The Rail Engineer - Issue 99 - January 2013

January 2013

i s s u e

99 Reading Remodelling Takes Shape BARELY RECOGNISABLE, READING STATION IS IN THE MIDDLE OF ITS TRANSFORMATION

Alta Velocidad en España

Under a South London beach

Challenging upgrade at Tottenham Court Rd.

Grahame Taylor visits Madrid to check on Spain’s High Speed Rail credentials.

The £700 million expansion of Victoria station sees a new process called ‘jet grouting’.

The upgrade includes a full refurbishment of existing facilities and new ticket halls.

written by rail engineers for rail engineers

available online at www.therailengineer.com

january 2013 | the rail engineer | 3

welcome Grahame Taylor’s

Operating notice We start the year with yet another bumper edition of the rail engineer.

The Reading project seems to have been forever with us but, with the very visible linkspan in position, it’s obvious that progress is stepping up. Clive Kessell has been to see some of the obvious and not so obvious parts of the project.

Clive also went to hear about the latest developments in signalling equipment. From obstacle detection on level crossings to paperless testing, from plug and play techniques to - you might have guessed - aluminium cabling. There’s always something new out there.

I’ve been over to Spain and found that it is no longer locked into the era of the old Iberian gauge.

On the quiet, it has become the country with the most high speed lines in the world bar China.

Dawlish - waves crashing over the sea wall, corrosion aplenty for anything made out of steel.

This is why Network Rail has rebuilt the station footbridge in plastic. But, believe it or not, it comes complete with fake rivets. Chocolate-box planning regulations beggar belief sometimes.

Birmingham New Street station rebuilding is a classic railway project where everything goes on out of sight of the general public. Nigel Wordsworth has been behind the hoardings and has been shown the true extent of the work. So stand by for April this year when part of the new concourse will be unveiled.

Much the same goes for the alterations to Victoria station underground facilities. Nigel tells of the perils of the Victoria station beach along with all the precautions that have to be taken to ensure that the shows must go on in the nearby theatres.

It’s always been a crush getting through or out of Tottenham Court Road station. So work to enlarge the station was always going to be challenging.

With an underground access bridge threading its way beneath a sewer and over running line tubes Chris Parker has been to see just how challenging Editor Grahame Taylor grahame.taylor@therailengineer.com Production Editor Nigel Wordsworth nigel@rail-media.com Production and design Adam O'Connor adam@rail-media.com Engineering writers chris.parker@therailengineer.com clive.kessell@therailengineer.com collin.carr@therailengineer.com david.shirres@therailengineer.com graeme.bickerdike@therailengineer.com mungo.stacy@therailengineer.com peter.stanton@therailengineer.com steve.bissell@therailengineer.com stuart.marsh@therailengineer.com terry.whitley@therailengineer.com Advertising Asif Ahmed asif@rail-media.com Paul Curtis pc@rail-media.com

the whole scheme really is.

How do you move a pub from platform 1 to platform 4 with nobody noticing? Mungo Stacy has the answer in his article about Stalybridge remodelling. This is a station that never seemed to fit the railway that went through it. But all has changed - beyond all recognition.

‘Product acceptance’ and ‘minefield’. Is there a difference? Well, probably. There’s now a real drive to simplify the whole process of bringing products into use on the national network… and with far fewer explosions.

Faced with a bewildering selection of surveying techniques and a dazzling array of measuring devices, Chris Preston of Network Rail sets out some valuable tips on how to use it all properly by putting a few pegs in the ground - presumably still with a sledge hammer.

Remember the squeal of bearings just before they seized? Those of you who owned old motorbikes will be familiar with this urgent prompt to drop the clutch and glide to a halt. Stuart Marsh has been to see the modern version of acoustic monitoring that does much the same thing, but months before disaster strikes.

Nigel Wordsworth has had a ride on some refurbished rolling stock. It’s impressive how much life can be added to already elderly vehicles. But please, no more red/green coded signs. These mean nothing to 12% of the male population including me!

Collin Carr has been hearing about the vision for the railways in thirty years time. Perhaps the ideas will be completely wrong, but it may help build in some future-proofing now. Can we remember what we said back in the eighties, and where did we put the file?

Next month is the one hundredth edition of the rail engineer so reinforce your letter box and stand by for something really special.

in this issue

Reading remodelling takes shape The remodelling of Reading station is one of the largest projects currently being undertaken.

6

Alta Velocidad 14 Grahame Taylor visits Madrid to check on Spain’s High Speed Rail credentials.

Signalling suppliers take note 18 Clive Kessell attended the Network Rail Signalling Suppliers conference last month in Glasgow.

Under a South London beach Major expansion at Victoria, the second busiest station on the London Underground.

26

Challenging upgrade at Tottenham Court Rd. 29 The upgrade includes a full refurbishment of existing facilities and new ticket halls.

Bridging Dawlish 32 The first Grade II listed Fibre Reinforced Polymer (FRP) bridge is installed at Dawlish station.

the rail engineer Ashby House, Bath Street, Ashby-de-la-Zouch Leicestershire, LE65 2FH Telephone: Fax: Email: Website:

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

Editorial copy Email: news@rail-media.com Free controlled circulation Email: subscribe@rail-media.com The small print the rail engineer is published by RailStaff Publications Limited and printed by Pensord.

Sound Investment 47 One of the most expensive ‘consumables’ on a rail vehicle are its wheelsets and bearings. Stuart Marsh investigates condition-based maintenance.

New Product Acceptance 54 James Lewis, Technology Introduction Manager Network Rail, explains the process and we highlight a few products which have gained acceptance.

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features

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March

4 | the rail engineer | january 2013

IN BRIEF Borders progress The new Borders Railway took another step forward with the award by Network Rail of a £220 million contract to BAM Nuttall as main contractor. It includes detailed design and construction works for the new line and will see around 500 jobs created by the project between now and the opening of the line in 2015.

The line will re-establish a passenger rail link for the first time in over 40 years from Edinburgh through Midlothian to Tweedbank. It will include 30 miles of new railway with three existing stations and seven new ones - at Shawfair, Eskbank, Newtongrange, Gorebridge, Stow, Galashiels and Tweedbank.

news

ROLLING STOCK

New train nears completion

Keeping track workers safe The 2012 Altran Foundation Award in the UK has been awarded to Bombardier, for its TrackSafe, a system to improve safety and productivity for railway track workers.

TrackSafe creates improved location awareness for track workers and train operators through the use of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) and other advanced technologies. TrackSafe offers an additional element of protection by providing highly relevant alerts to track workers and train operators in real time.

The project has demonstrated a high degree of collaboration between Bombardier, industry, local operators and academia. TrackSafe was also winner of the 2012 IET Innovation Award.

The first vehicle of Southern’s 26 five-car class 377/6s has been completed at Bombardier’s Derby works.

Static testing of the first train is due to commence in February, with the completed unit expected to leave Derby late spring or early summer. Testing on the mainline will take place around Kent. The new trains will allow class 456s to be cascaded to South West Trains after

they have received a C6 overhaul.

All of the 130 vehicles are expected to enter traffic for the December 2013 timetable change.

On 14 November, Southern announced that it was exercising the option, which was due to expire on 31 December, to order 40 more (8 five-car sets) Electrostar vehicles from Bombardier. These will be delivered in 2014 and, unlike the 377/6, will be dual voltage.

The new suburban 377/6s were ordered because the twenty three 377/5s and three 377/2s currently subleased to First Capital Connect are not due to be returned to Southern before 2015. This is as a result of delays in procuring the new Thameslink stock. Funded by Porterbrook the contract for the first 26 trains is worth £188.8 million and for the other eight around £34 million.

LIGHT RAIL

High-speed tram

New loos for Sprinters Wolverton-based company Railcare has just completed the first Class 156 that it is rebuilding for Porterbrook.

This first two-car unit was returned to service with Greater Anglia after receiving a complete interior overhaul as part of the planned C6 maintenance programme, including new carpets, dado panels and seat covers.

To make the units compliant with Passengers of Reduced Mobility Technical Specification for Interoperability (PRM TSI) regulations, a new accessible toilet was fitted. Interior access has been improved by the removal of the doors between the vestibules and passenger compartment.

New external door sounders have been fitted to give an audible warning when the doors are closing.

One of Edinburgh’s new trams ran at full speed (70km/hr) recently as contractors tested a 2.8km stretch of track. The tram runs and system tests are the final part in the development of this section of the route.

Building the Edinburgh tram system has been an undertaking fraught with contractual problems. Work even stopped for a time as the various parties wrangled about overruns and costs. As a result, the final plan is now for a shorter route than was originally envisaged with trams from the airport terminating at York Place rather than proceeding through Leith to Newhaven.

A new budget of £776 million was agreed in September 2011. Work is currently either ahead of schedule or in line

with the revised timescale. It is anticipated that full route testing will take place from Edinburgh Airport to York Place in late Spring 2014 with passenger services due to start during that summer.

After all the delays, Transport Convener Lesley Hinds was enthusiastic about the development: ”It’s hugely encouraging to see an Edinburgh tram running at full pace and it’s a tangible sign of just how far this project has come since mediation last year. Much progress has been made in 2012 with bridges built, tram stops completed, miles of track laid and, most importantly, the project remains on track to hit the revised budget and timeframe.”

january 2013 | the rail engineer | 5

news

SIGNALLING

INFRASTRUCTURE

Early Christmas for SSL

Signalling Solutions Limited (SSL), the Alstom/Balfour Beatty joint venture, has had a few early Christmas presents with six contracts being awarded recently.

Firstly, Network Rail has awarded the company a £12 million contract to renew the signalling system controlling approximately 18 miles of railway between Arundel and Horsham. A smaller, £750,000 contract involves the early design stages for the large scale renewal of the signalling system controlling lines in the Scunthorpe-Cleethorpes area of North Lincolnshire.

Three more contracts from Network Rail, totalling £22 million, cover the early stages in the renewal of the

signalling system controlling major areas of the Great Western Main Line.

SSL will deliver the design and early works for the renewed system, in preparation for the main works which are planned to take place between 2013 and 2015.

And finally, VolkerFitzpatrick has awarded SSL a £9 million contract to provide the signalling component within a project to upgrade Gatwick Station. This is part of VolkerFitzpatrick’s contract with Network Rail for a major enhancement of Gatwick Station, which includes the implementation of a new platform as well as layout changes designed to increase the flexibility of operation.

Christmas work By the time you read this, the men and women in orange will have spent their Christmas and New Year hard at work making improvements and renewals on the railway network. These included: • Bletchley - commissioning new signalling as part of a £120 million project to improve reliability, linespeed and operational flexibility through the station.

• Shugborough Tunnel - a complete renewal of all rail, sleepers, ballast and drainage through this tunnel to improve reliability. 7,000 tons of ballast brought in and 2,300 sleepers replaced.

• Tanners Hill flydown - demolition and rebuild of a road overbridge. Part of the Thameslink project increasing the

capacity of the junction, bringing trains from Lewisham/Hayes onto the main line from Kent.

• Balham and Wandsworth lengthening platforms for 10-car trains. Includes rebuilding an entire bridge at Balham.

• Milverton Viaduct, Leamington Spa ballast and track lifted to allow waterproofing and the installation of a concrete slab under the track to remove a long-standing 20mph speed restriction.

• Cuxton Road Bridge, Rochester overbridge demolished and replaced in a single possession. The bridge limits the weight of trains that can be carried on the line, and has a speed restriction in place. Both restrictions will be removed.

Railtex is coming… a new year and Railtex is now just a few I t’smonths away. This year’s show takes place at Earls Court in London from 30 April to 2 May and will be the eleventh of these events, incorporating all the familiar features plus a few new ones.

Part of Railtex for the first time this year will be The Yard. Successfully introduced at last year’s Infrarail event at the NEC, this is a dedicated area of the exhibition for larger items of rail plant, supplementing the usual display of rail-related equipment and machinery, The Track.

Also new in 2013 is The Platform, where Rail Champions in partnership with Railtex will host an interactive discussion forum on topical themes with panels of industry experts. Another innovation will be the Railtex Awards, celebrating the achievements of companies taking part in the exhibition.

Among established features returning to the event is a wide-ranging seminar programme devised and hosted by this magazine, with a high profile keynote speech on each of the three days. The speaker on the opening day will be the Rt Hon Simon Burns MP, Minister of State for Transport. Speaking on the following days will be Network Rail Chairman Richard Parry-

Jones and Crossrail CEO Andrew Wolstenholme. These popular sessions will be open to all and are free to attend.

In the Project Update Theatre visitors to the show will be able to hear briefings on the progress of some of the major rail schemes in progress nationwide, including contributions from Network Rail.

And of course there are the exhibitors. The growing list of firms taking part already includes many of the industry’s best known names, as well as numerous specialist suppliers of essential services to the rail market.

Forming part of the show this year will also be the Rail Alliance Hub and the Derby & Derbyshire Rail Forum Hub, providing member companies with a coordinated stand presence.

The latest list of exhibitors plus more details of everything taking place at Railtex can be found on the regularly updated show website.

w www.railtex.co.uk

6 | the rail engineer | january 2013

stations

writer

Clive Kessell The new Transfer Link will be open at Easter.

of Reading station is T heoneremodelling of the largest projects currently being undertaken by Network Rail. Previous articles in the rail engineer (issue 76 Feb 2011 - Caversham Road Bridge, issue 77 March 2011 - Station Area Resignalling and issue 78 April 2011 - New Station Design & Layout) gave an insight into the massive amount of work that was to come.

Now, nearly two years later, the station is in the middle of its transformation and for those who knew Reading station of old, it is barely recognisable. Only the old building that was once the main entrance remains, this having listed status and is currently the Three Guineas pub. All the rest has been swept away and the platforms are full of temporary canopies and new construction works. A site visit was arranged recently courtesy of Invensys Rail to see what is going on and to learn the plans for the next two years.

The story so far

For a full track layout diagram of Reading, see page 12, Issue 90, April 2012.

Since early 2011, track alteration work has concentrated on the ex-Southern lines into what were platforms 4a and 4b, entered via a single lead junction. A further platform has been provided and a new approach bridge constructed so that double track and associated point work gives access to all three platforms (now numbered 4, 5 & 6) with the benefit of allowing in and out movements at the same time.

Those of us old enough to remember the old Reading Southern station might smile when we realise the new layout is now similar to the old. Who says things never go full circle!

The ‘Southern Tunnel’, which once linked the SR lines to the north side of the station and has been disused for many years, is being reinstated, with the track and most of the S&C work complete in readiness for commissioning in 2013.

The main through platforms are dominated by the construction of the new ‘Transfer Link’, a huge overbridge towards the western end of the station that will give access to all mainline platforms from both a new south side entrance and a new northern entrance adjacent to the existing multi storey car park. Stair, lift and escalator access to and from the bridge will meet all modern day statutory requirements as well as being big enough to accommodate waiting facilities and retail outlets.

The north side of the station, where the goods lines ran and the old powerbox and telephone buildings were sited, is unrecognisable with two new island platforms being constructed on the reclaimed land. These are almost complete and will be the new relief line platforms and loops when commissioned. Trains travelling towards the SR lines from the north and west will use these platforms and the reinstated tunnel, so avoiding conflicting movements across the GW main lines.

Another piece of work well underway is the new train care depot being built where sidings once stood on the north side to the west of the station, more of which later.

Reading Remodelling

Takes Shape

A model of co-operation With much past criticism as to how Railtrack and Network Rail handled projects in the past and a damning indictment on cost control in the McNulty report, it would seem that important lessons have been learned. Reading is seen as a ‘Breakthrough Project’ where client and contractors work as a single team. There is a single project site office - at 80 Caversham Road - using premises vacated by Royal Mail. Whilst the Network Rail team is based here, all except one of the main contractors also have a senior team in the same building with many of them also undertaking detailed design work from within the premises. To complete the line up, First Great Western have a presence in the building so as to plan and agree the impact on train services as the various work stages take place.

By mutual agreement, there is avoidance of duplication by having a shared responsibility for construction engineers, planning engineers and other on-site responsibilities. This has enabled much greater integration and collaboration with any emerging problems being resolved by a quick meeting of minds on site. As such, the project is running around one year early.

8 | the rail engineer | january 2013

Class II signalling power forms part of the new scheme.

Easter 2013 The biggest change will happen at Easter 2013. As well as commissioning the new Transfer Link and the opening of both the new north and southern entrances, major trackwork and associated signalling will be taking place. However before the actual weekend, the existing link span bridge from the eastern concourse to all platforms and the car park has to be taken down as its support pillars affect the signal sighting from the new north side platforms. This removal will take place in March but, to allow travellers to access the island

stations platforms, the old passenger subway, which was closed off a few years ago, is to be temporarily re-opened. Suitable work to make this safe for use is underway.

The Easter work will involve a four day partial blockade and a further six day limited blockade. Services will cease at midnight on the 28 March to allow changes to the east end junctions to begin. By Good Friday morning, platform 2 will re-open to allow terminating trains from the Basingstoke and Newbury directions to use the station, along with platforms 4 and 5 for the Southern services to Waterloo and Gatwick. Over the next four days, the main GW route will see the fast lines closed ready for slewing into the position of the present relief lines. These in turn will be moved over to the new platforms 12 to 15. The civil engineering teams will work alongside the signal engineers who have to equip the new trackwork with axle counters, commission the new LED (Dorman) signals and 43 new point ends powered by in-bearer clamplocks.

All the altered signalling has to be controlled from the Thames Valley Signalling Centre at Didcot where the WESTLOCK interlockings and IECC displays will be updated with the data for the changed layout. The data preparation work is being done by the Invensys design team and is underway already. Testing the signalling will be firstly done by simulation of the layout followed by a full functional test during the blockade period. During this time, the Bristol and South Wales service will be diverted via Banbury, something that has been tried and tested during previous blockades. West of England services will be diverted to Waterloo.

By the morning of Tuesday 2nd April, the relief lines and loops using the new platforms 12-15 will be brought into use, thus allowing a limited through service to re-commence. The Reading West curve will also be re-opened to allow important freight traffic to resume from the Midlands to Southampton Docks.

The remaining limited blockade period will see the up and down main lines towards Bristol slewed into their new position either side of the island platform numbers 8 and 9.

They will also be repositioned on the west approach to the station to make room for building the viaduct that will eventually grade separate these lines from those going south towards Newbury and Basingstoke.

The following weekend will see a further closure of all the through lines to enable the remaining point work and signalling to be connected and tested, with all lines reopening on Monday 8th April. For the next two years, there will be a speed restriction of 50mph on the main lines and 40mph on the relief and, although this sounds draconian, in practice it does not seriously restrict operations since most trains stop at Reading.

The new points are being designed for 50mph turnouts and with the limited line speeds, it is not considered necessary to provide approach control on the main line signals.

Fulfilment of the project With the station remodelling essentially complete, work can start in earnest to construct the flyover viaduct to the west of the station, which is scheduled for commissioning at Christmas 2014. Some preliminary work has already commenced with the closure earlier in 2012 of Cow Lane bridge, a narrow road under the main lines

We deliver exceptional customer service Invensys Rail works collaboratively with clients and partners to secure the safety and efficiency of the railway. We take the time to listen to your needs and turn this into effective actions which puts your project on track for success.

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

10 | the rail engineer | january 2013

Prefabricated sections of the new Transfer Link roof arrived stacked on a lorry.

on the north side of the western triangle, which the Local Authority was anxious to see widened so as to route more traffic away from Caversham Road. The replacement bridge will open in 2014.

The existing down fast platform (was 5 now 7) will be widened to about where the existing through line is located and this will be used for trains going towards the west of England. The current eastern concourse and ticket barrier will remain but will only give access to platform 7 and the Southern route platforms.

stations The new train care depot will open in July 2013, followed shortly by the transfer of train servicing activities. The depot will have its own signalling system provided by Invensys using their proprietary WESTCAD and WESTRACE products. These are ideal for depot-type operation and still give SIL4 safety assurance. The old train maintenance buildings in the triangle of land west of the station will then be demolished to prepare for a complete re-alignment of the lines from Reading West so that London-bound trains

that the work should go on at the same time and as part of the same project to avoid having to do it all again later!”

Lundy Projects was already on site, installing signalling gantries, and they have been tasked with installing the electrification structures as well. The new depot is already visibly equipped with 25kV overhead equipment. Switch-on of the overhead lines for testing purposes will take place in 2016, so the wiring will be installed during the final phases of the station and track alteration work. The ‘Southern Tunnel’ is expected to have the 25kV system installed into a short section of 3rd rail 750V DC territory to enable dual voltage traction units to access the ex-Southern lines.

The remaining upgrade is the declared intention to equip the GW route with ERTMS signalling. The WESTLOCK equipment is already ETCS compatible, which is a help, but much more design work on the ERTMS ‘package’ will be needed before firm contracts can be placed. Key to success will be resolving the data handling limitations of GSM-R as busy traffic areas such as Reading are likely to remain as conventional signalling under the current ERTMS mode of operation.

Benefit and cost can be routed to the north side of the station without interfering with the main Bristol route. It is planned to have the Oxford Road junction (south side of triangle) remodelled during Christmas 2013 and the relief line approaches brought into use during Easter 2015 with final functionality achieved in August 2015.

Electrification of the GW main line will be carried out in parallel to the Reading remodelling and overhead line stanchions will be erected where it is sensible to do this as part of the station rebuild work. As a Network Rail spokesman said: “It was felt

Reading has been an operational bottleneck for years and many trains get stopped outside the station waiting for a spare platform. All this will be a thing of the past and the new station and layout will also give a valuable capacity increase for any future growth.

Undertaking a major project like this is not cheap: the Reading scheme is budgeted at £895 million excluding the provision of the Thames Valley CC but including the electrification. The improved management practices should enable the final spend to be less than this, thus giving a role model for other large projects planned for elsewhere

january 2013 | the rail engineer | 11

stations

The final push at Reading Station companies deeply involved O newithofthethework at Reading station is Tata Steel Projects, which commenced work in April 2008 to design the infrastructure requirements for remodelling the area.

Along with architect Grimshaw, Tata Steel Projects was engaged to undertake the design of key station structures and the permanent way layout which form the backbone of the redevelopment works.

The design of the station redevelopment incorporates five new through platforms, an extension to the existing southern platforms, an additional southern terminating platform, a new transfer bridge, a new north-south

public route and a new northern entrance. In summary, the remodelling will see the following changes to the station: • New ticket hall and staff accommodation in the northern building • An additional gate line on the southern side (western gateline) • A new transfer deck structure provided to access platforms 7 -15 • New platforms 12-15 • New platform 4 • Existing platforms 5 and 6 rebuilt and increased in length • Platform 7 widened • New canopies to all 15 platforms

• New platform buildings • Refurbishment and extension of the existing subway.

As Clive Kessell reports elsewhere in this issue, work at Reading is moving at a tremendous pace and the opening of the first stage in April 2013 is fast approaching.

In undertaking design support on behalf of Network Rail, Tata Steel Projects and Grimshaw have been working closely with the Costain/Hochtief joint venture, its subcontractors and other stakeholders to help overcome any design issues during the build phase.

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12 | the rail engineer | january 2013

stations

New entrances and a rebuilt subway

(Right) The new Transfer Deck under construction.

(Above) Adding the cladding.

The vertical face of the new entrance building.

New transfer deck A key feature of the development is the new transfer deck. This footbridge connects the new northern entrance and western gateline entrance buildings and allows easy transfer to the station platforms via stairs, escalators and lifts. Construction work began in autumn 2011 and it is due to open along with the new platforms and entrances in April 2013.

The finished transfer deck will be 100 metres long and 30 metres wide, and will be a four span vierendeel truss bridge weighing in at 2,400 tonnes. It was always envisaged that it would be built in sections and winched across the railway using a strand jacking technique. Tata Steel Projects prepared the detailed design of the transfer deck including piles, pile-caps, piers and the steel superstructure and worked closely with Costain’s sub-contractor, Cleveland Bridge, to optimise the jacking sequence. Phase 1 involved construction of a 50 metre length of the superstructure to the north of the existing platforms. Roof and soffit claddings were also pre-installed.

The 700 tonne structure was successfully launched across the railway over four night shifts in early July 2012 by a pair of 60 tonne strand jacks positioned on the sides of the bottom chords at a maximum speed of around five metres per hour.

Phase 2 assemblies added a further 25 metres to the north end of the bridge. The 75 metre long structure now weighed a total of 900 tonnes and a further 25 metre launch in late August saw the bridge cross over three more tracks and reach the new south entrance building (western gateline). The structure was then lowered on to its permanent mechanical bearings. To complete the structure, the final 25 metres was constructed in-situ, concrete slabs were poured, glazing added, lifts and escalators fitted and floor tiles installed.

Both the northern entrance and the western gateline are progressing and the steelwork, cladding and glazing is now installed. Again, Tata Steel Projects and Grimshaw worked closely with Costain’s subcontractors to produce a fully coordinated and integrated design. Final finishing of the building façades will be complete early in 2013. The buildings are now water tight which allows for the fitting out of the mechanical, electrical and communications systems. The complex installation of the lifts and escalators has commenced and is progressing to programme. Architectural designs have been finalised so that the finishes in the buildings and transfer deck can be completed.

The existing subway under the station is being refurbished and extended to provide a through route between the north and south areas of Reading. In doing this, some significant and challenging problems with water ingress into the subway had to be overcome. Part of the subway width has been walled off to form the main mechanical and electrical service spine across the station, so having water pouring in was not a good idea!

Significant retaining structures and earthworks were designed to extend the station northwards for the building of five new platforms. A combination of reinforced earth piled concrete walls and traditional

earth slopes have contributed to significant savings based on the outline design proposal.

The new platforms are now built and the existing ones are being refurbished. All of the platforms will have new canopies and platform accommodation buildings which have been designed to complement the transfer deck. In addition, all fittings and fixtures have been incorporated into the canopies to reduce visual clutter. New platform surfaces, including tactiles, copers and oversails from Charcon complete the upgrades. The new track through platforms 12-15 was connected into the main line via a new arrangement of switches and crossings over Christmas 2012.

Tata Steel Projects has also made provision for overhead line equipment through the station as part of the Great Western electrification project. The foundations have been designed and are currently being installed ready to receive all of the associated steelwork and gantries.

The project at Reading is moving at a tremendous pace, and Tata Steel Projects is proud to be part of this prestigious project.

TOGETHER WE MAKE THE DIFFERENCE We can help you find the most cost-efficient ways to achieve your goals, by offering a full range of engineering services covering the entire life cycle of a project, from consultancy, planning and design through manufacture, installation, construction and site management

For more information contact: T: +44 (0) 1904 454600 E: tatasteelprojects@tatasteel.com www.tatasteelprojects.com

14 | the rail engineer | january 2013

feature

writer

Grahame Taylor

Alta Velocidad “

(Above) The highspeed train moving to a platform at a railway station in Madrid.

PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK

is one of the sections we designed.”

T hisThere’s a brief pause in conversation as

Fernando Mesa, project director of transport infrastructure at AECOM, points to lineside features rapidly passing by on the high speed line from Madrid to Barcelona.

“This is our viaduct. Just here. See? ” It’s gone in a flash.

“Oh well, there’s another in a moment”.

“This is one of our tunnels”.

There’s a few seconds darkness and then back into the brilliant sunshine.

The train is speeding along at 290km/hr as indicated by the display at the end of the saloon - which also shows that the outside temperature is 15°C.

Burying good news

Surviving politics

The Spaniards love their high speed rail.

Sure, they’ve had air travel between many of the main centres of population for a long time, but few want to experience the dubious delights of the queues, the uncertainties, the spectacular delays and the rigorous security checks. There is security before boarding a high speed train, but somehow it seems more welcoming, even when arriving just minutes before departure.

But although Spaniards love to have high speed rail, many don’t want to see it especially in urban areas - so they’ve developed a technique of burying good news. The same applies to their road systems within cities. Far better to see open parkland and traffic-free zones than gaze over vital transport links. So high speed rail goes underground. Not deep underground, just enough to be out of sight.

Nevertheless, Spain is forging ahead with its network. In fact, apart from China, whom nobody will ever match in mileage terms, Spain is in second position with more high speed track in service than even Japan, France and Germany.

Central government is the driving force behind this with a strategy born more than twenty years ago. Government initiatives can fall prey to political exigencies, but high speed rail seems to have survived all this. The main political parties are in agreement, by and large, on the need for a robust system of high speed lines so that main centres of commerce can be linked and outlying areas can benefit from the prosperity that high speed lines can generate. Indeed, there was a commitment that no main city of Spain should be further than fifty kilometres from a high speed line.

In the early days, the infrastructure was under the stewardship of the Ministry of Works. They employed engineers and had developed a sound in-house knowledge of railway construction, operation and maintenance.

Spanish railway revival

View of a highspeed train crossing a viaduct in Bubierca, Saragossa, Aragon, Spain; AVE Madrid Barcelona.

PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK

Madrid to Barcelona The cab of the Siemens Velaro E is spacious with plenty of seating for ‘guests’. The driver, seated centrally, surveys his desk of illuminated displays and explains their purpose with staccato hand movements not easily understood as they are all in Spanish. His is a monitoring role. The driving is done by ‘the computer’. This is ERTMS level 2 in action. The distance approaches at alarming speed. Bridges and tunnels grow rapidly and then are gone - so what hope conventional signals?

The journey started from Madrid Puerta de Atocha station in the early morning. Despite the sunshine, the Madrileños were muffled from what they perceived to be a distinct chill - tropical by UK standards. Madrid station is a huge multilevel complex that has extended the old station which is now a mixture of St. Pancras and Kew gardens.

Trains no longer occupy its high elegant roof. It’s a circulating area that prepares you for the new station and the state-of-the-art high speed running that is spreading throughout Spain.

Away from the city, the scenery changes rapidly with the route forging its way through striking stratified rock cuttings that are so much a feature of the Spanish landscape. With layer on layer of sandstones, marls and gypsum they are a geologist’s dream, that is if there was time to see them.

And, as for Fernando’s section, it seemed to have disappeared very quickly. Why was it so short? Well, this simple question prompts a look back at the early days of the Spanish railway revival, the scale of which is unprecedented.

Perhaps there’s a tendency to think of Spanish railways as being locked into the era of the Iberian gauge - the old track gauge that the country inherited from the 19th century. It didn’t catch on anywhere else and Spanish railways became isolated. Almost the rest of Europe and indeed most of the world, adopted the international 1435mm give or take the odd millimetre. Spain held onto 1668mm. Until recently, Spain suffered from two types of border: International borders - largely solved by joining the EU and also their internal borders where the normal gauge met the Iberian gauge. This latter problem has been solved with the innovative use of gauge changing axles, but this involves special rolling stock and really the Iberian gauge track is never going to be updated.

Design capability Then, in 2003, came the split between the operator of the railways, Renfe Operadora, generally now referred to as just Renfe, and the infrastructure administrator, Adif (Administrador de Infraestructuras Ferroviarias).

Adif further developed its expertise and went out to the market to augment its capabilities of designing and delivering the burgeoning network of lines.

But, earlier than that, in 1993 INOCSA, an already established private company experienced in the design and delivery of motorways and general highways, became involved. They, along with other related companies, worked with Adif to build on the experience of the early years in the compilation of standards and manuals of best practice. This shrewd move has meant that high speed railway engineering in Spain has sound provenance and is ever developing. AECOM, having acquired INOCSA in 2010, is now well able to offer high speed design and supervision throughout the globe as a result of much of this earlier work.

january 2013 | the rail engineer | 15

feature

AECOM AECOM may be known to British readers as the company that recently acquired Faber Maunsell. It is a global provider of professional technical and management support services to a broad range of markets, including transportation, facilities, energy, environmental, water and government.

With approximately 45,000 employees around the world and an annual revenue of £5.1 billion, AECOM serves clients in more than 130 countries providing a blend of global reach, local knowledge, innovation and technical excellence.

Competition So, back to the seemingly short sections of railway design contracts. Why split a 600km route into so many 15km chunks? Well, for a start, these sections don’t involve track, signalling or power. They focus on the design of the route, the bridges, viaducts, tunnels and track substructure. The provision of track is dealt with in longer sections and contracts for the control systems and power are route specific. This ensures that there are no complications with unnecessary interfaces or joints. But for the sub-structure it is possible, especially with modern data systems, to abut separate design submissions without inconsistencies - especially if the whole process is overseen by a competent central organisation such as exists within Adif.

The awarding of short sections is all to do with competition and, to an extent, as a way of reducing client risk. Adif is able to call upon respected design houses knowing that, as there is considerable competition, they will be assured of sensible prices along with the innovation that the process encourages.

The ferocious competition extends to the construction phase as well. An example involves the construction of a pair of single bore tunnels through one of the many Spanish mountains. Spain, incidentally, is reputed to be the second most mountainous country in Europe after Switzerland - something that gives railway designers plenty to think about.

So, with two bores to be driven, the contract between a couple of contractors was not split with one bore each. Rather, the contract for each bore was arranged so that a different contractor started at each end of a bore. This is truly an aggressive competitive strategy.

Bidding for international work Javier Gutiérrez del Olmo, European director of the AECOM Madrid Transportation Design Centre, is at ease with this spirit of competition that has been firmly embedded into the Spanish tendering system. Continuing successes in delivering both initial and detailed designs for all of the emerging branches of the Spanish high speed network have put AECOM in a strong position for bidding for work outside of Spain.

A recent enquiry for a motorway design from Romania was delivered in just three months starting from a position of having no initial survey data whatsoever. Javier considers using a suite of staffing arrangements depending on the circumstances. From his team of around 70 or 80 engineers he can select a few and embed them with a client or he can run a design completely from arm’s length. On the other hand, if the opportunity arises, he is happy to consider a structured exchange of personnel to give the ultimate arrangement of collaborative working.

Link to France After just over two and a half hours the train enters Barcelona Sants station. Up until the opening of this high speed line there was no convenient rail link from Madrid just a succession of Iberian gauge, relatively slow services. The Barcelona link in fact brings new traffic to the capital of this region in direct competition to air traffic.

At the moment though, this is the extent of the journey. But from early January a new link in the high speed line network will be opened to join Madrid with Figueras, just before the French border, through Barcelona. This link has involved the construction of a tunnel from Barcelona Sants station through to the station area at La Sagrera, which is where the line to France continues.

Up until recently, La Sagrera has been a forgotten railway area with a lowly commuter station, Sant Andreu Comtal station, set in a large area of barren railway surroundings separating two communities.

The integration of a high speed line through the area has prompted the establishment of an urban regeneration company that involves the local and regional councils, Adif and Renfe. With planning and feasibility work started in about 2002, there is now firm ground level evidence of a massive scheme that will bring an important rail link to this part of the city, completely regenerating the area and unifying the communities.

Landscaped parkland In keeping with the general Spanish preference, the railway will exist - but only out of sight. The footprint of the scheme, which includes two maintenance depots and the rearrangement of urban and high speed lines, is enormous. It will be one of the largest buildings in Barcelona and yet it will be hidden under new landscaped parkland.

AECOM were involved in all of the initial and final design work for all of this and, since 2008, have taken on the role of contract supervision for Adif. Isaac Calvo and his technical director, Gloria Sánchez, have been liaising with a multitude of players and have received strong support from AECOM’s head office in Madrid. Isaac says that the AECOM

View of a highspeed train crossing a viaduct in Purroy, Saragossa, Aragon, Spain; AVE Madrid Barcelona.

PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK

La Sagrera with new high-speed line in the forefront.

16 | the rail engineer | january 2013

La Sagrera with the excavation for the new station in the background.

remit included all of the track formation, bridges and tunnels up to, but excluding, the station area. This distinct separation of contracts is easily seen from the breezy vantage point of a tall Adif building eventually to be demolished. AECOM has another team involved, coordinating between the station project and the rest of the works being undertaken in the area.

Temporary alignment As Fernando Mesa, project director of transport infrastructure at AECOM, points out, all the concrete work at each end is AECOM designed - the hole in the middle is the station work. It is here that a vast excavation is appearing which, in places, will extend to six metres below the level of the sea which is unnervingly close. In the final arrangement, the high speed line will go through the new station, but at the moment it follows a temporary alignment around the construction site. This stretch of line is now undergoing testing before commissioning in early January when it will be linked to the section from Madrid and to the existing high speed link to France.

Best practice Returning to Madrid in the late afternoon, the train speeds again over more sections of line that Javier proudly identifies as being designed by his team.

“We start with just a 1:50,000 plan, develop it to 1:5000 and then finally to the 1:1000 construction plans. Once the design contract is done we can then compete for the role of contract supervision. In this way we are continually enhancing our understanding of this specialist design work for this generation and future generations of our engineers. This best practice in Spanish high speed rail will be invaluable to other countries adding high speed rail to their infrastructure.”

The speed indicator rises steadily to 300km/hr, the outside temperature stays stubbornly above 10°C and the sun shines relentlessly.

A nearby Blackberry® device yields the information that the UK is in the grip of winter. Stansted airport has been closed by snow…. “Déjame quedarme en España un poco más!”

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18 | the rail engineer | january 2013

feature

take note

Signalling suppliers writer

Clive Kessell (Right) HW Points Simulator from Park Signalling.

the last six years, Network Rail has F orstaged nine one-day seminars with suppliers from the signalling industry to brief them on the engineering and technical developments that are taking place and to get feedback on the issues seen as pertinent.

The 2012 event took place recently in Glasgow, so the rail engineer ventured north of the border to sit in on the discussions.

In opening, Mark James, the head of Engineering Signalling in Network Rail, recalled that the company has now been in existence for ten years and, in that period, much has happened in the way the rail infrastructure is managed with many implications for signalling.

Notable events in the past 10 years

• Introduction of TPWS • Maintenance brought in-house • HMS Sultan and Westwood College training establishments • The Elsenham Level Crossing tragedy and lessons learned in risk assessment • The Grayrigg accident • The WCML over-runs but eventual completion • A new devolved organisation • The 500th level crossing closure • A single site for Network Rail technical departments at Milton Keynes.

The concept of a ‘Signalling Industry Partnership’ has come about and, in Control Period 4, 9,300 Signalling Equivalent Units (SEUs) have been renewed, 2,400 SEU re-locks or recontrols have happened and 1,500 SEUs are now commissioned using the new modular technology. However, signalling costs are still considered to be too high and a real reduction of 16% is the target by 2019. The ‘cradle to grave’ time to develop and implement signalling projects is far too long; the Network Rail chairman has been surprised by the old methods used in the signalling profession. Hopeful signs are there to get practices modernised: plug and play cabling, lightweight signals, signals on OLE structures, 3D mapping, paperless testing, intelligent scheme plans. Acceleration in project delivery is the first priority; innovation and new technology will be secondary to this.

Power distribution and cable types Signalling systems require reliable power supplies, both in equipment rooms and at the lineside. A new generation of trackside power units - switchgear, transformers and distribution units - has emerged in recent times to complement the predicted growth in new signalling schemes. The increase in power demands can probably only be achieved from an extended supply chain.

Rail Signalling Products for 2013

A major part of power provision is the associated extensive cable network.

Traditionally, this has been copper based, an increasingly expensive metal. Some reduction in need has been achieved by using two instead of three-core cable, as is reported in our previous issue, but replacing the expected demand for one million kilos of copper with something else is the challenge. The solution, according to Tahir Ayub from Network Rail, is aluminium. This is an abundant metal that is theoretically 100% recyclable without loss of characteristics. It is £2,000/tonne compared to copper at £8,000/tonne, but needs a bigger core size for the same conductivity.

Nonetheless, a saving of £8.50 per metre is possible giving a saving of around £400,000 per project.

january 2013 | the rail engineer | 19

feature Downsides are few: location cases will need some re-design as the cable is harder to bend and an increase from 650V to 1000V for the main signalling distribution feeders might be necessary. In addition to cost reduction, there are considerable other advantages. Using a stranded cable, unarmoured but with a jelly fill, will yield a huge reduction in weight thus permitting bigger drums and more hand pulling. Bolted rather than compression terminations are coming out as favourite. The business and technical case is in preparation and looks promising. Equally, signalling equipment designers can help by removing peak load surges, point machine design being a good example.

Records, drawings and data The acquisition, processing and retention of records and other data has always been a challenge for railway engineers, and signal engineers in particular. Laborious, paper-based information was for long the order of the day and even the introduction of CAD tended only to replicate the paper procedures that had gone before. It is evident now, however, that much more imaginative use of computers could thoroughly modernise these outdated methods.

Signalling scheme plans are one such example and Ken Peters from Network Rail described how the Signalling Tools and Method Programme (STAMP) is revolutionising the production of such plans.

Begun in 2005, the system has now matured and trial usage has been in place since 2010.

The programme focuses on the structure of asset data rather than producing drawings by capturing the detail of a 3D design within a geo-spatial cross-disciplinary approach which models and simulates the working railway environment. Such designs are to use a common Signalling Data Exchange Format (SDEF) that will eventually become mandatory. The concept of automatic image recognition using video collected from a track recording unit in the Cardiff area has been trialled, and from this information new assets can be inserted into the resultant maps.

Once it has been collected, validating SDEF data needs computer-aided assistance.

Jennifer Whittlesea from Selex explained how a self-contained website application can be used which allows the processing of SDEF XML files including the conversion if they were created in different versions. From this, the system will determine whether an SDEF design is valid for its intended new application.

Examples are the headway analysis tool that will look at intended train service patterns and

a facility to see if existing rules for scheme plans are pertinent or relevant. From all of this, a suite of rules can be built up by use of a graphical editor.

Collecting data is one thing, controlling access to it is another challenge. Eddy Locke, from Network Rail’s data collection services, explained some of the considerations that must take place. To ensure data quality, the following tests have to be fulfilled: does the data have an owner, can the data be maintained, who collects the data, how is it collected, and how accurate is it?

Thirty five terabytes of data are collected each year from various sources including the measurement trains, radio surveys and manual methods. The Network Rail data centre at Milton Keynes is upgrading its storage capacity to 140 TB but the key will be to analyse, decide on relevance and distribute data to the right people. The ORBIS project (as mentioned in issue 98, December 2012) is part of this. As well as being better informed, the project will reduce the number of staff required out on the track, give greater assurance on asset safety condition, and lead to faster remedial work when problems are detected, e.g. broken rails.

logs, the tester can determine the extent of any re-test after which the logs are updated and final test certification achieved.

The process has been successfully tried on a number of small schemes with minor problems of software compatibility identified. Use is intended for both in-house and agency testers. It is, however, dependent on good communications to the test site as well as a robust IT system to ensure continuity of data.

Hourly updates of data from WAN to LAN (local area network) would be good practice.

‘Plug and Play’ Paperless testing The time honoured way of testing new signalling installations, with its multiplicity of drawings and paper tick sheets, is in need of modernisation. Neil Porter from Atkins explained how this can be achieved - not by altering the process of testing but the way in which it is recorded.

A tester is provided with a mobile device onto which are downloaded the test sheets and test logs. Structured on a central Atkins WAN (wide area network), ‘bluebeam’ software will open up the relevant drawings on the device including all the normal tester ‘marks’ that would expect to be found. The testing activity takes place in the usual way after which the drawings are ‘flattened’ to roll up all the tester’s marks into a pdf file. The files are sent to the original design house from which a new set of task sheets will be prepared by a tester in charge, who will continually review the test sheets to assess progress and credibility. From the revised test

The idea of having pre-formed cables which can be plugged together and into equipment terminations is attractive as it can save many man hours in the task of cable installation. But is it practical? Graham Thompson described the setting up of a trial site at Leicester that can simulate real trackside conditions. Cable routes, undertrack crossings, power cubicles, main and shunt signals and 2 & 3 door location cases, all replicating a typical signalling installation, have been provided.

Pulling the plug-coupled cables through an undertrack crossing is the biggest worry, especially if they are already in use and partly filled. Nonetheless, the trial has proven the concept. Key will be the accurate measurement of the plug coupled assemblies which have to be precisely the right length. Installation time is significantly reduced and signalling projects can be expected to call for this technology in the future.

Rail Signalling Products for 2013

(Top) Class 158 fitted with ETCS. (Left) Making a plug-coupled connection.

20 | the rail engineer | january 2013

(Top) Break-out box.

(Right) Padlocked points detection isolator box by iLecsys.

Level crossings and obstacle detection Despite the extensive usage of AHB and AOCL level crossings, a significant number of controlled barriers exist on the UK rail network. Many of these utilise CCTV surveillance so that the signaller can check the crossing is not obstructed before the approach signal is cleared. Can the surveillance task be automated?

It fell to David Jones from the Network Rail signal design group at York to describe how obstacle detection technology can achieve this. Two detection systems are required RADAR (radio detection and ranging) and LIDAR (light detection and ranging). The RADAR needs detectors at each of the crossing corners to provide reference points for the four RADAR sensors. These will provide a continuous ‘picture’ of the crossing and can compare to the reference. However, RADAR cannot scan down to ground level and would miss a person lying down. Thus the LIDAR system is also employed using both high and low beam scanning lasers. Two LIDAR units are required, oriented towards each other.

In operation, the strike-in point is at the signal showing green before the crossing control signals, whence the entrance barriers (the left hand ones) will lower. If the obstacle detection system then determines the crossing is clear, the exit barriers (the right hand ones) will lower. If, however, an obstacle is detected, the exit barriers are held for a further ten seconds. In the event that, after this period, an obstacle is still detected, then the barriers will lower but the controlling signals will not clear. The exit barriers will then be raised again to allow anything trapped to escape. This sequence continues and only when an obstacle is no longer detected will the signal clear. Video cameras and recorders

feature will monitor the events, these having number plate recognition equipment and backed by inductive loops in the roadway to identify rogue road users.

Three such crossings have been installed as a trial between Ely and Norwich as part of the modular signalling project and further installations between Crewe and Shrewsbury and at Llanelli were in place by the end of 2012. Training courses are in preparation and signalling installation and testing manuals are being updated. A framework supply contract is in the offing. This looks like being a standard feature for such crossings in the years to come, thus saving the cost of conventional CCTV installations and signaller time.

ERTMS The Network Rail update on progress with ERTMS, as given by Carine Marin, came across as very positive but perhaps somewhat overoptimistic. The Cambrian ‘early deployment scheme’ (in other words - a trial) is now fully operational and many valuable lessons have been learned. The claim that ERTMS will yield lots of extra capacity has yet to be borne out and it must be remembered that other, more modern designs of train control system have emerged since the development of ERTMS commenced nearly twenty years ago. The biggest on-going constraint is the lack of data capacity on the GSM-R bearer and experience in Europe has shown that the system is incapable of being used in high traffic areas such as big terminal stations. The radio problem is one that needs to be addressed urgently at a European level and, whilst the solution of moving to 4G is often advocated by the mobile radio industry, no practical solution has yet emerged as to how this would be achieved in practice on an operational railway. The migration path from GSM-R and the avoidance of huge amounts of additional cost need to be part of any plan.

Rail Signalling Products for 2013

Network Rail would be well advised to critically examine their ERTMS promotional video and re-format it so as to give a realistic forecast on what ERTMS can and cannot do.

Raising expectations that turn out to be false could lead to severe embarrassment at a future date.

Other initiatives DeltaRail continued its promotion of IECC Scalable and its first deployments at Cambridge (for the Ely - Norwich scheme) and at Harrogate. A full account of this latest control centre product using message broker technology was given in issue 92 (June 2012) and it looks to have a big future on Network Rail and elsewhere.

The work of the Railway Industry Association was described by Francis How, its technical director and currently the IRSE President. Now 135 years old, the RIA is a trade organisation with a whole range of members - big, small, specialist and general. It sees itself as being supportive to Government, Network Rail, LUL, TOCs, Roscos and others on projects, but additionally promoting innovation, export, skills development, standards evolution and safety policy. The forthcoming rail technical strategy focussing on the 4Cs (cost, capacity, customers and carbon) might equally well apply to careers, competence, capability and collaboration, and the RIA would wish to be at the forefront of all these.

Altogether, a fascinating day where all the suppliers present will have learned something.

Network Rail should be congratulated that it takes the time and trouble to brief the signalling supply industry on the latest developments and to encourage co-operation in the sector. Equally, it should be mindful of the feedback it receives from events like this and be prepared to make changes where it would be beneficial to do so.

22 | the rail engineer | january 2013

feature

A new lease of life

writer

Nigel

Wordsworth

(Above) Passengers enjoy the new First Class environment.

(Inset) A seat in Premium class.

he sheer cost of buying a new fleet of trains is enormous, and in these times of financial hardship there is a strong case for looking for other solutions. Recently, Eversholt Rail announced plans for two projects which will refurbish existing trains to a high standard and allow them to continue operating for the next 15 years.

One scheme covers East Coast’s mainline trains and the other the class 321 units currently operated by Greater Anglia.

The current East Coast mainline service mainly uses Inter-City 225 sets, built in the late 1980s, which consist of a class 91 locomotive, a rake of nine Mark IV coaches, and a driving van trailer (DVT) at the other end. They were last refurbished between 2001 and 2006 by HSBC Rail, the then owners, so the interiors are around ten years old.

T

HSBC Rail was firstly renamed Eversholt Rail and then sold off by the bank to the Eversholt Investment Group, a consortium funded by 3i Infrastructure, Morgan Stanley Infrastructure Partners and STAR Capital Partners, in December 2010. It is looking long-term at refurbishing the sets so that East Coast, or whoever replaces them with the franchise, can continue to use the same trains for the foreseeable future.

Although the Intercity Express Programme (IEP) trains from Hitachi will be coming along commencing 2017, these are not expected to replace the 225 stock in the short term.

The operator will therefore be needing a more efficient and passenger-friendly train in the short to medium term.

With that in mind, a mock-up of a Mark IV coach has been built to show off the new thinking, and Eversholt Rail invited the rail engineer to sit in it.

Innovative interior Noted interior designer Atlantic Design Projects was asked for a concept which would be attractive to passengers, easy to maintain, and have a common theme across three or four classes of travel. These designs were incorporated into a full-scale mock-up, built by Solve 3D of Bedford, for stakeholders to view.

Stephen Timothy, head of relationship development at Eversholt Rail, explained that the brief had been to come up with a style which will give passengers new levels of comfort and convenience while being easy to adapt between classes so that, as traffic patterns change over the course of a franchise, or even over a year, the mix of classes can be readily changed.

Atlantic Design’s directors, Charles Greenway and Graham Love, were pleased to show the results of their ideas. The mockup looked exactly like the inside of a Mark IV coach. Those items which didn’t need replacing had been retained as there was no need to incur additional cost. So the luggage racks, the walls and side ceilings were merely repainted. The colour chosen was a pale lavender, but all the colours in the mock-up were deliberately chosen to be neutral and therefore to fit in with any franchise’s corporate colours which can be accented with headrest covers and lighting.

The lighting itself, supplied by McGeoch Technology, is LED, ceiling mounted and dimmable. It gives a good general light throughout, so there is no need for over-seat reading lights.

Standard class Starting in standard class, both table and airline-style seating were shown. The most noticeable feature was that the seating is settee-style and is leather covered. Atlantic Design commented that there is no need to reduce seat quality just because more people are accommodated in each carriage.

The settee arrangement, with a centre armrest which completely folds away, means that one person can spread out, or a couple can ‘cuddle up’, or a family can sit with a small child, much more easily than in the more usual individual seats.

To aid both comfort and cleaning, the seat is curved and the join between seat and back cushions is actually partway up the back. This means that the awkward-to-clean split in the back of traditional seats, which fills up with fluff and crisp crumbs, doesn’t exist.

january 2013 | the rail engineer | 23

feature Each seat is made by Rica in Finland from a 15mm thick honeycomb aluminium plate covered with hand-cut silicone foam. This reduces costs, as no expensive moulding tools are required, while also reducing seat thickness. Thus the regular seat pitch can give more legroom, up to 35mm on a table seat or 22mm airline style, or if the current legroom is maintained the thinner seats can actually increase capacity.

Seats are mounted on standard runners which stretch the length of the carriage. One runner passes exactly midway across the width of each seat, so the seat supports and the legs of the tables are between passengers, not encroaching on their legroom. The tables themselves are also curved to maintain the same style, and are covered in wood veneer to give an upmarket appearance.

Mounted above the window in line with each seat is the display for the reservation system. Clearly legible, the full colour TFT displays are manufactured in Belgium by Televic Rail and incorporate a simple red/green light - red the seat is reserved or green it is available. That should make finding a seat easier!

Business and First Business class is a new concept. Individual fully-contoured seats come from Grammer Seating in Germany and are pitched as first class, with one set of seats and a table across a window bay, but four across as in standard class. The tables are similar to the ones in standard class but the window is fitted with a blind.

First class reverts to the settee-style of seat, although with thicker and softer Rogers Corporation silicone foam, and of course the seats are only three abreast. With the thinner seat backs, and a full-bay pitch, tables can be wider leaving plenty of room for two laptops facing each other. Pleated ‘curtains’ can be drawn to cover the windows.

Above First there is Premier class.

Individual reclining seats with footrests and padded covers will allow businessmen travelling long distances to sleep on the way and arrive refreshed at the end of their journey. There will only be a few of these seats on each train, at a premium price, but there will no doubt be a demand.

The combination of all these features makes for a good looking and comfortable train. Axminster carpet and Andrew Muirhead leather seating throughout gives everything a luxurious feel. As Stephen Timothy said, “Even standard class passengers have spent quite a lot of money on their tickets, so we should make them feel as though they are getting value for money.” And capacity is up as well, to 579 passengers per train – 44 more than at present.

(Above) Business class.

(Inset) The seat reservation system.

see page 27 for confirmed speakers

14th March 2013

Loughborough University

24 | the rail engineer | january 2013

Bombardier TRAXX P200 AC UK.

(Right) Standard class.

feature

Locomotive upgrade Eversholt Rail is planning to invest £20 million in the Class 91 locomotive to ensure its continued operation and increased reliability performance on the new franchise. Not only would this deliver a step change in reliability, but the locomotive would also have extra functionality such as a duplex pantograph (which is currently being trialled on one locomotive on the East Coast), would be ERTMS fitted by 2018 and would have modern compressors and a wheel slide protection system.

In addition, Eversholt has chosen Bombardier as its partner for the development of a full service maintenance product for the IC225 fleet. This enables Eversholt, in conjunction with Bombardier, to offer the successful TOC/franchisee a maintenance package that suits its needs.

An alternative traction option will also be offered in the form of the Bombardier TRAXX UK. This will give the choice of the extra economies and efficiency to be gained from a new locomotive, but at a higher price.

Part of the successful TRAXX family of locomotives, the TRAXX P200 AC UK, to give the locomotive its full name, is an 81 tonne 25kV electric locomotive designed to run within the British loading gauge. Four traction motors supply the drive with a maximum locomotive power of 5.6MW and full regenerative braking is fitted so that, except in emergencies, the mechanical brakes on the coaches will rarely be used.

This not only saves all the wear and tear on their brakes, but also reduces energy consumption by returning 10-15% of the power used back to the overhead line.

The new locomotives are, of course, designed to work with all types of signalling systems and it is envisaged that, for East Coast Main Line operations, they will be fitted with AWS, TPWS and ETCS. Each loco will have two pantographs, giving redundancy in case of failure, and also a ‘last mile’ diesel engine. This is designed to enable the locomotive to remove itself, and its train, from the main line in case of total power failure either on the loco or on the OLE infrastructure. The 400 litre fuel tank will be sufficient for much more than one last mile, and with a speed limit of 30mph it will allow the train to reach a convenient station rather

than being stranded out in the countryside.

Design for this tentatively-named class 93 locomotive is well advanced and Bombardier are just waiting for a launch order before putting it into production at its Kassel factory in Germany.

Suburban improvements While this Inter-City 225 upgrade / replacement is a design concept at present, another Eversholt Rail initiative is already underway. Greater Anglia runs 94 four-car class 321 trains which were built back in 1988 and, like the class 225s, are now getting tired. One of these units is being rebuilt in two formats, which will give an interesting comparison.

Two cars will be fitted with a completely new suburban-style interior. This will include air conditioning, new energy-efficient LED lighting, redesigned seats and two wheelchair spaces plus an accessible toilet.

The original plan was to leave the windows as they were, but in fact they are now being replaced by sealed, double-glazed units.

The other two cars of the same train will also have the benefit of the air conditioning, new lights and windows, but the seating

arrangement will be metrostyle - designed for the commuter with slimline 2+2 seating, easy access and increased standing space.

Currently undergoing refurbishment by Wabtec in Doncaster, the refreshed train should run in service towards the middle of 2013. It will be interesting to hear passengers’ reactions to the two alternative interiors as their comments will influence what is done to the rest of the fleet.

It is estimated that the 94 trains will cost £70 million to refurbish to this standard, or £130 million if new traction equipment is included. This is a considerable saving over the £600 million which would be the approximate cost of a replacement fleet.

These projects, coupled with the refurbishment to a class 317 that is being undertaken by Bombardier at Ilford (reported last month), show that the rolling stock companies (ROSCOs) are committed to improving the standard of the trains they own without subjecting their operator customers to the cost of completely new trains. It is an intriguing initiative, and it will be interesting to see these ‘new’ trains when they break cover over the coming months.

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26 | the rail engineer | january 2013

stations

writer

Nigel

Wordsworth

Under a south London beach…

(Lead) New areas are shown in green.

(Inset) Artist’s impression of the South Ticket Hall.

Victoria is one of the busiest L ondon mainline stations on the railway

So what do passengers find when they get there?

network. Every year, over 73 million people either enter or leave the station which, if you do the maths, works out to over 100,000 per day in each direction.

A lot of those 100,000 arrivals go straight down the stairs into the Victoria Underground Station. When added to the people who have come into the underground by other means, on foot from Westminster, by bus to the nearby Victoria bus and coach stations, it is not surprising that Victoria is the second busiest station on London Underground’s network.

The Victoria line ticket hall is small and frequently congested, with only three escalators leading onto the platforms - one down and two up. A passageway leads to the original District line ticket hall, with steps down to that platform. There is a second route along that District line platform and down at the other end to reach the Victoria line. There is no step-free access to the platforms.

It really isn’t sustainable for a station already handling 82 million passengers a year, not to mention the millions of others

who interchange between the two lines.

London Underground realises this and a £700 million expansion is underway. Some of it is already visible.

Along the southern edge of the Victoria line ticket hall, in what will become known as the South Ticket Hall, is a row of hoardings. Behind those, the area is being expanded to over twice its size. The extent of this can be seen in the main line station forecourt where another ring of hoardings marks out the approximate dimensions of the future cut-and-cover excavation.

A little way away, more hoardings mark out the site of the brand new North Ticket Hall which will serve the other end of the Victoria line platforms. This ticket hall, like the South, will also be built in a conventional top down piled box construction, with the two new halls linked by a series of bored tunnels and with systems such as CCTV and public address integrated into the overall modernised station layout.

That, simply, is the programme. However, being in a crowded city, there are complications.

Keeping in with the neighbours First of all, there are the neighbours. The Victoria Palace Theatre is a grade II listed building and the Apollo Victoria is grade II*.

Both have regular stage performances - the Victoria Palace is currently staging the successful Billy Elliot musical while the

january 2013 | the rail engineer | 27

stations Apollo is home to Wicked. These can’t be interrupted, so noisy works have to be scheduled to account for that.

Another major neighbour is, of course, the Network Rail main line station. Putting up the hoardings for the new South Ticket Hall blocked off the Victory Arch access to the station so a new one had to be created. After negotiation with both Network Rail and the retailer concerned, a walkway was driven through a Boots store on Wilton Road.

The same hoardings blocked off the Underground’s own access stairs on Wilton Road. To compensate, the Sussex Stairs, outside the main line station front entrance, were doubled in size by adding a second flight alongside the original.

The second problem is the ground conditions. When the Victoria line was built in the 1960s, it was driven through London Clay with the crown of the tunnel around 14 metres below ground level. However, the cut-and-cover ticket halls will be at a much shallower level than that. A few hundred years ago, the area in front of Victoria station was a beach. A tributary of the Tyburn river, which is now buried as the Kings Scholars Pond Sewer, flowed past the spot. As a result, the ground is a mixture of sand and river gravels.

Being a well-developed part of the city, those sands and gravels are full of utilities.

Sewers, power cables, telephone cables, gas pipes, water mains, internet links, CCTV feeds - the list is almost endless. And they all run under the roads and pavements in the area.

Extensive planning London Underground could have dealt with all these complications by private treaty. However, due to the extent of the challenge, it was decided to go for the Transport and Works Act (TWA) route. This gave London Underground both the powers to acquire land for the purposes of building the scheme and the power to operate it afterwards. The latest 2006 TWA includes more provisions for consultation, so various stakeholders had to be brought into the discussions, and the TWA submission was made in November 2007. A public enquiry was held between October 2008 and January 2009, and powers were granted in September 2009.

Glenn Keelan, programme manager for the upgrade project, firmly believes that London Underground should be a good neighbour as well as having legal powers to push things through. He spearheaded discussions with the theatres to make sure that their needs were fully catered for, including provision for scheduled quiet times on site to avoid disrupting scheduled shows and occasional extra performances.

(Top) New entrance to the (Bottom) North Ticket Hall.

14th March 2013, Loughborough University

Confirmed Speakers include: Colin Wheeler, Chairman Alistair Dormer, CEO, Hitachi Rail Steve Diksa, Director Bridgeway Consulting Colin Dennis, Director, RSSB Carolyn Griffiths, Chief Inspector, RAIB Allan Spence, Director, Safety Strategy, Network Rail (ORR) www.railsafetysummit.com

28 | the rail engineer | january 2013

Mott MacDonald has been involved in the project as designer since 2006. Following a tender process under OJEU (the Official Journal of the European Union) guidelines, the Taylor Woodrow/BAM Nuttall joint venture was appointed as main contractor for design and delivery. The existing Mott MacDonald design team was novated over to the JV. Design was always carried out using 3D CAD-plus techniques, which are now further enhanced and have become BIM (Building Information Modelling). The complications of the site have made this the most effective way to process the volume of information, and indeed the project team won a recent British Construction Industry award for BIM project application.

Innovative ground treatment The varying make-up of the ground could have been another headache. Piling would hold back the ground around the excavated areas but tunnelling the passenger walkways looked like being a problem. However, the decision was taken to use a method known as ‘jet grouting’. In effect, the aggregates in the ground are combined with a cement-like grout to form in-situ concrete.

The first step is to install a row of guide tubes. These set the spacing and, as the name suggests, act as guides for the main drilling process.

The drill itself is hollow, with a perforated outer casing. Once it is in place, grout is forced down the rotating shaft and out through the holes at high pressure which mixes it with the aggregates in the ground. The holes are spaced so that the resulting columns overlap, forming a solid block through which the tunnels can be safely bored.

Although fairly new to the UK, the process has been used on the continent before, and specialist contractor Keller was brought in to undertake this part of the work.

The North Ticket Hall is not scheduled to open until 2016, and the extended South Ticket Hall two years later. Work is already well advanced. 1200 guide tubes are in place and jet grout columns are being installed below ground.

A row of conventional secant piles has been installed alongside Bressenden Place. In this technique, a row of concrete ‘female’ piles is installed first with small gaps between them. A hole is then drilled between them, keying into the concrete on both sides, and a ‘male’ pile inserted to bridge the gap, forming a continuous wall.

In February 2013, the road will be moved to give access for yet more piles as the finished North Ticket Hall will eventually run

under it. When the second set of piles is complete, the road will be moved back again.

Seventeen large plunge columns will also be inserted into the area of the North Ticket Hall so that buildings can go over it on completion. With various recent developments in the area such as the nearby Cardinal Place, it is highly likely that a new similar property could be built over the finished site.

Prior to TWA powers being granted, and before the construction contract was placed, London Underground dealt with extensive existing asbestos in the station.

Some of this was in the form of Amosite panels which were in good condition and didn’t pose a significant risk. However, there was also an amount of Cellactite, an asbestos flock that was sprayed onto beams as fireproofing, and it all had to come out so that the new ticket halls could be joined with the old.

That, more or less, is the story so far. One vertical shaft has also been bored, shaft 2 which will include the emergency services lift access in the finished station. Further access shafts will be constructed, and from these the various access tunnels will be constructed using tunnel boring machines and spray-concrete linings.

It will all be some time before the seven new Schindler lifts and nine escalators are in place and the new ticket halls are open.

There will be plenty of opportunities for the rail engineer to go back and have another look.

PHOTO: TAYLOR WOODROW

(Bottom) The site of the new North Ticket Hall.

(Middle) Sekant piling.

stations

january 2013 | the rail engineer | 29

stations

Tottenham Court Road

Station Upgrade Project writer

Chris Parker who has visited Tottenham Court A nyone Road in the vicinity of Centre Point recently couldn’t fail to have noticed the huge construction site adjacent to the tower block. It is all related to a comprehensive upgrade of Tottenham Court Road underground station and preparations for Crossrail which will have an exchange station on the same site.

To find out what is going on, both behind the hoardings and underground, the rail engineer joined a recent visit by the Railway Civil Engineers’ Association.

The existing station is composed of two originally separate facilities, one serving the Northern line and the other the Central.

These two were combined in 1908 to form one station allowing passengers to transfer between the two lines. This history has left a facility which is far from ideal for its users and its managers. Today, roughly 70 London Underground staff have to manage over 150,000 customers each day and the station often has to be closed due to overcrowding.

More passengers Forecasts of future usage predict more than 200,000 passengers/day once the new Crossrail route opens. In addition, the facilities available to users in the immediate surroundings of the station above ground are not adequate for the numbers of pedestrians coming and going to or through the station and surrounding streets. The road junction of Tottenham Court Road and Oxford Street is routinely one of the top two junctions in the capital for pedestrian accidents each year.

The advent of the new Crossrail route, traversing the site and needing an interlinking station facility, necessitated a total reappraisal. It was essential to ensure that the resultant overall station provision was appropriate for the needs of present and future users of the three lines and those of the external surroundings of the station.

The station upgrade includes a full refurbishment of the existing facilities, provision of new ticket halls and new and improved access arrangements for the existing London Underground lines. In particular, it was seen as essential to overcome the limitations of the current access routes to the Northern line platforms.

These allow passengers predominantly to enter and leave only by one end of each platform, meaning that entering and departing passenger flows conflict. The new layout provides access to the other end of each platform, permitting the institution of a one way system and the ending of the conflict.

The Crossrail factor In addition, the project is constructing the reinforced concrete shell or ‘box’ and escalator decline for the Eastern Ticket Hall of the new Crossrail station. This will be fitted out later by Crossrail themselves.

The influence of Crossrail is not restricted to the need to accommodate its station and ticket hall facilities within the site. The London Underground project design has also had to allow for the compensation grouting pressures involved in the Crossrail

tunnelling work, and fit in with the over-site development works that are to be associated with or follow on from the Crossrail scheme. Finally, it has clearly been absolutely essential to ensure that the architecture and the mechanical and electrical installations of the two projects fit together.

Of course, the project also has to deal with all the ‘usual’ London issues such as sensitive existing assets (both London Underground’s and others), noise and vibration issues and so on. As a result, the project is constrained by things like settlement criteria and the complex 3-D geometry driven by surrounding structures both above and below ground. Extensive monitoring systems are in place and take effect in real time, 24/7, providing live data and automated alerts. These cover such things as noise and vibration or ground and structural movements. It is not uncommon for project managers to have to respond immediately to an alert from one of these systems in order to avoid a complaint or incident.

The site is on the boundary between the City of Westminster and London Borough of Camden, meaning there are two local authorities to work with. There are also a

(Above) Erection of formwork for perimeter wall in the new Northern line escalator box.

(Below) Re-profiling of Northern line platform tunnels; the inner sections of the existing Victorian cast-iron tunnel rings have been replaced with vertical steel props, creating enough space to insert a new lift shaft between them.

30 | the rail engineer | january 2013

stations very large number of conservation areas in the surrounding area.

Although the project is being enacted under the umbrella of the Crossrail Act, which gives useful powers, it also entails many binding obligations too. A great deal of effort is going into the relationship with the local community, and there are regular meetings and the frequent use of newsletters and door-to-door campaigns.

(Above) Access to Northern line platforms.

(Main) Waterproofing the Central Line interchange and (right) finished.

Getting it all in and out Logistics are a major concern because of the constrained space available on site and the busy surroundings, so the project has a full-time logistics manager. There is only one access into the site and deliveries have to be made on a just-in-time basis as there is nowhere on site to store anything.

Simon Buck, senior project manager for the Taylor Woodrow/BAM Nuttall Joint Venture that is carrying out the works, explained that the quantities of materials to be removed from site or brought into it are huge. At the time of the visit, Simon said that

210,000m³ of muck had been excavated and removed whilst some 42,000m³ of concrete had been delivered to site and placed. An off-site storage facility at Erith near Dartford is being used to assist in managing the logistics issue.

The project’s people are crucial to its success. Competence is key, and the project has become a mini skills academy in its own right as there are around eight apprentices on the team at any one time. The joint venture and London Underground teams are co-located and work together on the critical planning of the project. Collaboration within the joint venture is intense, and between the partners something like 90% of the current work is being delivered ‘inhouse’.

Different designers Halcrow came up with the original design for the client, London Underground. The same team was then adopted by the JV to take the design forwards into and through the delivery phase. The Crossrail designers are different, however, with Atkins responsible for the relevant part of that project. This has necessitated further careful collaboration between the two teams, so far with great success.

Simon outlined some examples of the challenges that have already been overcome by the project. The first he mentioned was that of constructing two bridges over the Central line tunnels below ground for accesses to the new Central line routeways.

The platform tunnels are twin bores, with

cast iron (CI) segmental linings, and at the relevant location they lie below the midlevel sewer, a 1,950mm diameter brick sewer less than two metres above the crown of the overbridge. The sewer could not be moved and is obviously a sensitive structure which could not be disturbed at all without risking leakage or worse. So a solution was developed that required a series of 340mm diameter horizontal piles to be driven from the adjacent Royal Mail parcel tunnel to form a support raft beneath the sewer. The available room in the mail tunnel was limited, but proved just sufficient.

In the original design, the overbridge tunnel was to be driven using traditional timber handworks to support the ground around a substantial rectangular steel structure. However, the JV developed an alternative design from a value engineering scheme by OTB, their temporary works designer, with input from Halcrow and Dr Sauer, the SCL (Sprayed Concrete Lining) designer. This utilised a machine-excavated shotcreted cavern spanning the platform tunnel.

After excavation to expose the outer face of the CI tunnels, concrete saddles and abutments were constructed in readiness for installation of the bridge decks. All this was undertaken during traffic hours with London Underground operating a full service in the tunnels below, something of a first. Finally, during a weekend closure, the CI segments in the crown of the platform tunnels were removed at the two overbridge locations, concrete encased beams were installed, and cheek plates erected to seal off the platform areas at the tunnel crown.

Another example of tricky work that has been undertaken by the project is the provision for the new access passages and staircases that were required for the Northern line platforms, where the tunnels for these had to run between the existing Northern line platform tunnels. This work was carried out during a nine month platform closure in 2011. Once more, the space available between the north and southbound platform tunnel lining was really tight and this time it was necessary to remove part of the side of each existing tunnel in order to increase the space between them to allow for the new stairs.

Existing tunnels are sectional CI structures, and so it was necessary to remove the

january 2013 | the rail engineer | 31

stations existing CI segments and replace them with new, specially shaped steel units that left a vertical external wall on the side nearest the intended new tunnel. Finally, new sections of concrete platform had to be cast.

The construction of the ‘New Plaza Ticket Hall’ for London Underground and Crossrail, to the south of the existing ticket hall, has been a major undertaking in its own right.

Road diversions and piling The project has many other complexities. It was necessary, in order to unify the site, to divert a section of Charing Cross Road around the other side of Centre Point and close a section of another road entirely. The complex foundation works have included hundreds of secant and contiguous bored piles, seven of the former being two metres in diameter and 55 metres deep and coming as close as 1.1 metres from the Northern Line tunnels. 44 panels of diaphragm walling were put in, each panel requiring three reinforcement cages 18 metres long. 11 two metre diameter plunge columns have been inserted, each with a 700 x 700 steel column 42 metres long down its centre. Augur bored and CFA piling methods have both been employed on the job.

BIM has been essential on the project for avoiding clashes with underground structures such as services and tunnels, for identifying working constraints, and to assist with the logistics and sequencing of the works, as well as for the design benefits more conventionally expected.

The project has made use of Voltex waterproofing below ground, a first for a London Underground project. This material is a sheet material incorporating a bentonite blanket, and is easily fixed so as to ensure a watertight structure.

Looking to the future, in late 2013 there will be a key milestone for the project as it is due to hand over certain areas of the site to the Crossrail project, particularly the Goslett Yard box in which Crossrail will construct one of the two ticket halls for their new station. In time, other areas leased temporarily from neighbouring landowners will be handed back for redevelopment. The area around Centre Point is to be redeveloped into a large piazza that will incorporate, among other things, new highcapacity glazed station access structures 17 metres tall.

The station will be completely finished for the opening of Crossrail in 2018. But that may not be all. If Crossrail 2 (otherwise known as the Chelsea to Hackney line) is built, it will also have a station at Tottenham Court Road. However, the designers have already taken account of that…

(Left) Night-time piling.

(Right) The Falconberg shaft prior to tunnelling.

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32 | the rail engineer | january 2013

stations

Dawlish Bridging The old (right) and the new (above).

a seaside town on the south D awlish, coast of Devon about 12 miles from Exeter, was originally a fishing port which grew into a well-known resort in the eighteenth century. In 1830, Isambard Kingdom Brunel designed a pneumatic railway which ran along the seafront of the town. The wide-gauge ‘atmospheric railway’ opened on 30 May 1846 and ran between Exeter St. Davids and Newton Abbot. The first passenger train ran in September 1847 but after technical problems, the Directors abandoned the project in favour of conventional trains and the last atmospheric train ran in September 1848.

Today, while the line is a particularly memorable and scenic route, it is one of the most exposed in the country and the continual battle with sea erosion and corrosion makes it expensive to maintain.

Furthermore, the railway station at Dawlish is in the town centre immediately adjacent to the beach and, although most of the station is not the original Brunel buildings, it is all Grade II listed - including the footbridge which links the station platforms. However, the station is so close to the sea that in storm conditions this bridge is drenched by the spray from breaking waves and blasted by wind-born debris (sand) from the beach.

Structural form The station was originally only a single platform (on the inland side), but a second platform was added in 1858. The existing station buildings were opened in 1875 after the previous wooden buildings burned down in 1873. However, the footbridge was reconstructed in 1937 using serviceable girders that were taken from Park Royal & Twyford Abbey tube Station (a disused station on what is now the Piccadilly Line) after that station had closed in 1931. The bridge had a single square span of 17.5 metres, being supported on padstones built into the masonry of the station buildings (the staircases to access the deck being partly stone masonry within the buildings,

partly timber suspended from the deck).

The walkway was approximately 1.8 metres wide. The bridge had a roof with wide overhanging eaves, though the nature of the exposure (sea spray coming in horizontally) is that these had not significantly protected the structure.

Additionally, one half of the span had timber cladding to somewhat protect bridge users from spray and sand.

The girders were riveted built-up sections of early steel. The webs had a clearly visible X-brace detail, the visibility of which was exaggerated by the corrosion patterning.

This detail, together with the riveted construction, was identified as being a key part of the ‘character’ of the structure and early discussion with the planning and listed building authorities identified that, if replacement was to be adopted, then these features would need to be carried forward into the replacement structure.

Maintain, repair or replace?

The steel bridge was in very poor condition with extensive, well-established and very visible corrosion. Detailed inspection in 2004 had categorised the condition as ‘fair’, though this conclusion was somewhat questionable since, even then, many holes and significant corrosion points were identified. The next detailed inspection

in 2010 identified that the defects reported in 2004 had deteriorated significantly and made a less positive assessment of the condition.

A like-for-like repair option was developed, but it required replacement of a large proportion of the structure - eight out of 20 web panels, nine out of 22 web stiffeners and the full length of both flanges on both girders were to be replaced. All the repairs would be carried out with HSFG bolts replacing the existing rivets. Thus, although the structure would look superficially unchanged, most of it would be new.

A further study was carried out by Tony Gee and Partners in 2011. In addition to the known defects, severe corrosion to the girder / cross girder connections was also identified. The condition of the structure had deteriorated to such an extent that some holes in the web had been patched temporarily with hardboard just to remove the risk of public injury on a sharp corroded edge. Detailed analysis identified that not only could the structure not carry the specified imposed load due to corrosion of the members, but even in an ‘as new’ condition the bridge had been understrength due to a lack of strength and stiffness in the U-frames providing lateral stability to the top flange of the plate girders.

january 2013 | the rail engineer | 33

stations Thus, although like-for-like repairs were estimated to cost approximately £600,000, Network Rail’s preferred option was a replacement structure. A new steel footbridge was considered, but while this could be detailed to reduce the susceptibility to corrosion, the location was such that it could only restart the continued (and probably unwinnable) fight. The station was listed and a simple ‘off-the-shelf’ solution would probably not be acceptable.

Accordingly, a wholly fibre-reinforced polymer (FRP) structure was considered, both to simplify installation (by reduced weight) but also, more critically, to reduce ongoing maintenance costs and requirements in the extremely hostile environment. Although this was identified as being initially more expensive than steel, the whole life costs for the structure should be much reduced.

Wind loading is also a conceptually simple codecompliant situation, although the location is exposed and the wind loads are accordingly relatively high.

Aerodynamic stability had to be considered, though this is a variation from the standard as that document does not strictly apply to bridges which have a roof, and the material is not in the list the standard covers.

Lightweight bridges are potentially prone to dynamic response from the aerodynamic loads from passing trains. It was agreed that this effect would be analysed during detail design based on criteria developed during the design of the Bradkirk footbridge (issue 57, July 2009).

Imposed loading The bridge was required to withstand ‘normal’ Eurocode footbridge loading and criteria were agreed between the designers and Network Rail. In recognition that the bridge deck may fill with pedestrians (when a train disgorges a large number of passengers at once) the full ‘load model 4’ loading of 5 kN/m² distributed live load was applied.

Parapet loading in Eurocodes was not well resolved at the time of the design, so this was taken from older standards such as Highways Agency document TD19/06 ‘Requirements for Road Restraint Systems’.

Analysis Initial concept studies considered various truss arrangements. However, due to concerns regarding listed building consent, it was decided to revert to a plain girder design which closely followed the geometry and aesthetic of the original bridge.

To assist with design development and also to obtain planning approval and listed building consent, several computer models and rendered visualisations were generated. A full-scale sample section of girder was also produced to assist the

planners and conservation officer to visualise the FRP structure. The conservation officer insisted that the bridge replicated the aesthetic of the original riveted structure, so imitation rivet heads were bonded to the structure. In some locations, structural bolts are included to provide a backup to the bonded joints and prevent peel stresses in the bonds. These bolts were stainless steel with dome heads to blend in the rivet heads and fastened with tamper-proof shear nuts.

Structural analysis used computer models under various load conditions.

Network Rail

Network Rail

34 | the rail engineer | january 2013

The complete structure excluding the stair units was predicted to have a mass of only five tonnes, which is probably around one third of the mass of an equivalent steel structure.

The structure of the bridge was analysed using computer models and finite element analysis (FEA). Analyses carried out included static, buckling, eigen-value and dynamic response. The roof panels were found to be beneficial in increasing torsional stiffness and vibration frequency.

Simple aerodynamic stability checks indicated that the critical wind speeds for vertical or torsional vortex shedding induced vibration were above 1.25 x design mean wind speed and therefore did not require more detailed investigation.

Design and manufacture Both the primary structure and the parapet were made up from 1.66 metre deep side girders, each formed from foam cored shear webs, moulded by film infusion using fire retardant epoxy resin and biaxial glass fibre reinforcement, capped top and bottom with pultruded angles and plates to form the girder flanges. Web stiffeners made from pultruded plate provide additional lateral support to the girders, connected to transverse angles below the deck. The girder includes a camber of 120mm along the length of the bridge, which improves the aesthetics and provides drainage to the deck.

The deck was formed from ‘Composolite’ pultruded panels, spanning transversely between the girders. These panels are very lightweight with a skin thickness of only 3mm.

To ensure adequate robustness and resistance to local concentrated loads, an additional 3mm thick pultruded plate with a gritted nonslip finish was bonded to the top surface of the deck.

The deck was bonded to the girders and also forms a shear panel to resist horizontal wind loading, removing the need for diagonal bracing below the deck. Unfortunately, the deck has to terminate 2.7 metres from the ends of the bridge to leave room for the stairs.

This creates a long length of girder acting as a cantilever and unable to resist the large wind side load. To strengthen these cantilevered areas, additional lateral support plates were fitted to the flanges external to the girder.

The roof transverse frames were fabricated from back-toback pultruded angles to form T- sections

stations with bonded and bolted joints. The roof frames support longitudinal purlins made from pultruded box section to support the roof panels. These frames also provide lateral restraint to the top of the girder.

To further increase the lateral and torsional stiffness, a much stiffer transverse frame is provided at each end of the bridge. Roof panels are made from standard corrugated fibre-cement panels, and the stair units at either end of the bridge are made from a single FRP moulding, including the stair treads, risers and side panels, hanging from the bottom flange of the bridge girder.

The entire bridge structure was manufactured from FRP materials. The majority of parts are pultruded with glass fibre reinforcements and fire retardant polyester resins to achieve the required structural properties. The pultruded parts used to fabricate the main girder flanges were pultruded in 17.5 metre lengths for the span of the bridge to avoid the need for joints.

Parapet panels have PET foam cores and were moulded from fire retardant epoxy resin reinforced with biaxial glass fabrics using film infusion. Each parapet is in three sections with simple, bonded, butt-strap joints. The final structure was painted to achieve the aesthetic requirements and to provide environmental protection to the composite structure.

Approvals Since the materials are still considered ‘novel’

by Network Rail, a rigorous design and checking process was implemented. Tony Gee and Partners was appointed to prepare the Form A (Approval in Principle document), complete the design and the Form B (Design / Checking certificate).

Design work undertaken by subconsultant Optima Projects was validated by Tony Gee. In addition, the structure received a full ‘Category 3’ independent check by Parsons Brinckerhoff.

Network Rail managed the process of obtaining listed building consent. This required the production of reports and options studies justifying replacement rather than repair, and was driven through by Network Rail’s own planning and listed building specialists with support from the designers and the initial repair study. Consent was eventually obtained, although the requirements of the process resulted in various detail changes to the configuration from what would be structurally necessary.

The final design mimics the form of the existing structure in order to minimise the visible changes to the various views that take in the station. The new bridge remains part of the listing, and therefore has become probably the first listed FRP bridge in the UK. Many thanks to David Kendall, Optima Projects Ltd; Ian Smith, Tony Gee & Partners; and Wendy Gough, Network Rail for help with this article.

january 2013 | the rail engineer | 35

stations

writer

Mungo Stacy

Streamlining

Stalybridge

(Right) Old and new track layouts.

“Time at the bar” was called W hen at midnight on Friday 26 October, regulars at the Stalybridge Buffet Bar reluctantly finished their drinks knowing it would be well over a week before they could get a refill. For the next nine days the pub, on the platform at Stalybridge station, lay in the middle of a major engineering blockade.

A small army of up to 150 hi-vis workers descended on the railway. As the work proceeded 24/7, locals could have been forgiven for wondering, “Haven’t you all got homes to go to?”

But, by the time the station reopened on Monday 5 November, the £20 million refurbishment had added two new platforms, remodelled the track layout and re-controlled the area to a modern signalling control centre - and the pub had switched from platform 1 to platform 4.

New layout Stalybridge station has a history of adaption, albeit most of it occurring in the nineteenth century. More recently, the main changes have been the gradual lifting of lines as they were deemed redundant.

Traffic patterns are increasing on this key trans-Pennine route between Manchester, Huddersfield and Leeds.

The circuitous valleys either side of Standedge tunnel offer few opportunities for loops. By the time Stalybridge is reached, the hourly stopping train is likely to have an express hard on its heels.

However, the old layout at the station was not ideal. “It could be described as archaic,” commented Simon Kenyon, scheme project manager for Network Rail. Passenger services could not be looped and freight could be looped only with difficulty due to the potential for conflicting moves at both ends of the layout.

In addition, turnback services coming from the west via Manchester Victoria and Ashton had to cross both main running lines to reach the bay platform.

This gave narrow planning margins in traffic and tended to compound any operational delays.

“We were fortunate that both track and signalling assets were coming to the end of their life at the same time,” said Simon Kenyon. This gave the opportunity to redesign the track layout for current and future needs. Early design work was

36 | the rail engineer | january 2013

undertaken by URS Scott Wilson and Parsons Brinckerhoff, with detailed design being undertaken by Amey Rail and the Network Rail Track Design team.

Operational flexibility

A good view of the route off to Manchester Victoria, showing the new track layout.

(Right) Eleven new sets of points were installed at Stalybridge.

Flexibility is the watchword for the new layout. A new 225 metre long platform has been constructed on the south side in place of the former goods loops, becoming platform 1. The other two through platforms, now known as 3 and 4, have been lengthened to match and can serve trains up to nine cars long.

The bi-directional platform 3 is a key feature since it allows trains to enter or leave in either direction without conflicting with movements in the opposite direction.

It can be used to recess slow freight or passenger trains to allow faster services to overtake.

The scheme also allows for any one of the three through platforms to be locked out for maintenance and inspection using patrollers’ lock-out devices, whilst still allowing the operation of up and down services.

On the north side of the station, a new bay platform, number 5, has been added. In some senses a reinstatement, the new platform has been lengthened to 140 metres to accommodate six-car trains. This bay removes the need for conflicting moves for services turning back towards Ashton.

Timetable modelling of the layout showed improvements throughout the Manchester East area, due to the improved reliability and robustness and the extra flexibility during service perturbations.

Whilst the project precedes other significant schemes in the North West, account has been taken of their needs.

Passive provision has been made for electrification under the North West Electrification Programme, such as by installing dropper cages on the signal heads on the new portal gantry and specifying ACimmune equipment including track circuits.

The anticipated line-speed upgrades which may arise from the Northern Hub project are compatible with the extents of the Stalybridge upgrade.

Signalling The blockade saw Amey and Invensys move signalling control over to the Manchester East Signalling Control Centre, which is currently housed in the same building as Manchester South Signalling Control Centre at Stockport. Previous projects have implemented re-control of

stations

Ashburys Signal Box in September 2011 and Guide Bridge Signal Box in December 2011 to the same control centre. These projects also included extensive work by Linbrooke to install and upgrade the Fixed Telecoms Network in the area.

The Stalybridge signalling control is based on the Westcad VDU system. Whilst normal operation requires one signaller, a dual workstation is provided to allow a second signaller to assist should traffic levels or service disruptions require. A full training facility was purpose-built by TRE in conjunction with Invensys. The simulator is specific to the area of control and provides a full replica of the actual workstations, allowing signallers to be trained on the new layout and various failure scenarios.

Simon Kenyon adds: “By the time the system went live on the Monday morning, the signallers were already entirely familiar with the new layout.”

Simulation did not stop there. The project commissioned Gioconda to produce a 3D ‘drive-through’ route-familiarisation DVD. This included a mix of recorded video footage supplemented by computergenerated virtual reality based on the detailed design. Copies of the DVD were provided to the passenger and freight operating companies to assist drivers with learning the revised routes.

The new signalling layout meets modern standards and suits the high-speed routes into and through the station. Linespeed has been raised from 40 to 50mph, with crossovers increased from 15 to 25mph.

From the Manchester direction, a flashing aspect avoids the need for an approach release into the new platform 3.

Advanced works before the blockade included the installation of six new signals from Diggle to Stalybridge, carried out during a May Bank Holiday possession.

The immediate issue was a clash between the new east junction layout and an existing signal. This particular signal was not well sited on the exit from Stalybridge tunnel and had a substandard braking

distance to the platform starter signal which previously necessitated special controls.

However, relocating it meant placing it at the far end of the 628 metre long tunnel with a knock-on effect on the preceding signals.

Blockade Eleven point-ends were installed during the blockade by Babcock, which carried out all the track remodelling works. Modular switch-andcrossing units were brought in using tilting bed wagons and installed using two Kirow rail cranes. The west junction has a completely changed layout and changed levels.

“This was one of the drivers for the blockade,” Kevin Newbatt, Network Rail’s project manager, explained. “We had a lot of discussion with the operating companies about doing it in lots of small steps compared with a large blockade. The TOCs bought in to the blockade very early on and have been very supportive.”

The well-laid plans threatened to unravel when the school calendar was published.

“Our discussions had indicated half term was the best period,” Kevin continued. “In the early stages we had to assume dates based on previous years. But half term turned out to be a week later this year than we had reckoned on.” Fortunately the project was able to defer the blockade by a week to match the holiday.

Making best use of the available time, work continued 24 hours a day for the full nine days of the blockade. “Although it is mainly businesses adjacent, we carried out many letter drops to local residents and businesses to keep them informed,” Kevin Newbatt stated.

january 2013 | the rail engineer | 37

stations Extensive planning went into alternative services. “TransPennine Express and Northern Rail liaised on the available train paths between Manchester and Leeds via the Calder Valley Line,” said Simon Kenyon. “Services also ran from Manchester as far as Ashton using some single-line working, providing a service as close to Stalybridge as possible.”

Once Babcock was finished with the track, Amey installed the signalling and telecoms equipment and completed the civils works on the platform including rebuilding, resurfacing and installing all the platform equipment such as lighting, customer information systems and signage.

An interesting feature introduced during the blockade was a polystyrene bridge between platforms. This allowed the platforms to have tarmac laid by small plant using the normal station access ramp from the road onto the platform, reducing the interface with road-rail plant and trackwork operations. The bridge could be rapidly dismantled when on-track plant needed to pass.

Olympic Spirit Whilst the blockade was the most intensive period, site works have been ongoing for most of the year. In advance of the blockade, the east tunnel junction was remodelled by Babcock using modular S&C over a number of 29 hour possessions. Amey also took the opportunity to carry out extensive signalling and civil engineering works during these closures. This shortened the overall time required for the blockade.

Other challenges had to be managed. “After

twelve weeks on site, the Olympics began,” Kevin Newbatt remembered. “We then had the twelve-week Games period with an embargo on disruptive track works.” During this time, the project focused on constructing the new platforms 1, 2 and 5 behind hoardings.

The civils, platform and station works were undertaken by Amey. Kevin Newbatt recalled that “the site was very challenging and very constrained”. A considerable volume of spoil had to be removed and new fill and ballast brought in, both for the platform construction and track works. All was served by rail.

Virtually all of the platform faces are new.

“We built new platforms 1 and 5,” said John Manock, project engineer for Network Rail.

“Platform 2 was rebuilt and platforms 3 and 4 were extended.”

Lengths of the original gritstone platform walls remain on platforms 3 and 4. “The town conservation area includes half of the station,” John Manock commented. “We have installed gritstone cladding on the new visible platform faces in keeping with the original blocks.”

Some work remains. “We decided to reduce the blockade risk by reopening without the full layout operational,” said Simon Kenyon, although in practice this meant an improvement over the previous layout. “We still need to bring the new platform 1 into operation.” This took place on 3 December, in time for the winter timetable change.

Thirsty Work Railway engineers are not the only ones who work up a thirst. A new improved waiting area and café is being provided on

the new platform. Work has been complicated by the need to thread water supplies through the station subway and the pumped drainage under the track.

Adjacent to the station, a local business also has rather special needs. The Total petrochemical site normally receives two trainloads per week of styrene monomer.

Shutting down the production plant was not possible due to the costs that would be incurred by an outage. Therefore, having topped up tanks before the blockade, the first train through following the possession was an eagerly-awaited styrene train.

And what of the station Buffet Bar? Having taken on the lease a mere couple of weeks before the shut-down, the new landlords took advantage of the closure to refurbish the pub.

Now reopen on the re-numbered platform 4, a pint of Millstone True Grit suggests itself as a suitable indication of the effort and determination involved in the project.

A still from the Gioconda 3D drive-through DVD used for driver training.

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38 | the rail engineer | january 2013

stations

writer

Daniel Harkins Project Manager, Carillion Rail

Half-time at

Glasgow (Top) The exposed void beneath platform 2 after removal of existing deck.

(Middle) Platform 11 - New copes being laid on to rebuilt platform wall.

(Below) 150m of pumped concrete steel pipes placed for the in-situ concrete screed deck.

first time in the station’s history, F orthetheplatforms at Glasgow Central station are being completely refurbished. The Glasgow Central Station Platform Renewals project aims to improve all existing platform structures, excluding platforms 12 and 13, to ensure that they are able to meet the requirements of a 50 year design life.

Network Rail’s original plan was to carry out simple concrete repairs to the existing deck and concrete copes along with the complete resurfacing of all of the platforms.

Carillion made an alternative proposal for the complete replacement of the structural slab including the copes, thereby providing a DDA, step and clearance compliant platform and enhancing the design life of the new works.

This will be achieved through the construction of entirely new decks for platforms 1 to 11, 14 and 15 platforms 12 and 13 were only recently constructed (as reported in issue 68, June 2010). The existing masonry platform walls are to remain in place with minimal alteration, but the concrete decks and steel joists are being replaced by reinforced concrete slabs. New copes and tactile strips will be installed throughout.

An in-situ concrete screed will be poured to bind everything together and form a base for a polyurethane non-slip resin which will provide a compliant, anti-slip surface. Train tanking points on platforms 1, 2 and 9 to11 will be relocated and their number increased if required to better suit the needs of station staff.

Start at platform 1 Work commenced on site during August 2011. The sequence in which the platforms would be taken out of service, and for how long, was agreed after thorough consultation with the train operators. The first platform to be rebuilt would be number 1, followed by 2, 12, 11, 3, 4, 15 and 13. This seemingly illogical sequence, but one that is necessary for the smooth running of train operations, would continue with 14, 10, 9, 8, 7 and 6. The final piece of work, platform 5, is due to be handed back on 22 March 2014.

Carillion’s approach required some innovative thinking with regards to programming and methodology to complete the project in this sequence. Work commenced on Sunday 17 October 2011 and the programme to complete the first two platforms was tight, with eight weeks allotted for platform 1 and nine for platform 2 including the two weeks shut down around the Christmas period. Due to their overall length and geometry, these first two platforms were considered by the project team to be the ones that would be the most difficult to complete.

The method of working is relatively straightforward. Carillion started by erecting hoardings to protect the worksite. A freestanding type is being used as this provides flexibility for erection, maintenance, dismantling and reuse as the project progressed through the station.

The existing concrete deck is then marked up into slabs which are cut in-situ into two tonne units by operatives from Corecut Ltd. This cutting work is carried out using a diamond road saw with a blade diameter of up to 750mm to cut through the deck which varies in thickness between 250mm and 350mm. On platform 1 alone there was approximately 1500 linear metres of concrete to be cut.

january 2013 | the rail engineer | 39

stations As the cutting is carried out in a live station environment, acoustic barriers are placed along the length of the hoarding to dampen the noise levels. Carillion also carries out extensive noise monitoring to ensure that the cutting operations do not unduly affect passengers on other platforms or the station concourse.

Upon completion of the cutting operation, four holes are cored through the slab for lifting eyes.

The train now arriving…

At this point, an engineering train of ‘pike’ wagons is brought into the platform road.

These wagons have a steel body and floor construction with drop down side doors and a 30 tonne capacity which makes them ideal for moving the platform slabs. The slabs are lifted off the platform walls and loaded into the pike wagons using a 10 tonne tracked crane, a Maeda LC785 supplied by Blackwood plant hire. This zero-tailswing crane was chosen due to its small footprint, making it ideal for working in restricted areas such as these platforms.

After all the old platform slabs had been loaded, the wall head is cut to the correct level for the precast concrete slabs that will be installed to form the new platform structure. Due to the site constraints, this has become a labour-intensive operation and, to maintain health and safety standards, Carillion monitors the HAV (hand arm vibration) exposure of its operatives using a Reactec System supplied by Speedy Hire.

This ensures that no occupational health issues arise from using vibrating tools.

Once the wall head has been prepared to the correct level, a second set of wagons arrives, fully loaded with the new precast slabs. Every new slab is different, each one designed for a particular part of the platform, so a detailed delivery plan had to be devised. Slabs are delivered by the manufacturer, Creagh Concrete of Toomebridge, Northern Ireland, to PD Stirling’s rail yard at Mossend. Here the slabs are loaded into each pike wagon in the order in which they will be installed. Following arrival at site, the new slabs are unloaded using the same Maeda crane.

Finishing off Once the slabs are in place, the copes and tactiles are installed to ensure programme continuity. The copes are manufactured by architectural masonry specialist Sterling Precast, and the tactile tiles by Charcon.

Finally, the concrete screed is poured to form the body of the new platform. Working in a live station, this is another logistical challenge which involves pumping 80m³ of C50 concrete onto the platform from an adjacent site.

When the concrete has cured sufficiently, the final platform surface is applied. This is a polyurethane resin which provides both the

colour contrast finish and the required slip resistance. The Uradeck BC system from Nufins was chosen for this particular application.

The project is now about halfway through.

Work is taking place on platform 13 and, so far, every platform has been handed back on time and Carillion has recorded over one year without a lost time incident.

In a challenging high profile environment, this project has been an excellent example of what can be achieved through innovative thinking and collaborative working between main contractor Carillion, station owner Network Rail and the Glasgow Central station management.

Preparing to lift the old deck off platform 2.

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40 | the rail engineer | january 2013

stations

Balancing function The new balcony at Waterloo station.

with

aesthetics

is more to good station design T here than an impressive-looking building. It should also be more than a good place to catch trains - a recent ATOC (Association of Train Operating Companies) Interchange and Integrated Transport Conference stressed that train companies are committed to improving links with other forms of transport.

Station designers need to plan for crowd pressure, ease of passenger flow and general wear and tear. Access for maintenance and cleaning are crucial for longevity, security and safety and place special demands on material choice and engineered solutions.

Good wayfinding is important, as can be read elsewhere in this issue, and provision has to be made for retail outlets, waiting areas, passenger drop-off and ‘kiss and ride’ zones.

Taking all these into consideration in a new station design is complicated enough. When an old, listed building is being remodelled everything also has to fit in with the layout of the existing structure.

Pleasing the crowds Taking inspiration from how airport terminals have historically been designed, a new railway station needs to consider both passenger experience and flow to ensure long term benefits. The design of the new Crossrail stations, which together will have to handle 200 million passengers each year, is focussed on getting the internal design correct.

Aesthetics have to be balanced with the performance qualities of materials to provide a durable finish which will last a lifetime.

Architectural metalwork can balance visual appeal with enhanced performance qualities and provide a highly functional solution. Wall panelling provides a durable way of handling crowd pressure while column casings can also incorporate impact resistance for vehicle movement. Sloping

tops with 20 degree angles can be used to help prevent the surface being used for discarded rubbish or left luggage.

Refurbishment Waterloo Many stations have stood the test of time and any modernisation will need to provide for similar longevity. However, upgrading and adapting the existing building fabric is not without challenges. Working on all three phases of refurbishment at Waterloo Station, SAS International collaborated closely with architects and mechanical and electrical consultants to design, manufacture and install architectural metalwork solutions to a strict timeline.

With 90 million passengers passing through Waterloo station every year, managing passenger flow was a key factor for consideration at the design stage. The programme for completion was extremely challenging and, with limited as-built information, the architects had to investigate the existing fabric, propose a solution and start manufacture - almost simultaneously. All this had to be accomplished with minimal disruption to the working station.

The refurbishment of the peak hour subway, for instance, created a modern, open space designed for increased capacity

over the coming decade. This subway, which is accessed from the platforms, was originally designed to alleviate overcrowding at the main underground entrances to Waterloo Station. SAS International’s project management team worked closely with architects bpr on the design, manufacturing and installation of the architectural metalwork for this phase.

The civil engineering involved in opening up the arches was a major challenge. The lower subways are constructed from Victorian brick arches some 3.5 metres thick.

Once the new openings were instated, the specially designed cladding had to be installed quickly and easily within tight time and budgetary constraints.

The demountable barrel vaulted ceiling had to incorporate existing services. A bespoke design was required for the existing brick and render arched soffit of the subway which contained congested services suspended beneath. SAS International provided a sub grid, spanning these services, to facilitate the suspension of the new ceiling. Twin vaults were added along the lengths of the subway to create a feature in the otherwise flat plane and to reflect the existing arches. The lighting and ceiling grids had to be co-ordinated with the structure of the lift valley to maximise ceiling heights caused by the low soffit.

january 2013 | the rail engineer | 41

stations Another phase of the redevelopment of Waterloo, a new £25 million balcony with ten retail outlets, opened in 2012. It was designed to reduce congestion on the concourse for 300,000 daily passengers and improve access to and from Waterloo East. It also provides passengers with an extra 20,000 sq. ft. of retail space. SAS International worked closely with BAM Construction designing solutions to encase services for future ease of access.

Versatile metalwork Using architectural metalwork such as wall panels and column casings can transform both the look and the functionality of station buildings. At Liverpool Central station, light and space are priorities with walls being removed to increase the footprint of the concourse.

SAS International powder coated steel cladding is being used with vitreous enamel in passenger areas to provide a robust finish.

Another example is the myriad of metal solutions which were designed, manufactured and installed by SAS International at Snow Hill Station in Birmingham. The building’s interior was fitted out so old meets new, creating a stunning combination of contrasting materials of brick against metalwork. An SAS International System 200 Waveform ceiling system in light blue was installed in the main lobby areas.

Not only did the design have to look good, the peaks and troughs of the ceiling had to be carefully calculated to coordinate with the heavy electrical services in the ceiling void whilst maximising the perceived ceiling height.

SAS International produced a 3D model of the area to fully engineer the Waveform panels where they met perimeters and the vertical risers. The ceiling was mechanically secured using hold down brackets while access panels were fitted with safety chains.

Service risers in the lobby areas were constructed of curved, perforated, hook-on metal panels to conceal electrical services running vertically on the walls. They were scalloped where they interfaced with the waveform ceiling.

There are many ways to produce an aesthetic and functional design when undertaking a station refurbishment.

Combining new metalwork with the features of the original building can result in visually stunning combinations of materials such as aluminium and brushed stainless steel coupled with original cast-iron columns and wrought iron girders.

Weathering the storm The demand for innovative and interesting interior / exterior linking space must be balanced with the use of high performance products. It is not just a question of design aesthetics, the durability of the materials and ease of maintenance is essential to ensure the environment remains impeccable.

The open nature of a station concourse makes it subject to external temperature changes, so solutions manufactured from aluminium can provide long term solutions.

For example, SAS International’s project management team has just finished installing a bespoke soffit lining at Blackfriars station in London, the first railway station to span the Thames. The potential of damage being caused to fittings from being exposed to the elements was taken into consideration so triangular aluminium panels were chosen, suspended internally and externally from the structural steelwork.

Communication is of paramount importance and essential for the success of these large scale projects. A manufacturer which can offer a design service from the outset can help substantially with evolving design plans and onsite challenges.

Architects, designers, engineering firms and installers have to work as a team.

Thanks to Malcolm Stamper at SAS International for his assistance with this article.

(Below) The renewed subway at Waterloo station.

Long-term value Off-site prefabrication can provide cost and installation efficiencies. It can ensure consistency of build quality, minimise risk and improve on-site safety. Project planning can also be improved by reducing delays caused by other trades coming onto site.

Research carried out by WRAP (Waste and Resources Action Programme) has found that off-site construction generates up to 80% less waste than site-based building.

(Left and below) Liverpool Central station.

Difficulties in maintenance or accessing areas can affect the sustainability of a station if damage is incurred; the upkeep of the interior can dictate how a building will last and function. Therefore, considering ongoing maintenance at the design stage will allow for functionality and ease of access to be factored in.

42 | the rail engineer | january 2013

stations

Perfect platforms (Top) The refurbished Whaley Bridge station.

(Right) The temporary footbridge at Birkenhead during construction.

(Bottom) Perth station with tactile studs fastened directly into the tarmac.

harsh winters have resulted in R ecent station platforms taking a beating from the effects of rain, snow and ice. Some of the worst damage has occurred where the platforms have suffered from the effects of frost heave. This is caused when rain water penetrates into the compacted fill inside the platform and subsequently freezes, expanding as it does so and pushing outwards on the structure of the platform. This can impose stress on the platform surface and the riser wall, and the resulting damage can cause dangerously uneven surfaces and weakened structures.

Problems at Perth A recent project at Perth station arose for this very reason. As well as repairing the damage, Story Contracting was asked to design and build a solution to frost heave.

Several measures were taken to help ensure the platform’s long term resistance to future problems, including careful selection of frost resistant aggregates and construction details.

One example is that, over time, the joints around the edges of tactile pavers can offer

a potential route for water ingress. To overcome this, the design at Perth station completely eliminated the need for tactile pavers and instead included tarmac surfacing laid all the way up to the back of the coper where a good seal was created.

Then, to provide tactile feedback behind the coper, an array of studs was resin anchored permanently into the surfacing. These were positioned using a bespoke rig that drilled multiple holes at once, all correctly laid out into the standard offset pattern.

These measures have helped ensure that Perth’s platforms are well equipped for whatever the upcoming winters have to offer.

Bridging Birkenhead Birkenhead Central station has recently had both of its platforms refurbished, also

by Story Contracting. This proved to be a particularly challenging project, largely owing to its location as the station is situated in a cutting with tunnels at both ends and no direct road access. However, with a large fleet of road-rail plant, Story Contracting was well placed to get materials in and out of the station although even this wasn’t as simple as it might have been.

The nearest road rail-access point was more than a mile away at the Arthur Street depot. Taking account of travel time along the track, this meant that there was little more than two hours of working time that could be achieved each night in the short maintenance possessions that were available.

january 2013 | the rail engineer | 43

stations

This would clearly lead to significant cost and risk to the programme. To combat this, arrangements were made to take permanent possession of a redundant siding within the station. This enabled Story to leave the RRV and its trailers on track permanently, removing the need to on-track the plant every night and eliminating the journey time from Arthur Street. To supplement this, as much new material as possible was lowered directly into the site by crane from the adjacent gas works over a seven metre high wall.

On the platforms, Section D notices were used to reduce the operational lengths so that work could progress alongside normal use of the station. The initial phase of works shortened the platforms furthest away from the station building and caused the least disruption to passengers and staff.

The second phase, however, closed the platform at the station building end and also took the existing footbridge out of use so that it could be refurbished.

For this closure, a new access to the station had to be created. This used a link bridge leading to road level that spanned off a temporary footbridge which was built to join platforms 1 and 2. This segregated the work site from passengers, safeguarding the continued operation of the station.

However, even this solution imposed numerous design considerations. Signal sighting was factored in to ensure that train drivers sight lines were not obscured and the minimum platform lengths that had to be maintained for trains dictated the location of the footbridge. The orientation of the staircases was designed so that passengers arrived directly onto a platform and not a worksite.

In addition, the footbridge then had to meet Network Rail standards for safe clearance for trains, and the staircases needed to be DDA compliant. The footbridge also had to be fully boarded out to prevent items falling onto the track. This then meant that lighting and security systems were required so that the footbridge could be monitored.

The loadings that this temporary structure would then impose on the platform meant that a foundation design was needed to ensure that its mass was sufficiently spread.

With the temporary footbridge opened, the existing footbridge was refurbished with steelwork repairs and the replacement of missing rivets. It was also partly reroofed and given a full redecoration inside and out, along with DDA compliant staircase treads and nosings. A new antiskid surface was installed throughout to complete the works.

Story Contracting’s site teams struck up excellent working relationships with the station staff which was essential due to the potentially disruptive nature of the works.

This allowed the teams to maintain communication allowing plans to be agreed and put in place in good time.

Long ramp at Long Eaton The Access for All Programme is part of the Railways for All strategy that was launched

by Network Rail in 2006. Its purpose was to address the issues faced by passengers who were using the railway stations in Great Britain be it the disabled, elderly, mothers with pushchairs or simply people with heavy luggage!

Long Eaton station is built at high level on top of an embankment that was originally accessed using some steeply sloping ramps.

Story Contracting completed an Access for All project to design and build two lifts from ground to platform level. The new lifts were at the foot of the embankment slope and used link bridges to cross to the platforms.

The station remained open throughout and a fully DDA-compliant temporary disabled access ramp was installed. This was constructed from scaffolding and, in order to create a gentle slope from platform level down to the car park, was more than 30 metres long. In addition to a non-slip surface it was fully lit, had 24hr CCTV surveillance and all necessary landings and handrails to comply with statutory requirements.

The new lift shafts used piled foundations that were complex to build because of the limited site access that was available. This restricted the size of the piling rig that could be used, not to mention that the site was on an embankment adjacent to a live railway line accompanied by poor and variable ground conditions including boulders, cobbles and running sand all encountered within the small building footprint.

To overcome these challenges, Story Contracting’s design achieved a watertight structure using a combination of contiguous piled retaining walls internally lined with reinforced concrete that was tanked to create a dry pit and shaft ready for the installation of the new lift.

The task of constructing two new lift shafts and associated link bridges in a busy operational station was always going to be a test but all went smoothly due to detailed planning. Train operators, Network Rail and local stakeholders such as Erewash Council and Derbyshire County Council were all fully consulted.

Key lifting activities were undertaken during night shifts utilising possessions and local road closures. Structural steelwork elements for the shaft and walkways were designed to be prefabricated and painted off site and delivered pre-assembled and ready for installation. This meant that all lifts could be successfully completed in short five hour possessions.

The works were all completed on programme and budget and the result is that Long Eaton station now benefits from step free access to each of its platforms.

Long Eaton is one of a number of stations that have been refurbished by Story Contracting, other recent projects being at Glossop, Whaley Bridge, and Roman Bridge in Wales.

Station works are a core part of keeping our rail networks running smoothly and efficiently. Whilst the great British weather remains ever unpredictable, the need for quality service across our infrastructure will remain. Keeping up with this demand will continue to be an important role for companies such as Story Contracting.

The new lift at Long Eaton station.

44 | the rail engineer | january 2013

writer

Nigel

Wordsworth

£600 million redevelopment of T heBirmingham’s New Street Station is

The complex bracketry on Stephenson Street will soon be covered by the mirror-finished facade.

heading for an important milestone in the next few months. The first phase of the new station concourse will be opened to the public in April 2013, and the existing concourse will be shut off so that it, in turn, can be remodelled and upgraded.

Regular readers will have been following the New Street story over the last few years, but for newcomers here is a short outline of the programme.

Birmingham New Street is the busiest station outside London, and the busiest interchange station in the UK, with a train leaving the station every 37 seconds. All of the platforms are below ground level, making it technically an ‘underground station’, which has implications in terms of the levels of fire retardance in the structure and in the need to remove people quickly from the site in case of trouble.

Planning for expansion

Demolition and Construction.

The beams in the foreground are still to come down, while the new lift shafts for the John Lewis store can be seen in the background.

Over 140,000 passengers use New Street every day, more than double the number it was designed to cater for. This obviously makes the station overcrowded, but the fact that the twelve platforms are in one underground box, which cannot be enlarged, limits planners’ options in deciding how to overcome those problems.

At platform level, the decision was taken to declutter the platforms, removing old waiting structures and other encumbrances, so that passengers could get on and off trains more rapidly. New lifts and escalators would move those passengers to and from the overhead concourse more quickly, and passengers waiting for a train would be held at concourse level rather than being on the platform getting in the way of people travelling on earlier trains.

However, this would increase the pressure on the concourse which was already a dreary, overcrowded place. A new concourse was needed, but without closing the existing one which would effectively shut the station.

stations

Back to

Birmingham

Attention turned to the multi-story car park next door. The bottom floor of that was on the same level as the existing concourse, and it occupied a larger area. Plans were developed to turn the car park into a brand new concourse, and then switching passengers from the old one to the new one.

The old concourse would itself be refurbished, and then the intervening wall removed to join both spaces up into one much larger area.

Of course, that’s a very simplistic outline.

To get sufficient height in the car park for the new concourse area, the floor above had to be totally removed to produce a doubleheight void. The main service spine for the station ran alongside the car park wall adjoining the concourse, so would be in the way when the time came to join up the two areas. A new spine would have to be built which would service the larger area without getting in the way.

To get people into and out of the new concourse easily, all the taxi routes would have to be altered, a new drop off area constructed, and streets surrounding the station remodelled. There would also need to be a pedestrian route through the building, which would involve new steps

and access, and to improve the station’s role as an interchange the city council requested an easy pedestrian route be constructed between New Street and the nearby Moor Street station.

All these changes would still give a concourse which, while larger, would have a comparatively low ceiling and so be quite dark and unwelcoming. Above the station is a shopping centre, the Pallasades, and some bright spark had the idea of totally removing the centre of the building up to the sky, allowing more light into the centre of the building and transforming the concourse into a light, airy space. This wouldn’t be as difficult as it might appear since the shopping centre was actually constructed as a nest of nine free-standing buildings in a square. Removing the middle one would have the desired effect without impinging too much on the surrounding eight. It was an inspired suggestion.

The outside of the station resembled a concrete box, so a firm of world-renowned architects came up with a scheme to clad the whole building in curved, swoopy mirror-finish stainless steel. This would reflect the sky and give the whole building an ethereal look.

january 2013 | the rail engineer | 45

stations Let’s add a store

Upstairs, downstairs

Then, in February 2011, everything changed again. John Lewis Partnerships announced it would be building a major department store in Birmingham. This would cover 250,000 square feet over four floors, and would be on top of Birmingham New Street station! It was a welcome addition to the project, but it involved rearranging some of the facilities and a redesign of the external cladding.

Last time the rail engineer visited Birmingham, at this time last year, work was well underway. Over two years of hard work had resulted in the car park being hollowed out, the new service spine going in, various other works including the demolition of Stephenson Tower, a council-owned block of flats, being commenced. Cross Country Trains staff accommodation was being resited to leave room for the John Lewis store.

Everything was buzzing.

This year, things were even busier with over 1,000 people on site, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The deadline to open the new concourse is in April, which means it has to effectively be finished by March to allow time for staff training and the fitting out of retail outlets, so everyone is under pressure. Network Rail’s Ben Herbert and Darren Cobb were pleased to point out how much had been achieved in the last twelve months.

Externally, the Cross Country offices are now open in an impressive new block at the west end of the station. Stephenson Tower is down, and two new towers which will be the lift shafts for John Lewis are up - a third will follow. All the brackets and waterproofing for the fancy cladding has been installed on Stephenson Street and the stainless steel sheets are being bolted to it.

The Moor Street link is structurally complete and will be opened at the same time as the new concourse.

At platform level, work continues. One platform face at a time is being taken out of commission so that superfluous buildings can be removed, a new platform surface laid, and other work done. At the same time, equipment is arriving from Otis and Stannah as 36 new escalators and 15 lifts are being installed up to the new concourse.

Upstairs in the concourse, the new spine is in. It was built

by NG Bailey as pretested modules which were then hung from the ceiling and joined together.

All the connections hang from the bottom, making future alterations simple and convenient.

The walls and partitions for the retail units are going in.

Interestingly, even the glass is being installed. This would normally be fitted later, but as the floor is likely to flex when weight is added, it is being done before the final screed is put down to avoid cracking. The screed itself will be made using a lightweight aggregate to keep loading to a minimum.

There will be two main areas to the new concourse. One is an open passage straight through the station while the other will be a ticketed area, protected by two gatelines, for fare-paying passengers waiting for their trains. The retail units which are located alongside the walkway therefore have a choice to make - do they face the public or the ticketed area? They can’t, of course, face both as otherwise fare-dodgers would nip through to avoid the ticket checks!

(Above) Laying the blockwork floor for the plastic walkway.

(Left) Partitioning the new retail areas.

The blockwork for the through walkway is going down and lighting is being installed.

Although it is still very much a building site, everything is at that point of the work when things will rapidly come together and there is nothing to suggest that everything won’t be complete on time.

Inside the Pallasades shopping centre there are partitions and temporary arrangements.

The original plan was to retain the same feel as before but, now that John Lewis has come along, the whole retail area will be upgraded into a more up-market development and renamed Grand Central ready for the opening of the new store in 2014.

So it’s head down for April. the rail engineer will be back to see the changeover and to report on phase two when the existing concourse will get its upgrade to form part of the new, larger concourse at Birmingham New Street.

Fitting the first mirror-finish facade panels on Stephenson Street.

46 | the rail engineer | january 2013

stations

Should all wayfinding signage be the same? writer

Gavin McMurray Director, Merson Signs

trying to find our way W hen around one of the UK’s major airports, most of us are immediately drawn to the instantly recognisable large yellow signs with black type.

Simple, clear and legible, they have become a well-known and widely understood source of information. They are arguably the strongest and most instantly recognisable element of the BAA “brand”, BAA being the company that has owned and managed the majority of our largest airports for over 40 years.

With BAA selling a number of their airports over recent years (due to competition commission rulings), significant changes are underway. The new owners of Gatwick Airport have already adopted a completely new look for their wayfinding signs.

Understandably they want to establish a unique look, feel and passenger experience to differentiate themselves from the competition. Soon UK airports may be more reminiscent of our rail stations where wayfinding signage is often quite different from station to station depending on the TOC (Train Operating Company) in charge.

The question is, does this actually matter? Whether it’s in our airports or railway stations should all wayfinding signage be the same? Or are the effects of individual style and branding minimal enough to avoid adversely affecting their effectiveness and, in turn, the passenger experience?

Four steps to success To answer this we first need to look at the key steps involved in developing and delivering an effective, fully inclusive wayfinding strategy.

Step 1 - Identify the key destinations to which you need to direct customers. It might seem counter intuitive to limit the number of destinations you sign people to but wayfinding can quickly become ineffective when you try to give the user too much information. Keep it focussed.

Step 2 - Decide on the most effective scale and positioning of signs throughout the terminal or station.

Getting this right relies on understanding when and where people need specific information.

Step 3 - Apply some science and experience to ensure the signs and messages they display are visible and legible from an appropriate distance.

Step 4 - Assess the station or terminal environment to ensure that all wayfinding signs have the necessary

contrast or standout. This is particularly important in visually ‘busy’ environments where advertising, retail offerings and signage are all vying for the customers’ attention.

It is this last step where creating a consistent look for signage for the rail or aviation environment can make a real difference. From a wayfinding purist’s point-of-view, it’s clear to see that maintaining a consistent style for all signage in locations with a common function would be the most effective solution.

Customers would intuitively know what to look for when trying to navigate their way around a station or terminal environment and would have an in-built understanding of how that wayfinding system works. We could even go so far as to suggest that all major transport hubs, whether it be bus, rail, subway or airport terminals, should have one consistent wayfinding system.

Wouldn’t that be an extremely effective way to truly join up customer journeys?

Yes? or no?

While the answer to this question may clearly be a resounding yes, wayfinding is rarely the only element we need to consider. It’s not only understandable but also a commercially sound argument that individual TOCs or airport operators should overlay their own branding and look and feel onto wayfinding signage. They want to create an enhanced experience that customers can differentiate from other travel hubs and relate that positive experience back to the brand in question.

So the answer then is a qualified “no” all wayfinding signage should not be the same. Providing our rail and airport operators develop their own wayfinding look and feel with due consideration to sound wayfinding principles, we can be confident of delivering consistently positive passenger experiences across our partner networks.

january 2013 | the rail engineer | 47

feature

Sound

Investment writer

Stuart Marsh ‘If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!’

T hecanoldbesaying, applied to the occasional Sunday morning car tinkerer - and yes, a certain writer for the rail engineer has had to learn this the hard way! But when it comes to the maintenance of a train fleet, there has been justification in changing out consumable components well before life expiry. Failures out on the line are very expensive indeed, and disruptive to passengers of course, so interval-based preventative maintenance regimes were designed to prevent such occurrences.

Modern thinking is to tailor maintenance intervention by making more use of condition monitoring and trend monitoring.

Moving away from traditional preventativebased maintenance and the detection and repair of failures towards condition-based maintenance and predictive maintenance regimes just makes better economic sense.

One of the most expensive ‘consumables’ on a rail vehicle are its wheelsets and bearings. For bogies that have overhaul regimes driven by bearing life there are substantial savings to be made if maintenance and overhaul periodicities can be safely extended. Until recently, making an educated guess and adding in a safety factor has worked to an extent, but without accurate information on wear rates and fault development there would be no confidence to safely extend the maintenance intervals.

But what if bearing faults could be detected and monitored in real time, or even months in advance of intervention? And what if this could be done without taking the vehicles out of service? Network Rail is currently trialling two systems that offer exactly this.

Hot axlebox detection (HABD) has of course been used on the national network for decades, either on-train for inboard or high speed bearings, or trackside for outside axleboxes. Approximately 220 trackside HAB detectors are currently installed in the UK. Important though these are for safety, a bearing that is creating heat sufficient to trigger an HABD will already be in full failure mode. The HABD alarm will inevitably cause

the affected train to be stopped, resulting in delays to following services as well. With long distances between HABD sites, there is also the potential for failed bearings to go undetected.

Network Rail plans to supersede all its HABD detectors as they become life expired over the next 10-15 years and acoustic bearing detectors are seen as a possible replacement. Systems from the two market leaders in this technology are currently being evaluated. In fact, one system, known as Railway Bearing Acoustic Monitoring (RailBAM®) is already deployed at three sites in the UK, with three systems installed. Its competitor, new to Britain, is the Trackside Acoustic Detection System (TADS®) developed by TTCI in the USA.

Unique signature Both of these systems measure the acoustic signatures of wheel bearings as they pass trackside microphone arrays.

These signatures are attributable to specific wheelsets by means of Automatic Vehicle Identification (AVI), making use of RFID tagging. The theory is that, over a period of time, the acoustic characteristics of every bearing operating on a route can be mapped and monitored. The nature of the acoustic signature is dependent upon the bearing type and size and will, of course, vary with the speed of the vehicle and the direction in which it is running.

Frequencies of distress are published by the various bearing manufacturers and

these are stored in the system database.

Detected bearing signatures are compared to the database and changes over time can be plotted. Even minute bearing defects can be detected and, because each bearing failure mode produces a different characteristic acoustic signature, the exact nature of those faults can be determined.

Monitoring the rate of change in minor fault levels is just as important as the detection of more severe faults. The ongoing supervision of bearing condition means that a predictive and systematic planning process can be used to spread maintenance activities whilst ensuring safety requirements. In other words, predicting the life expectancies of each and every bogie in a fleet will allow maintenance intervention to be precisely tailored, bringing about significant cost benefits. Furthermore, because daily readings are taken, the detection of a bearing/wheelset fault that is running away to failure will raise an alarm, allowing maintenance to be brought forward.

(Below) Installing RailBAM microphone array at Swaythling.

48 | the rail engineer | january 2013

feature Signal processing techniques allow the signal from the bearing defect to be extracted from any background noise, enabling fault identification and classification. An acoustic array of eight microphones positioned 2.5 metres from the rail gives greatly improved spatial discrimination (directionality) and this,

RailBAM screen shots.

(Top) Train list; (Middle) Bearing history; (Bottom) Wagon history.

(Below) TADS microphone array.

RailBAM Siemens is the UK agent for RailBAM, which was developed

by Australian company Trackside Intelligence Pty Ltd (Track IQ). It is claimed that this system can detect wheel bearing faults up to 100,000 miles in advance of final bearing failure.

As Nicholas Kay, innovative technologies manager for Siemens Rail Systems in the UK, explains: “The principle of operation is based on identifiable sound characteristics emitted by bearing defects such as roller or ring surface spalls, water etching and brinelling.

These cause structural responses of the bearing components, which radiate sound with unique characteristics.”

Two optical beams are used to measure the speed of the wheelset and the flange/wheel diameter. From these measurements, the RPM of the wheelset is calculated and the acoustic fingerprint is compared to the appropriate stored database. Nicholas Kay continues: “The system additionally diagnoses loose or fretting components such as worn inner or outer rings and worn seals. All of these defects can be detected at steady train speeds of 20mph to 75mph, the speed range past the installed systems.”

together with software processing, prevents a large fault on one axle from masking a small fault on an adjacent axle.

Each wheelset completes approximately two to three revolutions within the microphones’ field of view.

The RailBAM trending database provides automated downloading of fault data from multiple sites to a central server. Multiple users can access that data and receive user defined alerts via SMS or email, based on various trending rules. Alternatively, the alerts can be automatically shared with the maintenance management system (MMS) to automate the scheduling of work in the depot.

RailBAM was successfully trialled by Southern Railway over a five month period in 2007. The test site was at Earlswood on the London-Brighton main line, and the objective was to monitor the Class 377 fleet that operates this route and which was suffering from ongoing wheel bearing problems - Class 377 was the last UK fleet to utilise 120mm bearings, the new standard being 130mm. During the trial, 24 bearing defects were reported with just one false report generated.

Siemens installed the first permanent European RailBAM site at Swaythling near Southampton. This site monitors the Siemens Desiro fleet of Class 444 and Class 450 trains operated by South West Trains as well as other classes and operators on the route. This installation gained RailBAM full Network Rail product acceptance in 2009. It also went

though ‘Network Change’ and as such is accepted by the TOCs and FOCs on the route.

Since installation in 2009, the Swaythling site has seen over six million axle journal bearings of various fleets. The system has identified over 60 defective axle bearings on the Desiro fleet, allowing Siemens to proactively schedule their removal from service long before failure, without inconveniencing passengers on the route.

Maintenance Services with RailBAM® Increased safety and reliability for railway systems. siemens.co.uk/rail

RailBAM® is our new predictive maintenance tool for wheelsets. It uses trackside mounted equipment to detect early bearing defects acoustically when a train passes by at line speed. This means that the axle bearing condition can be continuously monitored without having to remove or strip the bearing.

Always striving for excellence, Siemens trains operate over 50 million miles per year in Britain on behalf of seven operating companies. If you are looking for a partner to rely on – for Rolling Stock, maintenance or infrastructure – look no further.

Answers for mobility.

50 | the rail engineer | january 2013

Examples of bearing defects detected by these systems.

feature

In 2011, the deployment of RailBAM was expanded to include a site in Mortlake.

Installed and operated directly by South West Trains, the site monitors its Class 458 and Class 455 fleets.

The third UK RailBAM site is in Belfast, for Translink. This was installed in April 2011 and is combined with a wheel impact detection system, WCM, also manufactured by Track IQ. Track IQ has installed more than 60 installations globally including 22 in North America, 24 in Australia, and others in Brazil, South Africa, India and China.

TADS Transportation Technology Center, Inc (TTCI), a wholly owned subsidiary of the Association of American Railroads (AAR), is a transportation research and testing organisation based in Pueblo, Colorado, USA and the developer of TADS. Although similar to RailBAM in its objective of detecting defects in axle roller bearings, TADS nevertheless uses very different hardware and software. Rail-mounted inductive proximity sensors are used to determine the speed and direction of wheelsets as they pass a multiple microphone trackside array feeding a multicomputer high speed data acquisition system. The number of microphones and their spacing is designed to enhance the capability of the system to identify defects on a “single” train pass basis as repeat passes of a particular bearing could take weeks or months due to the interchange of trains across multiple rail lines.

Special algorithms are applied to analyse the sound signals and bearing defects are ranked by severity on a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being the most severe. The bearing detection algorithms are designed to flag certain known features associated with internal bearing defects. TADS is able to categorise defect indication dependent upon whether the fault affects either the inner or outer raceways or rollers, or even whether there are defects affecting more than one of these components. There are also categories for un-attributable faults and for ‘growlers’ (bearings with large area raceway spalls). The defect information can be relayed by modem connection, or via the web. Database tools are available for the graphical display of train, vehicle, or individual bearing history.

Firdausi Irani is vice president of business development for TTCI/AAR. He says: “TTCI has installed about 100 systems globally between 2000 and 2012 and we continue to enhance our capabilities by expanding the detection ability for additional vehicle types, freight and passenger, as well as varying operating and site conditions.”

The TADS system continues to be developed as Firdausi describes: “TTCI has worked with individual customers in North America and internationally to implement

enhanced defect location algorithms as well as a confidence level that accommodates the individual maintenance philosophy and processes of railways. In addition, TADS meets all site approval requirements dictated by the AAR.” In the UK, following an initial two month evaluation installation at a site near Banbury, TADS has recently been installed for a six month trial on the East Coast Main Line near York. To complement this, East Coast rolling stock is being fitted with vehicle RFID tags to provide automatic vehicle identification.

Choices Within Network Rail, the project is being overseen by Amanda Hall, principal development manager (fixed assets). As she has made clear: “With its existing HAB detectors becoming due for replacement over the next 10-15 years, Network Rail needs to decide whether to replace them with modern versions, or to go for acoustic bearing monitoring.”

Factors in the decision making include the relatively low sensor density for acoustic systems across the network, offset by higher unit costs. However, the benefits of the acoustic systems go far beyond the Network Rail scope of ‘policing’ the network for rogue bearings and replacing obsolete HABD technology.

Amanda Hall continues: “Acoustic monitoring could offer a genuine and sustainable means of removing waste from our industry by reducing the cost of train maintenance, increasing train availability whilst at the same time improving safety - truly in the spirit of the McNulty Report.

“Whatever is decided, we expect that some HABD equipment will be retained, as occasionally bearing faults can become critical sooner than could be detected through acoustic monitoring; for example, due to loss of lubrication. Generally though, as we have seen, acoustic systems can detect faults at a much earlier stage than HABD can and they can also determine the

failure mode. The financial benefits to TOCs and ROSCOs are obvious, but even to Network Rail there are potential savings because of reduced disruption and delay on the network, in particular through the avoidance of HABD alarms.”

Amanda Hall sums up Network Rail’s project philosophy: “In trialling acoustic systems from the two market leaders, Network Rail will be looking not only at technical performance and reliability, but also at maintenance costs, the cost of spares and longevity. However, the benefit of predictive maintenance to RoSCOs, TOCs and FOCs will not be overlooked to ensure the potential of this technology is maximised.”

The trials are not necessarily seen by Network Rail as being a competition between two manufacturers. “Clearly, there will be an incentive to adopt the system that gives best overall value for money,” says Amanda Hall. “But technical and commercial considerations may lead to a mix of the two systems. Ahead of any future network-wide rollout, Network Rail will be working with individual TOCs who have bearing maintenance problems and can make a business case to warrant further trial sites.”

As far as fleet management is concerned, the financial benefits of acoustic bearing monitoring can only be fully realised if Automatic Vehicle Identification (AVI) is also employed. Freight vehicles tend not to stick to particular routes so AVI has not so far been applied to them as part of the acoustic axle bearing monitoring trials. Although bearing faults on freight vehicles can still be detected, without AVI it is not possible to attribute faults to individual vehicles.

Nevertheless, the ultimate aim is for both TOCs and FOCs to move towards condition based maintenance regimes for axle bearings and bogies.

As your writer found out, fixing things that aren’t broken can be expensive, but failures in service are more expensive still. When it comes to axle bearing replacement, acoustic monitoring and fault trending should prove invaluable in helping fleet operators strike the correct balance on maintenance, safety and cost. By allowing condition to be determined without removing the bearing, trackside acoustic detection seems set to have a sound future!

Network optimisation, new projects and next-gen networks 19-21 February 2013, Hilton Vienna, Austria Rail operators and infrastructure managers are coming to RailTel to find out how to successfully implement and manage their communication systems, and to meet with potential new business partners.

2013 key speakers include:

Fabio Sensi President, ERTMS Users Group RFI

Jean Cellmer Head of Unit Life – GSM-R RFF

Marc Antoni Head of Technological Innovation Department SNCF

Register now to secure your place.

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52 | the rail engineer | january 2013

feature

writer

Collin Carr

Looking forward 30 years the 13 December at the British O nLibrary Conference Centre, Steve Yianni, Network Rail’s director of engineering, presented the Railway Technical Strategy (RTS) 2012 for the British railway for the next 30 years. It builds on the RTS that was published by The Department for Transport in 2007.

The RTS 2012 has been produced by the Technical Strategy Leadership Group (TSLG).

This is an RSSB-facilitated, cross-industry expert body, made up of senior executive staff, charged with developing and championing the implementation of the RTS. They are also responsible for the supporting communication, managing the strategic research and identifying opportunities, barriers and actions.

Working closely with the Rail Delivery Group that was created following publication of the McNulty report, the TSLG also has strong links with many other railway industry groups and its remit and terms of reference are agreed by the Board of RSSB. Therefore, it is safe to say that this strategy document has the support and endorsement from all of the key railway leadership groups; a critical requirement if the RTS 2012 is going to be taken seriously.

Industry reclaiming technical strategy Tim O’Toole, Chair of the Rail Delivery Group, opened the event by giving his endorsement to the RTS 2012. He said that the railway industry is all about engineering and it was right and proper for the industry

to reclaim ownership and leadership of its technical strategy. He added that this was essential to ensure that the government did not lose faith in the industry and spend money elsewhere.

In his remarks, Tim O’Toole also emphasised the importance of a strategy that bridges different financial periods, recognising that if the industry is going to effectively manage the fantastic growth that it is experiencing, then significant step changes need to be made which will require engineers to come to the fore. This is interesting because it touches on the knotty subject familiar to many: how can we justify spending significant amounts of money making improvements today that do not bring about real financial benefits until 15 or 25 years time by which time contracts, franchises have expired and governments changed.

Unlock potential savings One example of a long term project that could offer significant savings is changing from DC to AC power supply on electrified lines. It is well known that this would offer significant improvements to journey times.

Track renewal costs would reduce as would the carbon footprint. However, it would be an extremely challenging undertaking and to date it has sat in the “too difficult pile”. Yet, as Steve Yianni kept emphasising throughout the event, it is an opportunity to unlock savings and that is what this strategy is all about.

During the presentation there was a very interesting short animated video of the railway world in 30 years time. The video described how technology can introduce the step changes necessary for a railway fit for its time. It focussed on improving capacity by the design of lighter and longer trains.

A question was asked about how coaches could be designed to be lighter when, to date, we have never managed to design a coach as light as the Mark 3 which was designed in the1970’s. It was an interesting question that was not easily answered, although it was suggested that a possible solution could be found by looking at potential improvements to the whole system. So, if the industry was successful in

january 2013 | the rail engineer | 53

feature

PHOTO: MASA BI

• Control, command and communication intelligent traffic management and control systems that dynamically optimise network capacity and facilitate highly efficient movement of passengers and freight; • Energy - a low carbon, energy efficient railway; • Infrastructure - a simple, reliable and costeffective rail infrastructure which meets customer requirements and is fit for the twenty-second century; • Rolling stock - mass and energy efficient, low whole-life cost rolling stock which meets the evolving needs of its customers; • Information - rail is customers’ preferred form of transport for reliability, ease-of-use and perceived value; • Customer experience - a whole-system approach that enables the rail industry to implement change easily and improve reliability, availability, maintainability, and safety.

transferring the control of trains from signals to onboard controls using ERTMS-style technology that is already well advanced, then this could unlock the opportunity to design lighter rolling stock. Once this ERTMS technology can be relied upon, and the likelihood of a collision reduced, it would then be feasible to remove aspects of the design associated with collision impact thereby offering the opportunity to reduce the weight of the rolling stock. The key underlying message is that it is only when one looks at the whole system is one able to see the potential benefits and opportunities.

None of this is new but it is refreshing to hear a strategy that focuses on the opportunities to do something and the benefits for a sustainable, long term railway system instead of focussing on possible future problems that could arise.

Essential requirements for the passenger The video also highlighted the passenger who, it was suggested, will expect to have information at their finger tips. Ticket offices will become redundant, tickets will be virtual and information about parking spaces, train times, taxi on arrival, facilities for bikes, instantly available.

To protect and grow the freight business on rail, the strategy suggests that trains will have to run at night. This will require dedicated paths which are regulated and balanced so that the trains can cover long distances at constant speeds. This will mean

that braking will be kept to a minimum, thus reducing both impact on the track and fuel consumption. It may be imagined that many freight train drivers would have a very cynical reaction to this vision. Certainly track maintenance and renewal will have to deliver all the initiatives planned to offer a 24-hour railway.

The RTS is aimed at identifying and eliminating many of the causes of cost, including: lineside signalling which costs £100m/year, oil based traction fuel £600m/year, service interruptions caused by asset failure, frequent unplanned maintenance, customer experiences of unreliability in the system, compensation for failure.

Key themes The RTS 2012 document itself focuses on six themes each with their vision, objectives, strategy and enablers. The themes and their visions are:

There are seven common design concepts.

They are: whole system reliability, resilience, security and risk mitigation, automation, simplicity, flexibility and sustainability. These common design concepts are supported by three common foundations: • A whole system approach which enables the rail industry to implement change easily and improve reliability, availability, maintainability and safety; • Innovation in a dynamic industry that innovates to evolve, grow and attract the best entrepreneurial talent; • Skilled and committed people who are adaptable and able to deliver an efficient and customerfocused railway.

Steve Yianni explained that each chapter of the strategy document has a road map to successful implementation. He closed the event by saying that there are two key messages that he would like everyone to retain and share. The first is that the initiative is industry led and the second is that the strategy is about the whole system.

To fully understand the vision and scope of the RTS 2012, it is necessary to read the whole document which is available from the website below. A 30 year strategy is quite a challenge. The fact that the industry, under the facilitation of RSSB, has managed to focus collectively on the difficult railway issues is commendable. The fact that they have facilitated a process that has enabled industry to consider opportunities, costs and savings that are outside their timeframe within the industry is even more commendable. It could also mean that the industry might start to address the real issues that need to be resolved to ensure that the railway system is fit for purpose in 30 or 40 years time. That would be a legacy to be proud of but only time will tell!

How old will you be in 30 years?

w www.futurerailway.org

54 | the rail engineer | january 2013

feature along with integration tasks such as training.

A specification is drawn up by a competent and independent engineer and the supplier and sponsor, working together, are required to demonstrate within their submission that the product meets those requirements.

The submission is assessed and reviewed and, if successful, the product is issued a Certificate of Acceptance and added to iStore, Network Rail’s online procurement site, so that it is orderable across the entire business.

writer

James Lewis

‘Glasnost and perestroika’ Network Rail recognises that, in the past, visibility of the process has been somewhat lacking. Over recent months an important part of the Technology Introduction team’s work has been increasing the transparency of product acceptance.

Foremost to this is recognising that all parties - infrastructure manager, project team, contractor, supplier - are integral to the successful introduction of new technology into the industry. To meet the needs of the continually evolving railway with higher passenger numbers, greater loads and focus on delivering value for money, if new technology is not being introduced, the company is not just standing still but actually going backwards.

Now based in Milton Keynes, the Technology Introduction department has strived to improve its performance over recent years, and time is a key indicator of

Provisional Check Booking in & provisional checks

Product Acceptance Team

(New) product acceptance

Strategy Check Engineering, C&P & acceptance route check

Technology Manager/C&P Manager Trimble GEDO CE track measurement system from Korec.

(Right) Process Chart: C&P: Contracts & Procurement SRP: Sustainable Rail Programme.

acceptance and technology P roduct introduction are terms that most people in the rail industry have heard, and on which they quite probably have a strong opinion.

Engineers and project managers, contractors and suppliers, they will all inevitably have come across the ‘stumbling block’ that is Product Acceptance.

There is no doubt that Network Rail’s product acceptance process has come under scrutiny throughout its history. It has been criticised for being slow, and cumbersome, and complicated.

So why is it there? A company has a new product which it has developed and is ready to supply, you are a competent engineer and believe that this product is going to help you complete your task more efficiently, so why can’t you just get on and use it?

Purpose Primarily product acceptance is about assurance. It exists so that, as infrastructure manager, Network Rail can demonstrate that the building blocks which make up the railway and the equipment and plant used by staff and contractors are safe, fit for purpose, and do not export risk onto the operational network.

To manage the introduction of technology, it follows a process which is designed to ensure that the needs of each stakeholder are met.

First and foremost is the requirement that each product needs a Network Rail employee to act as sponsor. This sponsor is the most critical role in the process and is required to prove that there is a business need for the product - if there is no business need, then logically the product will not be eligible for acceptance. The sponsor also acts as project manager and is responsible for the safe and timely delivery of the acceptance.

Specification Set acceptance requirements

SRP or Lead Reviewer

Submission Response to acceptance requirements

Sponsor/Manufacturer

Assessment Review response to acceptance requirements

Product Acceptance Team

The process Once an application has been submitted, an early stage in the process will identify if the product presents a strong business case and is in line with product strategy - both technically and commercially. If the application passes the strategy check stage successfully, then focus turns to ensuring that the performance, functional, and safety aspects of introducing a product are addressed

Acceptance Sign certificate

SRP or Professional Head

Catalogue Issue certificate and add to iStore

Product Acceptance Team

january 2013 | the rail engineer | 55

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© 2012 SPX

C.A.T4® AND GENNY4®: DETECT MORE, FASTER, SMARTER, SAFER. The time taken to approve new products has decreased markedly since 2010. the process’ performance. Over a two year period, the time to acceptance (moving annual median) has decreased from 180 days to under 50 days against a backdrop of increasing workload.

These steps are hugely encouraging, but the aim is to improve performance still further. The next steps are all about a collaborative way of working and clarifying accountabilities.

Transparency Transparency becomes the key to success in this. Information needs to be transparent so each stakeholder can make intelligent decisions based upon it. Expectation needs to be transparent so that it can be managed and disappointment avoided. And accountabilities need to be transparent for the process to be effective.

Recent improvements have seen the creation of a web hub through which stakeholders can access all the key information on the process and products. This includes guidance on the process and FAQs, an application tracker to monitor progress of new products seeking acceptance, and information on the most recently accepted technologies and current trials. The hub also gives access to Certificates of Acceptance and a link to the iStore online procurement site. All this information is available to contractors, suppliers, and manufacturers free of charge.

The new hub is hugely important.

Firstly, it acts as an enabler to help make sure that there is greater awareness of what the process does.

Furthermore, it is a means to communicate information on the advantages of the latest products which, if the principle of ‘a new product is only accepted if it presents a safety, performance or cost benefit’ is taken literally, are equally applicable to Network Rail and the entire industry.

Devolution and the future Devolution within Network Rail has presented new challenges for assurance activities in adapting to meet the needs of a new business structure and new ways of operating.

Many devolved routes are now taking a greater interest in product assurance and are actively participating in the process. This enables those with accountability for the performance of the railway to have authority and greater control to meet their needs through introducing new technology and infrastructure change.

Major steps have been made to date in opening up and increasing transparency of the approvals process.

The immediate future will continue to see performance improvements as accountabilities are clarified further within the process.

2013 will also see the introduction of the new Supplier Quality Assurance activities. These are required to strengthen the overall product assurance framework and ensure that suppliers have arrangements in place so that quality products are delivered consistently. Supplier Quality Assurance will form part of the requirements for product acceptance during an initial trial on the most critical products before further roll out later in the year.

More work is being undertaking on improving how the business specifies its requirements. Importantly, there will be opportunities to engage with the devolved routes, move assurance closer to the point of need and understand the problems affecting performance. Key to success will be delivering the right solution to meet these problems and ensuring that the new technology is implemented locally and nationally, delivering benefits to the entire business.

See ‘More new technology’ feature on page 56.

R E D E F I N I N G TH E S TAN DA R D I N CAB L E AVO I DAN CE

The new Cable Avoidance Tool range from Radiodetection delivers enhanced, safer utility locating, with optional usage logging, in a package immediately familiar to C.A.T and Genny operatives.

■

Enhanced location of small diameter cables and spurs with Signal Boost and simultaneous dual frequency functions.

■

Refined Avoidance Mode™ with selective gain and Real Sound to search for and pinpoint utilities in just one scan.

■

Dynamic Overload Protection extends locating into electrically challenging areas such as substations.

■

Optional logging of key usage parameters to enable identification of training needs.

■

Classic C.A.T and Genny look and operation, simplifying fleet introduction.

To find out more contact us: +44 (0)117 976 7776 rd.sales.uk@spx.com www.spx.com www.radiodetection.com

Accepted for use

by Network Rail The following are considered trademarks of Radiodetection Ltd. and SPX Corporation: C.A.T, Genny and Avoidance Mode. Copyright 2012 Radiodetection Ltd. – SPX Corporation.

All rights reserved. Radiodetection is a subsidiary of SPX Corporation.

56 | the rail engineer | january 2013

feature

More new technology

(Above and below) Cubis Multiduct System.

month, Network Rail’s Technology E very Introduction group publishes a list of new and improved equipment that has been accepted for use on the rail network. The list includes everything from road-rail vehicles to portable plant and makes interesting reading.

The variety of equipment is staggering and it includes some general use items and others which are so specific that their very use is obscure to anyone not in the know.

The complete list is available through www.therailengineer.com, or the Network Rail website, but here are a few products which caught the editor’s eye.

help the operator find more buried utilities. The C.A.T4 Avoidance Mode lets the operator check an intended excavation area for Power, Radio and Genny signals and pinpoint located utilities in a single scan. Features such as the bargraph ‘tidemark’ enable an operator to quickly spot a peak response and zero-in on a buried conductor.

The new Genny4, with a new integrated logic design, provides a class-first simultaneous dualfrequency signal output design. Alongside the familiar 33kHz locate signal for general purpose locates, the Genny4 transmits a second frequency designed to facilitate location of small diameter cables such as telecoms and street lighting, including spurs. For tricky locates, the new power boost function enables the locate signal to travel further and deeper, and couple onto utilities more easily.

The company has also gained product acceptance for its RD8000 advanced pipe and cable locators.

Buried cables and drains Cable avoidance Radiodetection, part of the SPX group, have had two products accepted. The new C.A.T4 digital range of cable avoidance tools delivers highly refined locate capabilities specifically designed to

For any rail network, maintaining track alignment is vital to reducing ongoing maintenance and restrictions. That’s where Tensar Technology can help.

Tensar geogrids stabilise ballast and sub-ballast over soft subgrades, increasing bearing capacity and reducing settlement. Tensar have now launched the larger aperture Tensar TriAx® TX190L, now with Network Rail approval, designed to be compatible with traditional ballast, locking it in place to limit the lateral movement that leads to track settlement. Maintenance cycles are extended up to three times or more, reducing both costs and disruptions. So to make your maintenance costs smaller, simply think bigger.

Talk to our technical team on: +44 (0)1254 266990

www.tensar.co.uk/rail

Talking of buried cables, a couple of buried services products have made the list. Cubis has developed the Multiduct System for use as a buried conveyance of cables. When used as a buried cable route, it provides a very secure method of cable containment and protection.

It is easy to install with very high productivity during the available possessions.

A range of lightweight drainage pipes from JFC Manufacturing have also been accepted for

use. Available in six-metre lengths, the twin walled and corrugated pipes have smooth inner walls for increased flow capacity, and are resistant to naturally occurring chemicals.

Better ballast stability Geogrid specialists Tensar have introduced TriAx TX190L, a polymeric geogrid trackbed mechanical stabilisation system for Network Rail specification ballast. It has been developed specifically for improving rail track ballast stability and reducing sleeper settlement, which leads to a reduced maintenance cycle frequency and life cycle cost saving.

Tensar’s submission claims that geogrid stabilisation of ballast leads to much reduced sleeper settlement, by as much as three to five times, and therefore allows the time between maintenance cycles to be increased.

Higher payload And to carry all these products about, there is the new Iveco 5.5 Tonne Road Rail Vehicle from LH Access. Recently acquired by Wabtec, LH is still based at Barton-under-Needwood near Burton on Trent where it produces high-quality road-rail conversions as well as building Hunslet locomotives, doing bogie overhauls and other rail-related work.

The new Iveco RRV has an increased payload, from one tonne to two tonnes, allowing more equipment to be carried with less manual handling and staff and reducing the volume of vehicles required to conduct operations.

Savings on a whole new scale for railway engineers?

Tensar is the answer

january 2013 | the rail engineer | 57

surveying

writer

Chris Preston Senior Survey Engineer, Network Rail

Just do a survey! have lost count of the number of times that I this has been the request given to me from a project manager or engineer during the course of my work. You may say “Well, that is all that is needed”, but I would have to disagree because a survey can mean many things to different people.

One definition of surveying is“Measurements derived from survey instruments that define the exact form of boundaries, position, extent, etc., of man made features or expanses of land or water.

The principles of geometry and trigonometry may be applied to the measurements.”The survey instruments involved may include theodolites, levels, global navigation satellite receivers, total stations, lasers, cameras, other types of light wave sensors, cable detection sensors, tapes and aerial sensors. This clearly excludes condition surveys and subjective comments or observations.

The output from a land, engineering or topographic survey is usually in the form of three dimensional coordinates of points. These are usually linked by feature codes or a point cloud enabling a report to be generated in the form of a map, plan sections or database suitable for inclusion in a BIM (building information modelling) model or GIS (geographic information system). This should be supported by a survey report explaining how the survey has been done and survey calculations etc. Metadata should also be provided, attached to the data file, to enable a good understanding of what the data was collected for originally and the accuracies achieved, enabling others to reuse this data and understand if it is fit for the purpose for which they intend to use it.

Standards and training With this in mind, Network Rail was aware of inconsistencies in the provision of topographic services. It has sought to provide project managers and design engineers with assistance by providing a number of standards to assist them in understanding “what good looks like.” An internal training course is in development to assist with this.

Fundamental to this approach is the need, within a project team, for an individual with up to date knowledge of survey techniques and

methodology who may be called, in contractual terms, the “employer’s representative” or “client survey manager” (CSM). This is not a job for an engineer who last saw a total station at university or college many years ago. This role is defined in Network Rail Standard NR/L2/TRK/3100, as are other relevant standards and specifications.

Crucial to the provision of survey data for a project is an understanding of the risks introduced by an appropriate topographic survey. Such contracts are usually of the order of 2 to 3% of the overall value of a project but import significant risks that, if not successfully mitigated, have a value many times greater than this in terms of additional unforeseen costs.

The CSM should be responsible for identifying such risks and bringing them to the attention of the project manager and agreeing suitable mitigations. In addition, the CSM should produce a project survey strategy. This is a key document that identifies issues such as: what existing survey data may already be available, what type of survey grid should be used, what are the requirements for track access, who are the survey data users and, more specifically, what are the various users expecting?

Another important question is: who manages the data once collected and disseminates it for the use of all within the project and for wider company use? Network Rail can derive greater value from a topographic survey by using it for more than a single purpose. My mantra is: “survey once - use many times”.

From TMD to tamper Topographic surveying is made up of a number of processes making up a system. A weakness in one part has an impact on the end result. In the last few years, many accessories have been designed for use with total station instruments to improve the repeatability of rail measurements for alignment analysis. This has resulted in a number of manufacturers creating track measurement devices (TMDs) that can consistently survey the permanent way. The early suppliers of such equipment are Amberg with their GRP System TMD and Trimble with their GEDO TMD. Other manufacturers are also

now producing similar devices, each with their unique selling points.

These TMDs are capable of creating a series of directly coordinated points that may be compared directly with a previous design in 3D. Thus a lift and slew file may be created that can be transferred directly to a tamper for immediate action, provided sufficient checks are included in the process. Additionally, once the track has been tamped, a repeat survey may be undertaken and the surveyed points referenced to the Network Rail track standards to enable a decision to be made by a track engineer on the speed for which the track may be opened. Such a process will improve the time taken to get the line opened and back to full line speed.

Latest evolutions Surveying technology is constantly evolving.

The advent of terrestrial laser scanning and the ability to collect huge amounts of data quickly suits the railway environment where track access is at a premium. However, as with all technology, it must be used by organisations that subscribe to the highest standards.

Companies which are members of the Survey Association or employ members of the professional surveying institutions such as RICS (Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors) or CICES (Chartered Institution of Civil Engineering Surveyors) should always be used.

The future of railway surveying is looking bright with many new projects seeking survey data to understand better what already exists on the network. The application of appropriate standards, understood and implemented by knowledgeable, well qualified surveyors, will ensure that good value is generated for the money spent.

(Top) Track measurement device in use Trimble GEDO-CE system from Korec.

(Inset) Amberg 5000 TMD.

58 | the rail engineer | january 2013

surveying

writer

Simon Brightwell Director, Fugro Aperio

New lines of enquiry (top) Fugro’s antennae mounted on the front of Irish Rail’s Track Recording Vehicle.

(Bottom) Inside the vehicle, Fugro engineers monitor the data streams.

geophysics and one could be M ention excused for thinking of Time Team enthusiasts tracing Neolithic dwellings, or perhaps seismic images of petroleum reserves deep below the seabed. For a growing number of rail engineers, however, geophysics is increasingly becoming a tool of the trade, particularly in the area of track maintenance.

A whole suite of geophysical methods are being used throughout the railway infrastructure lifecycle to provide information on condition and construction at depths ranging from a few centimetres to hundreds of metres.

For the near-surface, ground penetrating radar (GPR) is the most widely recognised geophysical technique for trackbed assessment, with surveys undertaken at both network and project level. Variants of the same technique are used to map buried services and other shallow features.

For an understanding of subsurface structure and condition at greater depth, there are many more non-destructive techniques for deriving physical data based around measurement of electrical, magnetic, acoustic and gravitational energy. With powerful ground profiling capabilities, they can be integrated with more traditional intrusive investigations (coring, drilling) to reduce uncertainty relating to ground structure and material properties.

Engineering geophysics specialists at Fugro have been applying their capabilities in subsurface investigation to the specific challenges of the railway sector for well over a decade, both in the UK and further afield.

Asset management A short hop across the Irish Sea provides a topical example of the benefits of GPR for enhancing the knowledge base crucial to efficient railway asset management.

In a major project for Irish Rail, Fugro surveyed more than 1,000 km of railway trackbed using a trainmounted ground penetrating radar system integrated with the client’s survey vehicle to simplify logistics.

With antennae mounted at the front and rear of the Irish Rail Track Recording Vehicle, the team collected six continuous data-streams at a normal operational speed of 65 km/hr. Coverage included the mainline passenger routes between Cork, Galway, Sligo and Westport.

Fugro’s transport team resolved challenges of equipment set-up and the simultaneous collection of multiple datastreams to complete the survey in just seven days without disruption to scheduled services.

Irish Rail plans to use the data to help determine the condition and thickness of track ballast, as well as ballast formation, sub-formation and presence of water. This will assist engineers in assessing, prioritising and designing track rehabilitation work and associated drainage improvements.

Irish Rail project engineer, Sarah Ross, said: “The GPR data will be used to assess trackbed conditions on the network including indications of ballast fouling, poor formation and underlying issues affecting track geometry. It will help us formulate more effective maintenance solutions and a better understanding of the underlying problems in areas prone to poor track geometry with a view to improving overall track quality and ride comfort for passengers.”

The resulting data is supplied in a range of formats compatible with the client’s GIS system and for analysis using track management software.

january 2013 | the rail engineer | 59

surveying

Investigative expertise The success of the project has drawn on Fugro’s comprehensive expertise in trackbed investigation. Project manager, Charles Baker, said: “A key objective was to establish a rigorous system of radar collection/interpretation for ranking and comparing trackbed condition across the whole rail network. The data will allow the client to identify locations requiring further investigation and intervention, as well as develop a long term maintenance plan.”

Irish Rail is among a number of progressive rail operators using Fugro’s radar as a long term asset management tool. Investment in this type of rail network survey can help operators target and plan maintenance more effectively, delivering considerable long-term cost savings.

GPR delivers not only accurate, reliable and continuous data, it is also non-intrusive and has a relatively light footprint in terms of the people and plant needed on-track. Add to this the speed of coverage, then radar is extremely cost- and time-efficient for comprehensive data-gathering, city to city or network wide.

GPR and other geophysical surveys provide a more robust body of knowledge than reliance on desk studies and record searches alone. They are also far more costeffective to mobilise compared with the heavyweight plant required for ‘conventional’ intrusive ground investigations.

Complex structures The subsurface of the UK is a complex place.

Hidden relics of past industrial activity are intertwined with naturally occurring geohazards, posing a threat to the safe and efficient operation, maintenance and upgrade of the rail network.

These have often been the target of interest in the many rail surveys undertaken by Fugro.

Investigations of man-made cavities and structures have included tin mines in Cornwall, ‘lost’ culverts in Somerset and hidden tunnel construction shafts throughout the UK. The company has even been asked to map the extent of an underground fire in a rail embankment in north-east England. The list of natural geohazards tackled is similarly varied, ranging from swallow holes and other karst features to coastal tracks being undercut by the sea and inland embankments being undermined by badgers.

As well as determining ground stratification and finding faulting, cavities and objects that present an engineering risk, geophysical methods can provide the engineer with the data required to construct a reliable ground model.

Much can be gained from analysis of the strength and velocity of seismic (acoustic) energy transmitted through the ground. This

can be achieved using an impressive combination of surface and downhole acoustic sources, ranging from a hearty blow to the ground with a 10 kg hammer to sophisticated vibroseis trucks that generate highly controlled ground vibrations.

By analysing different elements of the energy reflected from material boundaries, geophysicists can hand the engineer a report including a suite of data relating to the elastic properties of soil and rock including stiffness, rippability, and specific measures such as shear, bulk and Young’s Modulii.

Ground resistivity profile revealing infilled bridge structure within rail embankment.

Flexible techniques Whether profiling long tranches of trackbed, assessing embankments, or evaluating ground strength for new construction, modern geophysical techniques are flexible, fast and cost-effective to apply in the challenging and often sensitive railway environment.

With more pressure on the rail system to increase output at lower cost and risk, a geophysical perspective could be key to the leaner, better-informed decision-making that will be required in railway engineering in the decade ahead.

WHEN KNOWLEDGE COUNTS…

...COUNT ON FUGRO A full range of geophysical and non-destructive surveys providing condition and construction information to reduce risk and improve productivity.

• Trackbed evaluation • Integrated geophysical and geotechnical site investigation • Structural investigation • Geospatial surveys, structural and geo-monitoring Fugro Aperio +44 (0)870 600 8050

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60 | the rail engineer | january 2013

are over 30,000 small road bridges T here and many thousands more pedestrian bridges in Australia, many of which are coming to the end of their structural lives. The cost of replacing these bridges is colossal, and could impose a crushing burden on councils, which are responsible for the vast majority of these, mostly timber, bridges.

To complicate matters, the legal responsibilities for councils and road authorities have changed enormously with the decision by the High Court to abolish the concept of nonfeasance. While a number of Australian states have legislated to protect councils and other road authorities, the legal position has been dramatically altered and continues to evolve.

Bridges built decades ago now have to withstand far greater and heavier traffic, which is imposing greater risks and forcing councils and road authorities to search for cost effective solutions and to improve their management of their bridge assets.

Discussing opportunities (Below) Paul Marshall, Managing Director BridgeZone, presents at the Australian Small Bridges Conference.

The Fifth Australian Small Bridges Conference, a recent two-day event in Surfers Paradise, focused on the problem of small to medium bridges (which account for around 85% of the national structures stock). A knowledgeable audience of state and federal bridge, highway and rail engineers, managers, contractors and suppliers heard about significant new developments in policy and methods for

maintaining their assets. Fiscal and technical challenges facing all levels of government were discussed and explored with practical solutions debated. One of the most significant challenges facing the Australian market is extending/managing the condition of its assets and this issue was high on the agenda at the conference and stimulated off-line discussion.

BridgeZone, a well established and leading provider of structural engineering consultancy services involving rope access, underwater and confined access inspection services, was invited to address the audience on the techniques it employs. Paul Marshall and Kimble West gave a well-received presentation and, through networking and active participation at the conference, it became apparent that the Australian market as a whole is carrying out very little difficult access inspection and virtually no systematic underwater inspection of bridges. In truth, most inspections seemed to be reactive. However, as risks increase - when, for example, the age and, more importantly, condition of an asset is acknowledged as a serious problem or when infrastructure newbuild is slacking - asset management as a concept is ‘on-the-rise’.

In Australia there are ‘abseilers’ and a number of commercial diving companies that provide a ‘service’, but none with an engineering inspection background. Feedback from the Australian visit revealed that many of the country’s contractors, consultants and client organisations believe BridgeZone has the expertise they badly need.

Sonar sounds interesting Particular interest was shown in BridgeZone’s application of sonar technology for sub-surface scanning of underwater structures in conditions where normal visual inspections are not possible. Underwater environments are

dynamic and complex and the sub-surface visual assessment of structures has long been a challenge for inspection engineers the world over. Introducing a sonar scanning capability was a natural progression for BridgeZone; the company has invested heavily in the technology and is already seeing a return through successful trials and contracts on a number of inspection projects in the UK, Ireland and Africa.

Surface operated, thus negating the need for diving, BridgeZone’s sonar scanning equipment is both light and versatile. The resulting high quality images provide clear definition to reveal critical structural defects such as scour pockets in exceptional detail even in very low visibility water. The images can then be interrogated to calculate approximate depths and areas of defects and scours, thus helping to quantify any necessary detailed dive examination and associated remedial works.

Australian progress Encouraged by the overall experience at the conference, Bridgezone is now actively progressing collaboration with like-minded organisations in the Australian market. Based on its experience as a specialist provider of difficult access inspection of infrastructure assets in highways and rail in the UK, Europe and Africa, it aims to promote its effective and efficient methods for gathering crucial asset condition information using specialist access techniques.

As managing director Paul Marshall puts it: “Australia is most certainly a land of great opportunity. Following the intense schedule during our visit our overall perception was that this market is calling out for asset management support and our expertise was of real interest to many of our potential clients in both public and private sector organisations.”

Difficult access not down under

PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

(Main photo) Evening footbridge walkway across Moyne River in Port Fairy, Victoria.

surveying

january 2013 | the rail engineer | 61

surveying

Newly approved locators Detection has announced that the C able latest additions to its product range, the EZiSYSTEM xf series Locators and Transmitters, are now Network Rail approved meaning all of its products can now be used on and around the rail infrastructure.

With Cable Detection’s state of the art xf locators and transmitters, users can detect buried utilities faster and more accurately than ever before. The xf range has been specifically designed with long distance tracing in mind. The ability to trace low transmitter frequencies provides a greater tracing range making locating underground utilities easier than ever before.

Managing Director Christine Swetnam comments: “2012 has been a great year for Cable Detection. Receiving approval on all of our products, has once again confirmed our commitment to safety and product conformity. Having passed a stringent series of tests, we are delighted that the full range

of our locators and transmitters are now accepted for use on Network Rails infrastructure.

“We are particularly proud that our EZiTEX t300 (3 watt) Signal Transmitter has been awarded the approval. The first, and only high powered transmitter in the UK market to have been recognised for its safety conformity, it will allow users to trace services over a greater distance, and improve on detection in areas of high signal interference.”

Four models of EZiTEX join a further eight models of EZiCAT and Cable Detection’s signal clamp in being Network Rail approved. As with all of Cable Detection’s locators, the EZiSYSTEM xf range represents the latest design in cable detection technology with state-of-the-art digital signal processing (DSP), automatic controls, in-built test function and signal strength indicator. All of these products make light work of ground surveys.

ALL of Cable Detection’s Locators and Transmitters are Network Rail approved!

!"#$%&!'()*+(,-./(01/)(2(34))()14!/5&))+16(

62 | the rail engineer | january 2013

senior appointments

Strathclyde Partnership for Transport is the largest of Scotland’s seven regional transport partnerships. SPT runs the Glasgow Subway, is responsible for a host of specialist bus services and major infrastructure projects. We are currently transforming our Subway system with a multi-million pound modernisation programme and looking for two self-motivated and dedicated managers to join an innovative team during an exciting period of growth.

Shift Service Delivery Manager (2 Posts) (Ref No. OS30) Competitive Salary c £50k Location: Glasgow Permanent Full Time This is an excellent opportunity for an experienced service delivery manager. You will be one of three Shift Service Delivery Managers covering a variety of shifts, and will have a proven track record of co-ordinating, planning and execution of all maintenance and support activities related to service delivery. You will have excellent organisational, time management, man-management and planning skills. You will provide leadership to the Maintenance, Permanent Way and Support functions ensuring the development and implementation of improved working practices and efficiencies within the operation.

The successful candidate will have substantial experience of working in an operational/rail/transport environment. Substantial previous experience of day-to-day management and direction of a team in a safety critical environment vital.

A degree in a relevant Engineering discipline, with Chartered Membership of a recognised professional body or working towards same is desirable.

For applicants with special requirements, please contact our Recruitment Hotline on 0845 123 5660, quoting the above reference.

Application forms can be downloaded from www.spt.co.uk/careers. Completed application forms should be emailed to recruitment@spt.co.uk or posted to HR Department, Consort House, 12 West George Street, Glasgow G2 1HN Closing date 21st January 2013 – 1st interviews will be held on or after 30th January 2013.

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