management attention due to their complexity, profile or impact. The 32 included six major projects, 12 track renewals and five bridge replacements as well as signalling, overhead line, level crossing works and power supply upgrades. In general, it all went well. Of the 1,000 possessions taken, 98.5 per cent were handed back without impacting passengers or freight. Of the remaining 15, only three resulted in significant delays to services. One was at Cardiff, where an overrun on one of the interim handbacks was caused by issues during signal testing. Late handback of bridge works on the West Coast main line at Oxford Canal and Nuneaton was partly due to high winds.

Rail Engineer • February 2017

Central region Overhead line work at Euston station formed part of the enabling works for HS2. Lines were removed on the west side of the station so that the DB Cargo shed building can be demolished and an 11kV diversionary route installed. Three wire runs that affect the main lines, totalling 1km of contact and catenary wire, were dewired and several new OLE structures installed.

Eglinton Street PL IP Track (Scotland) Nicholas Bridge PL Works Delivery (LNW) Northern Hub IP Northern Programmes (LNW) Preston Fylde Junction Works Delivery (LNW) Liverpool Lime Street IP Signalling (LNW) Bridge 53 Nuneaton IP Central (LNW) Bridge 9 Oxford Canal IP Central (LNW) Birmingham New St Works Delivery (LNW) Wolverton Neutral Section IP Central (LNW)

Janice Crawford and Mark Carne at Bramley on Christmas Day. A single-span underbridge that carries the West Coast main line over the Oxford Canal between Rugby and Nuneaton was replaced. Each line is carried by an independent deck. The existing structure was in poor condition due to extensive deflection in the decks, heavy water seepage throughout, poor condition of the steelwork and a general breakdown of the protective paint system. The new bridge decks are fabricated from weathering steel, so no more paint will be needed, and a combined cable route and walkway now provides a safe walking route across the structure. It was installed using 1,550 and 750 tonne capacity cranes during an 81hour disruptive possession.

Due to excessive wind speed, both cranes were unable to lift for a 12-hour period. This resulted in a 6.5-hour delay in handing back the Down Slow, Down Fast and Up Fast lines. The Up Slow line remained blocked until 2 January and was restored to linespeed on the 4th. Nearby, another single-span underbridge. this time with three decks carrying the four tracks, was replaced at Woodford Lane/Nuneaton Road. As well as general deterioration, the bridge has suffered a number of vehicle strikes which have affected its integrity. A new steel-reinforced concrete deck with a design life of 120 years was installed using a Self Propelled Modular Transporter (SPMT)

CHRISTMAS WORKS

There were a few minor incidents - one worker fell off a platform edge and suffered a broken elbow, two were hit by a falling OLE cable and another had a cut finger whilst preparing pallets for unloading - but it was minor stuff and the lost time injury frequency rate (LTIFR) over Christmas was less than the annual moving average for the rest of the year. Janice Crawford, regional director for major projects in the south, worked her first Christmas having joined Network Rail ten months ago. “I visited a site on Christmas Day where we removed the track, demolished a bridge, replaced it with a new bridge, and put new track in place,” she commented afterwards. “We did all that safely and had the railway back up and running in less than 48 hours. It was very impressive to watch.”

Kingsknowe Level Crossing IP Scotland & North East (Scotland) Bridge 20, Sykes Lane (Tollerton) IP Scotland & North East (LNE/EM) Neville Hill S&C IP Track (LNE & EM) Ashburys S&C IP Track (LNW) Doncaster Station IP Scotland & North East (LNE/EM) Bridge Junction S&C (Doncaster) IP Track (LNE/EM) Cambridge North S&C IP Southern (Anglia) East Coast PSU, Hatfield ‐ Cambridge IP Scotland & North East (LNE/EM) Gidea Park OLE IP Southern (Anglia)

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Victoria PSU IP Southern (South East)

Oxford South IP Great Western & Crossrail (Western)

Queenstown Road IP Southern (Wessex)

Crossrail West IP Great Western & Crossrail (Western)

Broad Street Bridge Replacement IP Southern (Wessex)

Cardiff Area Signalling Renewals IP Signalling (Wales) HS2 Enabling Works IP Central (LNW)

New Cross S&C IP Track (South East) Old Lodge Lane IP Southern (South East)

Rail Engineer â&#x20AC;˘ February 2017

CHRISTMAS WORKS

Shenfield.

during a 79hr 45min disruptive possession. All lines, except for the Up Fast, were handed back at 08:00 on 28 December (two hours later than planned) - the Up Fast remained blocked until 1 January. Redundant neutral sections in the overhead line were removed at Wolverton. These had previously been taken out of service but left in place - they were removed as they were no longer being maintained.

Great Western and Crossrail Work on the overground sections of Crossrail, which were undertaken by Network Rail over the holiday period, have been covered in more detail by Peter Stanton elsewhere in this issue. Crossrail Anglia successfully delivered an extensive programme of works throughout a 10-day blockade. This included the installation of 11 S&C units at Shenfield, stepping & gauging and DOO (driver only operation) works across stations in readiness for the new Class 345 trains, and key enabling works at Pudding Mill Lane. At Paddington station, Platforms 11-14 are being rebuilt to allow Platforms 11 and 12 to accommodate 10-car IEP and 12-car EMU services and for Platform 14 to accommodate eight-car EMU services. In part, this is achieved by the permanent closure and amalgamation of the existing Platform 13 into the new, lengthened Platform 12. Over Christmas, Platform 13 was permanently closed and new track was laid alongside Platforms 11 and 12. Copers were relaid to extend the edge of Platform 12 to the new track alignment. Two redundant lift shafts were removed.

Work continued on the Old Oak Common Paddington Approaches (OOCPA) with the completion of all OLE work for the Crossrail depot lines. The existing Carriage line was removed and the new Crossrail Depot line 2 installed. Signalling works in support of the new Crossrail Depot lines and new S&C were completed and new drainage installed at Portobello Junction. Completion of the last stage of work on Stockley Flyover over a 10-day possession saw it brought into use immediately after the holiday. Platform 2 at Hayes & Harlington was extended and Platform 3 rebuilt. A new crossover from the Down Relief to the Up Relief will enable rolling stock to use the new bay line platform as a turn back. 270 metres of drainage work was also carried out.

Maidenhead.

Nine new S&C units were installed and 11 commissioned at Maidenhead. 1,500 metres of new plain line were laid and 300 metres realigned - in all, 6,025 tonnes of bottom ballast and 4,625 tonnes of top ballast were brought in on work trains. 35 new signals and indicators were commissioned. The Oxford South scheme is introducing axle counters, which have reliability benefits over track circuits. 299 new axle counters were installed, along with 14 new ACEs (Axle Counter Evaluators) and 4 new REBs (Relocatable Equipment Buildings). At the same time, the Didcot workstation was moved over to the latest IECC software platform, giving consistency across the Thames Valley Control Centre.

Rail Engineer â&#x20AC;˘ February 2017

Northern programmes

Scotland and North East Kingsknowe is the second highest risk level crossing in Scotland. The existing Automatic Half Barrier (AHB) crossing has been replaced with a Manually Controlled Barrier with Obstacle Detection (MCB-OD). A 29-hour possession at New Year was used to test and commission the signalling system. The final obstacle-detection elements were commissioned by Sunday 15 January. The Doncaster Station Area Capacity Improvement project will deliver additional flexibility and release of capacity at the south of Platforms 1, 2, and 3, and a new platform to allow trains between Doncaster and the Thorne Paddington.

Shenfield. direction to operate more efficiently, separately to Long Distance High Speed (LDHS) services. Over Christmas, signalling interlocking changes took place to enable the commissioning of the Up East Slow as bi-directional and the commissioning of a new passenger loop. Sykes Lane overbridge, on the outskirts of the village of Tollerton just north of the city of York, spans four straight, ballasted and electrified railway tracks on the East Coast main line. During a 56-hour possession, running between Christmas Eve and 27 December, the team successfully renewed the overbridge by disconnecting the overhead line, removing it and lifting off the existing deck span, modifying the existing abutments, then lifting in the new deck span and reattaching the OLE. The East Coast main line Power Supply Upgrade (ECML PSU) project is upgrading the network to support increased capacity. Originally an Autotransformer (AT)-based

system upgrade, including an increase of the fault level to 12kA, a revised scheme has now been developed which retains some elements of the existing system in a solution incorporating AT and classic rail return distribution schemes but with a fault level of 6kA. From Christmas Day until Tuesday 27 December, the team commissioned a new Track Sectioning Location compound at Langley. This involved the installation of new switchblades and the removal of redundant feeds and small part steel from the OLE on both the East Coast main line and Hertford line.

Southern Broad Street bridge is a single span masonry arch structure supporting two non- electrified tracks of the BKE line in the middle of 900 acres of Ministry of Defence land. During a 57-hour possession over Christmas, the life-expired structure was replaced with a new single-span

CHRISTMAS WORKS

The Ordsall Chord, a new 300-metre section of railway which will link Manchester Piccadilly and Victoria Stations for the first time, is covered in more detail by Paul Darlington in his article. Water Street bridge was replaced. New signal heads and droppers were installed at Ordsall Lane Junction where plain track was also renewed, 12 new signals were commissioned and the Manchester Piccadilly, Trafford Park and Windsor Bridge Route Relay Interlocking re-controlled to Manchester Rail Operating Centre. As part of the electrification of the TransPennine route (Manchester Victoria to Leeds), which will require new electric rolling stock to be serviced at Ardwick Depot, a new crossover was installed on the Ashbury lines between Ancoats Viaduct and Ashburys West Junction.

Rail Engineer • February 2017

CHRISTMAS WORKS

Old Lodge Lane. precast concrete portal deck, supported on the existing brick abutments. The concrete portal sections were erected on site, adjacent to the railway, stitched together and then driven into place as a single unit using an SPMT. Welding works, which were originally planned for the follow up possession in week 40, were accelerated and completed in week 39. Old Lodge Lane bridge is located near Reedham station, Purley. It is a single span halfthrough structure - an original brick arch carries two ballasted central lines (Up Slow and Down Fast). The bridge has been widened to carry two additional ballasted lines (Down Slow and Up Fast), positioned on either side of the original brick arch. These additional metallic structures comprise four longitudinally spanning, riveted plate girders (two outer and two inner) resting

on brickwork abutments. The plate girders in turn support a later spanning pressed-metal through deck. The life-expired metallic bridge extensions either side of the brick arch have been replaced with precast concrete filler decks, fixed to precast cills resting on the existing brick abutments, using SPMTs. The Up Fast was replaced over Christmas while the Down Slow had already been exchanged early in December. A new railway station, Cambridge North, is being constructed on the West Anglia main line in the northeast quadrant of Cambridge, on the Bishop’s Stortford to Ely North Junction route. The freight sidings within the nearby Chesterton Junction Yard are also being realigned to remove the need for trains to shunt via the Down Main Cambridge North.

when operating within the yard. An existing crossover was renewed on concrete bearers, clipped in the normal position and detected. It will be brought into use in April. Stage 6B of the station signalling commissioning was completed, including interlocking changeover in Chesterton Relay Room, changeover in 10 LOCS, the relocation of two signals, panel changeovers and eight track circuits. The GE OLE renewal project has been underway for some time, replacing the existing 25kV AC, ex1500V DC, fixed termination OLE with a modern equivalent form of automatically tensioned wiring. In total, 308 wire runs will be replaced between Liverpool Street, Shenfield and Chelmsford. A 10day Christmas blockade enabled the renewal of 12 wire runs at Gidea Park station and on the electric lines between Gidea Park station, the Country End Sidings and Sidings Road 1. The total renewed wire now stands at 60km between Goodmayes and Brentwood. As part of the Sussex Power Supply Upgrade, an 18-way under-track crossing (UTX) was installed across five tracks (Kent lines) adjacent to Victoria Substation. 26 Cable Management Sleepers were installed across a further four lines (Sussex lines) in a two-part 27/52 hour possession. The UTX trench was over two metres wide by two metres tall, with 500 metres of ducting. The Windsor Outlying project is modifying switches and crossings at the country end of Queenstown Road station to enable the December 2017 timetable to operate into Waterloo International. Christmas was the only opportunity to install two point ends and 22 track panels using a Kirow crane and Network Rail’s tilting wagons.

Rail Engineer â&#x20AC;˘ February 2017

Thameslink Clive Kessell looks at work at London Bridge and the part-commissioning of the Bermondsey Diveunder in his article in this issue. The Down Sussex Slow line was commissioned, with trains running through Bermondsey Dive-under for the first time. Two redundant signalling gantries were recovered.

Signalling programme The major highlight was the completion of Phase 5 of the Cardiff Area Signalling Renewals (CASR) programme, which incorporated the biggest single signalling commissioning in Network Rail history as New Cross.

Cardiff.

CHRISTMAS WORKS

The Wessex Capacity programme, which is reopening the old International Platforms and extending platforms 1-4 at Waterloo, undertook signalling, signalling power, third-rail and civil engineering preparatory works over the Christmas shutdown. This, the only prolonged all-line block access at Waterloo, enabled signalling interlocking works, updates to legacy control systems and negative bonding alongside civil engineering to open up voids in the platforms for future congestion relief stairs and demolition work on Waterloo concourse. Work completed included modifications to the signalling control and electrical power systems that could only be undertaken when the entire station was closed, running of one mile of third-rail cable and recovering 800 metres, the commissioning of new signals and indicators, creating two platform openings to allow future staircases to be built and the hydro-demolition of part of the station concourse to allow the future construction of a bridge connecting the existing station to Waterloo International.

well as significant track and civils work. This work is described by David Bickell in his article elsewhere in this issue. Work at Liverpool Lime Street begins a large campaign of work through 2017. Two undertrack crossings were constructed within the station area, as was a new overhead line structure to support the future track layout. â&#x20AC;¨A redundant platform area was demolished to provide space for future expansion.

Track delivery Chris Parker describes the renewal of eight switch and crossing units at New Cross, south of London Bridge, in his article in this issue. The project was to renew two three-line crossovers

with switch diamonds. Challenging logistics at the site required all the new track panels to be road-delivered to a small access compound and craned to the railway before being lifted, carried and installed by rail-mounted Kirow Crane. Another complicated project was the renewal of two track junctions on the West Coast main line in the same Christmas 2016 possession. Wembley Central North Crossover is between the Up and Down Slow lines just north of Wembley Central station while Acton Branch Junction 2446B forms one end of the crossover between the Down Fast and Up Willesden Relief. The existing HW2000 point machines were replaced with Hy-Drives/SO back drives, including detection for NR60 switch types. Concrete bearers were used to replace the existing timber bearers, providing a much more reliable and maintainable layout. Some of the works were curtailed with half of the crossover at Wembley being deferred as a result of late possessions start and finding a concrete pipe during the dig. A plain line track renewal on the Slow lines at Willesden, on the West Coast main line between Camden and Watford, was split over the Christmas and New Year weekends. 545 metres of track was replaced over the Christmas weekend, along with 220 metres on the Up Fast over the New Year weekend. The complete renewal of two crossovers on the west ladder giving access/egress between Neville Hill TMD (Train Maintenance Depot) and Leeds was handed back on time. Three S&C units were renewed at Bridge Junction, south of Doncaster on the East Coast main line, over three weekends (weeks 38, 40 (New Year weekend) and 41). Eglinton Street is located on the four-track electrified section at the throat of Glasgow Central station. Track renewal works consisted

Rail Engineer • February 2017

CHRISTMAS WORKS

Birmingham New Street. of a formation dig, re-ballast, re-sleeper and re-railing over 670 metres at four different locations, in conjunction with 286 metres of new drainage installation.

Works delivery Part of a five-year S&C refurbishment programme around Preston station to remove long standing Temporary Speed Restrictions (TSR) involved the like-for-like renewal of three complete S&C units at the north of the station. Ballast was dug out 200mm below sleeper bottom and a total of eight new S&C panels installed. St. Nicholas Bridge (Carlisle) has had longstanding gauge issues which were being managed by tie bars holding the gauge. A temporary variation was due to expire in January, and this would have resulted in a temporary speed restriction being imposed. 100 metres of track was replaced over the Christmas period, along with the installation of adjustment switches and guard rails. The existing electro-pneumatic points (EP) are being replaced by Clamplocks within Birmingham New Street station. Due to the complexity of the area and the number of interfaces involved, a phased approach has been adopted. During Phase 6 (Christmas 2016), two points 599B&C and 601A&B, located in the middle of Birmingham New Street station, were converted.

Reflections Network Rail’s Christmas works cost £103 million. It also cost 24,000 railway workers the chance to spend Christmas Day with their families and loved ones. How did they feel about it?

Oyunga Carter is a programme management assistant for the Ordsall Chord project in Manchester. She commented afterwards: “Since 18 December I have been working towards a major milestone in the delivery of the Ordsall Chord project. The whole team worked through wind, rain and even the rare Manchester sunshine to deliver the project over Christmas and we really pulled together to get the project finished on time. Although being apart from family and friends is always difficult at this time of year, the scale of the work we have achieved is immense on this once in a lifetime project. I wouldn’t have wanted to be anywhere else.” Billy Russell, 25 and from Maidstone in Kent, has a 7 year-old stepson and two children aged three and two. He is also a scaffolder with Alltask, one of Network Rail’s contractors. He spent Christmas Day at a project site in Bramley, Hampshire where a 150-year old railway bridge was replaced.

“This was the first Christmas Day that I’ve worked since I had my two youngest children,” Billy reflected afterwards. “I missed their whole day as I left home at 4am and didn’t get back until after they’d gone to bed. It’s hard, knowing that I missed out on all their excitement. However, I figure that it was a small sacrifice to make. The kids aren’t interested in me on Christmas Day, it’s all about their presents, whereas, on site, I’ve been a part of something that will improve rail journeys in this area and I’ve helped to ensure that it’s all been done safely. We did the work that needed to be done. That gave me a good feeling and made it easier when I was sitting down to cold turkey and potatoes on Christmas evening.” Alexandra Bassett, a scheme project manager on the Crossrail project, worked her second Christmas on the railway this year. She’s worked for Network Rail for five years. “I’ve been doing nightshifts over Christmas in the control room at Romford while also going out and visiting some of the Crossrail sites,” she stated. “I don’t mind working over the holidays as there is always such a nice atmosphere among the staff who are all pulling together to get the job done, but remaining cheerful in the process. It makes me proud to be a part of such a vital project which will benefit millions of people once the line opens in 2018.” Francis Paonessa, managing director of Network Rail Infrastructure Projects, visited several sites over the ‘holiday’ period. One was the bridge renewal at Old Lodge Lane on Boxing Day. He said that he was pleased to say that all of the projects he’d visited were going “extremely well”, and added: “I’d like to thank all of my colleagues at Network Rail who’ve worked so hard over the Christmas period, supported by all of our contractors too. They’ve given up their Christmas to help make Britain’s railway better every day.” He wasn’t the only one out and about. Secretary of State for Transport Chris Grayling was at Paddington on Christmas Eve where he commented: “As the Government continues with the biggest investment in our rail services Francis Paonessa, Susan Cooklin (route services director) and Toufil Machnouk (senior programme manager) at Stockley.

Rail Engineer • February 2017

since the Victorian era, huge infrastructure projects have to be delivered when the travelling public will be least inconvenienced. I am grateful to the many workers who form the Orange Army for giving up Christmas with their friends and family to help ensure improvements on our railways.” Network Rail chief executive Mark Carne went to several sites, including Maidenhead on 30 December. After the railway was back to normal after New Year, he thanked everyone involved. “Our people can now go home and enjoy their delayed Christmas and be proud of having delivered a huge programme of railway improvement work. And we don’t just do it at

Away on the railway We work on the track, We’re grafting through Christmas Until we hand back. A bigger, better railway That we’re building for you, One that’s quicker and slicker Cos that’s we do. Just shovelling and grafting, No turkey for us. We’re working through Christmas, No moaning, no fuss. We are the orange army And we’re working for you, Upgrading your railway So it’s shiny and new.

Christmas. We are working week in, week out as we invest to transform our railway.” The last word goes to Becky Lumlock, Network Rail’s route managing director for Wessex, who said: “Christmas provides us with a great chance to deliver vital aspects of our Railway Upgrade Plan while causing the least amount of disruption to passengers. Our Orange Army have worked around the clock through Christmas Day, Boxing Day, and New Year’s Day, providing a better railway for the growing number of passengers using the railway. “Our work will now continue behind the scenes…” And so it will. And Rail Engineer will be there to cover it.

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CHRISTMAS WORKS

Secretary of State for Transport Chris Grayling (centre) at Paddington.

Network Rail track workers based at Rugby got into the Christmas spirit early. Faced with spending the upcoming holiday period at work, the ‘Orange Army Choristers’ composed and performed their own fourverse carol to the tune of the popular ‘Away in a Manger’, then uploaded it to the Internet. One of their number, Ryan Buckley, commented: “What we lack in vocal flair we more than make up for in festive cheer - and good looks.” To find it, go to YouTube and search for “Merry Christmas from Network Rail”. If you want to sing along, the words are:

Rail Engineer • February 2017

CHRISTMAS WORKS

Cardiff resignalled DAVID BICKELL

he fifth and final phase of the £300 million Cardiff Area Signalling Renewals (CASR) project, Network Rail’s biggest ever signalling commissioning in one phase, was completed over the festive period bringing significant improvements to capacity and flexibility at the busiest station in Wales.

(top and above) The new Platform 8.

Cardiff Panel Signal Box, which has controlled movements in the station area for fifty years, was switched off and replaced with a new signalling system controlled from the Wales Rail Operating Centre (WROC).

Changing fortunes Cardiff Panel Box was opened in 1966, at a time of ongoing social and economic change in South Wales. With the decline of the traditional deep mine coal industry in the Welsh valleys, the long

coal trains also became history. Those employed underground or in support jobs were forced to look elsewhere for employment, changing the role of the valley towns to that of dormitories for people working in Cardiff. Indeed, the Welsh capital offers attractive job opportunities for those willing and able to commute into the City. Despite the cutbacks in passenger services and rationalisation of the infrastructure in the 1970s, some passenger services in the valleys managed to survive and, a decade later, the whole outlook was starting to look so much better. It was in the autumn of 1982 that John Davies, a career railwayman with a flair for marketing, took up the role of British Rail’s passenger manager for South Wales. A man with a vision who understood what railways could do for people and the local economy, John and his team set about revitalising the Valley line passenger services that culminated in the introduction of Sprinter/Pacer trains and the reopening of several lines and stations in the area. This was the genesis of the Valley lines services operated today by Arriva Trains Wales.

Rail Engineer â&#x20AC;¢ February 2017

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9211

PLATFORM 8

9202

BARRY

9203

CARDIFF QUEEN ST AND THE VALLEYS

PLATFORM 7

9201

TREFOREST

PLATFORM 6

9200 PLATFORM 4

NEWPORT

PLATFORM 3

9037 9036 9035

CANTON DEPOT

LINE E

LINE D

LINE C

9041

NEW TRACK & SWITCHES BROUGHT INTO SERVICE

LINE C

9048

LINE B

9XXX

9071

LINE B

PLATFORM 2

9043 PLATFORM 1

9061

LINE A

SWANSEA

NEW POINT NUMBERS NEW SWITCHES TO BE COMMISSIONED DURING 2017

PLATFORM 0

CARDIFF CENTRAL (JAN 2017)

RAIL OPERATING

CENTRE

Rail Engineer • February 2017

CHRISTMAS WORKS

Plain line track panels.

Freshly installed new points.

The boom in passenger numbers in the twenty-first century has led to aspirations to run more trains than ever through Cardiff Central, but the shortcomings of the little-altered 1966 track layout and signalling meant that this required a number of infrastructure improvements to be delivered: »» Two new platforms; »» Capability for 16 trains per hour (currently 12) on the Cardiff Central to Queen Street Valley lines corridor; »» New crossovers to permit Down main line trains to turn round in the low numbered platforms; »» Full bi-directional signalling on all platforms; »» Automatic Route Setting. No doubt much has been done over the years to life extend the signalling installation, but a major factor that determines the overall life expectancy is the condition of the cables and wires. Certain types of insulation material used in signalling circuits may degrade over a long period of time. Care has to be exercised when disturbing a hard-wired relay interlocking that is 50 years old to avoid disrupting the insulation, thereby compromising electrical separation of safety circuits. Consequently, the extensive interlocking alterations necessary to implement the above proposals have been developed as an integral part of the resignalling project. Platform 0 was, in fact, created in 1999 using the existing signalling, which meant that trains were only able to arrive at the platform using

shunt routes with no passengers aboard. The brand new Platform 8 was constructed a year ago in conjunction with the new south side entrance to the station but, for reasons explained above, could not be cut into the existing signal interlocking.

Hub and Spoke Under the ‘Hub and Spoke’ arrangement, Network Rail is the hub as CASR principal contractor, and the spoke contracts are: »» Atkins - design, build and test the signalling of all five phases of the CASR project; »» Atkins - design, build and test the new power and distribution system including all new points heating; »» Balfour Beatty - permanent way, track, switches & crossings (S&C); »» BIRSE (now part of Balfour Beatty) - civil engineering; »» Siemens - telecommunications; »» BAM Nuttall - Cardiff Queen Street and Cardiff Central station enhancements;

»» Network Rail Maintenance Delivery Renewals - responsible for multiple track, S&C and signalling Stage works. As part of its work, Atkins used the following sub-contractors: »» Siemens Rail Automation Westlock interlockings and Westcad workstations (Newport and Port Talbot fringes); »» Alstom (formerly GE Transportation) - Modular Control System (MCS) workstation hardware, VHLC Logic Controller hardware, plus provision of Automatic Route Setting (ARS) and Signaller simulator through Hitachi Information Control Systems Europe (HICSE) (formerly TRE); »» Unipart - lineside equipment location cases and relocatable equipment buildings (REBs), plus plug-coupled cables; »» Henry Williams - functional (power) supply points (FSPs).

Once the last trains had departed At 22:00 on Christmas Eve, engineering possessions were taken that covered the South Wales main line from the Newport end, through Cardiff Central station to the Port Talbot East workstation fringe at Llanharan. In addition, further possessions took in the Valley lines from Cardiff Queen Street (exclusive) through Cardiff Central to Cardiff West End and the Barry/Vale of Glamorgan lines. At this time, Cardiff Panel Box and St Fagans Gate Box were decommissioned. The power isolation of the old signalling feeders was completed before on-track workers and back-room technical teams moved in to connect up the new equipment and recover the old.

Rail Engineer • February 2017

CHRISTMAS WORKS

Cardiff East Junction on the Newport side was completely remodelled and track renewed on lines C and D. Meanwhile, work progressed eastwards from Llanharan with civil engineering teams recovering signal gantries, cantilevers and straight posts. Signal installation staff were following up unbagging new signals, un-shielding Automatic Warning System (AWS) track inductors, and recovering all redundant lineside equipment. This was, in turn, followed by outdoor testing staff liaising with their counterparts in the WROC to ensure the correct functioning and correspondence of all signals, points, ground frames, train detection, AWS and Train Protection and Warning System (TPWS) equipment. Axle counters had been installed and rehearsal tested prior to 24 December as this method of train detection is independent of the track circuits that were still in use at the time by the old signalling system. Large volumes of vegetation clearance was undertaken to ensure compliant sighting of all new signals. Finally, at the fringe with Port Talbot signal box, data links had to be commissioned linking the new Miskin Westlock Central Interlocking Processor (CIP) (one of four new CIPs on this phase of CASR) with the existing Port Talbot Solid State Interlocking (SSI). Completion of this work was an early priority to ensure handback of the Port Talbot fringe by 04:00 on Tuesday 27 December, allowing trains to recommence operating between Bridgend and Swansea.

27 to 29 December With all civil engineering and track work on lines C and D completed and signal gantries recovered, the signal installers and testers made their way to Cardiff Central station to undertake all the usual outdoor work of installing and testing the equipment as described above for the western leg. Additionally, all new car stop markers, GSM-R signage, Train Ready to Start (TRTS) plungers, signal ‘OFF’ and ‘RA’ (Right Away) indicators were unveiled on all platforms. Finishing touches were applied to the lighting, waiting area, staircase, lifts, and staff office of the new Platform 8. Other Signalling & Telecommunications (S&T) works included the re-control of the Manually Controlled Barriers (MCB) level crossings at St Fagans, (converted from MCB to MCB-CCTV), Llantrisant, St George’s and Pontsarn, to a new Level Crossing control desk. Signage and road markings were updated as required.

Telecommunications work included substantial alterations to the GSM-R system (cab to signaller radio), hundreds of new circuits for the signalling system and operational communications, 127 new signal post telephones (SPTs) and the recovery of 84 old ones. A significant upgrade was required for the Customer Information System (CIS) and inputs to DARWIN (National Rail’s real time train information), Train Running Under System TOPS (TRUST) and Control Centre of the Future (CCF) systems. Within the WROC, one of the largest signalling data changes ever undertaken was progressed, involving around 126 discrete data uploads. The HICSE TREsa ARS product was added to all three workstations, having been used in revenue earning service on the Valleys workstation since June 2014. Wholesale recoveries of existing signalling equipment were also undertaken. The new signalling was fully described in issue 137 (March 2016) but, to briefly recap, the

Kirow craning in points at Long Dyke.

CHRISTMAS WORKS

Rail Engineer • February 2017

Tamping.

signaller interface consists of MCS workstations (Cardiff Valley, Cardiff main line, and Vale of Glamorgan), interfacing via Control System Gateways (CSGs) to the Westlock Central Interlocking Processors (CIPs). The CIPs communicate with trackside function modules via SSI data links. Train detection utilises Frauscher FAdC axle counters. Although the full signalling system was scheduled to be handed into service at 04:00hrs on Tuesday 29 December, this interim handback was delayed (for reasons still under investigation) so that services would resume at 08:00 with the planned full Valley line service using platforms 6, 7 and 8. Due to the planned ongoing remodelling of the throat of platforms 0, 1 and 2, services on the main line were restricted to platforms 3 and 4 and accessed via line E to facilitate a limited service to run between Bridgend and Newport.

Track works

Cutting up old signals.

Within the area of the festive blockade, twenty new point ends were commissioned. Points 9041 and 9043 were installed, using a Kirow 250 crane, tested and commissioned during this period. All the other point ends had been previously installed during possessions between Christmas 2015 and November 2016, the points having been secured out of use with detection only cut in to the relay interlocking. During the blockade, point detection circuits were transferred to the new Westlock interlockings, and the control circuits and drive mechanisms brought into service. Within the constrained area of the station layout, various switch types, including type NR60D, CVs, DVs and EVs are deployed. Rail Clamp Point Locks (RCPLs) and In Bearer Clamp Locks (IBCLs) are used extensively.

SO back or supplementary drive units have been added to the longer switches with IBCLs. Overall, the extensive track work during the blockade included: »» Full remodelling of the east throat; »» Lines A, B, C, D, and E - fully relayed with 1,250 metres of plain line; »» Modifications to points 9056, 9074 and 9083; »» Changed 74 point timbers over seven point ends; »» Stressed and tamped Up Main at Rumney river bridge to remove a TSR; »» Quality tamp of Up and Down Reliefs at eastern end; »» Recovery of 828 trap points at Cardiff West to plain line; »» Recovery of Insulated Rail Joints (IRJs). These provided the electrical separation of adjacent track circuits but are now redundant as train detection is provided by axle counters. The opportunity of the possession was taken to remove as many IRJs as possible.

Over New Year Once the signalling had been handed back on the morning of the 29th, possessions were maintained on platforms 0, 1, 2 and 3 for track remodelling to be completed at Cardiff

East throat, including the relaying of lines A and B and installation of points 9041 and 9043, giving access to platforms 0 and 1, and the relaying of line E. Engineering Possession Reminders (EPRs) were applied on the otherwise now fully operational workstation screens for the areas remaining under absolute possession. With the track and associated signalling works finally completed, this part of the station was handed into operational use at 02:30 on Tuesday 3 January for the passage of route proving trains. This concluded at 03:55 allowing the first trains to enter service from 04:00, thereby bringing to a finish the extensive engineering works over the holiday period.

Two new crossovers coming soon In the tight timescales of the festive blockade, it was deemed not possible to include the installation and commissioning of two new crossovers. At the eastern end, points 9200A/B provide access at Platform 4 to/from Cardiff Queen Street and the Valley lines. Platform 4 is ostensibly a Valley line platform but is currently used for other services. It is planned to commission this crossover two weeks before Easter 2017. In June 2017, a new crossover at the western end, 9071A/B, will provide direct access at Canton depot to/ from Platforms 0, 1, 2 and 3 via line E, thereby obviating the current conflicts via the Barry Relief lines. Thanks to Christian Irwin, Network Rail programme manager, and Conor Linnell, project director, transportation at Atkins, for their help with the preparation of this article.

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Rail Engineer • February 2017

Atkins reflects on CHRISTMAS WORKS

CASR

n completion of the works, Atkins project director Conor Linnell spoke with Rail Engineer on the scale of the project, issues faced, significant innovations, and provided facts and figures relating to the work undertaken by the company.

“The commissioning of the CASR programme was the largest ever attempted on the UK rail network, featuring the equivalent of 19 SSI interlockings,” he explained. “We added automatic route-setting to the whole footprint of the re-signalled Cardiff area (approximately 192 route miles) and had to deliver over 120 specific data changes to nine disparate systems (including spares), which all required configuration and interface management. “In order to prepare for this complex piece of work, Atkins, with support from Siemens and Alstom/HICSE, built a dedicated test rig with duplicate interlockings and control systems for our systems engineers to prep-test all the data. “Bi-weekly five-way engineering meetings were held by Atkins to co-ordinate the interlocking supplier, the control system supplier(s), the automatic route-setting supplier, Network Rail engineering and operations teams, and the Atkins project team. “Mobilising and co-ordinating the logistics for the commissioning, which featured over 320 people and four road closures to enable the level crossing works, was a huge undertaking. Atkins employed over 500 employees throughout the project and mobilised over 300 staff just for the commissioning. “The application of Frauscher train detection technology is the single largest in the UK with the delivery of nearly 832 train detection rail mounted heads and 600 train detection sections (252 of which in Phase 5 alone) across all five phases. “The introduction of the new systems has made over 12,500 existing signalling records redundant. 603 kilometres of cable, 95 kilometres of power cable and 401 kilometres of lineside cable were installed during the life cycle of the project. The programme generated more than 200,000 design drawings for the delivery of the multiple phases of the scheme and the 100 plus stagework commissions which were required.

“Atkins was responsible for both the signalling and power and distribution contracts, which were central to the delivery of the wider scheme. Atkins’ involvement in the CASR programme began in 2010, when we supported the GRIP 4 design process. During this time, we introduced over a dozen technical and process innovations to aid the optimum delivery of the project. These ranged from a bespoke process for the on-site tracking of progress in construction (INFORM), to the successful utilisation of plug-coupled cable technology. Furthermore, this was a time of many ‘firsts.’ We introduced new materials management and tracking systems, developed the expertise to deliver Modular Control System (MCS) data-writing in-house and commissioned the first dual Control System Gateway (CSG) interface anywhere in the world - all in pursuit of the CASR programme. “For the project, we developed a dedicated aerial photogrammetry model and automated cable measuring tool. The photogrammetry model was used to share topographical insights with over 200 members of the wider project team, including contractors, the client and wider client stakeholders. This technology was deployed on many occasions throughout the life of the project and revolutionised both the planning and the way we responded to challenges. “Atkins worked with the train detection supplier (Frauscher) early on in the project to develop designs, processes, training facilities, standards and the remote monitoring of the axle counters to facilitate maintenance planning. This work and development continued throughout the five years of the project, enabling the team to learn how to refine and improve the wider train detection system, ensuring it delivers to the highest standards for the Wales route.”

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CHRISTMAS WORKS

Rail Engineer â&#x20AC;˘ February 2017

Thameslink

progress around London Bridge

he massive job of sorting out the approach tracks to London Bridge as part of the Thameslink project took a massive leap forward over the 2016 Christmas and New Year period. Back in the same period two years ago, the lines from New Cross Gate to the site of the old Spa Road station were reduced from four to three, with all trains to and from the Croydon/Sussex direction having to use the higher-level route adjacent to South Bermondsey station. This was to enable the demolition of the viaduct carrying the Up and Down Fast lines and the Down Slow. The train service pattern was adjusted accordingly, but the planners did not get it quite right. For a number of different reasons, including drivers taking time to learn the new layout, station management issues and positioning of customer information screens at the station, significant disruption was experienced for a while, causing near-riot conditions at London Bridge station. As each of these issues was resolved, and by removing some trains from the timetable, the train service pattern settled down in the intervening period and reasonable reliability has resulted.

Christmas plan The civil work to build the Bermondsey Dive Under was described in issue 142 (August 2016) and this will have the ultimate objective of allowing Southern, Thameslink and Southeastern train services to have dedicated routes into and through London Bridge, including the ongoing lines to Charing Cross, Blackfriars and Cannon Street. As an intermediate stage, however, getting an additional track into use for Croydon-bound services via New Cross Gate is an important step forward and will permit much needed flexibility for the operating authorities.

Rail Engineer â&#x20AC;¢ February 2017

LONDON BRIDGE No.1 DN CANNON ST

UNCHANGED TRACK LAYOUT

No.2 REVERSIBLE CANNON ST

MODIFIED TRACK LAYOUT FUTURE No.3 UP

No.3 DN CHARING X (TEMP) No.4 UP CHARING X (TEMP)

FUTURE REVERSIBLE

DOWN SUSSEX SLOW

FUTURE No.4 DN

FUTURE LAYOUT CHANGES

NEW CROSS FUTURE DN KENT FAST

RE TU FU

FUTURE UP KENT FAST

STH LONDON

BERMONDSEY DIVE-UNDER

TO DEPTFORD

LONDON OVERGROUND TO SURREY QUAYS

NEW CROSS GATE

REVERSIBLE

LONDON BRIDGE

SUSSEX REVERSIBLE

DN SUSSEX SLOW

BERMONDSEY REVERSIBLE

DN SUSSEX FAST UP SUSSEX FAST

UP BERMONDSEY SPUR SOUTH BERMONDSEY STATION

UP SUSSEX SLOW

CLIVE KESSELL

PECKHAM RYE

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N KD LIN ES P AM TH KU LIN ES AM TH

SUSSEX RVSBL

UP STH LONDON

Rail Engineer • February 2017 References to Up and Down in the London Bridge area is slightly misleading, as most tracks will be signalled for reversible working and, indeed, Line 8 will still eventually be accessible from the terminal platforms should the need arise. Most Down trains now use the new line to New Cross Gate, thus freeing up the higher-level route for Up trains and easing the potential for conflicting moves in the Bricklayers Arms junction area.

Signal gantry removal

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Under the 1975 London Bridge re-signalling scheme, massive gantries were installed on the approach tracks spanning both the Central and SE lines. Two of these later became redundant, but removing them required a full possession of all lines. The Christmas blockade was thus a heaven-sent opportunity. One gantry near London Bridge station spanned 11 tracks, the other at Spa Road spanned nine. Both had one intermediate support. Rail mounted cranes were employed at both sites and, once the jib cables were connected, the booms were cut and lowered to ground level. These were then cut into sections and removed on rail-mounted plant.

Power supply enhancement The total work packages over the period included: »» Bringing into use the Down ‘Sussex’ Slow line through the Bermondsey dive-under; »» Removal of two major signal gantries at London Bridge and Spa Road; »» Preparation for new power supplies as part of the improved resilience of power feeds to both the traction and signalling equipment in the wider London Bridge area; »» Renewal of 500 metres of plain line track on the Up Cannon Street track; »» Provision of eight new point ends at New Cross known as the Edward Street ladder. Rail Engineer went to meet Mark Somers, the project director for signalling and track, to learn how it all progressed.

Four new power supply points have been deemed necessary to support the signalling requirements for the enhanced London Bridge area. Three of these had been provided earlier but the fourth, at Lewisham, was commissioned over Christmas and forms part of the radial supply for the whole area. This will feed the signalling equipment rooms (REBs) at St Johns and Bermondsey. In readiness for the provision of a new traction sub station at London Bridge, due to be brought into use in April, the power cables and routes needed for this were run in plus the abolition of TP huts (Track Paralleling) associated with the new Platforms 9, 10 and 11 on the south-east side.

Bermondsey dive-under The construction of the grade separation dive-under was completed in October so that work to lay track and the provision of signalling could then commence. The Down Slow (known as Line 9) was provided with ballast using road vehicles, the track then being laid using the Balfour Beatty NTC (New Track Construction) train during a single day in November. This clever machine is constantly loaded with sleepers from coupled ‘Salmon’ wagons, dropping them off automatically at the right spacing as it moves forward. Rail is drawn off from further trailing wagons and positioned on to the sleepers, all in a single process. Alignment and tamping followed after which the Down Slow line was used as an engineer’s line for ballasting and laying of track on adjacent lines. At the southern end of the new line, a 50mph crossover was installed to provide a connection to the Down Fast line, removing the need for Down trains to be routed via the high level route adjacent to South Bermondsey. The new line extends from Spa Road to New Cross Gate and is the first to use the dive-under. Signalling the new line was relatively simple as the London Bridge central side had been controlled from Three Bridges ROC since January 2015. It merely required the addition of five signals and two point ends to be commissioned onto the South Central work station. New signalling on Line 9 was commissioned during Christmas Day and Boxing Day, with test trains running in the early hours of 27 December, and was made fully operational later that morning. On that same day, Line 8 from Spa Road to London Bridge has been secured out of use with Down direction signals fixed at red as, in a later stage, this will become the Up Kent Fast line into Platform 9 at the station.

Cannon Street line track renewal The rebuilding of the platforms for Cannon Street services at London Bridge has involved slewing the associated two tracks over to where the Thameslink services will eventually be routed. However, the importance of the city terminus has meant that a service must be maintained, not stopping at London Bridge but necessitating keeping the approach tracks in good order. Around 500 metres of plain line on Line 2 in the Spa Road area needed replacing, and what should have been a simple job turned out to have unexpected complications. The track sits on five weight-restricted bridges with the deck plates dating back to the 1900s. Renewal of the bridges will eventually have to happen but not at the current time. The use of modern track-laying machinery was ruled out for fear of damaging the deck plates so the new track was installed by traditional means - somewhat labour intensive but a safe option which took advantage of the time available over the New Year shutdown period.

Rail Engineer • February 2017 Edward Street ladder junction

Road Rail Cranes AC40 and AC55 remove the redundant signal gantry near London Bridge.

CHRISTMAS WORKS

The Bermondsey grade separation affects the south-eastern side of London Bridge as well the Sussex lines, since trains for Charing Cross need to be re-routed to the western side of the future Thameslink tracks. The track layout in the New Cross area had to be prepared for this change, part of which was the renewal of eight point ends at Edward Street junction, just to the east of New Cross station. This will enable trains for Charing Cross and Cannon Street to be routed accordingly, and at higher speeds than at present. In addition, the point machines have been upgraded from the HW1000-type to the more powerful HW2000 model. This involved changing from three to four wire operation, all part of making the signalling more resilient, seen as critical in the quest for greater reliability.

Signalling and telecommunications Mention has been made of the additional signals, these being provided by Siemens as part of the Three Bridges ROC programme. The signalling is based around the Westlock solidstate interlocking, a well-proven product and capable of supporting ETCS when and if the lines are converted to ERTMS operation. Track circuits of the Bombardier EBI Track 400type are the chosen train detection technology, in preference to axle counters that are considered too risky at the present time for such

a critical piece of railway. Although the EBI Track product had suffered from reliability problems in 2014, this has now been resolved. The FDM (frequency-division multiplexing) transmission links connecting outlying relay rooms to the old London Bridge power box have been replaced with TDM (time-division multiplexing) equipment.

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It is the intention to use ‘Proceed on Signal Aspect’ conditions on the Thameslink route in future to minimise the effect of any point failures, allowing a driver to pass a red signal under controlled conditions. Another new feature, known as ‘Electronic Point Route Locking Release’, will also be a valuable addition to operational reliability and flexibility for the

CHRISTMAS WORKS

Rail Engineer • February 2017

signaller when infrastructure failure conditions occur. Also planned are 170 Lock Out Devices (LOD) that effectively stop routes from being used when track patrols are taking place. These will give much needed safety assurance. Whilst ARS (Automatic Route Setting) will be part of the final signalling methodology, this is not deployed currently as the constant changes to track layout and signals would mean frequently having to alter the ARS settings. ARS will be introduced, along with TMS (Traffic Management System) and ATO (Automatic Train Operation), for the Thameslink trains in late 2018. The communication links back to Three Bridges are provided by NRT (Network Rail Telecoms) using its FTNx network. Because of the importance of these links, a virtual private network has been created, known as the TSPN (Thameslink Signalling Private Network), which provides four alternative paths back to the ROC and thus much greater resilience. The transmission uses Internet Protocols (IP), employing Cisco routers in line with modern-day practice. The GSM-R radio was checked for coverage through the dive-under lines and found not to need any enhancement.

Staffing and train operation Around 250 engineers and technicians from both Network Rail and its contractors were on site during the Christmas and New Year period. The work was carefully planned and all went to schedule with only minor problems occurring with point detection equipment at New Cross. The work package cost £1.5 million, a sizeable amount but not unreasonable when considering what was achieved. Balfour Beatty Rail Projects was contracted for all the track work and was supported by TXM, which provided associated plant. Road Rail Cranes were also contracted by Balfour Beatty and supplied AC40 and AC55 cranes. Siemens Rail Automation, as part of its overall contract for the ROC signalling, provided all the new signals, track circuits and point mechanisms needed for the revised track layout. Train services revisions resulted in no Southern services running into London Bridge on Christmas Day and Boxing Day and no Southeastern services, other than on the Greenwich line, between Christmas Eve and 27 December whilst the Edward Street ladder junction was replaced. Trains were diverted to other terminals on the relevant days. Balfour Beatty's NTC (also above).

Ongoing work This stage was, perhaps, to use Churchill’s words, “the end of the beginning”. 2017 will be a busy year for the London Bridge team with the following major work planned: »» Easter: Cannon Street lines slewed back to their new platforms at London Bridge with associated signalling, although the platforms will not re-open at this stage; »» Spring Bank Holiday: point work at Blackfriars leading down to London Bridge will be remodelled, including Southwark Bridge junction and new signals and track circuits; »» August Bank Holiday: a nine-day blockade to reconfigure the Charing Cross line platforms at London Bridge and bring Platform 6 into use. Also the Up and Down Fast approach lines from Kent will be routed through the dive-under with major track slewing at New Cross; »» Christmas: the final layout will be introduced including the new Thameslink tracks through London Bridge station and over the new flyover at Bermondsey. To put it into perspective, the London Bridge project started in May 2013 with a 4½ year programme involving the complete rebuilding of London Bridge station, over 100 track stages and 11 major commissionings, all costing £3.2 billion. So far, and despite what many passengers may think, it has all has gone to plan. Thanks to Mark Somers and to Alexandra Swann, communications manager for Thameslink, for their explanations regarding these works.

PADDINGTON STATION, LONDON CHRISTMAS 2016

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Rail Engineer • February 2017

CHRISTMAS WORKS

New Cross 98 hours

CHRIS PARKER

ew Cross lies on a route of critical importance, on the line between Kent and London Bridge, very close to the throat of the latter. It is one of the most heavily used commuter routes in the UK, and very sensitive politically. With London rail issues already in the news before Christmas, Network Rail could not afford work in this area to go wrong during the 2016 Christmas engineering campaign. Rail Engineer heard from Network Rail’s Cameron Downey that the 98hour blockade at New Cross had come dangerously close to over-running, but was eventually delivered on time thanks to good planning, contingency measures and experienced and cool thinking people.

Switch diamonds The job commenced at 00:01 on Christmas Eve, with the objective of renewing eight S&C units, which comprise two three-line crossovers, and handing the railway back into use at 04:00 on Wednesday 28 December. The renewal was complicated as it involved two sets of switch diamonds in addition to normal switches and crossings. Switch diamonds are complex and notoriously difficult to set up, commission and test satisfactorily. Furthermore, besides the S&C, the project team was charged with renewing some 800 metres of conductor rail, replacing two sets of hook switches with modern isolation systems, installing and commissioning point heating on the new S&C and, last and far from least, installing and commissioning the required signalling systems.

Cameron works in the S&C division of Network Rail’s Infrastructure Projects (IP) Track organisation, and his responsibilities are not restricted to just this one project. The team he works in is responsible for a rolling programme of renewals and undertakes enhancement works too. It is, for example, involved in work at Euston for HS2 and in Wessex. The New Cross works were undertaken under an alliance contract within which Network Rail, Colas Rail and AECOM staff all work in one team, with getting the job done safely, on time and to budget the key

goal for everyone. There is a totally collaborative culture - it matters not which company an individual works for. The team faced two particular challenges in planning and executing the New Cross works, imposed by the timing and location of the job. Timing was important because the works had to be done during the Christmas period, when many other significant works were also to take place across the rail network. This meant that specialist equipment, such as tilting wagons for S&C delivery, were in exceptionally high demand. For all its importance, New Cross was never going to have sufficient priority to guarantee the availability of such kit, and from the outset the plans for the job had to be made assuming that other alternatives would need to be employed.

Rail Engineer • February 2017

Constrained site

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The S&C site is on the top of an embankment, and is hemmed in by railway and other infrastructure. There is very little room on the site to store plant or materials and, because of other works, any engineering trains were going to have to enter and leave the site from the same end, the country end. Fortunately there is a small area of land at the bottom of the embankment where prefabricated S&C panels could be stored. An access road from there to the lineside was practicable, though somewhat convoluted and tricky. A plan was therefore drawn up for the job, involving a Kirow crane to make the final placements of the S&C panels at track level. That was straightforward and conventional. However, feeding the panels to where the crane could reach them to pick them up for placement was another matter. As already mentioned, the 40 odd S&C panels were delivered to a stockpile area at the base of the bank. They were brought there from the S&C manufacturer, VC UK of Scunthorpe, in small numbers by lorry over a period of several weeks beforehand. The awkward roadway from the stockpile to the small lineside area from which the Kirow would take the panels for installation meant the use of two large tracked machines lifting each panel and carrying it in tandem. This activity became critical to the timing of the whole works, since it was important that the Kirow crane was kept supplied with panels continually if time was not to be lost. To further complicate matters for Cameron and his colleagues, his team was also responsible for another significant site which was proceeding in parallel, Queenstown Road on the Wessex route. This was also an S&C installation, meaning that similar skills were needed on each site. The result was that, in the full spirit of collaboration, people who are normally office-based came to work out on site on one or other of these jobs, to ensure that both were provided with sufficient human resources.

The wider area Whilst the New Cross works went on, there were adjacent lines which remained open to traffic. There were also many other works going on around New Cross - on Thameslink, at Lewisham and more. Bridge, track maintenance and electrical works were amongst these nearby activities, affecting engineering train access and other aspects of the New Cross job. The S&C installation of this roughly £4 million scheme proceeded very much to plan, despite all of the complications, and everything was looking rosy on the Monday when the installation was completed and first tested. Then the gremlins struck! On the Tuesday, when formal ‘wheels free’ testing commenced, one of the two switch diamonds misbehaved. It proved impossible to get it correctly set up and performing to specification, and the cause of this was not readily apparent. It was at this point that the value of contingency planning and resourcing became obvious. The project had sufficient resources and expertise available to effectively dismantle the switch diamond concerned and rebuild it on site. Various possible causes for the fault were identified by the experts involved, examined, and then eliminated without curing the problem. In the end, it came down to a microswitch installation, but it turned out that the microswitch itself was not at fault, it was the metal case it sat in that was defective!

Seemingly, nobody concerned suspected a simple, fixed metal case like this could have had anything to do with the fault, but after eliminating everything else that they could think of, they tried replacing the case, and the problem disappeared! The solution was found, after a lot of hard work, just in time to complete the testing and commissioning and hand the tracks back into traffic by the planned time - a great team effort.

Using Robel hand tampers to consolidate new ballast.

Rail Engineer • February 2017

Manchester Ordsall Chord CHRISTMAS WORKS

PAUL DARLINGTON

anchester Ordsall Chord was featured in issue 137 (March 2016), including details of the benefits and challenges to the chosen route to link Manchester Piccadilly with Manchester Victoria. The outcome of the legal challenge was that the scheme has obtained the necessary approvals, and work has been steadily underway for some time.

The new chord is an essential part of the Northern Hub programme of enhancements which will allow an extra 700 trains to be run each day, providing space for 44 million passengers each year. It is expected to bring £4 billion of benefits to Manchester, along with 20,000 to 30,000 new jobs. The construction of the Winsor Link in the 1980s routed all Liverpool to the North East traffic through Manchester Piccadilly. In the early 1990s, the construction of the Manchester airport link, and its subsequent expansion, resulted in significant new train paths from the airport, including services to Leeds, Newcastle and York, via Manchester Piccadilly. However, all these trains have to enter Manchester Piccadilly and reverse before continuing their journeys. They also have to cut across all other services into Manchester Piccadilly, which includes the intercity services to London and Birmingham. This effectively limits the throughput of services into Manchester and causes congestion.

Ordsall Chord The solution is the Ordsall Chord, a 300-metre section of new track which will allow all trains from the East to be routed around the city via Manchester Victoria and Oxford Road to and from the airport. This will remove the need to cross the path of other trains from the south using Manchester Piccadilly, but will still allow services to call at Manchester Piccadilly platforms 13 and14. It will also eliminate the need for trains to reverse.

The benefits will be new direct links to Manchester airport from across the north of England. The congestion currently seen at Manchester Piccadilly will reduce by a quarter, and the three main Manchester stations being linked will provide connectivity for those traveling through the city and beyond. Since our last update on the project, all the required steel work has been fabricated by Severfield at its factory, followed by construction on site throughout April to July. During July 2016, Princes’ Bridge was removed by crane and the new Irwell footbridge was lifted into place, although it won’t be open to the public until later in 2017. By September 2016, construction of the sections of the new iconic network arch bridge across the river Irwell, together with new bridges for Water Street, was well underway. Finally, to end the year, between Sunday 18 December 2016 and Monday 2 January 2017, around 700 people worked on the longest and most complex stage of the project so far, known as stage A4. The engineering works were significant, constrained and very complex. During the 15-day period, existing railway track between Eccles and Deansgate, Eccles and Manchester Victoria and Deansgate and Salford Crescent stations were reconfigured. These changes will allow the chord to connect with the new track layout when work is completed towards the end of 2017.

Rail Engineer • February 2017

Working around the clock

CHRISTMAS WORKS

An alliance of Skanska /BAM Nuttall (civil engineering), Siemens (signalling, telecoms and power), Amey Sersa (switches and crossings), Network Rail Overhead Conditional Renewal - OCR (overhead electric traction) and Network Rail (project management) is delivering the work. Based near to the construction site at Regent Road/Water Street, the team has over 150 staff on site in nine compounds. The work site is very constrained, being nearly all on elevated railway, on grade 1 and 2 listed bridges and viaducts, in the middle of a residential development area. Stakeholder management is very important with it being both a heritage site and a renovation area. The project team has a very close working relationship with the Museum of Science and Industry, known as MOSI, and some of the worksites are on land which developers are waiting to move onto, once the rail work is completed and city renovation takes over. Over the holiday period, the project worked around the clock to install 250km of new signalling cables, train control changes, new train detection and signals, 3km of new overhead wiring, eight new sets of switches and crossings, 1km of new track with 9,000 tonnes of new ballast, along with lifting 500 tonnes of new steel into place for the two new bridges. Other work included Water Street bridge renovation and the widening of viaducts in the Castlefield area. Other viaducts have also been widened in order to get the required ‘sweep in’ for the chord. The objections to the scheme over the last three years were understandably concerned with the damage to the historic location of the Chord. However, heritage also plays a key part in the project. A significant benefit is that, by removing the girder bridge that partly covers it, George Stephenson’s grade 1 listed bridge will be fully visible for the first time since the 1860s. Incidentally, the 1860 extension had removed some of original Stevenson stonework, but this is being restored to its original condition. It can now be seen by members of the public and the painstaking task of rejuvenating the bridge (with cleaning by hand) to show how it first looked in 1830 continues. This includes full refurbishment, internally and externally, full waterproofing, together with sourcing stone from the original quarry to restore the parapets removed in 1860.

CHRISTMAS WORKS

Rail Engineer • February 2017

OLE at Ordsall Lane Junction.

Signalling control The signalling arrangements in the Manchester area are complicated, which has made the creation of a signalling control strategy to connect Manchester Piccadilly/Oxford Road to Manchester Victoria via the Ordsall Chord even more complex. Manchester Piccadilly Signalling Control Centre (SCC) was opened in October 1988 and controlled from Slade Lane Junction, Longsight, Ardwick Junction, Piccadilly Station and Oxford Road to Deansgate. Rather than being a separate signalbox structure, the operating floor was located within tower block offices in the middle of Piccadilly Station. Entrance-exit ‘NX’ button panels were provided with links to remote trackside route relay interlockings (RRIs). The area of control was expanded to include all lines bounded by Ardwick, Levenshulme and Styal to the South; Urmston and Weale to the West; Blackrod, Crow Nest and Turton in the North. The SCC was provided with signaller’s panels for Heald Green & Airport, Longsight, Piccadilly Station, Oxford Road and Windsor Bridge & Bolton. Manchester North Signalling Control Centre (MNSCC) was one of the early Railtrack-delivered resignalling schemes in 1998, located opposite Salford Crescent station. It was provided with a TEW entrance-exit panel operating four solid state interlockings (SSI) and controlled the area formerly signalled by seven signal boxes. The plan was always to eventually have a large signalling operating centre for the whole of the north and, while the interlockings were located in a brick-constructed equipment room, the operating panel was provided in a temporary wooden ‘shed’ building.

Manchester ROC It was a good job that Railtrack used plenty of wood preservative on the temporary operating structure as it took another 17 years before the large building was finally ready. Manchester rail operating centre (ROC) was eventually constructed near Ashburys station. This will eventually control large parts of the railway in the north west of England, bordered by Crewe to the south, Todmorden in the east, Carlisle in the north and the Welsh border to the west. The state-of-the-art rail operating centre is one of a handful of ROCs which will eventually manage the entire rail network across Britain, replacing more than 800 signal boxes and other operational locations currently used to control trains. The line between Huyton and Roby, near Liverpool, was the first section of railway being controlled from MROC following resignalling and upgrade work. This was shortly followed by the transfer, in 2015, of MNSCC into the ROC onto two signaller’s workstations known as Manchester North and Manchester Central, the latter designed to be ready for the Ordsall Curve project. During the recent blockade over Christmas 2016, the Manchester Piccadilly SCC Oxford Road NX panel area was transferred onto a new workstation in the ROC known as Oxford Road, which is now controlling the

line past the chord and which will eventually signal trains across the chord. The Castlefield and Ordsall Lane Junction areas have also been resignalled using Frauscher axle counters for train detection and with bi-directional working. The complexity of the design and controls cannot be overstated. This is a very complicated scheme. Currently, a train leaving Manchester for the North West will be controlled from Manchester Piccadilly SCC ‘Piccadilly Panel’ before transferring onto Manchester ROC ‘Oxford Road’ workstation, over to Manchester ROC ‘Manchester North’ workstation, then back to Manchester Piccadilly SCC, but on the ‘Windsor Bridge & Bolton’ panel. Eventually, all the panels will transfer into the Manchester ROC using workstations but, until this takes place, Manchester Piccadilly has been cleverly provided with a ‘repeater’ display showing trains stepping through the Manchester ROC workstations.

Commissioning and remaining stages The signalling was commissioned in several stages and finally, on the last day of the blockade at 04:09 (Oxford Road) and 04:13 (Central), workstations in Manchester ROC were signed into the signaller’s use marking the completion of the most significant stage of works, and as a precursor to the full commissioning of the Ordsall Chord later in the year. New piers for the bridge are being provided along Trinity Way and the steel work for the new 85-metre arch bridge over the Irwell is on site and is planned to be lifted during February. The next significant rail stage is an 11-day blockade over Easter 2017 between Deal Street through to Ordsall Lane Junction during which new track will be installed between the redundant platforms at Salford Central station, although they will not be brought into use until later in the year. Chapel Street Bridge will also be replaced during this time. Finally, the chord itself will be brought into use at the end of September, ready for new services to commence with the new timetable in December. The £85 million Ordsall Chord project and other aspects of the Northern Hub programme will ensure passengers in the north can access more frequent trains and with reduced journey times. The work on the Ordsall Chord - and other projects across the region - goes hand in hand with Northern Trains’ own modernisation programme which will see significant improvements to stations, carriages and services. Network Rail and train operators were delighted that the vital work to transform train travel in the north was completed on time and thanked passengers and the local community for their patience. Martin Frobisher, route managing director for Network Rail, said: “The benefits of the Ordsall Chord will be felt for generations by customers as far off as Newcastle, Hull, Liverpool and countless other great towns and cities in the north”. Thanks to Allan Parker and Colin Saunders of Network Rail for their help with this article.

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the drain

Rail Engineer • February 2017

Christmas down

GRAHAME TAYLOR

CHRISTMAS WORKS

K, so what would be your idea of an ideal Christmas? In the warm? In the dry? With friends and/or family around you? (The slight qualification is needed as you can choose your friends. You can’t choose your family.) Perhaps a comforting drink or two and the sure knowledge that all the celebrations will be followed by a relaxing comatose state - with everyone going away soon afterwards. That’s one idea. The alternative is to spend Christmas and four succeeding days up to your ankles in freezing water, bathed in artificial lighting, and being occasionally rained on by equally icy streams of water - with no alcohol and no occasional snoozes. Strangely, there’s a waiting list for the latter. Such attractions have to be booked months in advance. David Jarman, Network Rail project manager, had his name down back in the spring of 2016. The venue of his special Christmas was Sevenoaks tunnel, the site of drainage work on the South Eastern main line between London, Sevenoaks and Tonbridge.

Speed restriction The project had all the prerequisites. It was in the depths of a two-mile-long tunnel. There was plenty of cold water involved, issuing both from the ballast and from the tunnel roof. But, in all seriousness, these were the very reasons for such an extraordinary exercise at an extraordinary time. Sevenoaks tunnel is a vital link in the route to Hastings from London. The public timetable alone shows something like 27 trains run towards London before 09:00 on a weekday morning, with the first one passing through the tunnel a few minutes before 05:00hrs. The evening peak is just as busy. Trains scoop up bleary-eyed commuters from beyond the conurbations of Tonbridge, Hildenborough and Tunbridge Wells. And all this traffic runs through a tunnel

which is very wet and on track that has required frequent maintenance to keep it open. A speed restriction has been imposed because of the deterioration of the track due to water at times running at sleeper level. Two miles of 50mph track instead of 70mph has to be addressed.

An old problem David had the job of sorting out the worst sections of a failed six-foot drain. Work was to be encompassed by Network Rail’s South East Route’s multifunctional framework contract and the planning of the complex logistics was led by the principal contractor BAM Nuttall. The designer was Tony Gee and Partners. BAM was selected due to its proven delivery capability of tunnel drainage schemes in the South-East and the ability to draw successfully upon important lessons learned from previous similar projects. About 260 metres of drain was identified by Network Rail’s SouthEast Route’s Asset Management team as being either blocked or, in places, non-existent. It’s not as if this was a new problem. Drains within Sevenoaks tunnel have given trouble for many years and several attempts have been made to improve the situation. But piecemeal repairs have never taken the problem by the throat. It was time for a bold approach. The trouble is that bold approaches can take time and, with the intensity of traffic both during the week and at weekends, time was never on offer except, of course, at Christmas.

Rail Engineer • February 2017

Excavation

CHRISTMAS WORKS

At 01:15 on Christmas Eve, a possession of both lines through the tunnel was taken. This was due to be given back four days later at 04:00 on 28 December. During that time, twelve shifts - three per day - were worked by a labour force of approximately 40 people per shift. Not all the drain was excavated at a time. Two worksites were set up so that plant, machinery and labour could be used efficiently. Discreet lengths, which varied between 10 and 30 metres, were opened up so that the job would not present a risk of overrun if serious problems were encountered. Just one engineer’s train was involved, with wagons planned to be strategically placed in the train to allow the two work teams to operate. The locomotive was shut down between moves but, even so, air quality was monitored regularly and fans provided by Factair were used to give a constant flow of fresh, if not very fresh, air to the worksites. The drain was originally a 450mm diameter brick barrel with catchpits at irregular intervals. The task of the machinery, supplied by Total Rail Solutions, was to break out the roof of the barrel - where it existed - and to allow the excavation of spoil and obstructing material before laying the Aqua pipes. New catchpits were constructed every 20 metres, although some of the existing catchpits were retained depending on their condition and on whether they fitted the 20-metre interval. Such were the historic drainage problems within the tunnel that there was already a sixinch over-pumping main in operation which had its own power supply. This was kept going along with additional temporary pumps to help keep the water under control whilst pipes were laid.

The long haul As with many tunnel sites, access was not straightforward. It would be tempting to look at Sevenoaks station as the logical operations centre but, in practice, there was very little space available with only limited access for road-rail vehicles. A site near Sevenoaks Weald village was chosen for site offices and for track access, although this was half a mile from the southern portal. All personnel travelled to site from this access point, many using road/rail personnel trolleys. Christmas works attract a good deal of media attention, but only if they go badly. For this reason, David and his team adhered to the strict discipline of four-hourly reporting to the South Eastern route control even though the logistics of doing this could be challenging without disrupting productivity.

Although the aim of delivering 260 metres of drainage installation in the 100 hour timeframe was not achieved, after twelve shifts in unrelentingly unpleasant and wet conditions, more than half of the defective sections of six foot drain were repaired. David is keen to emphasise that his team and the contractor BAM Nuttall, worked stoically throughout to achieve the end result. The possession was given back on time and, following some final drainage installation works in spring/summer 2017, the tunnel should be dry enough for new track to be laid during the next financial year. There is a real prospect of line speed being restored through the tunnel, so giving less disruption to the intense timetable. So, if you fancy the alternative Christmas, get your name down early for the next tunnel job on the list.

Historical footnote As an aside, consider this intriguing insight into the construction of Sevenoaks Tunnel. Work started in 1863 and was completed in 1868. The contractor was John Jay and there are accounts of water always being a problem. In the area of shaft 13 in Oak Lane (a leafy suburban road to this day) ‘men were constantly working in water up to their knees with incessant dripping from above’. Sound familiar? Ever the shrewd businessman, Mr Jay constructed an underground reservoir at Oak Lane, formed the Sevenoaks Water Company and became the major shareholder!

Rail Engineer • February 2017

CHRISTMAS WORKS

PETER STANTON

Crossrail Christmas on

Tilting wagons lined up at Maidenhead.

Crossover installation at Hayes & Harlington.

midst the major packages of work progressed over the ten day period at Christmas 2016, a significant portfolio of works was constructed in connection with the huge Crossrail project; in particular the works undertaken by Network Rail outside of the tunnels, known as ‘On Network Works’.

Whilst the name ‘The Elizabeth Line’ has been chosen for the Crossrail project services, the works are still very much recognised by the traditional name. The central section under London, in 44km of new tunnels, has naturally had the highest profile, but the service has to reach out to Maidenhead, Shenfield and Abbey Wood. The works outside the tunnel portals are necessarily being integrated with a day-to-day existing service and other upgrades and new works. From December 2019, four Elizabeth line trains an hour will allow passengers to travel from Maidenhead right through central London without having to change trains. Two Elizabeth line trains an hour will run between Maidenhead and Reading, so the Crossrail preparations are allied to works to ensure new Great Western electrified services and the introduction of the new Electric Inter City Express units. Many elements of Network Rail’s Christmas work are not only critical for the delivery of the Crossrail project but will also deliver immediate benefits for passengers. Greatest emphasis was on opening the second ramp of the Stockley Flyover at Heathrow junction and a new dive-under at Acton. These major new structures have been built as part of the Crossrail project but will be used by GWR and Heathrow Express trains, adding capacity and improving reliability on this busy section of the Great Western main line. Fast services currently operated by Great Western Railway will be unaffected by the introduction of those Elizabeth line services.

Crossrail West In the biggest single engineering operation ever mounted by Network Rail for the Crossrail project, major works were completed over the holiday to the existing railway in outer London, Berkshire and Essex. More than 4,000 workers were out on the railway over the ten-day Christmas period, carrying out more than 330,000 hours of carefully planned work, which will ultimately integrate the new tunnels beneath London with the existing rail network. This is vital, as three quarters of the route will run above ground in outer London, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Essex, bringing 1.5 million more people within 45 minutes of central London. Major rail industry contractors and consultants have been strongly committed to the Network Rail delivered works, including Carillion, VolkerRail, Bam Nuttall and Costain with much of the design being delivered by Jacobs.

Rail Engineer • February 2017

CHRISTMAS WORKS

The upgrade work that was delivered this Christmas period included: »» Finalising the new flyover at Stockley, Hillingdon, which will ensure that Crossrail and Heathrow Express services heading towards central London will be able to join the Great Western main line without delaying, or being delayed by, other trains using the route. The flyover, 1,800 metres in length, was fully completed to come into service after the holiday break. Main contractor involvement at the site was with Carillion which was also acting as principal contractor. »» Commissioning the Acton dive-under where the project’s aim is to provide a grade separation that allows freight services to leave Acton Yard onto the Down Relief of the Great Western main line without the need to cross passenger services on the up relief line on the level. Additionally, a route was installed between Acton West and Acton main line station for freight trains to avoid the dive-under (and associated gradients) and to give access to Acton Yard. The yard was effectively ‘moved’ eight metres to allow the new connections to be made. 45,000 cubic metres of earth were moved in the construction process. Whilst Carillion was a party to the works here, BAM Nuttall delivered the dive-under construction itself while VolkerRail was also active in the yard and dive-under project. »» Opening the bay platform at Hayes & Harlington, which will allow GWR to bring in even more new electric trains, increasing frequency between London Paddington and Hayes & Harlington to a half-hourly service. »» Making significant improvements at Maidenhead station as part of the Crossrail programme. The work began in 2014 and the station has remained open throughout the works. Improvements in preparation for the new Crossrail services include improvements to the ticket hall, a new lift to Platform 1 and new signage, help points, customer information screens and CCTV. Externally, platforms have been extended to accommodate the new 200-metre-long Elizabeth line trains, the train shed on Platform 4/5 has been removed and new platform canopies installed throughout to accommodate the overhead line equipment. Crossrail has also been working with the Royal Borough of Windsor & Maidenhead on improvements to the area around the station.

»» The installation of 14 new sets of points and commissioning the associated signalling equipment. as well as the ongoing electrification work between Maidenhead and Heathrow junction that will allow for the introduction of new electric trains. Additionally, new sidings are being built to the west of the station to accommodate the Elizabeth line trains. This leaves just the turn back plain line and sidings to be installed over the next few months. This was a very large and complex worksite over two miles long. »» Constructing platform extensions at a number of locations including West Ealing, Southall and Hayes & Harlington stations in order to accommodate the longer GWR and Elizabeth line trains. »» In order to facilitate the new service pattern at West Ealing Sidings, the teams commissioned into service two brand new 12-car sidings for the new GWR Class 387s, which commenced service on 3 January 2017 on schedule. »» Major undertakings in the complex Old Oak Common area - with significant layout changes to integrate the Crossrail lines with the existing network, associated OLE and signalling upgrades have been made. This was the single largest piece of signalling works tackled over the Christmas season on the Great Western Crossrail route.

Trackwork at Maidenhead.

Balfour Beatty Kirow installing track panels at Sheffield.

Rail Engineer • February 2017

CHRISTMAS WORKS

Hayes & Harlington station.

New track at Sheffield.

»» New footbridge works at Paddington station which have been progressed at Platforms 1 and 2 to allow compliant electrification of those platforms. As part of works to prepare for the new EMU and Inter City Express services, Platforms 12 and 13 were effectively combined to allow commissioning later in the year. As well as these discrete site works, the task of completing the electrification scheme in the area continued with West Outer Electrification. The team delivered the final wire runs on Christmas Day - the ultimate Christmas present - ready for energisation in early 2017. They also undertook final registrations on over 450 small part steelwork installations. There were many other smaller packages of works undertaken during this blockade, not discounting the new remote block computer (RBC) installed and commissioned at the Thames Valley Signalling Centre.

Crossrail East Major improvements also took place to the railway in Essex, to pave the way for the introduction of the new Class 345 electric trains for TfL Rail passengers from 2017. Works at Shenfield station took place to remodel the layout in preparation for the final signalling to be commissioned on the first bank holiday weekend in May. Costain is working on the site, and the scheme scope includes a new bay platform (Platform 6) for Elizabeth line trains and platform extensions to accommodate the new 200-metre-long units. There will also be new station signage, help points, customer information screens and closed circuit television. In addition to the station improvements, the final scope comprises new sidings to the east of the station and significant trackwork to be carried out to improve reliability and increase capacity. Crossrail has also been working with Brentwood Borough Council on proposals for improvements to the area around the station. The Christmas holiday team delivered 11 point ends together with associated OLE and signalling upgrades. The total site was over two miles long and very complex, with 54 separate switch and crossing panels being delivered and installed. In the East, other Costain deliveries at various stations in Anglia included driver-only operation and gauging works at 10 locations. Morgan Sindall was at work at the east portal, where important electrification works took place at Pudding Mill Lane with the first key stage of installing OLE structures, undertrack crossings and the retaining wall for future track enhancements.

A job well done Matthew Steele, Crossrail programme director at Network Rail, praised staff who gave up their Christmas to ensure this massive programme of works was delivered in a safe and timely manner, with the railway handed back to service as programmed.

Rail Engineer • February 2017

Crossrail - Christmas by numbers »» A £45 million programme of work. »» Over 4,000 staff worked more than 330,000 hours at 19 different sites on the rail network across Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, outer London and Essex. »» 75 engineering trains were needed. »» Nearly 6km of new track, 35 new points and 79 signals commissioned into service. »» Two new major structures brought into service, at Stockley Flyover and Acton Dive-under. »» Five of the eight Kirow cranes in the UK were used, as was the entire fleet of tilting switch and crossing wagons.

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CHRISTMAS WORKS

“Successful completion of these Christmas works was vital to delivering the Elizabeth line,” he said. “As part of our Railway Upgrade Plan, they will benefit passengers by improving reliability, increasing the capacity of the rail network and enabling the introduction of new rolling stock. I would like to thank passengers and our lineside neighbours for their patience whilst we carried out our work over the festive period.” Matthew White, surface director at Crossrail said: “The programme of work delivered by Network Rail over Christmas will provide immediate benefits for passengers as well as helping to prepare for the arrival of the new Elizabeth line services.” From the service provision point of view, GWR managing director Mark Hopwood said: “The Thames Valley is one of the most popular rail corridors in the UK. We have promised the current fleet would be upgraded to provide much needed additional capacity and faster journey times. “We started to run our first new electric trains in September and, with this Christmas work completed, on time, I am delighted to say that we can now deliver even more of those improvements with a half-hourly service between London Paddington and Hayes & Harlington. The new trains will deliver consistent, high quality travel for customers across the Thames Valley, offering at-seat power sockets, air conditioning, extra luggage space and free Wi-Fi for customers.”

Rail Engineer • February 2017

CHRISTMAS WORKS

Carillion, Crossrail and Christmas

PETER STANTON

o stranger to railway infrastructure work, Carillion played a major part in the works for Crossrail Western over the 2016 Christmas period. Wayne Brigden, the company’s Crossrail director, spoke with pride of the work undertaken and completed successfully and to time by the organisation and its staff.

The company was the overall principal contractor for the possessions from 12miles 40chains to the route’s end at Paddington. Whilst the Stockley flyover works could be seen as the jewel in the crown of the works undertaken and finished in the Christmas season, many other elements of the Crossrail project were undertaken as well.

Heathrow to Paddington Wayne described the route works from west to east and so commenced with the work on the airport lines, where tribute was paid to the cooperation from Heathrow Express in allowing the six-day blockade on the airport lines. Coming back to Stockley, much earlier work had been undertaken but Carillion finished the project by the removal of construction stage temporary crossovers and the installation of final switch and crossing units to produce the new and final layouts. Associated with the track work was the registration of the overhead line contact system, all attained through some very flexible working arrangements. Removal of the temporary crossover and reinstatement of plain line took place at Hayes and Harlington whilst new drainage and points were installed to allow the use of the bay by Class 387 units on the new Great Western Services. At West Ealing, the company delivered the new train care depot works for Great Western’s use, accompanied by the new sidings.

A second major Christmas delivery was the commissioning of the Acton Dive-under and Carillion undertook OLE and track works outside the dive-under itself. A most complex undertaking, with huge strategic importance, was the connection and wiring of the Old Oak Common depot lines, giving access to the Crossrail rolling stock maintenance and depot facility. Of particular interest in the OLE works was the conversion of major headspan structures to a boom configuration, something Wayne emphasised was a Carillion speciality. The works at this site received special emphasis on quality as possession availability would be extremely difficult in the future and minimal maintenance time would be available once full operation was achieved. Finally, in the terminus at Paddington, works to enable the electrification of Platforms 1 and 2 were undertaken with heavy construction work on the modified footbridge to allow compliant electrification clearances, together with associated structural strengthening works at Westbourne Terrace. In addition, work took place to modify Platform 12 to allow twelve car EMU operation, all undertaken with passive provision for commissioning later in 2017. Overall, Carillion was proud to have been involved with this major project at such a time of year, and Wayne again paid compliments to those who had given up their Christmas Day to make sure this vital work was competed so successfully.

We deliver Over Christmas and New Year our Crossrail West team successfully delivered Carillionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s biggest ever Christmas blockade.

Rail Engineer • February 2017

BRIDGES AND TUNNELS

ENDOFTHELINE GRAEME BICKERDIKE

unnels do little to enhance the passenger experience, turning off the daylight and mobile phone signals. For some, this seemingly results in personal crisis. Any sense of what it took to drive the tunnel - in either human or engineering terms - is lost in the transient frustration. But then it’s hard to see the bigger picture when you’re in the dark. Whilst modern machinery allows tunnelling to proceed with little manpower and relative ease, things were very different historically. Every one of the 695 bores on our ‘classic’ network represents a victory over the collective forces of earth, water and Murphy’s Law. Some of those victories bordered on miraculous; almost all proved costly.

Tortoise or hare? Plans to connect the manufacturing towns of Leeds and Bradford by rail first appeared before Parliament in 1830, the intention being to improve transport links for

the latter’s burgeoning wool trade. Although direct, the 9½-mile line involved stiff gradients, with a 1:30 incline at the western end worked by a stationary engine. Its promoters got cold feet when inflated costings emerged, causing the Bill to fail. A second scheme was put forward in 1839, but the necessary funding was not forthcoming. Four years on, it took an intervention by George Hudson, ‘The Railway King’, to re-energise the idea. Consulting engineer Robert Stephenson surveyed a route along the Aire valley, entering Bradford from the north. Being four miles longer than the original line, business leaders opposed it with some vigour; but, as Stephenson explained to the Parliamentary committee, its ruling gradient of 1:200 was more suited to the under-powered locomotives available at the time, meaning end-to-end journeys would actually be quicker and cheaper to operate than via a more direct route.

Rail Engineer • February 2017

PHOTO: FOUR BY THREE (Above) Three grout pipes passing down No.4 shaft, viewed from the platform used for workforce access. (Main picture) Thackley Old Tunnel’s west portal before and after closure.

Fatal attraction The islands of industry, 250 yards apart, that transformed the landscape around each shaft must have been a source of great curiosity. Locals would never have seen anything like it. Deployed at one was a 25HP condensing steam engine, used to lower men and materials into the workings and bring spoil out. It had a pump motion for a double lift and, alongside it, stood a 30HP cylindrical boiler.

LEEDS/EAST END

NO.3 SHAFT (INFILLED)

LOWER COAL MEASURES COMPOUND

GLACIAL TILL

MUDSTONE & SHALES WHITE ROCK GUISELEY GRIT

NO.4 SHAFT (ACCESS/GROUT PUMPING)

SOFT BED COAL

MILLSTONE GRIT

ROUGH ROCK

Beyond our comprehension are the conditions endured by the mining gangs, working without protective clothing and using only candles for light. One shaft reached a depth of 252 feet and, for those toiling at the bottom, there could be no escape from the cold shower of water issuing from the surrounding rock. Yet they hacked or blasted their way through mudstone, sandstone, clay, shale - whatever was encountered - then shovelled it into skips for despatch. Around-the-clock in eight-hour shifts, six days a week: it was relentless. Death loitered nearby whenever shafts were sunk, ready to exploit any error of judgement or momentary lapse. Typical of those lost at Thackley was George Hardage - a miner, aged 19 - who fell down a shaft on Thursday 5 June 1845. Baptist preacher Alexander Pitt attended his funeral, addressing almost 2,000 mourners who had gathered outside the New Inn in Idle, where Hardage lay. Pitt recounted that “A solemn silence pervaded the whole meeting; all seemed to feel the solemnity of the occasion. Most of his fellow workmen were present; they, too, appeared much affected. I observed tears trickling down the cheeks of several of them.” And then there was the gruesome case of gaffer William Hervey who had secured a 15cwt stone to the rope at the bottom of No.6 shaft prior to it being hoisted out. On two or three occasions, the ageing engine proved unequal to the task despite pieces being broken off to lighten the load. Hervey went up to investigate; thereafter the stone was reattached and a further attempt made. When it stopped again at the half-way point, he went to the flywheel, put his foot on one spoke and firmly grasped another, intending to help it forward. However the wheel turned the other way, trapping Hervey’s head and legs in a three-inch gap between the wheel and a wall behind it. He was heard to exclaim “Oh God, stop it”, but death followed almost instantaneously.

POT CLAY

MARINE BAND

THIN COAL 2016 PLUG

1992 PLUG

MARINE BAND

BRADFORD/WEST END

BRIDGES AND TUNNELS

Royal Assent came in July 1844. However, raising sufficient capital proved problematic; then Hudson offered a guaranteed return of 7½ per cent and suddenly found himself beating prospective investors off with a stick. Staking out the line got underway immediately, although the brightest spotlight was shone on Thackley Hill an obstruction to be overcome by a 1,364-yard tunnel. Here, seven shafts were started under the supervision of Francis Mortimer Young, the resident engineer. The following January, a contract for the substantive works was awarded to Messrs Nowell & Hattersley. They would benefit to the tune of £68,000, the equivalent today of about £7.8 million.

Rail Engineer • February 2017

BRIDGES AND TUNNELS

In the teeth of an unseasonal storm, Mr and Mrs Harrison from the Sun Inn catered for a thousand guests with 20 joints of beef, 36 pigeon pies, 24 hams, 20 lambs, 54 ducks, 60 chickens, 24 tongues and 40 lobsters. In his address to those feasting, George Hudson commended the “contractors, artisans and labourers” whose “energy and spirit” had ensured completion of the line in just 16 months.

PHOTOS: FOUR BY THREE

Business as usual

(Above) No.4 shaft wrapped in scaffolding. (Top) The storage and pumping equipment in the site compound.

In both these cases, inquest juries returned verdicts of “accidental death”; it was common for the unfortunate casualty to shoulder the blame for their demise, whether warranted or not. This provoked a correspondent of the Bradford Observer to assert that “while shareholders are pocketing their six, or eight, or ten per cent, there are widows and fatherless children lamenting - in bare, hunger-visited hovels - the loss of their natural protectors. Does not natural justice suggest that railway proprietors should make some compensation in such cases?”

A different world The social scene could not have been more contrasting on Tuesday 30 June 1846, the occasion of the line’s formal opening. Along its length, crowds turned out to witness the spectacle, cheering and waving flags. A train bearing shareholders and other dignitaries departed Leeds at noon on a journey taking 45 minutes. Awaiting them in Bradford - where all business had been suspended - was a temporary pavilion, its walls adorned with paintings including one of a train entering the tunnel.

As built, Thackley tunnel extended for 1,496 yards, 132 yards longer than initially planned. Five of the shafts were retained for ventilation purposes. From the outset, third class passengers in open carriages complained vigorously about the drenching they received from penetrating groundwater, prompting a promise from the directors to attach protective metal sheeting to the stonework, although there’s no evidence they ever did. The tunnel continued to play out scenes of misadventure despite its operational status. A soldier and vicar separately met their ends within its limits, as did ganger Ben Smith. There were derailments, flood events and a bizarre concocted robbery, whilst commercial traveller Walter Stevens fell out of his compartment at 40mph and spent the next two hours evading trains as he crawled towards the exit with a smashed knee. In July 1897, the Midland Railway’s Works Committee resolved that a second bore was needed to cope with increasing traffic and its impact on ventilation. The ‘Thackley Widening Act’ received Royal Assent the following year, allowing work to proceed on the new bore under the auspices of engineer J A McDonald and Thomas Oliver & Sons, the contractor. It opened on 27 January 1901 and remains a key structure on today’s Airedale Line, connecting Leeds to Bradford, Skipton and beyond.

On the move Thackley’s original tunnel entered its current period of disuse in 1968, although it continues to be subject to Network Rail’s asset management regime. In April 1985, a bulge was recorded at the haunch closest to the live bore (north/Up side) which was braced with

Rail Engineer â&#x20AC;˘ February 2017

Macrete Macrete NCENCE 1-2 page 1-2 page Feb Feb 15-paths.indd 15-paths.indd 1 1

The solution was another infilling project, this time over a distance of 67 yards. Lasting 12 weeks, the works were progressed by AMCO Rail through the summer of 2016. The design work was fulfilled by Donaldson Associates.

Now you see it Secured as a compound was a parcel of land owned by Bradford City Council, normally used as a working livery by a nearby equestrian centre. Within it stands No.4 shaft. Over seven days, a large-scale grouting station was established here incorporating storage tanks and pumping equipment. Ainscough provided a 100-tonne crane to do the heavy lifting. To reach the west portal, plant and materials had to be transported almost three miles, much of it along a lineside track. However, Apollo Cradles was engaged to install a platform which allowed the workforce to enter and leave the tunnel via the

shaft, accessed from a scaffold wrapped around the protection wall. They also secured three 63mm-diameter grout delivery pipes to the shaft lining with bespoke fixings. In the tunnel, to draw water away from the live bore and shafts, 90 holes were drilled into the rock behind the lining - each eight metres deep - and a conduit installed which was sealed with foam and held in place by stainless steel brackets. As well as ventilation pipes, pairs of 300mm diameter drains pass through the pre-existing plug at the toe of the sidewalls. CCTV inspections found that these had become blocked during the original grouting operation, so one on each side was reamed out to restore the water flow. Both the ventilation pipes and drains were then extended through the section to be infilled, the joints being doublesealed. The pipes were fastened to the lining at the haunches and chained down to prevent buoyancy.

27/01/2015 27/01/2015 14:23 14:23

BRIDGES AND TUNNELS

steel ribs whilst monitoring took place. Further support was added as the rate of movement reached 4.5mm per annum; subsequent examinations also identified a 4.9 metre transverse fracture - open by one inch together with a smaller bulge on the Down side.

Core drilling and endoscopic investigations suggested that the material behind the bulge was mudstone; evidence was found of the timbers that had been used to prop it during construction. A study of the local geology indicated a mudstone unit dipping towards the tunnel from the north/north-east, capable of imposing load on the lining due to its depth but steep enough to pass over the New bore without affecting it. In 1992, two blockwalls were built and the 83-yard section of tunnel between them grouted - together with No.3 shaft - to prevent further deterioration. However, in 2013, more distortion was recorded immediately to the west, with the crown being forced upwards into a void as the high haunches were pushed inwards. This brought concerns that consequential defects may emerge in the operational bore which would be difficult to remediate due to the presence of overhead line equipment.

Rail Engineer • February 2017

BRIDGES AND TUNNELS

No way out

- a distance of around 300 metres - over six days, the operation involving 24-hour working apart from a break over the August Bank Holiday weekend. Within a week, the site had been demobilised, rotovated and reseeded.

All due respect Those who can appreciate the industry involved in constructing Thackley’s first tunnel might view with some discomfort the act of partially infilling it, seeming somehow disrespectful to the men who contributed to its excavation. Of course, last year’s work was justified by the imperative of protecting the parallel live bore. AMCO Rail undertook the task with typical proficiency, its workforce earning praise from neighbours for their helpfulness and courtesy. In this case, that’s the bigger picture. Thackley’s potential usefulness ended 25 years ago when the first plug was shortsightedly inserted without the provision of through access. Since then it has effectively been two tunnels, each with one end. What’s the point in that? You’d like to think though - given today’s more enlightened approach to the preservation of our engineering heritage - that not every redundant tunnel will suffer a similar fate. PHOTOS: FOUR BY THREE

2,406m³ of grout was pumped down the shaft and into the tunnel over six days, passing through the double-diaphragm wall via eight pipes at the crown.

Lengthy discussions had taken place between Donaldsons and AMCO as to the most appropriate fill material. Foam concrete was favoured at an early stage as it could be batched and pumped; it is also very light, imparts relatively little load but is strong enough (0.51N/mm²) to resist deformation of the lining. However, it has to be poured in one-metre layers and the chemical reactions, when setting, generate a huge amount of heat. This would prove difficult to dissipate due to the confined nature of the tunnel. Given the expected forces and the eventual likelihood of a lining failure, other products offering less strength were soon ruled out. It was ultimately decided that Fresh Cement Bentonite Grout from Bachy Soletanche met the various requirements, with a density of 1,120-1,130kg/m³ and strength of 1-2N/mm². A required quantity of 2,540m³ was estimated. To allow for a continuous pour whilst addressing its loading implications, a double-diaphragm wall was built on a >300mm thick reinforced concrete slab using 10.4N/mm² blockwork in Flemish bond. The two-metre interior space was then filled with G3 grout placed in 900mm lifts. A system of dowels and fixings tied together the wall, its foundation and the tunnel arch/ sidewalls. Prior to construction, Wilkit foam had been injected radially through holes drilled at 500mm centres to fill any voids behind the lining around the bulkhead, thus preventing grout migration during the main pour. Two sets of four pipes passed through the wall at the crown; these were extended by various lengths into the fill area to ensure an even distribution of grout. In total, 2,406m³ was pumped down the shaft and into the tunnel

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Rail Engineer • February 2017

BRIDGES AND TUNNELS

Stanton Tunnel Balloons in

ust occasionally, a telephone call brings an unexpected challenge or opportunity which really catches the imagination. One such call was received last April at the offices of Bridgeway Consulting. Hitachi Rail Europe was on the line, asking whether the company could fit three inflatable balloons into the air shafts in Stanton tunnel on the RIDC Melton test track. Intrigued, the obvious answer was yes, especially as RIDC Melton is located close to the company’s base in Nottingham. But why on earth did Hitachi want to put balloons in a tunnel? Was it some sort of celebration?

RIDC Melton is the new name for the Old Dalby test track near Melton Mowbray - Network Rail has two Rail Innovation and Development Centres, the other being RIDC Tuxford (formerly High Marnham) in North Nottinghamshire. The line was originally built as a twin-track railway connecting Melton Mowbray to Nottingham - the Manton route - which MP 120 - Edwalton allowed express trains from London to the North to bypass Leicester and avoid a turnback at Nottingham. MP 118 - Plumtree (NG12 5NA) The new route opened in 1879 and finally closed in 1968. However, British Rail retained the line from Melton Mowbray to Edwalton as a test MP 117 track for the Advanced Passenger Train. Since then, Class 390 Pendolino MP 116 - Stanton trains, London Underground S Stock and Hitachi’s new Class 800/801 Widmerpool (NG12 5PR) Intercity Express Programme (IEP) trains have all been tested there. MP 115 One track runs for 13 miles between Melton Mowbray and Edwalton, is fitted with the new Series 1 25kV overhead catenary, MP 114 Rushcliffe and is cleared for 125mph running. The other, from Old Dalby to Upper Broughton the entrance to Stanton tunnel, is just four miles in length, has MP 113 London Underground-style four-rail DC electrification, and MP 112 is currently testing trains and signalling for LU’s 4LM (four Old Dalby (LE14 3NE) lines modernisation) programme on behalf of Thales and MP 111 Bombardier. Melton Stanton tunnel is 1,330 yards in length and one of four MP 110 tunnels on the line. Currently, only the Down line is in Asfordby Test Centre (LE14 3JL) use as part of the longer, high speed test track on which MP 109 Hitachi is testing its IEP trains that are destined for MP 108 deployment on the West Coast and Great Western main MP 107 - Asfordby Hill lines. As part of the IEP train acceptance regime, there was MP 106 Stanton Tunnel

GSM 4

MP 119

The Melton facility

Grimston Tunnel

Saxelby Tunnel

Asfordby Tunnel

GSM 3

Melton Junction

GSM 2

Rail Engineer • February 2017

BRIDGES AND TUNNELS

a requirement to fulfil aerodynamic and pressure pulse testing in a tunnel that didn’t have any ventilation shafts, up to a maximum train speed of 125mph. Unfortunately, the test track does not have any tunnels of sufficient length without shafts. So the novel solution devised by Hitachi engineers was to temporarily fit inflatable balloons inside the tunnel’s three ventilation shafts. It seemed simple enough in principle; however, in practice, as with many innovative ideas, it proved more challenging than first thought. Bridgeway would be working with Hitachi and track operator Serco to develop a solution.

Preparation Given the busy nature of the IEP test programme, good planning was essential and all three parties collaborated to provide different elements of the scheme, with support from plant partners TXM. Firstly, all three shaft eyes had to be prepared prior to the arrival of the balloons. This included removal of all existing launders and brackets and grinding flush the holding bolts. The bottom two metres of each shaft also had to be cleaned of over 70 years of soot, deposited by passing steam trains. All this was necessary to ensure that the balloons had an airtight fit within the shaft eye and would not be punctured during the fitment of the balloons or whilst train testing was in progress.

In order to ensure that the balloons could remain stable within the shafts during the tests, metal brackets, eye bolts and fabric ratchet straps needed to be fitted around the base of the shaft eye, after all detritus had been removed, and at the top of the shaft so that the balloon would be in tension and couldn’t move. With the need to work on both the top and bottom of the shafts at the same time, two entirely different access methods were employed. The team used an RRV MEWP to access the shaft eye from track level and Bridgeway’s roped access team descended from the ‘pepper pots’ at the top of the tunnel shaft to fit chain blocks and steel lifting cables. These would be used to raise the deflated

balloons into the shaft eye and provide stability when the balloon was fully inflated. In total, six threaded-bar eye bolts were drilled and fixed using chemical resin anchors around the circumference of each of the three shaft eyes, and four bespoke fabricated metal brackets fitted in the same manner to the tunnel crown outside the shaft eye on both longitudinal and transverse axis. These were required both to locate the balloon within the shaft and to affix the restraint straps diagonally across the base of the shaft, to prevent the balloon from falling into the tunnel during inflation and provide vertical restraint during the testing programme. The balloons were specially manufactured in reinforced rubber and delivered to Asfordby depot at RIDC Melton. They were already fitted with metal D-rings at the top to which the chain block would be fitted, and with an airline connector at the bottom centre for inflation purposes.

Fitment At this point the balloons were placed trackside and chain blocks hoisted the balloons into the shafts, guided both by Bridgeway abseilers and by staff on the MEWP platform to ensure that the precious cargo wasn’t damaged during the process. Care had to be taken while manoeuvring the balloons around the OLE wires which were still in place, although de-energised, and ran directly under the ventilation shafts.

Removing the existing lauder brackets from the bottom of a ventilation shaft.

Cleaning soot from inside a shaft.

Rail Engineer â&#x20AC;˘ February 2017

BRIDGES AND TUNNELS

Hitachi IEP train under test at RIDC Melton.

800 004 at Paddington.

Adjustments needed to be made to centralise each balloon and the restraint straps were tightened to the crown brackets, securing the balloon. At this point the ratchet straps placed across the eye were fitted and tightened to prevent the balloon from falling onto the track during inflation. Finally, the chain block at the shaft top was adjusted by the abseilers to tension the balloon.

Inflation With the balloons now fitted into the shafts, the tricky process of ensuring that they could be inflated needed to be tackled. Three large-capacity air compressors and associated hoses were transported into the tunnel by RRV, lifted onto the redundant track bed of the former Up line and fixed into position. The hoses were then resin anchored to the tunnel haunches and crown brickwork and connected to the balloon air connector and reducer valve within the shafts, ready for inflation. Due to the nature of the rubber balloons, their inflation had to be regulated and they were continually adjusted to ensure that they remained central in their shafts and to guard against external damage as the balloon touched the shaft brickwork. Finally, when all the three balloons were inflated to the correct pressure, a final check for leaks was made before being handed over to Hitachi for IEP testing to begin. In order for the aerodynamic tests to be valid, the balloons had to retain their pressure throughout. This meant that they all had to be inflated on the same night shift followed by aerodynamic testing the following day. On subsequent testing days, the balloons were checked prior to testing and any minor pressure loss was rectified.

Testing Once the balloons had been fitted, Hitachi engineers installed the necessary test equipment. This included the placement of anemometers and pressure sensors both outside and inside of the tunnel and on-board the IEP test train itself. Results would be analysed and to prove that the train - not to mention the tunnel lining and shafts could withstand the inflicted air pressure differentials. The novel balloon system worked and the IEP test programme produced positive results. IEP trains are now continuing their testing programme away from RIDC Melton on the East Coast and Great Western main lines. The fixtures and fittings have been retained within the shafts at Stanton tunnel so the system can be used for future testing of other high-speed trains. In one small way, Bridgeway has assisted the introduction of Hitachiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Class 800 and 801 trains, heralding the next stage in high speed train development in Britain.

Rail Engineer • February 2017

BRIDGES AND TUNNELS

Working safely at height

here are some quite high places on Britain’s railways. Viaducts, tunnel portals, station roofs, ventilation shafts, signal gantries and even the tops of trains. All are places that railway workers visit regularly, and they then all need the necessary protection to allow them to work at height. So out come climbers’ helmets, ropes, harnesses, special boots and all the other assorted paraphernalia. But wait! Ropes and cables are all very well, but what to attach them to? Is there a handy tree, or bracket, or stanchion? Probably not.

Pre-installed anchorages What there will be, or at least should be, is a properly mounted fall protection anchorage point which workers can clip their harnesses to. Looking like a conventional eyebolt, you can see them all over the railway infrastructure if you look closely, and upwards. Actually, they aren’t just conventional eyebolts. There is quite a bit more involved than that. For a start they come in a variety of shapes and sizes. One leading manufacturer, RUD Chains, offers more than 600 different tested and certified lifting and lashing points which cover a working load capacity range from 0.6 to 250 tonne. The RUD Fall Protection anchorage point product range consists of the PSA-VRS (STARPOINT) and the PSA INOX-STAR, which are certified by the Employers Liability Insurance Association and the Building Industry (BG Bau). The components correspond to the European Directive for ‘personnel protection equipment’ (89/686/EWG) and are marked with the CE-Stamp as well as with the number of persons (1 or 2) that can be safely supported.

Product details PSA INOX-STAR offers many distinctive features. It can be used as an anchor point for personal protective equipment according to DIN EN 795, certified by the German BG BAU. It offers an impressive 50 per cent higher working load limit than the DIN eye bolt and can be turned and adjusted through 360° to any load direction. The PSA INOX-STAR is 100 per cent crack detected and offers a high resistance to corrosion. RUD’s PSA STARPOINT, also used as an anchor point for personal protective equipment, offers a safety factor of 4:1. It is made from 1.6541 (23MnNiCrMo5-2) high-tensile steel and is 100 per cent electromagnetic crack inspected according to EN 1677-1. Regularly used across the rail sector when working at heights for projects such as bridge construction and tunnelling, RUD Fall Protection equipment is also used in other industries such as offshore, construction, wind tower maintenance installation and maintenance.

PHOTO: NORDEX

Rail Engineer • February 2017

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Rail Engineer • February 2017

BRIDGES AND TUNNELS

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Barnsley Built

hey’ve had their ups and downs, but a collection of technically demanding and far-reaching schemes are slowly introducing overhead line equipment to new parts of our rail network. One of them, costing £2.8 billion, should see Hitachi Class 800/802 Super Express trains appear on the route between London Paddington and Cardiff in 2019. Electrifying the Great Western main line is a hugely ambitious undertaking. In December, Rail Engineer looked back at a major landmark on the project’s timeline - the installation of a rigid overhead conductor rail system (ROCS) through the 4.4-mile Severn Tunnel during a blockade lasting almost six weeks. Given the disruption caused to services, failure was not an option; as a result, engineers, design teams, contractors and their supply chains all found themselves under scrutiny. But, as per the plan, trains returned to the tunnel on 22 October 2016 and those involved took the plaudits. ABC Electrification (a collaboration involving Alstom, Babcock and Costain), Arup, Keltbray, Furrer+Frey and AMCO Rail all contributed to the realisation of this venture, fulfilling vital roles. Failing to get a mention, though, was a firm working out of an unassuming workshop on a South Yorkshire industrial estate. The pivotal nature of the role played by steelwork fabricator Foulstone Forge in the Severn Tunnel works should not be underestimated.

PHOTO: AMCO RAIL

Problem solver The busy mind behind the company belongs to Chris Scott, a mechanical engineer from mining stock. He conceives, designs and builds machinery to overcome unique challenges, without showmanship or any apparent effort. In conversation, his train of thought gathers pace effortlessly, diverging seamlessly from one track to another. This can make him

hard to follow, but the journey is always enlightening. Most recently he conducted your writer through coanda curtains and Archimedes screws on his way to explaining an innovative protection screen for tunnel working - developed in conjunction with AMCO Rail which was demonstrated to decision-makers in Derbyshire recently. We’ve met Chris before - back in June 2015 - when development of his soot scabbler had just reached fruition. It removed 40 tonnes of soot from the Severn Tunnel’s brickwork during preparatory works for the blockade. However, it is for other bits of kit that the project team has real cause to thank him, specifically the drilling systems used during fitment of supports for the autotransformer feeder (ATF) cable and vertical drop tubes, and the working platforms from which the conductor rail was installed.

In a hole It was immediately apparent from inspection of the existing drilling equipment that it would not withstand the rigours of the Severn Tunnel blockade or offer sufficient productivity. Members of the workforce would have to manually wind the drill in and out whilst operating on a small platform close to the intrados, exposed to dust, noise and vibration. Working alongside AMCO Rail, the firm’s enduring partner, Foulstone Forge instead custom-built six drilling rigs, seven metres in length, comprising three arms on which Hilti T80 drills were mounted. Each rig was attached to a T8 trailer and worked as a pair, both being controlled remotely from panels on a T4 trailer located between them. Prior to the blockade, they were used to insert single holes at the high haunch - two metres apart - into which around 7,000 anchors and cleats were secured to hold the ATF cable.

Rail Engineer • February 2017

PHOTO: AMCO RAIL

BRIDGES AND TUNNELS

The arms had an arcing range of 22° either side of vertical and could be hydraulicallyadvanced - vertically and transversely - to position the locator eye perpendicular to the tangent at the point of drilling. The applied telescopic force of 40-50kg was balanced to prevent overloading. Then, during the main phase of works, rigs with a cluster of three drills drove vertical holes for each of the ROCS’ drop tubes. Fixed to the master drill was a ram on which an indexing plate was mounted with holes at 300mm centres; this was pushed against the intrados, effectively acting as a template to ensure the correct spacing. Suction was provided at the drill heads to deal with dust and debris, courtesy of a vacuum unit pulling 5,000m3 of air per hour at 4,000Pa, the material being discharged into 600-gauge visqueen bags. Meanwhile, the workhorse Hilti T80s benefited from a nanotechnology treatment to make them resistant to water. All this is indicative of the attention to detail afforded within the design. Nothing is overlooked; nothing is done by halves. Just ask Chris about handrails.

Foulstone Forge built four platforms to install the registration arms and conductor rails.

conceive • design • manufacture general steel fabrication • stainless steel fabrication • general steel repairs • design and manufacture of civil engineering drilling rigs • design and manufacture of railway tunnel drilling rigs • personnel working platforms • scaffold fencing • scaffold platforms • hydraulics specialists • mechanical engineering • railway tunnel soot cleaning • light to heavy duty dust/debris extraction • embankment repair/ stabilisation • railway tunnel reinforcement • bespoke machinery

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Rail Engineer • February 2017

Fitment of the electrification equipment involved activity either side of the crown. To reach up here comfortably, Foulstone Forge fabricated five elevating platforms - one for use in fixing the stainless steel bolts and 1,648 drop tubes, whilst the registration arms and conductor rails were lifted and positioned from four larger platforms, working in pairs and linked by a drawbridge. Each of these was six metres long and sat on a T8 trailer. Access to the deck was via an adjoining set of steps and a ladder which appeared as the platform was raised. The conductor rails came in 11.5-metre lengths, weighing in at 90kg. With more than 14,000 metres to complete in less than six weeks, it was clearly important to mechanise the operation as much as possible, thus minimising the manual handling burden on the workforce. To that end, space was provided on the base of the platforms to hold 40 rails. When one was required for installation, it was transferred onto two elevators - powered by 20kW hydraulic motors - which carried it up to the deck. On landing, an arm then delivered it onto a slide, enabling the rail to be moved across and held in position whilst it was bolted up. All the hydraulic movements were controlled from a panel on the deck by a single, named operator who also supervised the associated work tasks to ensure no mishaps could occur through errant use of the machinery.

Push to go “Both the drilling rigs and the platforms worked exceedingly well,” stateed Chris with characteristic Yorkshire candour. “We were given the task of making sure the work could be carried out effectively, and that’s exactly what we’ve done.” The reality of that statement is beyond argument: around 20 drop tubes and 240 metres of conductor rail were installed in a typical ten-hour shift, a rate of progress that brought the work to a successful conclusion on programme. In an age of mind-boggling digital

PHOTO: AMCO RAIL

BRIDGES AND TUNNELS

Going up in the world

gadgetry, it’s easy to overlook the advantages delivered by analogue mechanical engineering, built with precision, focus and a critical eye. But that’s only half the story. The job wasn’t even on Chris’ drawing board until March last year when the various parties assembled in his office to consider the challenges ahead. Thereafter, the kit was ordered, designed, fabricated, modified, assembled, tested and delivered in just 20 weeks. “We were flat out,” Chris recalls, but that’s indicative of his commitment to the cause. Sleep is over-rated.

Today the equipment resides with Network Rail, earmarked for continued deployment as the Great Western electrification programme moves forward. Chipping Sodbury, Newport and Patchway tunnels are all due to receive visits. But the driving force is imparted much further north. The recent Severn Tunnel story would have ended very differently were it not for the combined efforts of AMCO Rail and Foulstone Forge, both proud products of Barnsley. Credit where credit’s due.

(Below) Foulstone Forge’s drilling rigs inserted holes at the high haunch for the ROCS’ ATF cable whilst (above) one of the firm’s platforms is used to fix a conductor rail to its registration arm .

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Rail Engineer • February 2017

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ast year, in my first ever article for Rail Engineer (issue 136, February 2016), I reported on the fourth annual Rolling Stock Fleet Maintenance Summit. It was therefore with some trepidation I undertook to do the same for the fifth event, held in December 2016. My worry was that I might have to send in a single word article - “ditto”. I should not have worried! Some of last year’s speakers provided useful updates about their progress and there were several new speakers. The title, “Rolling Stock Fleet Maintenance Summit focussed on improving fleet reliability, availability, maintainability and safety at reduced cost though leveraging data analytics and condition based maintenance” was not snappy or concise, but provided plenty of scope to allow a wide variety of issues to be presented. The venue was bigger and more people attended, so the organisers - London Business Conferences Group - clearly know their market.

There were nearly 200 delegates - suppliers of equipment and/or sensors, suppliers of analytical tools, system integrators, consultants and operators. This led to a variety of different styles of presentation, which kept the event lively. By the way, the title of this piece refers to two uses of the acronym RCM. The most used form was ‘remote condition monitoring’, but many speakers emphasised that, to get the best from RCM, they would need the output of a ‘reliability centred maintenance’ exercise which I have termed RCM2. If you’re not familiar with either term, all will become clear.

One year on

Last year, my impression was that operators were struggling to convince management that providing RCM tools (on-train sensors, data collection, wireless transmission, back office servers and analysis) was a sensible thing to do in order to meet objectives of improved reliability and availability with reduced costs. The challenge was to convince the ‘powers that be’ that RCM is a wise investment in the absence of a guarantee of the benefits it could bring as the methodology was in its infancy. Last year’s presentations went some way to provide the evidence. This year, RCM provision was almost taken as read and there was more emphasis on the workplace structures, processes and competence necessary to use it. Put another way, the industry is slower to exploit data gathering and analysis technology than it has been in deploying it. Speakers also highlighted the importance of cooperation between practical engineers, who understand the systems being monitored, and data scientists who understand how to seek out and manipulate vast data sets to identify relationships and conclusions.

The continental view Héloïse Nonne, from SNCF, introduced the work carried out by her data science department using examples of pantograph monitoring, state of toilet fluid tanks, and lineside vegetation management. SNCF has set up a central unit to develop the principles of big data and embed the practice of monitoring and machine learning,

Rail Engineer • February 2017 although Héloïse emphasised the importance of comparing what the data scientists suggest with the expert view before any decisions are made. She also recommended that only simple decision-tree algorithms be used, at least in the early days, so that asset experts can read them. Until confidence is built in machine learning, ‘black box’ algorithms should be avoided. Highly accurate results are necessary if maintainers are to trust the machine learning output. It is different and more complicated than predicting what other products customers might like to buy whilst reviewing their on-line shopping baskets! Philippe de Laharpe, also from SNCF, provided more information about the toilet trials. This issue was to ensure that tanks were filled or emptied on TGVs in order not to have toilets out of use. The first trials on four trains had led the conclusion that the overall mean level of water in the tanks is 80 per cent. This knowledge had allowed SNCF to reduce the frequency of expensive replenishment in stations, and cut by 50 per cent the number of replenishments in the workshop. The system should allow management to identify low-level tanks (20 per cent) which can be flagged and filled before assigning the TGV on a commercial journey. Philippe also highlighted work being done on remote monitoring of diesel fuel tanks, on battery condition, and on the French KVB speed monitoring system. Wan-Jui Lee of Dutch Railways (NS) discussed experiments analysing compressor on and off times. Analysis of this data provided very clear evidence of leaks long before they became evident to maintenance staff. In the example, the train had been called to the depot after the anomaly was detected (coloured yellow in the illustration) but no fault was found. A month later the leak was identified and fixed. Whilst this showed the success of the system in identifying the defect, it is a problem if the defect is not readily identifiable to a human (for

Examples of Air Leakage

1 month

example, a large number of possible leakage sources on a multiple unit). Efforts need to be made to help the human determine where to look or what to change.

The UK view Justin Southcombe of Perpetuum, standing in for Mark Johnson of Southeastern Trains, provided an update on the deployment of vibration sensors on Southeastern’s fleet. Last year, it was reported that the company had equipped all of its Electrostar trains with axlebox vibration sensors with the aim of extending the life between wheel bearing overhauls. This was only the start and with further analysis, engineers can now identify wheel defects and, using GPS and time/date data, have identified trends with track condition. Justin provided updates and illustrations of wheel and track defects identified by the system. He also reported that Southeastern has achieved the original objective of extending wheel bearing life by one year, and are now exploring a further extension.

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For wheels, wheel-turning activities can now be planned more accurately. There has been a significant reduction in the backlog of work for the wheel lathe and average wheel condition has improved. Stephen Foote and Chris Welford of London Underground updated the conference on their progress with RCM on the 1992-stock Central line trains. Having demonstrated that data collection via Wi-Fi on this middle-aged train works and can be used to provide useful information, LU has built a dashboard that integrates all data from the various sub-systems on all 85 trains to allow the users to identify issues and trends. This is useable by anyone used to drop down filters in systems such as ExCel. It can show, for example whether Automatic Train Operation faults are occurring randomly over the line (indicating train-borne faults) or clustered in one location (indicating an infrastructure fault). They also illustrated a one-page Wheel Slide Protection dashboard integrating all the alerts from 85 trains’ data covering some 680 electronic boxes and over 2,700 tachometers. All this provides the maintenance planners with a clear picture of which trains need attention and the reports can be easily customised. Like many others, Stephen and Chris emphasised the importance of involving and training the front-line staff (maintainers and their managers), and where necessary, reviewing the organisation structure to embed the right skills with the right authority into the maintenance process. Abhinay Ramani, from First TransPennine, and Babakalli Alkali of Glasgow Caledonian University presented a case study on door maintenance of ScotRail (when operated by First Group) Class 158 trains. They carried out an RCM2 exercise,

Rail Engineer • February 2017

covering 100 components and 345 failure modes, to establish a base line against which they could make decisions. The process identifies the function of the component, a description of the functional failure, the failure mode and its effect. Then, for each failure, it considers the safety, environmental, operational and even hidden consequences. Information about frequency of use is also required. Were they all operating at more or less the same frequency? To gain this information, the team monitored the door interlock switches and the guard’s key switch operations by way of the signals input to the On-Train Monitor Recorder (OTMR) fitted to each train (wireless downloads available). Much to everyone’s surprise, it was discovered that the mostused doors were operating at up to 10 times

the frequency of the least used. This was not expected and shows the value of obtaining real data. The monitoring also picked up other defects, for example slow doors. The result was less frequent maintenance of the door system and better reliability, backed by a safety argument enabled by the RCM2 analysis.

SWT’s view Neil O’Connor from South West Trains updated his presentation from 2015. The performance and capacity issues affecting the Wessex route continued unabated with significant growth in demand year-on-year with little extra capacity to absorb it. Many of the initiatives to address this issue are coming to fruition; the Class 458 fleet expansion from 30, four-car units to 36 five-car units has been completed, the first

Event View Dashboard (Video)

of 30 five-car Class 707 units has been built and the conversion of the class 455 units from DC camshaft to AC propulsion is proceeding, despite delays along the way. As well as these developments with the trains, SWT has worked on a number of softer issues to improve performance such as: »» Shared Fleet/Operations functional goals; »» On-train equipment defect reporting matrix involving drivers, guards and platform staff; »» Disruption management plans; »» Incident management plans; »» NEXALA spectrum fleet control manager; »» “Cut and Run”. By way of a pre-amble to his progress report on RCM, Neil revealed that SWT is also working with Network Rail on the plans for major remodelling at Waterloo in 2017 including a major blockade during which their franchise changes hands! Neil described the provision of passenger facing Wi-Fi on Class 159 DMUs which had provided the opportunity to connect the OTMR to enable wireless downloads of the existing channels and some additional channels provided by SWT. He added that wireless downloads are also available from the Train Management Systems on Classes 444, 450 and 458 and, using WSP (wheel-slide protection) activity and GPS, these can identify locations prone to wheel slide. They can also access the trains’ CCTV. The download of the OTMR and other RCM data provides more than fault information. It can be combined with data from train running

Rail Engineer • February 2017 systems to identify why performance might deviate from timetable (for example variable dwell times or restrictive signals). This can help improve the timetable by using the results from hundreds or thousands of runs to provide real, rather than modelled, performance information. Several service trains have been fitted with equipment to provide unattended track geometry measurement. This allows early identification of track defects and the ability to check that rectification work has indeed fixed the issue. They also have several units that monitor the geometry of the conductor rail and monitor ride comfort. Keeping wheels in good condition generates a significant volume of work. SWT has taken a different approach from Southeastern in the use of a small number of track geometry trains together with Wheelview and Discview at Wimbledon and Salisbury depots, plus wheel management software that receives and analyses the output of wheelset monitoring systems such as Wheelchex, RailBAM, and Gotcha. Neil also described his project to upgrade the central IT system to integrate data and management processes currently spread across various IT systems and databases.

equipment, namely that a customer wants proof that the equipment does what is claimed and refuses to accept the evidence from another railway. As an example, Justin described an exercise carried out collaboratively between five companies to demonstrate the system. Based on the damage to bearings removed from service on another railway, two new bearings were ‘damaged’ using spark erosion techniques. These were fitted to test wheelsets, which were then run in service for 4000km and compared with a known good wheelset. The value of the system was clearly demonstrated when it identified a third defective bearing during the test. A wheel that was outside normal limits was also detected. With the co-operation of all parties, this work, including the safety case, was completed in three months. Rob Spence of Danburykline drew comparisons between the aviation industry and the railway. He was critical of the railway practice of each operator inventing its own process for developing its maintenance regime, and he was also critical of some of what had been presented at the conference. He was clear that both wireless downloading and clever people were necessary, but they had to do their clever work before that next time the train comes to depot at which point the maintainer can go directly to the train with the right tools, equipment and parts to get the job done with minimum downtime. Given Rob’s experience as a senior manager in aircraft maintenance, he was a great fan of the MSG-3 process (simplistically, a standardised form of the RCM2 philosophy as described in the

Data and Information cycles

The suppliers’ view

Justin Southcombe of Perpetuum returned to provide an update on further applications of his company’s product - the robust self-powered vibration sensor that transmits data wirelessly. He illustrated one of the challenges experienced by many rail industry suppliers of new and novel

ScotRail example) that is not only applied but is required to be applied to the development of the maintenance regime for most commercial aircraft in service today. This is a standardised process so that anyone in the aircraft industry would be familiar with it. As an example, it is also normal to have standardised fault codes across the industry. Rob emphasised the importance of deciding what maintenance needs to be done before trying to determine how it should be done efficiently. He outlined the benefits to performance and cost that had been achieved in the rail industry by the application of MSG-3. This presentation was particularly relevant, given that some of the operators were complaining about the lack of standardisation and had felt they were almost reinventing the wheel from scratch.

And after all that? After twenty-seven varied presentations, some of which are detailed above, what did I learn? »» Data Scientists and Rolling Stock Engineers working together generally deliver better results than working individually, »» Machine learning is, for the railway, in its infancy, »» It is sensible to start by learning to do simple things with the data to deliver some results. It’s easy to be too clever, too early, »» Data is an adjunct to learning about failure modes effects and criticality, not a substitute, Possibly the most important point was that most speakers identified how much more they learned from their data sets than they had originally expected.

Remote Website

Communication

GPS Data

Monitoring Data Concentrator Wireless Sensor Node

Rail Engineer • February 2017

TRACK

High Output’s new Ballast Cleaner

etwork Rail’s high output track renewals (HOTR) project has recently taken delivery from Plasser & Theurer of some significant new additions to its fleet, the largest of which is its fifth high output ballast renewal system (BCS5). This is unique as it is designed to work on the third rail network. Other equipment procured includes a 09-2x Tamper/DTS and a USP6000 Ballast Regulator to support it. The regulator is also compatible with third rail track. Rail Engineer was invited to the test site near High Marnham in north Nottinghamshire where a 1000-metre section of track had been equipped with third rail to put BCS5 through its paces. Ben Brooks, Network Rail’s project director, high output track renewal (HOTR), and Peter Flynn, project manager and engineer for the testing and commissioning, acted as guides for the day.

Modern ballast cleaners Modern ballast cleaning systems (BCS), such as BCS5, are much more sophisticated than the early machines. They include materials handling wagons (MFS - Materialförder- und Siloeinheit, or material conveyor and storage unit) to bring in new ballast and remove the spoil using conveyor systems to move material from one wagon to the next, all along the rake.

Network Rail’s BCS units also include tamping machines and dynamic track consolidation systems (DTS). The BCS5 has a locomotive at its head, 22 empty MFS wagons, the ballast cleaner, the tamper/DTS unit, 22 more MFS wagons full of new ballast, and finally another locomotive. There are also two power cars in the set, which take over the propulsion of the whole train from the locos whilst the system is operating. The locomotives are there only to move the train in traffic, at speeds of up to 60 mph. The entire consist is half a mile long. Like other HOTR trains, this is a major factor in planning their use. The BCS fully ballasts the track immediately behind the cutter bar, bringing new ballast forward from the full MFS wagons to be added to the return from the ballast cleaner. As a result, and in consequence of the better track geometry

CHRIS PARKER

management systems on a modern BCS, the track behind the machine is left in a better state than was the case with the old ballast cleaners. Track geometry is further improved by the integral tamper, located immediately behind the reballasting system, and the tamped track is consolidated by the integrated DTS system. This leaves the track with good geometry and in a consolidated, stable state as it would have been after the passage of many thousands of tonnes of traffic. All this, plus the fact that the rails never have to be cut for the process, means that it is safe to reopen the line at perhaps 80 mph or even higher. Increasingly, Network Rail is reopening at line speed, even up to 125 mph, by making use of the abilities of these complex factory machines and by carrying out a second (follow-up) tamp after one week of traffic. The BCS also takes away all the spoil, this being fed forwards from the ballast cleaner into the MFS wagons in the front part of the train, and discharged at a high output operations base (HOOB) after the BCS has returned there at the end of each shift. The BCS is thus able to work on a single track, leaving adjacent lines open to traffic. BCS5 incorporates other modifications besides the ability to operate on third-rail track. Advantage of the experience gained from operating the other machines was taken in the specification and design of the new train. Improvements were made to make the train more reliable, more easily maintained, safer and more environmentally friendly. The MFS wagons have 44 fewer diesel generators than the earlier trains, and diesel particulate filters ensure clean exhausts on the remaining engines.

Rail Engineer • February 2017

The train is designed to be operated from control cabins on board, to minimise the necessity for persons to be on the track when it is operating. This keeps the workforce away from diesel exhaust and ballast dust, as well as away from the risk from passing traffic on the adjoining lines.

High Output Renewals

TRACK

The HOTR project carries out 70 per cent of Network Rail’s plain line track renewals, working five nights per week. Currently, this is forecast to amount to 2,000km of ballast renewal and 700km of rail and sleeper renewal during the period 2014-2019. The budget agreed with Government for this is £700 million. In addition to the new BCS5, the project already has four other BCS and two TRS units. Having invested around £300 million in the last 12 years, Network Rail has the third largest high-output fleet in the world, only DB (Deutsche Bahn) and contractor Swietelsky having larger ones. HOTR operates with the adjoining lines open to traffic, in all weathers and on mid-week nights, in contrast to alternative conventional renewal methods. Delivery of HOTR was insourced by Network Rail from the AmeyColas joint venture in early 2015. The core team employs around 600 people, with support from a similar number of external suppliers. About 800 people are out on the track every night that the HOTR team is at work. The factory-like machines deliver repeatable, high-quality results. However, they depend upon precision planning and detailed preparatory works to deliver the work sites and the trains in exactly the correct state at precisely the right time and place every night, night after night. Equally vital is the task of getting each system train back to the correct HOOB after each night’s work in time to empty it of recovered material, service it, replenish it with new materials and have it ready for the next shift. The project has two offices (York and Birmingham), five depots (Newcastle, Doncaster, Crewe, Bletchley and Swindon), and uses 12 HOOBs spread across the country. A typical night for a TRS sees possession of the track taken at 22:30 and handed back at 06:00 the following morning, with the renewals train operating between 00:30 and 02:00. The additional possession time is taken up by isolations, digging entry holes, the disconnection of cables from the track and the restoration of everything after the renewal. Tamping and ballast regulation, and the consolidation of the track, also follow in the same period after the TRS has passed through. Currently, there is a follow-up tamp about a week later, and any joints that still need welding up are dealt with at the same time. The work of a BCS follows a similar pattern.

A guide to

ballast cleaners

allast cleaners have been around since the 1960s. Their ‘raison d’être’ is the requirement to ensure that track ballast is clean and free draining, since ballast that holds water very quickly deteriorates, leading to track quality problems and, probably, speed restrictions.

In the UK, it is generally accepted that track lasts around 30 years in main line service, with the ballast lasting only about 15. The ballast thus needs renewal at the midpoint of the life of the track, and ballast cleaners are a highly efficient means of doing that renewal for plain line track. Essentially, a conventional ballast cleaner is like a massive chain saw with super-large teeth, combined with very large, vibrating riddles. The chain runs through a cutter bar, which is installed in a trench dug across the track between two sleepers, then proceeds round in an endless loop through the body of the machine above the track. As the ballast cleaner moves forwards, the cutter bar/chain arrangement removes ballast, undercutting the sleepers, and removing the ballast shoulders. All of this dirty ballast is swept up into the machine, where a conveyor system takes it and drops it into the riddle. Meanwhile, the track itself is supported by roller clamp arrangements, gripping under the heads of the rails, to prevent it from dropping into the excavation below. The vibrating riddle system shakes off the dirt and small ballast particles onto a conveyor below, which takes this ‘spoil’ away for

disposal. The larger ballast stones left on the riddle screen go onto a different conveyor that takes them back to a point behind the cutter bar. Here they are spread back across the base of the hole from whence the ballast was originally excavated, under the sleepers. In a conventional ballast cleaner, that’s about it. The spoil is either offloaded into the wagons of a train on an adjoining track, or it might even be discharged onto the lineside well clear of the tracks. The track is left in a rough state because of the reduction in quantity of the ballast under it (on a good site perhaps 60-75 per cent will be returned to the track; on a very poor site, none will be), and because the returned ballast is distributed quite crudely by the machine. Consequently, the cleaner needs to be followed immediately by some arrangement to add more ballast. This in turn needs to be followed by a tamping machine that lifts and aligns the track to acceptable geometry for trains to run, though in the past this return to traffic was normally initially at restricted speed. Other actions, possibly including further ballast delivery and correct profiling of the ballast using a ballast regulator, will be required as will further tamping after a week or so of traffic.

Rail Engineer • February 2017

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Track Renewal System The HOTR track renewal system (TRS) is a similar factory-like train, designed to replace the sleepers and rails with new ones, take away the old and leave the track fit to reopen to traffic. As with the BCS, the train carries out this work whilst the adjacent lines are open to traffic. It brings in all the new rail and sleepers it will install, and removes all the old ones. Network Rail’s TRSs are unusual since the UK loading gauge is too narrow for sleepers to be carried in their normal orientation, transverse to the track. The new ones therefore have to be loaded on the train at right angles to their normal orientation. The gantry crane system that picks them up and moves them from the wagon they came on to the track installation system has to turn them through 90 degrees as part of the process. Equally, the old, recovered sleepers need to be turned as they are loaded onto the wagons for removal from site. The sleeper renewal process takes place under the renewal system where the sleepers are exchanged, new for old. Old rails are threaded up and away, and new ones are threaded in, meaning the front part of the TRS runs on the old rails, the rear on new ones.

The systems for tamping and consolidation are quite similar to those included in the BCS, and once again the objective is to reopen the track at high speed, ideally at line speed. However, in the case of the TRS, there is an extra complication. As part of the renewal, it is obviously necessary to cut the rails in order to change them for new ones. This also releases any stress in the rails, so it becomes necessary to re-stress them before welding them back up. This additional issue means that restoring line speed is more complex than after ballast cleaning, and the risk of failing to deliver the planned reopening speed is higher. If it is not possible to re-stress and weld, the track can always be reopened using temporary clamped joints, but this is no longer seen as the ideal outcome. Not only does it mean a lower reopening speed (80 mph if the correct clamped joints are used), it also means more follow-up work to re-stress and weld at a later date.

Safety and environmental benefits A major safety advantage results from these systems, as they significantly reduce the requirement for people to go on track. The new BCS5 further improves the situation. It has fully

automated MFS wagons that do not require human operators on them, and its control systems for the ballast cleaning and ballast distribution, tamping and DTS will be totally managed from inside cabs, away from noise, dust and passing trains. HOTR, like Network Rail’s other renewals projects, is working to deliver higher hand-back speeds, up to 125 mph, and is conducting trials of new methods aimed at delivering these objectives. The HOTR team was recently one of several Network Rail teams to win a British Safety Council Sword of Honour award, and Network Rail was voted Recycler of the Year 2016. This new train should assist in maintaining this kind of good record. Network Rail is targeting January 2017 on the Western route for BCS5’s first shift in actual production, moving on to third rail territory in April 2017 to operate out of a base at Sevington near Ashford.

From our test bed to your track bed Cement for track bed replacement has to be ultrarapid hardening to meet return to service deadlines. The challenge comes when your works are taking place 10m underground and 100m along an underground network tunnel. Pozamentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s development labs can create a bespoke formulation of our successful PQX cement thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s workable enough to be pumped from street level. Yet still achieve a strength of 40N in just 8 hours. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s just one of the many problems our development teams have solved for clients and contractors in the rail industry. To see how we can help you, visit pozament.co.uk or call 03444 630 046

Rail Engineer • February 2017

Safe and Efficient Access TRACK

using digital technology

ith watches that can read you your emails, phones that track your calorie intake and tablets that can help you navigate the globe, it’s no wonder that railway innovation has followed suit and got a little smart too.

The Digital Railway is the phrase on everyone’s lips. With more and more passengers using the UK’s infrastructure every day, it is little surprise that everyone’s attention is turning to technology to help solve the railway’s capacity problem.

However, there will always be activities which can only be undertaken by having a worker leave the safety of the train’s cabin and to go out lineside. This largely takes place at the beginning and end of possessions as the machines are set up and broken down.

Under pressure

Safe and Efficient Access

According to figures provided to the House of Commons Transport Committee by Network Rail, “1.5 million more train services run each year than in 1997, however passenger demand has outstripped that”. So, with the UK infrastructure already full to bursting, and passenger and freight demand showing no sign of slowing, it seems that the only way to deal with capacity concerns is to add more hours to the day! With more and more services being run, essential maintenance is becoming increasingly important. However, as the services increase, track access times are squeezed. Can the Digital Railway be utilised to handle this increasingly concerning issue? And does increasing capacity have to mean compromising safety, or financial efficiencies? To get more work done in less time, Network Rail is turning to technology. Its high-output systems are trains of up to half a mile long that can clean and replace ballast and renew track, largely automatically. Operating ‘adjacent line open’, their remit is to maximise output while having as few people on track as possible, as that puts them at risk.

Following a fatal accident to a track worker in 2007, Network Rail set up its award-winning ‘Safe and Efficient Access’ project which aims to minimise the amount of time staff have to be on track for the purpose of taking or giving back a possession. Gordon Williams, as high output programme manager (he’s now with Network Rail Consulting), called on digital technology to operate a step change improvement in safety when securing access for engineering work. Under ‘Safe and Efficient Access’, his goal was to move from an operational railway to a worksite in under two minutes. One of the pieces of kit he worked with is Dual Inventive’s ZKL 3000 RC - a remote controlled track circuit operating device with a difference. Where track circuits are used, it removes the requirement for the use of detonators and marker boards, which had to be installed by track workers out on a live track. Managed by one ‘registered user’, the system allows for the realtime monitoring of live projects. Gordon secured trials to utilise the ZKL 3000 RC alongside FTAP (flexible train access point) as part of the project, and subsequent utilisation

has reported an average improvement in production time of eleven minutes. As well as improving productivity, improving track worker safety is a primary aim for the project. “If you are not having to cross the track, you cannot be hit by a train, it’s obvious. You’re not exposed,” said Gordon. “If you focus on safety, efficiency comes. It’s all about making the process as simple as possible.” Scott Moscardini, who works in the highoutput team based in Doncaster, fully agrees with Gordon. He said: “The only danger is in the installation, but this is minimised as it can be done during hours of daylight and light traffic flow. Once everything’s set up, there’s minimal risk.” As part of the Safe and Efficient Access project, a primary area of attention is Protection Zone working. This Protection Zone provides teams with a method of taking over sections of track, without the need for a possession or line block. The High Output Ballast Cleaner currently requires 17 separate phone calls in order to move it into position through a worksite, which Gordon calls “a recipe for disaster”. It requires track workers to enter the live site numerous times to place detonators or possession markers, which places them at increased risk and, according to Gordon, it’s not always easy to get them “in the right place, at the right time, safely”. The Safe and Efficient Access project provides an answer to these problems in the form of the ZKL 3000 RC and the FTAP systems. Together, they produce a Protection Zone, allowing the engineering train to progress through a worksite, guided by FTAP signals, with minimal verbal contact being made by track staff.

Track Circuit Operating Device Remotely Controlled

ZKL 3000 RC

Full product approval by Network Rail

PA05/05043

Working with MTinfo 3000 and Dual Inventive App

A1_594_840_poster.indd 1

07-06-16 09:58

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Rail Engineer • February 2017

The train can move into position when the railway is still operational, so teams don’t have to take and pass back access via the remotely operated ZKL 3000 RC technology until the last minute, providing up to 20 minutes more working time at each Protection Zone. Gordon believes that the combination of wireless ZKL 3000 RC technology delivered many benefits to the programme, not least a significant increase in safety and productivity. “The light bulb moment was that, if I deploy it tonight, tomorrow night I don’t have to put someone at risk,” he said. The rest of the team were keen on the idea as well. “One of the guys on the team in Newcastle’s response to the new product trials was ‘Yes! We’ve been waiting for this for 10 years!’” Gordon laughed. “Wherever we use it, people love it - it’s so simple and safe.” Many of the challenges historically faced by high-output teams focus around time constraints. Scott Moscardini saw the benefits to his team quickly: “Our work is time critical. It takes a long time to get a line block and, if we lose five minutes, we lose a lot of production. What we didn’t know was that when we use a ZKL 3000 RC, the same job takes literally 10 seconds!”

Game-changing technology However, is it possible to meet safety, speed and efficiency targets? With the proper utilisation of digital technologies, it would appear so. Recent project works at Hebden Bridge have highlighted exactly how savings can be made across the board, when traditional line blockage systems are replaced with a digital alternative. The project is part of re-signalling works currently being undertaken on the MRB line, by Works Delivery Specialist Projects, which requires trough to be replaced and upgraded. This required both the Up and Down lines to be blocked, both individually and simultaneously. However, a possession on this line can only be granted once every six weeks, so line blockages were used to allow for further works to be carried out on midweek nights. A further twist was added thanks to a third converging branch line, which had to be blocked at all times. In addition, a track trolley was required on site, which also required additional protection. A project of this nature would usually require three hand signalmen and a further twelve track workers to safely place and remove the required protection (detonators). Due to the make-up of this particular site, the short length of shifts available and the frequency of trains during the shift, it was estimated that the project would only be able to operate at 60 per cent efficiency, and could not be completed on time, or within budget. Productivity enhancement was key to the success of the Hebden Bridge project. The implementation of ZKL 3000 RC technology allowed track teams to take and remove a line block in a few seconds, helping build in more productive time per shift - an increase of around 60 minutes per shift. Over the course of the project, this increased the working time by 26 per cent and reduced the number of shifts by 14. With fewer shifts required to complete the project, it is little surprise that the project also realised significant financial efficiencies. Due to a reduction of man-hours, equipment hire, protection staff and track access planning, the project realised significant efficiencies of over £321,000.

As well as speed and cost-savings, safety was a key consideration for the team, and the project certainly didn’t disappoint. Due to the pre-installation of the ZKL 3000 RC during a time of less risk (daylight hours, times with less frequency of trains, when key planning staff are available) and line blockages being taken remotely, there were significantly fewer movements in operational track for the duration of the project. Whilst it would be expected to see around 700 worker movements over the duration of a three-month project, the Hebden Bride project only recorded six visits into operational track, meaning there were 694 fewer instances of workers being put at risk.

Successful implementation in Europe However, is the UK a little late in coming to the party when it comes to the implementation of cloud technology in infrastructure maintenance? Due to intensive rail traffic, frequent maintenance on infrastructure in the Netherlands is a necessity - just like in the UK. ProRail (the Dutch equivalent of Network Rail) made the decision to install nearly 500 ZKL 3000 RCs across their network’s infrastructure. At Amsterdam station, a mass of switches and platform lines are now controlled entirely by ZKL3000 RCs. In the Netherlands, short possessions are preferable, so ProRail chose to implement ZKL 3000 RCs in order to provide a series of flexible worksites across the country, 105 in Amsterdam alone. After a single year of use, there has been an increase in productivity of around 20 per cent, while nearly 270 working hours were gained by teams not having to implement and remove safety measures, and nearly 500 fewer track worker hours were spent in a place of danger. John Gower, operations manager for Dual Inventive Ltd, believes that where Amsterdam is leading, the UK is set to follow: “Project Amsterdam is the real forerunner in ZKL 3000 RC usage. It allows teams in the Netherlands unrivalled access to track, superior flexibility, efficiency and improved safety.”

Rail Engineer • February 2017

And now

Crossrail 2

NIGEL WORDSWORTH

ow that Crossrail is 75 per cent complete (issue 146, December 2016), thoughts are turning to what comes next. Crossrail 2 is more than just a possibility. Transport for London has appointed Michèle Dix as managing director for the project, reporting directly to TfL Commissioner Mike Brown. Based at 55 Broadway, the iconic former London Underground headquarters above St James’ Park tube station, Michèle now heads a team planning the new route.

But the projects, and the reasoning behind them, are quite different. In its 2012 policy paper, the coalition government stated: “Crossrail is creating new transport infrastructure to support London’s economic growth. It will increase London’s rail transport capacity by 10 per cent, make journey times shorter and bring an extra 1.5 million people within 45 minutes of London’s business centres - leading to employment growth of up to 30,000 jobs by 2026 in central London.” In other words, it was all about making the commute to work easier for 1.5 million people and, as an extension to that, result in 30,000 new jobs. However, Crossrail 2 is about more than that it’s about housing as well. Michèle Dix explained that Crossrail 2 will not only transform travel across the whole of the South East region, it will also support economic regeneration by providing the infrastructure needed to support 200,000 new homes and 200,000 new jobs. “It’s not just a railway scheme,” she explained. “It’s a growth scheme and it’s based on the fact that, by the 2030s, London won’t be able to cope with the demands for travel because population growth is predicted to continue. And because we’ve got a housing shortage now, and with that population growth we’ll have a bigger housing shortage, we also need to plan our railways so we can open up new housing areas as well as get them to work.” As mentioned elsewhere in this magazine, Crossrail 2 will take inner-suburban services away from Waterloo and Liverpool Street. With the forecast a continuing increase in traffic, when built it will provide much-needed additional capacity. So it’s not just about moving existing commuters in a more efficient and quicker way, it's about giving them new places to live and work as well.

Early plans The first plans for Crossrail 1 and Crossrail 2 were drawn up in 1991. Crossrail 1 was taken forward for further development while Crossrail 2, then called the Chelsea-Hackney line, was safeguarded for the future. Over time, the proposed route was reassessed and, during the 2009 review, it became clear that the safeguarded route was no longer the best one. The overall need for improved transport from the south west to the north east of London was still needed but, with recent improvements to train services on the Jubilee and Central lines, as well as the London Overground service, the alignment in the north east could be improved. “There was a big gap in terms of connectivity that was needed up the Upper Lee Valley,” Michèle stated. “So we redirected the route up the Upper Lee Valley to open up that area in terms of additional housing. “We also reviewed the whole route and we undertook a study which looked at about 100 different options in terms of how Crossrail 2 could be aligned in that general south west to north east corridor. The overwhelming response was that stakeholders want to see the regional route that we are now developing because not only would that help London’s problems of growth and immediate capacity shortage in the centre, it would help the wider South East.” The principal change is the route in the North East. The original plan had been for a tunnel across London connecting the District and Central Lines, linking ‘Chelsea to Hackney’. Now it is to go through to Tottenham Hale, where it will connect with the Network Rail route to Waltham Cross and beyond, and then continue to New Southgate.

There was also a modification of the route to include a combined Euston/St Pancras station rather than King’s Cross, so as to connect with HS2. With platforms 250 metres long it is intended that the Euston connection will be at one end and the St Pancras one at the other. Trains will be equally long, nominally the same as those for Crossrail 1 (now named the Elizabeth line) - full-sized trains running on a full-sized railway under the heart of London.

All change at Tooting Another change to the Chelsea to Hackney alignment was made south of the Thames to take the alignment to Tooting Broadway. “Tooting Broadway was a station that we wanted because it provides an interchange with the Northern line, helping to relieve congestion on one of the busiest sections of this line,” Michèle Dix commented. “However, when we looked at the geological data, it showed that Tooting Broadway was on a fault line and that the soil conditions in that area would make building a station there difficult - not impossible but very difficult. “So we looked to see whether we could move that interchange between Crossrail 2 to somewhere else on the Northern Line that would still provide this relief but on the right side of what we call the fault line, and we chose Balham. That would provide us with most, but not all, of the transport benefits that going to Tooting Broadway would and, because it was within clay, the soil conditions are better.” The response on this to a public consultation was strong support to go to Tooting Broadway and not to go to Balham. Decisions on the route will be made by TfL and the Department of Transport, taking into account recommendations made by the National Infrastructure Commission, as well as reflecting comments from the public consultation.

Rail Engineer • February 2017

An early route for the Chelsea-Hackney line.

Fifteen years to go However, prior to that and further consultation on the scheme, TfL will be submitting a revised Strategic Outline Business Case to the Secretary of State for Transport for consideration. Subject to this, the intention is to submit a Hybrid Bill in 2019. Once that goes through its various stages, Royal Assent is likely (or anticipated) in 2021/2. Construction will take ten years, so that would give an opening date by 2033. “This is a big scheme, this is twice as big as Crossrail 1,” Michèle commented. That may surprise many readers, but Crossrail 1 has a total of 44km of tunnels under the capital while Crossrail 2 will have 38km of twinbore tunnels, a total of 76km. Preliminary design is already underway, a large part of the work being undertaken by Arcadis. As the Hybrid Bill gets closer, this will ramp up and more packages of design work will be contracted. Many of those designers will work with potential contractors, to take advantage of their practical experience and to get the much-vaunted ‘early contractor engagement’. “We won’t be issuing contracts to contractors at this stage, we will be issuing contracts to designers but ensuring that contractors are part of that,” Michèle stated. “Arcadis at the moment have Taylor Woodrow working with them, so they’ve got that good contractor involvement. Because, whilst they are designing it, they also need to be thinking ‘how can I construct it?’ as that influences the design.”

“We will have different entry points to Crossrail 1 because we will have additional entries and exits. The orientation of Crossrail 1 is east/west whereas the orientation of Crossrail 2 is north/south. So our entrances will be away from the operating Crossrail 1 station and close to our ventilation shafts, which will be at the end of each platform. “Crossrail 1 also made passive provision for pedestrian tunnels which will link with ours, so disruption will be kept to a minimum.” Following recommendations from the National Infrastructure Commission, Crossrail 2 is now a project jointly sponsored by the Mayor of London and the Government. So, subject to the approval of the business case, Michèle is aiming for a 2021 date for Royal Assent, with trains carrying passengers by 2033. On the Charles line perhaps?

What we need to know is… While visiting with Michèle, it seemed opportune to ask a couple of ‘thorny’ questions. Firstly, had she given consideration to automatic operation? “With all these schemes, you have to design for the future, but the Victoria line is a service that runs on automatic operation although it’s a manned service. “The key thing is that we’ll have automatic signalling, because that is what will give us that increased frequency of service. So it’s making sure that our signalling systems allow for minimum headroom, minimum headways, maximum services. And we are designing for Crossrail 2 to operate 30 trains an hour on the core.” Secondly, Tottenham Court Road station has been a building site for years with the works for Crossrail 1. Will it all happen again for Crossrail 2? “We certainly won’t be tearing it all up again. Crossrail 1 made passive provision for Crossrail 2 as part of the safeguarding - Crossrail 1 was designed knowing that Crossrail 2 would have an interchange there. And things like the grouting shafts that were used for Crossrail 1 can be used for Crossrail 2.

The latest route showing the alternatives at Tooting Broadway and Balham.

CONNECTING COMMUNITIES THROUGH PIONEERING RAILWAY INFRASTRUCTURE SINCE 1834 TOGETHER WE IMPROVE QUALITY OF LIFE www.arcadis.com/uk | @ArcadisUK

Rail Engineer • February 2017

Access all areas (an alternative to scaffolding)

ccess is a common challenge during rail projects, whether from a civils or a track perspective. Projects can be compromised if engineers cannot perform their work effectively because of limited access. Unwieldy construction vehicles and equipment are often required on sites, with no contingency to alter the original construction. Heritage sites and listed buildings present further constraints that can result in significant extensions to schedules and budgets. It’s interesting to look around the world at the extreme measures taken to build some of our famous (or infamous) railways, where unimaginable risks were taken to overcome access challenges. Tren a Las Nubes, or the ‘train to the clouds’, is one of Argentina’s biggest tourist attractions. It spans 130 miles of the country’s most daunting mountainous terrain. During construction, over 400 people are said to have perished in accidents, often caused by severe weather and the dizzying heights the railway reaches.

Bespoke system Of course, the UK’s landscape is much less extreme, but being able to effectively gain access to sites to perform construction and engineering works remains a challenge for railway contractors. Since the construction of the UK’s railway, and its many historic stations, the growth in population has meant that it is often surrounded by residential or commercial buildings, presenting a challenge for railway workers in gaining the access they need to make repairs or improvements. Temporary access structures, in the form of a bridge, stairs, tower, walkway or cage, can provide an ideal, safe and convenient solution - especially when there is no limit on the size or scale of the structure. SuperAccess systems were developed in Australia, where they have garnered a reputation for reliability within the construction industry. Preston Australia, of New South Wales, is the manufacturer of these systems, which are the culmination of 40 years of expertise in providing dependable equipment hire and services for construction clients. The aim is to set the standard for high-quality, safe access solutions in the industry. BeaverTW, the British company which offers SuperAccess systems in the UK, is saving contracting companies from resorting to the use of equipment such as scaffolding, which is unsightly and time consuming to erect. Each engineered solution is designed and manufactured using galvanised rigid boxes, forming the basis of every bridge, stairs, barrier, scaffold, chute, fence, ramp, walkway, cage, shoring - or other kind of access system required.

Rail Engineer • February 2017

Clients come to BeaverTW with their access problem and receive a bespoke solution. The focus is on reducing labour and cost, but with safety at the centre. A dedicated health and safety executive ensures that environmental and quality procedures are followed at all times, creating a safe and secure environment for everyone who comes into contact with the site.

Speedy installation What makes SuperAccess systems unique is the speed with which they can be erected. Where alternative methods, such as a scaffold bridge with towers and stairs, can take days or weeks to install, even the largest or most ambitious SuperAccess system takes a matter of hours drastically cutting time and costs. An example would be a 25-metre pedestrian bridge with five metres clearance for construction use. Integrated tower stair boxes are transported to site, connected and positioned offline. The bridge is transported in two sections and also connected offline. Once the towers are levelled the bridge is lifted, positioned on the towers and connected. The total installation time from arrival onsite is approximately four hours, with minimal possession required, and, because the bridge is constructed from enclosed modular boxes, it makes for a quick and compliant temporary structure suitable for most rail environments. Castle Hill is an underground rapid transit station, around 25 metres below ground level, currently under construction in Sydney, Australia. Worker access was required, with stairs, in the middle of the two tunnels. The solution was a 30-metre free-standing SuperTower, stabilised by two bridges at ground level. Each stair-box was lifted by a crane to reach the 30-metre level, and the two bridges at the top were connected. Using three men and a crane, the total completion time for this project was just eight hours. At the heart of this, and the many other SuperAccess solutions, was good planning, and the careful delivery of each section to achieve a quick installation.

The site of Castle Hill station.

Safe access When major works are being undertaken at railway stations, providing safe, easy access to all passengers for the duration of the project is a significant challenge. At Sydney’s Ingleburn station, BeaverTW set up a SuperRamp giving temporary public access during works. SuperStairs were installed on both sides of the railway station to divert the public while refurbishment was underway. Ingleburn station.

This type of solution is commonly in demand in rail projects, and BeaverTW can cite many other examples of ramps and stairs erected quickly and effectively, enabling rail services to continue as normal while vital work is carried out. Each rail project presents its own particular access challenges, requiring a different kind of solution. Where BeaverTW aims to provide something unique for its customers is the speed and convenience of installing its bespoke SuperAccess systems - with no compromise to the quality or safety of each solution. As the company’s strapline says, the only limit to its solutions is the customer’s imagination. And that can be pretty varied. BeaverTW is a sister company of Beaver Bridges and Beaver Bridge Hire, which offer permanent and temporary bridge building and engineering solutions throughout the UK and Europe. With vast experience in survey, design and installation, the company can claim to be the complete bridge specialists, providing a variety of systems including heavy duty modular vehicle bridges, lightweight trench crossing units and large span pedestrian bridges, constructed using timber, steel or composites. SuperAccess systems are the next phase in the group’s evolution, with the aim of providing its customers with access to all areas.

Delivering future rail capacity 78

Rail Engineer • February 2017

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n 23 March 2016, the House of Commons passed the High Speed 2 (HS2) Hybrid Bill by 399 votes to 42, paving the way for Royal Assent. This cross-party political support for HS2 reflects its strong case. Yet the scheme remains controversial. Although scepticism about high-cost projects is understandable, it is not generally understood that when complete in 2033, HS2 phase 2 will double the capacity of all UK north-south intercity rail routes.

is now considering future demand and has concluded that rail traffic will continue to grow in the coming decades. Hence the need to build HS2 and ensure that poor rail capacity elsewhere does not constrain economic growth. To develop the capacity enhancements needed to meet predicted long term growth up to 2043, Network Rail is producing twelve route studies. These build on the previous route utilisation studies which considered requirements up to 2031.

Additionally, taking inter-city traffic off Euston’s main line will provide an additional 13,000 commuter peak period seats. Even with pessimistic assumptions, HS2 is expected to return more than two pounds for every pound invested, boosting annual productivity by £8-15 billion. Twenty years ago, few would have predicted that rail passenger journeys would have doubled by now. Network Rail’s long-term planning process

The Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) recently published its report “Increasing Capacity: Putting Britain’s railways back on track” to highlight this issue. It demonstrates the need to invest in HS2 and other rail projects as well as accelerating the implementation of innovations. The intention is to provide politicians and other decision makers with a professional engineering institution’s perspective on this issue. A further aim is to help the supply chain understand the

Getting back on track

Rail Engineer • February 2017

issues and encourage innovators to generate new ideas and transfer emerging technology into rail. The report was led by the Institution’s Railway Division and produced in association with TRL, whose head of rail, Rebeka Sellick, was one of the lead authors. In the report’s foreword, Rebeka shows her enthusiasm for this topic by stating: “We want all to share our excitement in the opportunities for railways to reduce road congestion and deliver joined-up journeys using the best sustainable transport.” It derives its conclusions and recommendations from case studies of four railways which are all quite different: London Underground’s Victoria line; Wessex routes out of London Waterloo; Northern England and HS2.

ATO-on-ATO upgrade The Victoria line opened in 1968 with Automatic Train Operation (ATO), a world first. It has one 21km long route, 16 stations, and carries 650,000 passengers each day. By one metric it is London’s busiest tube line, with average station usage more than twice that of any other line. Between 2006 and 2013, London’s overall travel demand increased by 12 per cent, whilst the increase on the underground was 36 per cent. On the Victoria line, a recent upgrade enabled the service frequency in peak periods to be increased from 27 to 33 trains per hour (tph) in January 2013. Later this year, there will be a further increase to 36tph. Successfully delivering such a high capacity railway required a system approach which had to consider issues such as station dwell times, the passenger train interface and

passenger station flows as well as trains, signalling, track and power systems. It required a meticulous study of each operational factor that influenced the design of trains and signalling. This in-depth application of systems thinking, with careful and disciplined attention to detail, has produced Britain’s most frequent train service which can carry up to 48,000 passengers per hour (pph) in, albeit uncomfortable, crushloaded conditions. It has also resulted in a more reliable service with customer hours lost due to signalling and train failures reduced by 75 and 84 per cent respectively since 2006/07. The upgrade included the introduction of a new ATO and signalling system, provision of a new service control centre and supporting ventilation, track, power and depot works. 43 trains were replaced with 47 new Bombardier-built eightcar units which have higher performance, bigger

doors to reduce station dwell times and more room. They are also three metres longer as they use the extra platform length provided due to uncertainty about the original ATO stopping accuracy. They are 40mm wider than normal tube trains, as the line has wider tunnels. A good example of the line’s ‘to the second’ operation is the 218-second Brixton turn around. In this time a driver shuts down his cab, a different driver opens up the other cab, crossovers are set and the train is driven clear of the platform. Currently, this is assessed to require 203 seconds - it will have to be reduced by a few more seconds for the 36tph service. The Victoria line upgrade demonstrates what can be achieved when trains are of one type, all have a consistent stopping pattern and careful

Rail Engineer • February 2017

attention is paid to station dwell times. This ‘metro’ type of train operation maximises line capacity and offers lessons for the main-line railway and high-speed railway networks.

A high-speed metro The IMechE considers that “HS2 is essential both of itself and to free up capacity for passengers and freight on the West Coast, East Coast and Midland main lines”. With 18tph out of London, each with 1,100 seats, HS2 phase 2 will carry up to 20,000pph in each direction compared with 7,100pph for the current Euston peak-hour departure inter-city services. Carrying this number of people requires a whole-system design which considers passenger flow from the outset. New HS2 stations will have wide step-free, gap-free platforms which will be accessed by lifts and escalators spaced every 100 metres with special facilities for luggage. Effective passenger information and signage will be provided using techniques that direct large crowds in theatres and stadiums. Eighteen trains an hour is a demanding requirement and compares favourably with the maximum of 14tph on Japan’s Shinkansen network. Allowing for variations, this requires a minimum of 150 seconds between trains. For this, HS2 has specified Automatic Train Operation and European Train Control System (ETCS) Level 2 which offers in-cab signalling to eliminate the constraint of lineside signals. In addition, the network needs to be engineered to avoid following trains having to slow down as preceding trains reach junctions or stop at intermediate stations. This requires 230km/h turnouts and intermediate stations on loops which are six kilometres long.

To be a success, HS2 will require a metro-style operation with careful attention to passenger flow and station dwell times as well as running trains with the same performance characteristics. To illustrate this point, if a 200km/h Pendolino was to run on HS2, it would destroy three quarters of the train paths.

Northern Powerhouse The Northern Powerhouse aims to shift growth from the constrained south of England to areas of unfulfilled potential in the north. To achieve this, Transport for the North (TfN) has been set up which is intended to have powers similar to Transport for London. This requires better links between Liverpool, Manchester, Sheffield, Leeds and Newcastle. Journey times between these cities are poor compared with other UK inter-city journeys. For example, the fastest trains between Manchester

and Leeds only average 53mph. TfN has been granted £60 million to develop proposals to reduce this journey time. One reason for these poor rail links is that, historically, rail companies developed their own London-centred routes, whereas the Northern network is an amalgam of competing routes built by rival rail companies that each built its own city centre stations. This is particularly problematic in Manchester which, until 1988, had separate northern and southern networks. The current Northern Hub programme improves this situation further. It includes extra through platforms at Piccadilly where there is severe peak overcrowding and the construction of the Ordsall Chord which will directly link Victoria and Piccadilly for the first time and also avoids the need for east-west trains to cross Piccadilly station’s throat.

Rail Engineer • February 2017 Leeds also experiences overcrowding. However, overall, Northern peak crowding is lower than the South East. As many trains are formed of two or three coaches, there is generally scope to lengthen trains without the need for platform extensions. A key feature of two new franchises let in 2016 is the procurement of new rolling stock. The Northern franchise is to acquire 281 new vehicles (31 three-car and 12 four-car EMUs and 25 two-car and 30 three-car DMUs). This, together with trains from other franchises, will see a 37 per cent peak capacity increase on Northern services. 220 new coaches have been ordered by Trans Pennine Express (TPE) (12 five-car EMUs, 19 five-car bi-modes and 13 five-car locomotive push-pull sets). By 2020, TPE’s fleet size will have increased by 88 per cent, with 73 per cent being new stock, to give an 80 per cent increase in peak capacity. In general, the current Northern Hub and Northern electrification programmes will provide the infrastructure needed to accommodate these trains. However, further infrastructure interventions will be required in the long term as the Northern network’s mix of freight, stopping and express services on two-track railways will become an increasing constraint, with peak rail demand forecast to grow by 115 per cent by 2043. It is envisaged that this will include a link, connecting the two branches of the HS2 network, between Manchester and Leeds.

Waterloo suburban services Each day, main line rail carries 600,000 commuters in London. 110,000 use routes to Waterloo, which are amongst the UK’s most

heavily trafficked. Since 2011, peak period demand into Waterloo has increased by 15.1 per cent, compared with the London’s average of ‘only’ 11.5. To enhance capacity on suburban routes to places such as Dorking (22 miles) and Guildford (30 miles), Network Rail and South West Trains have a five-year programme to increase train lengths to ten coaches. This requires platform and signalling alterations for ten-car operation as well as bringing Waterloo’s former Eurostar platforms back into use. Currently these services use a pair of coupled four-car units. These trains will be lengthened, either by adding two-car units or by converting the base four-car units to five-cars. Older trains are to have new traction motors and control equipment fitted to give all trains on the route the same performance characteristics. In addition, 30 five-car Siemens-built trains are being procured. These Class 707 units (Rail Engineer September 2016) have full-width interior gangways and other features to increase capacity.

In total, these train and infrastructure projects will provide an additional 24,000 extra peaktime seats on shorter distance services by 2018, demonstrating the benefits of integrated planning by Network Rail and South West Trains, supported by Department for Transport.

Waterloo, Winchester and beyond The demand for longer distance peak travel has increased to the extent that commuters stand for an hour or more on journeys such as the 67-mile journey from Winchester to Waterloo, despite almost all trains being the maximum possible length of 230/240 metres. Network Rail’s Wessex Route study estimates a 40 per cent increase in demand by 2043, for which the Fast line would have to carry 37tph, compared with the current 24. The study concluded that it was unlikely that rolling stock options could reduce this train path requirement. Many stakeholders rejected 2+3 seating on long distance trains and considered this offered

Rail Engineer • February 2017

little extra capacity. Network Rail’s passenger rolling stock route utilisation study considered double decker trains and concluded that, with UK gauge and platform constraints, a 23-metre double-deck vehicle might offer 24 per cent more seats but would increase station dwell times and require costly gauge-clearance civil engineering work. These lines could carry an additional two paths, but at increased risk to service punctuality and reliability. A further two paths could be provided if the current diesel service to Salisbury had the same performance as electric trains. A new grade-separated junction and an additional platform at Woking would create some extra paths, as would a flyover at Basingstoke. This would also offer extra freight paths from Southampton, a reminder that the issue is not only passenger capacity. However, the study concludes that the 37tph requirement will require two of three radical solutions. These are a fifth track between Surbiton and Clapham Junction at a cost of £1.2 billion with huge disruption, Crossrail 2 and ETCS level 3 to enable trains to run more closely. Crossrail 2 would deliver significant extra capacity by providing a core route between Liverpool Street’s Lea Valley line and Wimbledon to reduce train services into Waterloo. Such cross-city limited-stop services were introduced in Paris in the 1970s and eliminated the significant capacity constraint of city-centre terminal stations. Forty years later, Crossrail will provide London its first such route.

Future technology The industry’s capability development plan to promote the required innovations is described in the following article. This includes those that will increase capacity, of which perhaps the most important is running trains closer together using moving block signalling offered by ETCS level 3. The Wessex study shows how this offers a significant capacity increase without the need for massive infrastructure projects. However, whilst moving block is widely used on metros throughout the world, its implementation on a complex mixed-traffic network remains an

elusive holy grail. Although the baseline specification for ETCS level 3 was written 20 years ago, its only European application is a low-traffic rural line in Sweden. One reason for this is that before a route’s lineside signals can be eliminated, every train cab using the route must have the required equipment for any benefit to be realised. Who bears this substantial cost and how they benefit is a potential barrier that needs to be addressed. In contrast, there has been rapid development of autonomous road vehicles which do not have to address complex interoperability and rail infrastructure system-compatibility issues. This includes freight vehicle platooning at 70mph, two metres apart, which has been successfully trialled. Such technologies present the rail industry with new competition. However, they also present an opportunity as they could be adapted for rail use and provide an impetus to accelerate the development of rail innovations. The rail industry has an active innovation programme to develop the technologies required by the Rail Technical Strategy, some of which will provide additional capacity. Examples of technologies under development are SUSTRAIL, which could increase freight train speeds, and REPOINT, a radical new point design offering higher reliability and speed of operation, have much to offer. Both are described in issue 131 (September 2015).

Beyond catch-up Commuters who pay considerable sums for their season tickets can be excused for blaming train operators for their crowded trains. Their frustration is often echoed by the mainstream

media, which rarely considers the real reason why trains are overcrowded. This is because the increase in demand was not predicted and no provision made to satisfy it. The industry is now playing catch-up with 5,600 new coaches on order and many infrastructure projects under way. With Network Rail’s long-term planning process predicting a continuing increase in demand, the challenge is to act in time to prevent future overcrowding. It takes a few years to procure rolling stock and rather longer to deliver major infrastructure projects. The development of capacity-enhancing new technologies is a long-term business. The IMechE report doesn’t just support HS2 and other projects to enhance rail capacity. It strongly promotes the creation of devolved regional transport authorities, such as TfN, to plan and fund their own projects. It also stresses the urgent requirement to bring innovations into operational use, particularly moving block signalling. This includes the need for increased funding for rail research to make up for the industry’s exclusion from EU-funded research projects. The report does the industry a valuable service by informing policy makers and helping to maintain the current political impetus to ensure a long-term commitment for investment in new rail capacity. Thanks to report lead authors Rebeka Sellick, Philippa Oldham and Chris Kinchin-Smith, and contributor Malcolm Dobell, for their help with this article. (The full report is available on the IMechE website).

THE STEPHENSON CONFERENCE: RESEARCH FOR RAILWAYS

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ORGANISING COMMITTEE Railway Division The Institution of Mechanical Engineers

MEMBER CREDITS: Richard Gostling IMechE Railway Division Francis How Institution of Railway Signal Engineers Prof Simon Iwnicki Institute of Railway Research, University of Huddersfield

Sharon Odetunde RSSB David Polehill Association of Train Operating Companies

Visit: www.imeche.org/stephenson to find out more eventenquiries@imeche.org

Rail Engineer â&#x20AC;¢ February 2017

Rail Industry

PAUL DARLINGTON

Capability Delivery Plan

Rail Engineer â&#x20AC;¢ February 2017

Rail Engineer • February 2017

t is four years since the rail industry signed up to a vision of the future, set out in a document called the Rail Technical Strategy (RTS) 2012. That strategy is now accompanied by a Capability Delivery Plan (CDP), which sets out the steps and a road map needed to be taken in order to bring about the railway of the future. The plan was issued recently by RSSB on behalf of the industry. An important point is that, while RSSB has facilitated and published the plan, it is not ‘their’ plan but is the industry’s plan. It has been produced with significant input and consultation from the Rail Delivery Group (RDG), Rail Supply Group (RSG), Rail Industry Association (RIA) and Department for Transport (DfT). It is built around a set of twelve key capabilities that have been developed following detailed consultation with the industry. These will provide a framework to transform the industry and deliver a railway of the future. The aim is to run trains closer together with more space inside, to have fewer service disruptions and self-regulating trains arriving and departing precisely on time with quicker boarding and alighting for passengers who will enjoy a personalised customer experience. Improved connectivity for freight movements is also in the plan, and the objective is to deliver all this at a lower cost and with less damage to the environment. Each key capability is broken down further into a sequence of milestones and a programme structure. These provide the industry and suppliers

with a clear set of near-term delivery priorities that can deliver benefits to the railway and realise the future vision in the RTS. The industry needs to look beyond conventional solutions and towards the transformative power of new technology. The objective is therefore to enable a technologically enabled railway that delivers efficient, affordable, flexible, and attractive transportation for the increasing number of customers who now use rail.

Rail Technical Strategy The first edition of the RTS was published by the DfT in 2007, in conjunction with the white paper Delivering a Sustainable Railway. It set out a long-term vision of the railway as a system and explored how technologies and technical approaches could help respond to key challenges. RTS 2012 updated the first edition and was intended to assist the industry’s strategic planning processes, inform policy makers and funders about the potential benefits of new techniques and technologies, and provide suppliers with guidance on the future technical direction of the industry. It was based around 4Cs - the challenges of increased Capacity, reduced Carbon, lower Costs and improved Customer satisfaction.

The publication describes a vision and strategies to address the main operational and engineering technical domains in the rail industry - control, command and communications, energy, infrastructure, rolling stock, information and the customer experience. The strategy includes a number of common foundations to support all the domains, including a whole-system approach, innovation and people, along with the design concepts of whole-system reliability, resilience, security, automation, simplicity, flexibility and sustainability. The first step in producing the supporting CDP during 2016 was to review the RTS 2012 and to see if it was still relevant. The good news for the industry, and a credit to all those involved in its development, is that the authors concluded that the RTS 2012 was sound and valid and did not require any change. The industry was very clear that it didn’t want another strategy document, but a plan to deliver the RTS with priorities and milestones.

Capability Delivery Plan The CDP is based around a complete system approach and recognises that a number of subsystems and processes will need to be adjusted in order to bring about the transformational change required. It will provide a greater understanding to suppliers and others of the rail industry’s requirements.

Rail Engineer • February 2017 Given the higher research and development resources in other sectors, it is essential that the rail industry does not specify and develop rail-only technologies. The key is to take new technology and adapt it for rail, rather than start again with a blank sheet of paper. Other industry sectors such as defence, energy, aviation, maritime and automotive, have similar requirements and challenges. It is even possible that the rail industry could be used as a controlled test bed for some of the new technologies and systems. For example, could some of the technology being developed for autonomous vehicles be used in rail first? The safety profiles may be different, but this is an area where rail could contribute to other sectors with its excellent safety processes. Achieving all twelve capability targets will take concerted and coordinated effort from all parts of the railway industry, but it’s not about totally reinventing the wheel - all the technology to deliver the plan is generally either available or in development. A new area of the RSSB website will offer all stakeholders the opportunity to contribute to the development and delivery of the CDP. It will also serve as a portal with updates and new information, and provide the opportunity to engage with the team developing the CDP. It will also be a means of distributing tools and updated information to support organisations and companies to deliver the RTS vision.

alternatives such as Positive Train Control and CBTC. In the telecoms industry, Ethernet and packet switching were introduced over 40 years ago, but they are flexible and scalable technologies that show no sign of becoming obsolete. The rail industry needs to make sure ERTMS is similar. 2. Minimal disruption to train services. Predictive and preventative maintenance, plus faster repair times when systems do fail, will improve the reliability and availability of the railway. Systems will require selfdiagnostics, redundancy and to be adequately soak-tested before going live. A few years ago, F1 racing cars were inherently unreliable, but fast. Nowadays they are very reliable, and even faster and safer, so it can be done and rail now needs to adopt a similar approach. 3. Efficient passenger flow through stations and trains. Smarter ticketing and human-centred design will make moving through stations and trains easier and quicker, reducing overcrowding at busy stations.

Capabilities in detail The twelve capabilities can be summarised, together with a few examples, as: 1. Running Trains closer together. Delivered mainly by the ERTMS programme, this will increase the capacity of the railway. While the question has been raised whether ERTMS is the right technological solution, as it is now some years old, the industry believes that it is the correct choice but a work stream is underway to check this and keep it under review. ERTMS does have some advantages over the

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Rail Engineer • February 2017

This is important and is an example of why the railway is a system of systems. It’s no good just increasing the capacity of trains and routes if people can’t move through stations. One example is that escalator reliability is just as important as control and communications systems reliability. More value from data. Data collection and real-time information that helps rail staff to make better decisions and provides customers with useful and up-to-date information. Already this is happening with, for example, people using smart phones to find platform changes before they appear on station displays. In the future, realtime information such as the amount of car parking spaces available could inform passengers which station to use. Optimum energy use. Intelligent distribution and energy storage technologies will deliver more cost-effective use of energy on the railway. Rail is already an efficient energy user when compared to other modes of transport, but there is so much more that can be done to build on this advantage and it is an area where perhaps rail can learn from the R&D in other industries. More space on trains. More generous and flexible train interiors will better meet the different and changing demands of customers. An example is trains that serve airport terminals may need more luggage space than when on a commuter service. Services timed to the second. Knowing the exact location and speed of all trains in real time will improve situational awareness, increase operational flexibility and allow for faster recovery from disruption. Intelligent trains will be aware of themselves and their surroundings, knowing

where they need to be and when, and able to automatically adjust journeys to meet demand. Could a future signalling system be based on intelligent trains? 9. Personalised customer experience. Providing customers with tailored information and services so that travel by rail becomes a seamless part of their overall journey. For example, this may be something like the Uber App for taxis, but for ordering a complete end-to-end journey with rail only part of the service. 10. Flexible freight. Trains designed to carry varying loads, combined with better planning and tracking capabilities, will increase flexibility and capacity for freight customers. Some parcel delivery organisations are

looking to use drones to deliver parcels, but these would be restricted in town and city centres, locations that rail already serves with stations that could be used as collection points. 11. Low-cost railway solutions. Railway lines and trains which are designed, built and operated at low cost will make lightly used lines viable and allow rail to compete for new transport links. This could be the merging of light and main line rail, with more main line using the principles of metro operation and far lighter and more efficient rolling stock, together with simpler and cheaper signalling systems. Is there an opportunity for ETCS light or CBTC for captive routes? 12. Accelerated research, development and technology deployment. Enabling technologies to be more readily and rapidly integrated into the railway system by creating the environment for increased R&D investment, technology demonstration and removing barriers to the adoption of new technology. The CDP contains more detail, breaks down each capability into component parts and explains how it will all dovetail together to deliver the RTS. The publication of the plan is the start of the process and not the end. In the next few months, there will be more detail and tools produced to help evaluate the rail industry readiness level for new technology developments, and the CDP will be updated based on feedback from stakeholders. The message to the wider technology industry is: “This is what we believe we need, but if you have something better please let us know. We are ready to work with you to make the rail industry grow even further.”

We’ll get you on track You’ve done all the hard work of identifying the standards and safety risks that apply to your vehicle. You’re now looking for the independent assurance so that you’re ready to roll. Look no further than the NCB. We operate with all types of rail vehicles, including passenger, freight and plant and machinery. Whether you’re a manufacturer, owner or operator, we have the ability to deliver conformance certification to meet your needs. From engineering modifications through to new build, we’ve got you covered - working as: • a Notified Body and Designated Body • a Plant Assessment Body • an Assessment Body under the Common Safety Method Our knowledge of processes and our connections throughout the railway industry give us the unparalleled ability to provide assurance and certification solutions that work for you.

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Rail Engineer • February 2017

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Rail Engineer • February 2017

RECRUITMENT

Opportunities with Frazer-Nash At Frazer-Nash, we employ dynamic and original thinkers who challenge all boundaries to find the perfect solution for clients. This way of thinking has enabled us to grow into a rapidly expanding systems and engineering technology consultancy, with offices throughout the UK and Australia. Our rail business continues to grow and to help meet the increased demand for our expertise, we’re looking to recruit the following roles: • • • • •

Electrical Power and HV Engineer Rail Consultant Rail ERTMS and CCS Engineer Rail Safety Consultant Rail Systems Engineer

Our staff are rewarded with a competitive salary, generous benefits package and the opportunity to work as part of a dynamic and successful team. We always look for strong talent in our key business sectors and across all of our locations in the UK and Australia. To apply, please forward your CV and covering letter to cv@fnc.co.uk, quoting reference RE0217. Due to the nature of the work that Frazer-Nash undertakes we will require successful candidates to gain UK security clearance.

Our market sectors aerospace • transport • nuclear • marine • defence • power and energy • oil and gas Our offices UK: Basingstoke • Bristol • Burton • Dorchester • Dorking • Glasgow • Gloucester • Plymouth • Warrington Australia: Adelaide • Canberra • Melbourne

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www.fnc.co.uk/careers

FNC_RE0117 130 x 190mm.indd 1

Want to shape the future of Transportation? Atkins are holding a number of open evenings and would like to invite individuals from both a transportation (highways, rail & local transport) and digital technology background, to find out more about the projects that we work on, and the various career paths that we offer. Thursday 2nd February London, Melina White House Hotel | 4pm – 8pm Thursday 9th February Bristol, Future Inn Cabot Circus Hotel | 4pm – 8pm Thursday 16th February IET Birmingham | 4pm – 8pm Thursday 23rd February Holiday Inn, Manchester | 4pm – 8pm

The transport sector is evolving. Make sure you are part of it. careers.atkinsglobal.com/transportationopenevenings

10/01/2017 10:18:20

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THE RAILSPORT GAMES 2017 Join us for an action-packed, thrilling few days of competition and see if you have what it takes to take home a winnerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s medal! Choose your sport from a vast range of disciplines: Badminton

Basketball

Singles, Doubles, Mixed Doubles

3 on 3

Chess Cricket Sixes

Cycling Sportive Short: 65km, Standard: 100km, Epic: 160km

Darts

Football

Hockey 5s

Running

Tennis

Singles, Doubles, Mixed Doubles

5-a-side, 6-a-side (over 35s), 11-a-side

Netball

5km, 10km, Half Marathon

Singles, Doubles, Mixed Doubles

Rounders Rugby Sevens

Table Tennis

Sprint Triathlon 500m Swim (Olympic Pool), 20km Bike Ride, 5km Run