by rail engineers for rail engineers
JAN-FEB 2021 – ISSUE 188
Three is the
magic number
Despite the pandemic, 1,700 possessions took place over Christmas and the New Year. www.railengineer.co.uk
LIGHT RAIL / METRO
CHRISTMAS AND COVID
This high-technology project is as much about developing the supply chain as producing a new train.
ROLLING STOCK / DEPOTS
SCOTLAND'S HYDROGEN TRAIN
STATIONS
REGENERATION BEGINS AT BRISTOL TEMPLE MEADS Bristol's much-loved station Bristol Temple Meads is undergoing a major transformation to enhance customers' experience and improve capacity.
FOCUS FEATURES
Three stations, three platforms, three months
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18 CONTENTS
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06|
News
10|
Three is the magic number
18|
Regeneration begins at Bristol Temple Meads
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West Yorkshire Metro, Heathrow Express, Gautrain, IMechE Virtual Luncheon.
How MegaTech Projects designed and delivered three platform extensions in three months for Dyer & Butler.
Bob Wright reports on the start of a major project to improve Bristol’s much-loved station.
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Rebuilding passenger confidence through digital technology
Helen Davis of Siemens considers how the industry can attract passengers back to the railways.
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QTS Group continues to lead innovation
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Clearing the throat and removing the hump
54|
An analysis of light rail
32|
New trains in a pandemic
62|
West Midlands Metro update
36|
Safety by design
66|
Expanding Edinburgh’s trams
40|
Exeter’s new depot – a tight squeeze
72|
Meeting the electrification cost challenge through academic research
44|
Scotland’s hydrogen train
74|
Christmas and COVID – yet the work goes on
Collin Carr finds out why Morgan Sindall dug up all the lines into King’s Cross over Christmas.
Malcolm Dobell explains how Greater Anglia’s new Bombardier trains have been introduced into service.
Today’s depots are far safer than their earlier counterparts, thanks partly to Zonegreen’s protection system.
Grahame Taylor discovers how a new depot for longer trains was shoe-horned into a small space.
This high-technology project is as much about developing the supply chain as producing a new train.
The new Mega Chipper V2 is the latest development from the serial innovators at QTS.
The Railway Industry Association recently ran a five-day conference on the future of light and very-light rail.
Mark Phillips investigates how the various West Midlands extension plans are progressing.
A ‘toxic’ project when first constructed, views have changed and the tram is on its way to Newhaven.
Supported by Furrer+Frey and Network Rail, PhD research is focusing on cost-efficient electrification.
Despite the pandemic, 1,700 possessions took place over Christmas and the New Year.
Rail Engineer | Issue 188 | Jan-Feb 2021
RAIL ENGINEER MAGAZINE
EDITORIAL
Learning from Light Rail
Britain’s nine light rail systems record almost 300 million journeys each year. Their high capacity provides urban connectivity that drives economic growth as shown by the Docklands Light Railway has shown. Manchester’s Metrolink was also the catalyst for MediaCity in Salford. Unlike buses, trams attract motorists from cars and so further reduce congestion and emissions. Over the last 70 years, Britain has invested 40 per cent less on transport than the rest of Europe. So, whilst France and Germany have respectively 28 and 57 light rail systems, Britain has nine. Another is planned for Leeds, which is Europe’s largest city without light rail. It is expected that this will have end-to-end battery operation and might have autonomous working in segregated areas. Trams are certainly popular, but not necessarily when they are being built. In Edinburgh, the tram was a toxic subject before its completion, with significant prolonged disruption from the delayed project. Furthermore, its significant cost overrun resulted in the scheme being cut back. Yet, soon after it opened, city councillors felt able to propose completing the original project by extending the tram to Newhaven. We describe the progress of this work, which incorporates lessons from the original project. The Edinburgh tram inquiry into what happened was set up in 2014, has cost £11 million and has now taken longer than the tram project itself. Ironically, it has yet to report. Nevertheless, documents on the inquiry website show what went wrong and, as we show, record quite shocking procurement deficiencies. Another current tram project is extending the West Midlands Metro. Mark Phillips reports that this will introduce the UK’s first battery-powered trams and support regeneration by connecting key developments. This includes the £24 million Very Light Rail (VLR) National Innovation Centre at Dudley, which is expected to open in 2022. Although trams offer significant benefits, at around £40 million per kilometre, they need a ridership of 3,000 passengers an hour to be cost effective. Warwick Manufacturing Group considers that a VLR system can be provided at a quarter of this cost. This would use battery-powered lightweight vehicles with a four-tonne axle weight, and a novel track less than 300mm deep, to minimise utility diversions. With a single, 50-seat vehicle, this could carry 750 passengers an hour and might be the answer for smaller cities. The Coventry VLR system was one of many light rail innovations presented over a five-day period during an online event staged by the Railway Industry Association. Clive Kessell and Malcolm Dobell report on these initiatives, many of which are potentially applicable
to heavy rail such as: quick install slab track, lightweight OLE, object detection, Sheffield’s tram-train and passenger information systems. Helen Davis’s article is also about providing information. This explains how Siemens Mobility’s Digital Station Manager (DSM) enables operators to manage station capacity. A vast amount of information of a different sort was required for the refurbishment of Bristol Temple Meads station. Bob Wright’s feature details this work and explains how a BIM survey collected this data using 3D LiDAR scans. Replacing a major sewer added to the complexity of the work outside Kings Cross station over Christmas, as Collin Carr describes in an article that also explains how passengers will benefit from this work. This was just one of the 1,700 possessions that delivered £137 million of engineering work over the Christmas period despite strict Covid precautions. Nigel Wordsworth’s article describes much of this work. The challenges of building Exeter’s new train depot between the river and the station were space and ground conditions. Grahame Taylor explains how these were overcome to provide a new facility for GWR’s new trains. Lots of new trains, in fact 665 coaches, are the subject of our article on Greater Anglia’s new Aventra trains that are part of a unique programme to replace the company’s entire fleet. We explain why ordering long 10 or 12-car multiple units is a bad idea. Scotland’s hydrogen train will be a not-so-new Class 314 unit. For traction engineers, hydrogen trains are like Marmite, you love them or hate them. Some consider that they cannot be part of the future rail traction mix, due to their low efficiency and fuel storage constraints. Yet, as we explain, there is a bigger picture. However, if rail freight is to benefit from such high-powered electric haulage, further electrification is required which Government seems reluctant to authorise. Yet, as we describe, much is being done to reduce costs with cost-efficient electrification being the focus of specific collaborations between universities and industry. Whilst it is good to learn of railway engineering developments from on-line events and magazines such as Rail Engineer, we all miss useful informal get togethers. Until these can resume, the IMechE Railway Division has made its popular Annual Luncheon an innovative, interactive on-line event. Do join me there. DAVID SHIRRES RAIL ENGINEER EDITOR
Rail Engineer | Issue 188 | Jan-Feb 2021
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THE TEAM
NEWS
Editor David Shirres david.shirres@railengineer.co.uk
Production Editor Nigel Wordsworth nigel.wordsworth@railengineer.co.uk
Production and design Adam O’Connor adam@rail-media.com Matthew Stokes matt@rail-media.com
Engineering writers bob.wright@railengineer.co.uk clive.kessell@railengineer.co.uk collin.carr@railengineer.co.uk david.bickell@railengineer.co.uk graeme.bickerdike@railengineer.co.uk grahame.taylor@railengineer.co.uk lesley.brown@railengineer.co.uk malcolm.dobell@railengineer.co.uk mark.phillips@railengineer.co.uk paul.darlington@railengineer.co.uk peter.stanton@railengineer.co.uk stuart.marsh@railengineer.co.uk
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Rail Engineer | Issue 188 | Jan-Feb 2021
New mass transit for West Yorkshire within 10 years The West Yorkshire Combined Authority has announced ambitious plans for a clean and connected transport system that will connect all West Yorkshire's communities to jobs, education and opportunity. The new proposals identify where people will live and work in the coming decades, the journeys they will need to take and how best to connect them through an integrated network including walking and cycling, bus, mass transit and rail. Two documents, the authority’s Connectivity Infrastructure Plan and Mass Transit Vision 2040, include further detail on emerging plans for a new West Yorkshire mass transit system and the areas it could serve as part of a wider programme of transport investment over the next 20 years. They also set out the critical role of major projects including HS2, Northern Powerhouse Rail and the upgrade to the Trans-Pennine line, alongside a rollout of rail electrification, in delivering an integrated transport system that connects communities in West Yorkshire to each other and the wider UK.
The proposals: » Outline the early phases of a new mass transit system for West Yorkshire in this decade: » Improve transport connections for up to 675,000 people in the 20 per cent most deprived communities in West Yorkshire; » Connect up to 35 housing growth areas and 17 employment growth areas and five hospitals; » Make the case for rail electrification and investment in new infrastructure enabling a minimum of two trains per hour to and from every rail station in the region alongside improved intercity connections to the rest of the UK; » Encourage 24 million additional journeys a year by bus by 2033 through additional vehicles and priority measures; » Enable the reduction of transport’s contribution to carbon emissions by up to 81 per cent as the region aims to be net-zero carbon by 2038.
NEWS
Heathrow Express Class 387 fleet in service The new Heathrow Express fleet of 12 refurbished Class 387 trains has now entered service, replacing the iconic Class 332 fleet which dates from 1998. The former GWR trains have upgraded interiors and are fitted with regenerative braking and ETCS in-cab signalling. Passengers will also have a more comfortable journey with more space for wheelchair users, double the number of toilets and a continuous gangway through the whole train. In addition, Business First passengers will enjoy worktables and extra legroom. The modern interiors include USB plugs with every plug socket, making it easier for international passengers to charge devices while they travel. Every carriage has more and improved TV screens showing live flight and rail connection updates, daily news highlights and shopping deals at Heathrow. Heathrow Express is naming all 12 new trains after cities voted for by the UK public. Heathrow Express director Sophie Chapman said: “I am delighted to introduce the new Heathrow Express 387 fleet, which will provide Heathrow passengers with a modern, reliable train for their journey between central London and the UK’s hub airport. “I am also pleased that Heathrow Express is at the forefront of the industry-wide roll out of state-of-the-art signalling technology as we are one of the first UK train companies to run the European Train Control System - a huge step forward for the British rail industry. ETCS provides an on-board signalling system which is a gold standard of safety and efficiency.”
Structural Precast for Railways
Rail Engineer | Issue 188 | Jan-Feb 2021
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FEATURE
Gautrain completes forty million kilometres in service
Bombardier Transportation's Gautrain commuter fleet in South Africa has now completed 40 million kilometres in service since operations began in 2010.
Here when you need us... TBF continues to offer help and support to its members during these unprecedented times.
Bombardier delivered this intercity rapid rail link as a complete turnkey system with a fleet of 24 four-car Electrostar trains (96 vehicles). While the first few were built at the Litchurch Lane plant in Derby, the majority were assembled in South Africa from CKD (completely knocked down) kits sent from the UK. Gautrain also used Bombardier’s Cityflo 250 train control system, for which the company has a maintenance contract until 2026. Makgola Makololo, managing director South Africa at Bombardier Transportation, said: “As Africa’s first worldclass, modern rapid rail service, as well as being the first semi-high-speed train on the
Helping to make a difference. Just £1 a week covers you, your partner and dependent children.
Email help@tbf.org.uk to find out how we can help you, or visit www.tbf.org.uk Transport Benevolent Fund CIO, known as TBF, a registered charity in England & Wales, 1160901, & Scotland, SC047016.
Rail Engineer | Issue 188 | Jan-Feb 2021
TBF_People_Advert_90x130.indd 2
21/09/2020 15:49
continent, the Gautrain has made a positive impact in the lives of millions of Gauteng residents. We are proud of our highly reliable commuter fleet having completed around 900,000 trips on the Gautrain network, the equivalent of close to one million trips around the equator.” The Gautrain Rapid Rail Link is an 80 km (50-mile) commuter rail system in Gauteng, South Africa, which links Johannesburg, Pretoria, Ekurhuleni and the OR Tambo International Airport. Today Bombardier employs around 125 local staff on the Gautrain project operating out of the purpose-built maintenance facility located at Midrand in Johannesburg.
NEWS
IMechE Railway Division Annual Luncheon goes virtual This year's IMechE Railway Division Annual Luncheon - the industry's opportunity to build and renew connections - will be just one click from readers' desktops. Attracting 1,246 participants in 2020, the “...industry event that provides a great platform to network amongst rail leaders” is going digital. “Oh no, not another webinar!” you might cry: but the IMechE Virtual Annual Luncheon is different. The team has created a bespoke event to replicate the physical opportunities the Lunch is loved for, allowing ‘diners’ to catch-up with corporates, colleagues and, frankly, friends. Here’s how you can do it: click through the Virtual Exhibitor Hall (with its tempting staffed Kiosks offering meet-ups and their downloadable new product brochures and on-demand videos) to the Meetings Hub, and tag any other guest for a 1-to-1. Set-up your profile online in advance (choose your own smiling photo and whatever contact details you want to share), to be ready to meetand-greet when the virtual doors swing open. Click your email prompt to see what’s on - and who’s there! A virtue of Virtual is a more international event. Whether you’re breakfasting in Bel Air, lunching in London, taking tea in Tirupati, or snatching midnight snacks in Sydney… wherever you are, you can join the IMechE Railway Division’s Annual Luncheon at 12 noon GMT on Friday 5 March 2021 and: » Network across the railway industry in the UK and beyond; » Enjoy efficient access to key suppliers and customers (including bookable 1-to-1s);
» Get on with life and work safely (whatever happens with COVID). Alongside that special mix of senior managers and engineers of all disciplines circulating (so you can have 1-to-1s and make new contacts), the IMechE will celebrate the railway sector, with the usual speeches, updates, and raising money for charity. There’s even a Virtual Rail Trail! You may need more to eat than a virtual lunch, so bring your own food… then you can enter the “Best Plate” photo contest to win a prize! Register at bit.ly/rail-luncheon by 14 February (Valentine’s Day!) to secure your place… or team-up for a Table, bag a Kiosk for your company, and benefit yourself and your business next month!
Railway Division Virtual Annual Luncheon 5th March 2021
Andy Mellors, FirstGroup Rail Division
Book a table now:
bit.ly/rail-luncheon advert sponsored by Manchester Railway Consultancy
Rail Engineer | Issue 188 | Jan-Feb 2021
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STATIONS
Three is the
magic number
Three stations, three platforms, three months NIGEL WORDSWORTH
P
roving that not all railway projects take an age to be completed, Network Rail recently designed, planned and delivered platform extensions at three stations in Sussex in a little over three months. The works undertaken during three 52-hour possessions at Goring-by-Sea, Lancing and Cooksbridge provide a perfect example of the benefits of close collaboration, involving Network Rail, Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR), principal contractor Dyer & Butler and platform specialist MegaTech Projects. The investment will enable the stations to comfortably accommodate longer, eight-car trains and resolve a long-standing issue of trains blocking the adjacent level crossings at all three stations. Network Rail contracted Dyer & Butler in January 2020 with the design only at GRIP 1 (Early Feasibility). With the first of the platforms needed by May, a timescale of just over three months, it was clear collaborative planning would be pivotal to the project’s success, and this began from the project launch. The project saw Dyer & Butler (a part of M Group Services, and currently at number 17 on Network Rail’s list of top 20 infrastructure suppliers) joining forces with MegaTech Projects, its partner on previous platform extension programmes including; 11 platform extensions at seven stations in the North Cotswolds; eight platform extensions at four stations in the West Midlands and another platform extension in Cambridge.
Rail Engineer | Issue 188 | Jan-Feb 2021
STATIONS
The project The requirement for the platform extensions was driven by the introduction of longer, eight-car train formations and the need to support GTR’s new timetable, introduced during the £150 million upgrade of Gatwick Airport station. Despite each station having two platforms, extensions were only required for one platform per station as the level crossings were only affected by trains travelling in one direction. Extending the platform would solve this long-standing issue by allowing trains travelling in that direction to stop alongside the platform and clear the level crossing.
The MegaTech system Described in detail in issue 178 (October 2019), the MegaTech system uses large blocks of expanded polystyrene (EPS) as its base. The blocks are pre-cut to size, with voids and channels for wiring and other
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STATIONS services included, and their exposed faces are clad in a layer of cementitious sheets for added protection. The blocks are laid on a bed of sand and butted up, one against the other, with a plastic ‘T’ section protecting the joint. Once the blocks are in place, and the services installed in plastic ducting laid in the pre-prepared channels, large all-in-one concrete slabs are placed on top to form the platform surface. The concrete slabs, manufactured by FP McCann, include both the coper and the tactile strip that warns passengers that they are close to the platform edge. The top face is acid-etched to provide a non-slip surface. Once the slabs are in place, lighting, fences and other platform furniture can be added. The modular nature of the MegaTech system, with everything preformed at the factory, means that new platforms can be laid very quickly. As a rough guide, MegaTech works on delivering two metres of completed platform every hour, so a 40-metre platform would take 20 hours including blocks, services, surface slabs and fencing.
Planning and design Pre-works surveys of the three stations revealed that all three of the platforms to be extended were controlled by signals set some distance away, a real plus point as it would mean the extensions could be installed without having to move the signals. Because of the complexity of the MegaTech system – outwardly very simple, but with every element slightly different to every other and requiring assembly in a specific order – the company uses experienced consultants to manage the design. Dyer & Butler contracts manager Gareth Moss appointed MegaTech Projects to design the entire scheme. The design team – Adams Design Associates for the civils, Crayside Consulting for the mechanical and electrical (M&E) elements and PBH Rail for the track adjustments – came through, and by early May, had moved the design from GRIP 1 to GRIP 6 (Construction, Test and Commission). Throughout the process, Network Rail, GTR, Dyer & Butler and MegaTech held weekly progress meetings. It was a truly collaborative effort and, as a result, preparatory work began on time, taking place over three 52-hour possessions, with the process for each station very much the same.
Cooksbridge The first station to be tackled was Cooksbridge, where the platform was extended by 45 metres. The ramp at the end of the platform was removed and replaced by a fence, a gate and a flight of steps. Existing services positioned in the way of the extension were
Rail Engineer | Issue 188 | Jan-Feb 2021
T. 0141 778 5165 E. info@megatechprojects.co.uk
THE POLYSTYRENE PLATFORM PEOPLE SUPPLIERS AND INSTALLERS OF
MegaTech EPS The Network Rail approved
MODULAR POLYSTYRENE PLATFORM SYSTEM TO FIND OUT MORE, CONTACT MEGATECH OR VISIT:
www.megatechprojects.co.uk
B U I L D I N G
P L A T F O R M S
F O R
T H E
F U T U R E
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STATIONS
moved and the whole site was dug down to 200mm below sleeper level. MegaTech then moved in to lay the sand foundation and start laying the polystyrene blocks, which were brought in by road in precise order. The particular challenge at Cooksbridge was the presence of a high-voltage (HV) cable route running along the footprint of the extension and into an under-track crossing (UTX) chamber. To accommodate this, MegaTech modified the design so that the first three EPS blocks were divided into six half-blocks, creating a void between them for the HV route to pass through the platform into the UTX. The slabs then spanned this void with an access chamber on the edge of the slab, with cast-in tactiles to allow for maintenance access to the UTX. Once the EPS blocks were installed, M&E subcontractor Amaro was appointed to install the services in the pre-cut channels before MegaTech installed the concrete surface slabs. Dyer & Butler’s fellow M Group Services business KH Engineering was appointed to manage the installation of customer information screens. Rail X finished off the civils, including a Rosehill Rail anti-trespass panel at the end of the platform.
Goring-by-Sea The platform extension at Goring-by-Sea was longer – 78 metres– but more straightforward, taking just 18 hours to install. The only added complication being the third contact rail that ran alongside the track in the footprint of the extension. Sonic Rail Services was brought in to move it from the cess into the six-foot.
Rail Engineer | Issue 188 | Jan-Feb 2021
Lancing The extension at Lancing was the longest of the three – 84 metres installed over 23 working hours during a 52-hour possession. Once again, there was an existing HV cable running through the footprint of the extension to address. Ensuring the cable remained undisturbed was essential for the agreed timescales to be met and so, once the route was surveyed, each EPS block was fabricated to sit around it. Another challenge at Lancing was the presence of a pedestrian walkway to a large supermarket carpark to the rear of the platform. The walkway’s limited drainage meant that there was nowhere for rainwater to run off at the rear of the platform. Space restrictions also prevented MegaTech from using its standard guttering detail to the platform’s rear. To overcome this issue, a ‘hit-and-miss’ design was used to create a one metre space (closed off with GRP trash screens) between each EPS block. This allowed rainwater to run off to the
Our services include, but are not restricted to: •
Design and early stage involvement, including scoping and feasibility studies
•
Over and under bridge construction, repairs, strengthening and painting
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Possession and access management
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Construction, refurbishment and maintenance of station and line-side structures
•
Site investigations and hidden critical examinations
•
Installation of crash protection beams
•
Ground works, excavation, remediation and disposal
•
Embankment stabilisation
•
Level crossing renewals
•
Platform construction and renewals
•
Road, pavements and walkway construction
•
Ducting & Drainage
•
Building, mechanical and electrical works
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STATIONS rear of the platform and into the track drainage, a technique used previously for a platform extension at Moreton-in-Marsh station in Gloucestershire, a station prone to flooding. The work at all three Sussex stations was carried out as scheduled and, following testing and signalling upgrades, the extended platforms were opened in early September. Govia Thameslink Railway’s infrastructure director Keith Jipps commented: “The excellent collaboration between Network Rail and GTR, and the products and construction methods, enabled an impressively rapid completion of these platforms, despite the challenges the industry faced with COVID-19. We are really pleased to see the benefits this has brought to our train services for passengers and local community using the level crossings.” “The big win was in programme efficiency,” explained Dyer & Butler contract's manager Gareth Moss. “The whole programme, delivered from early design to completion, was testament to the collaboration and determination of everyone involved. MegaTech’s modular system, and the collaborative approach taken by all parties, played an important part in delivering the programme within the timescale that was set.” “Holding weekly meetings with all key stakeholders ensured everyone was kept up to speed and information was shared consistently. Having a 52-hour possession for each platform also meant we could get our heads down and get the work done.” Patrick Gallagher, senior programme manager at Network Rail, added: “With the rail industry continuously being challenged to deliver schemes more quickly and efficiently, whilst also maintaining high levels of safety, these three schemes presented a fantastic opportunity to trial and test ways in which we could reduce design and delivery timescales. “When we launched the platform extension scheme on 22 January, we knew we had been presented with a significant challenge. In that first meeting, I called for collaboration, openness, honesty and, in the main, I believe we achieved all of that, otherwise we would not have been successful. “I am very pleased for everyone involved, as this shows what can be done when we work together which includes GTR our
Rail Engineer | Issue 188 | Jan-Feb 2021
STATIONS
customer, who had their part to play. They are, of course, very pleased with the outcome. Dyer & Butler and MegaTech, I believe, worked very well together and that was key to the project’s success.” Lancing MP, Tim Loughton, visited the platform extension at his local station and said: “This is a very helpful investment by Network Rail and GTR and will be welcomed by many of my constituents, who waste too much time waiting for barriers to go up, particularly during rush
hour, simply because the platform cannot cope with eight-coach trains. Air quality will benefit too, as car engines idling less means fewer polluting emissions. It’s a win-win-win solution for drivers and pedestrians, passengers and the environment.”
RAIL SAFETY WEEK 2021 21st – 27th June 2021
Building Safety Together For more information: call
0161 302 0575
@RailSafetyWeek #buildingsafetytogether
email alan@railsafetyweek.co.uk
www.railsafetyweek.org Rail Engineer | Issue 188 | Jan-Feb 2021
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STATIONS
Regeneration begins at BRISTOL TEMPLE MEADS BOB WRIGHT
O
ver Christmas, a substantial amount of work was delivered in and around Bristol’s Temple Meads station. This included important elements of the long-term Bristol Rail Regeneration programme, which is itself linked into Bristol City Council’s Temple Quarter Regeneration.
As part of its wider regeneration programme, Bristol City Council is developing a sustainable urban quarter - Temple Quarter - as a place to live, work, study, enjoy leisure time and build on Bristol’s strengths as a world class city. Marvin Rees, Mayor of Bristol, commented: “With Temple Meads station, the largest transport interchange in the region, at the core of Temple Quarter, the City’s regeneration of the wider area alongside the station is a once-in-ageneration opportunity. It will bring about the long-awaited transformation of a key site in the heart of the city, creating 22,000 new jobs and around 10,000 new homes in proximity to significant areas of deprivation, and an economic boost of £1.6 billion per annum.” The station is an important hub in the city’s transport network, especially for pedestrians and cyclists. Making improvements to Temple Meads station will feed into Bristol’s ambitions for cleaner air and carbon neutrality.
Bristol Rail Regeneration Programme Over the next 2½ years, Temple Meads station will undergo a major transformation that will enhance customers’ experience of using the station as well as provide
Rail Engineer | Issue 188 | Jan-Feb 2021
operational capacity improvements that will permit increases in train services and improved reliability. The most obvious improvement will be the refurbishment of the 38-metre span Grade 1 listed roof, built in 1871-4. This will involve extensive repairs to the metal structure and timber panelling and the complete reglazing of the roof and platform canopies. The existing glazing is discoloured and dirty, restricting light access, leaving the platforms beneath with reduced natural light. This will be the first major refurbishment of the station roof in over 25 years and is due for completion in 2023. Equally important, although less obvious to customers, is the remodelling of the crucial Bristol East Junction, between the four Filton Bank lines (leading to south Wales, Bristol Parkway and the Midlands) and the main lines (leading on to Bath Spa and London Paddington). The junction is located just to the east of Temple Meads station and is mainly surrounded by industrial units and rail depots. When complete, the new junction will improve capacity, flexibility and reliability, making more efficient use of platforms at the station and reducing delays for passengers. An extra line is also being introduced, to support additional suburban services being planned for the future as part of the MetroWest Project.
STATIONS The programme of improvements to the station will also include the complete rewiring of the station’s electrical system, to bring it up to modern standards. The work will improve the stability of the power supply at the station and allow for future expansion. Heating, ventilation and mechanical cooling will also be renewed and all lighting will be upgraded to energy efficient LEDs, designed by FJD Consulting. Alongside the rewire, separate projects are being planned to bring a Wi-Fi network to the station, as well as enhanced passenger information through new customer information screens, improved public announcement systems and CCTV. Finally, Network Rail, in collaboration with West of England Combined Authority, will create a new eastern station entrance that will provide direct access into a new University of Bristol campus on the old Post Office site, beside platforms 13/15, as well as to the wider east side of the city. The existing subway will be extended eastwards. Plans are in development, but the aspiration is to break through during this summer’s blockade, with a small ticket hall to be constructed later and completed in time for the opening of the campus in autumn 2023. At an event to mark the 180th anniversary of the original Temple Meads station, Mike Gallop, Network Rail’s Western route director, talked about the Bristol Rail Regeneration programme, saying: “This is a great moment for Bristol and the whole West of England as we will be providing a brighter station for passengers, worthy of the original creator, Isambard Kingdom Brunel. Around 10 million passengers pass through the station each year. Once complete, our renovations in and around the station will bring a brighter welcome to the city, improving passenger experience and preserving our station for future generations.”
The original station at Bristol Temple Meads was opened as a terminus in 1840. This was significantly enlarged with the construction of the new ‘Joint station’ (GWR, Midland and Bristol & Exeter railway companies) in 1871-4. The station was further expanded to the East in the 1930s with additional platforms and a new passenger subway. The old station buildings were closed to rail traffic in 1965 and are now used as a carpark, corporate events space, retail and various business units.
Roof works The £24 million refurbishment project will see Network Rail’s contractor, Taziker, repair and refurbish the 38-metre span, 153-metrelong trainshed roof, as well as further work on roofing over Bonaparte’s Alley and to the canopies on the platforms and in the forecourt. The works include restoring the original features, both within the main trainshed and on the canopy platforms. All works will be approved by Historic England. The two-year programme will involve extensive metal and woodwork repairs and the complete re-glazing of the roof and platform canopies.
Bristol Temple Meads Platform 3.
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The scaffolding was designed to take account of voids and cellars under the station structure.
A 5,800 square metre access scaffold structure has been designed by RDG Engineering, with foundations and back-propping by FJD Consulting. Temple Meads station lies between two watercourses and there are challenging geotechnical conditions beneath the platforms, as well as a network of historic structures, cellars and other voids. To support the vast structure, each tower base’s foundation has been designed individually. Some locations have needed voids injection grouted, others require spreader structures. Between Christmas Day and 11th January platforms 1-6 were closed to allow some towers to be erected by Network Scaffolding, Taziker’s scaffolding provider. These, and the decking above, will be completed with minimum disruption to passengers by working closely with GWR and other train operators, with COVID-19 service levels affording more opportunities for track access. Taziker, will remove the existing glazing and grit blast the 130-year-old wrought and cast-iron structure. Network Rail’s designer, FJD Consulting, has prepared a suite of standard sympathetic repair solutions, agreed with Historic England. The preparatory design works were informed by previous periodic structural examinations and rope
BIM model of Temple Meads based on 3D LiDAR scanning surveys.
Rail Engineer | Issue 188 | Jan-Feb 2021
access inspections of the gable ends in 2018, as well as by the LiDAR survey. Any non-standard works needed will be designed as the works proceed and then agreed with Historic England’s representative, as will dealing with any unusual or unexpected historic feature than may be uncovered during the project. To assist Network Rail’s asset management and conservation plans for the station, a 3D BIM survey was undertaken, based on 3D LiDAR scanning technology - the only viable solution to collect the vast amounts of data required of the complex and high access risk station buildings, tunnels, vaults, platforms, plant rooms and trainshed roofs. The BIM model will be used to record the condition, repairs and testing data for each element. Timber cladding sections will be removed, refurbished and reused in order to maintain as much historic material as possible. New timber will be minimised. The new glazing will be laminated glass in the train shed and Georgian wired effect GRP in the platform canopies and the trainshed gable ends. The completed works will be painted in a heritage-based colour scheme. The contract is good news for the Bristol economy, with a large workforce on site. Taziker has also committed to creating apprenticeships for local people; offering opportunities to work alongside their heritage project experienced teams.
STATIONS The new heritage colour scheme for Temple Meads station.
FJD Consulting is a multidisciplinary rail engineering design consultancy providing the following core capabilities: » Civil and Structural Design, including bridge inspections and assessments, design of bridge repairs, strengthening works and reconstructions.
» Geotechnical Analysis and Design, including slope stability, foundation design and temporary ground works.
» Design of minor civils infrastructure and railway signalling civils infrastructure.
» Scour Assessment and Design.
» GRP Footbridge and Platform Designs.
www.fjdconsulting.co.uk
» M&E Design.
» BIM and Visualisations for Planning or Heritage Approval.
» Temporary Works Design. » Research & Development, Prototyping and Entryto-Market Support of Innovations. » Carbon Calculations and Least-Carbon Sustainable Designs. » Drainage Design.
info@fjdconsulting.co.uk Rail Engineer | Issue 188 | Jan-Feb 2021
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Christmas at Bristol East junction.
Installing the new gantry at Bristol East junction, 27 December 2020.
Bristol East Junction The renewal and improvement of the 50 pointends at Bristol East junction began in March 2020 and will be completed during an eightweek blockade in July to September 2021. The design of the new layout was by AECOM. During a possession over Christmas Day that lasted until 28 December, the South Rail Systems Alliance (Network Rail/Colas Rail/AECOM) replaced five point ends in the Up and Down London lines and the Down Filton Main.
Rail Engineer | Issue 188 | Jan-Feb 2021
The new components were delivered loose to Network Rail’s Kingsland Road Depot and there built up into panels. The 1,200 tonnes of old ballast, rails and sleepers were removed by road-rail excavators and loaded onto engineering trains for offsite recycling. New ballast was brought to site in engineering trains - 600 tonnes of bottom ballast and 600 tonnes of top. The new panels were transported and placed using a combination of a Kirow crane and Geismar PEM-LEM sets. Following the electrical works to switch heating and signalling works, two double-shifted tampers completed the trackwork and ensured an on time handback at line speed. The main blockade will see the replacement of remaining S&C to the new layout.
STATIONS This work on strategic routes was time critical. A project contingency plan and an operational contingency plan were both in place to manage potential problems. Contingencies were made for plant and other problems with the onsite availability of a spare Kirow crane at the station, onsite fitters, spare plant, overlaps in working shifts, and the project operations manager on site. To avoid a potential twelve-week summer blockade, many advance works have already been carried out, with four weekends of plain line and S&C renewal early in 2020. Other preparatory works included relocating signals and improving driver walkways. A substation and a relay room were demolished and replaced to accommodate foundations for a new gantry. The Filton four-tracking project, completed in 2018, was an important enabler. It will not only allow the junction remodelling to achieve its full potential but will also reduce disruption to the travelling public, with two out of the four lines being kept open for a significant proportion of the blockade. A new five track span signal gantry was required beside Dings Park, to permit the summer’s installation of additional trackwork. This was built to electrification clearances in anticipation of the deferred completion of the electrification between Parkway and Temple Meads stations.
The gantry was delivered by AmcoGiffen, designed by FJD Consulting, and was fabricated and installed by Loughborough-based Adey Steel. The two towers were erected in rules of the route possessions during the autumn. The 20-tonne, 33.6 metre gantry span was delivered by road to Network Rail’s Queen Anne Road Depot in three sections and built up beside the Filton Down Main during the week before Christmas. During the Christmas possession, a Kirow crane lifted the gantry span and placed it onto two rail trailers that were then towed by a road/rail excavator to the site, where the Kirow lifted it into place. The new gantry will remain beside the existing structure until the latter stages of the summer blockade, when signalling will be transferred to it and the old gantry demolished.
The new gantry installed alongside the old one, which will be demolished in the summer.
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16/11/2020 2021 16:01:38 Rail Engineer | Issue 188 | Jan-Feb
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Rebuilding passenger confidence through digital technology HELEN DAVIS
H
elping passengers travel easily and efficiently on public transport is a complex task, and one which has been made considerably more difficult by the COVID-19 pandemic. The global health crisis has had a major impact on our transport networks, with passenger confidence in public transport having been severely affected.
Rail passenger numbers fell sharply in spring 2020, with just 35 million passenger journeys made between April and June, compared to over 400 million during the same period in 2019. Whilst the expectation is that this figure will recover at some point, it remains highly likely that demand will remain below the previous peak for a considerable time. As an industry, it is our job to do everything we can do to drive passengers back to public transport for the sake of the wider economy, for the mental health and development of our employees, and to support the government’s decarbonisation agenda.
Although technology has helped enormously through the required lockdowns and periods of restrictions, everyone working from home five days a week is neither sustainable nor desirable for the economy, our people or our organisations in the long-term. Whilst there will be a new balance of home/office working, we need to be back at our places of work, spending money in our local communities and enjoying the benefits of face-to-face contact with colleagues, customers, suppliers and stakeholders.
Contributing to decarbonisation Getting passengers back on public transport is also an important element of the government’s decarbonisation agenda. We have seen that, when lockdowns in the UK were lifted, traffic in towns and cities surged, increasing congestion and air pollution. Rail is already a low-carbon form of transport, but it can go further. There are many contributors to decarbonisation, including electrification of the network, the reduction of carbon footprint on infrastructure through digitalisation and radio-based communications, the deployment of hybrid and battery trains, more efficient energy use and introduction of traffic management. And, of course, we have a major role to play in encouraging the modal shift of passengers from cars onto public transport.
Rail Engineer | Issue 188 | Jan-Feb 2021
STATIONS Siemens Mobility is a major contributor across all facets of decarbonisation of the transport system and, with our intermodal, communications and information solutions, we are also able to make a major contribution to modal shift. Our solutions can help improve the experience of the passenger to such an extent that the choice to go to the office instead of working from home, or to travel by train rather than by car, is easy and safe to make. Responding to the UK Government’s message to ‘Build back better’ and the drive for decarbonisation, now is the time to start investing in the tools that are required to rebuild passenger confidence and ensure staff safety. Using digital technology to provide real-time information that allows passengers to make informed decisions, for example allowing them to choose to travel on a less crowded service, will not only support those travelling, but also improve operational performance. It will also provide a valuable resource for railway staff, enabling them to receive that same information in real time, allowing them to intervene proactively to changing situations. Equally it is important to factor in the benefits that digital signalling and control solutions deliver, driving performance and capacity improvements with fewer delays and less disruption on the network, so there are fewer instances when services become overcrowded. The benefits could be realised through investment in a complete end-to-end solution, but individual elements can start to be added now to deliver immediate benefits, with a complete end-to-end solution the longer-term goal. This approach would bring real benefits for operators and passengers, by integrating existing systems with new technologies to capture enriched information and gain a better understanding of how the entire system interacts, leading to a more efficient public transport ecosystem.
Managing stations effectively Siemens Mobility’s Digital Station Manager (DSM) portfolio is the over-arching railway solution that enables this integration. It provides operators with an overview of their station systems, enabling them to operate as an integrated transport system. Within DSM, individual modules can be added, either to Siemens Mobility or to other manufacturers’ technology, to deliver significant, and very visible, benefits and value at modest cost and in short timescales. One such module is the Digital Station Capacity Solution, which provides operators with live data and accurate information about current and future passenger numbers. This enables operators to manage stations at a safe capacity and to identify potential pinch points, as well as providing an occupancy and incident alert system. The operator is notified whenever a threshold of crowding in specific zones is reached, or incidents are detected. They could include a person trespassing on the line, a build-up of major crowds, panic behaviour or abandoned luggage.
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STATIONS Additionally, by analysing how passengers move within a station (how many people are in the station, where they entered it and how long they stay), passenger flow within the station can be managed - to reduce bottlenecks and to enable passengers and staff to maintain safe social distancing. The Trip Planner module enables passengers to receive real time information about different aspects of their journey, whether on-board or travelling to and from the station. For the passenger, this begins with the ability to choose their door-to-door journey based on several options including duration, cost, weather and choice of low-carbon modes of transport. Throughout the journey, passengers receive accurate and reliable real time information, including in-journey options such as information about alternative routes and modes of transport, seat reservations, platform changes or pointing them to less crowded carriages. While overall flow and numbers are important to keep passenger and workers safe, incorporating the DSM Wayfinding functionality can then additionally help individual passengers to move safely and efficiently through a station, in a COVID-secure way, making sure they get to the right platform at the right time. Providing synchronised bespoke information across multiple channels, such as directly to a passenger’s mobile phone (again through apps) or on-board train displays, means everyone on the railway can receive the information they need. It can also offer enhanced support for those with special requirements as they travel, for example wheelchair users. This includes information about passenger journeys through to station facilities, such as lifts and escalators, as well as directions to carriages that have seats available. This data-based intelligence can also help bring operators closer to their customers by providing a comprehensive overview of the state of the network and the passengers moving
Rail Engineer | Issue 188 | Jan-Feb 2021
through it. It is then possible to engage directly via station displays and public address systems, as well as by sending messages via smartphone apps. Ensuring passengers receive useful information in real time will reduce the potential for overcrowding and so further enhance both passenger and staff safety. Another operator benefit is that the data available from the system can enable planning models to be developed for future operations based on forecast demand. The impact on operation, including train schedules, station staffing requirements and rail replacement services, can be adapted manually or automatically. The passenger flow and security requirements in specific scenarios, for example routine situations, special events, or in order to meet COVID-19 requirements, can also be planned and evaluated through simulation. By building these tools into operations now, we can prepare to support the safe return of passengers to the network, providing tangible benefits to the travelling public, our workforce and operators. We can manage the flow and movement of passengers to, in, around and through stations and the wider network, and we can ensure the safety of passengers and railway staff. Perhaps more importantly, though, we can, as an industry, demonstrate that positive actions have been taken to provide a safe and secure travelling environment that makes rail travel the obvious choice. Helen Davis is director strategy and business development, rail infrastructure at Siemens Mobility UK.
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Clearing the Throat
COLLIN CARR
and removing the hump!
B
ack in pre-COVID times, when life felt normal but hectic, Rail Engineer published an article about Network Rail’s plans to spend £1.2 billion upgrading the East Coast main line. It outlined a hugely ambitious scheme that has taken some time to plan and organise, coupled with an alliance of contractors capable of delivering all aspects of the project including the design, electrification and power plus the civils work.
The newly-installed Line A at Belle Isle.
Camden Sewer works.
Slab track inside Gasworks Tunnel. Rail Engineer | Issue 188 | Jan-Feb 2021
STATIONS Reconstructing Camden Sewer on approach to King’s Cross.
Detailed schemes have been developed for the King’s Cross station area, Stevenage station and Werrington junction, as well as the renewal of the overhead power supply to the main line from Edinburgh to London. Work started in earnest, on the ground in 2018. Since then, 23 substations and more than 600km of new cabling have been installed along the route, as well as the construction of new foundations for structures designed to support the new overhead line equipment in order to ensure that the connection to the 400kV national grid is fitting for the future demands and resilience of the system. Significant progress has been made. The disused Gasworks tunnel, situated on the approach to King’s Cross station, was cleared of 11,000 tonnes of spoil before installing Rhomberg Sersa UK PORR slab (STA) track. This change will offer two new tracks to King’s Cross with the potential to increase rail access to the station by 50 per cent, which is a significant development and milestone for the overall project.
Camden Sewer All that now needs to be done is to re-model the station throat - a significant engineering challenge that is not an undertaking for the fainthearted. The project team was focused on this throughout the Christmas period as it formed one of the key challenges of the whole project. Although the station has been completely revamped over recent years, the rail access to the station has not been changed for over 40 years and, just to add a bit more spice to the challenge, there is an old sewer - the Camden Sewer - that runs right across the throat at right angles, which needed to be replaced. The Camden Sewer can carry up to 3,200 litres/second. It is old and there is only a shallow cover of around 200mm between the oval shaped brick and concrete sewer and the bottom of the sleepers on the track above. As
a consequence, the vertical alignment of all the tracks has been compromised, creating a ‘hump’ across all the tracks, and there has been a longstanding 15mph speed restriction on all the tracks, designed to protect the sewer. This has meant that movements in and out of the station have been severely restricted, inhibiting train performance. It was agreed very early on in the project that the sewer had to go, which is what turned everyone’s focus and attention on the King’s Cross station approach over the Christmas period.
Planned closure After months of planning and preparation, a six-day closure of the station was agreed with the train operators, from 25 December until 30 December, after which there would be a reduced service from the 31st until 3 January 2021. This would be the first time in 40 years that all four tracks leading into King’s Cross station were removed at the same time. Rail Engineer spoke with Network Rail’s programme manager Mark Bell and project manager Jim Scholes, and with Marina Torres, sub-agent for principal contractor Morgan Sindall, about this challenging part of the East Coast Upgrade.
Old sewer being removed.
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STATIONS Storm Bella
Teams reconstructing Camden Sewer.
Inspecting the re-laid trackwork above Camden Sewer.
Pandemic They explained that, throughout the long planning process, many options, opportunities and concerns were considered, but the thought of a global pandemic had not been one of them. The country was, and still is, experiencing constraints and restrictions that are unheard of in most people’s lifetime. Back in March 2020, a decision was made by Network Rail to stand the project team down for ten days, so that they could review all the plans and incorporate all the controls and constraints now required to ensure everyone’s safety in these strange and very difficult times. Staff numbers were adjusted to accommodate social distancing rules. Processes and procedures were amended and a rigorous on-site COVID testing regime introduced. Following the review, it was agreed by all parties that all of the work that had been planned could be achieved. The virus did impact on the project but, as Mark pointed out, adopting an effective ‘One Team’ attitude, underpinned by good discipline and commitment to the plan, enabled everyone, collectively, to control and manage the risks effectively. These decisions impacted not only the team delivering the project but also the Thames Water Authority, which also had an important role to play with regard to maintaining an effective and safe sewage outflow. By Christmas Day, the tracks had been removed at the entrance/throat to King’s Cross station, using a Kirow crane, and the Overhead Line Equipment (OLE) had been protected. More than 1,000 tonnes of spoil had to be removed to enable the construction of the new sewer, using 44 precast concrete units, each 1.2 metres high x 1.4 metres long x 0.5metres deep, across the throat, ready to meet up with 83 similar units that had been installed either end before the possession began. Once installed and connected into the Thames Water system, the old sewer could be removed.
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That all sounds quite straight forward. A wellprepared plan had been developed to remove the spoil, 450 tonnes by dumper to a road access and the rest by rail. Not an easy task but, with careful planning, eminently do-able. What hadn’t been expected was the arrival of Storm Bella, which hit the site at 06:00 on 27 December. It brought with it continuous rain for nine hours, which is not ideal when digging a big trench across a major station complex ready for the installation of the base slab, designed to support the new concrete sewer units. It is times like this when engineers are really able to show their worth and, following a quick review of the work, an effective, revised plan, prepared by Morgan Sindall, was approved by Network Rail and put into action. By significantly amending the original plan, the base slab was completed on time. By 28 December, the construction of the new sewer was well advanced, making it possible to backfill the excavation with ballast and enable two tracks to be re-laid overnight. By the morning of 30 December, the OLE power supply was switched on over the two tracks now laid flat over the new sewer. The final section of the sewer was installed early on New Year’s Day and the old sewer was broken up and removed. The Kirow crane reinstated the remaining tracks, switch heaters were reconnected, a vital component at this time of year, and the tracks were tamped and realigned with help from the local maintenance gangs to ensure a full service could be restored as planned on Monday 4 January. The Camden Sewer took just nine days to be replaced by a new one and then demolished. Whilst the work on the sewer was underway, the opportunity was taken to install essential OLE in the third bore of Gasworks tunnel, which is being brought back into use, alongside more than one hundred pieces of new signalling equipment as well as over 3km of cabling within the tunnel and elsewhere. Additional work was planned to waterproof key areas of the tunnel, helping to protect the new slab track and equipment that has been installed.
STATIONS
(Above) Excavating spoil from Camden Sewer. (Inset) A final inspection of the overhead line equipment following the work at King’s Cross.
Improved track access The southernmost platform, known as Platform Zero, has been demolished and is currently being realigned by Pod-Trak so that it lines up with the newly reopened third bore of Gasworks tunnel. There will then be eleven platforms, numbered zero to ten, designed to accommodate a new six track layout thus creating a fifty percent improvement to track access into the main shed of King’s Cross station. This could not be achieved without the removal of the old sewer. The plan is to have all six tracks connected for commissioning by 7 June, alongside the reintroduction of the third bore of Gasworks tunnel to the system - a valuable asset that has been lying dormant for many years. As part of the commissioning of the new layout in the station throat in April, signalling control will be transferred to York, leaving King’s Cross signal box redundant. These are radical changes, all of which hinged on the successful removal of the old sewer. It will transform train movement at King’s Cross and it will be a major milestone for the East Coast Upgrade project. But let’s just think back for a moment - the engineering team, working together, had spent months, if not years, preparing for this element of the overall scheme. Everyone agreed that
the sewer had to go. Detailed plans were developed, then COVID-19 imposed its will on everything. Nothing was now guaranteed, and all aspects of the plan were suddenly vulnerable. Time had to be taken out to review the whole scheme. This involved everyone and required joined-up thinking, ingenuity, commitment, a strong nerve and, most importantly, a one-team approach. Mark, Jim and Marina were justifiably pleased with their endeavours. More than 16,000 hours were worked on site and, despite a pandemic and a severe storm, the work was delivered on time. As Mark stated: “We are extremely proud of what we have achieved working as one team ready to take on the next stage planned for the end of February”. A view happily endorsed by both Jim and Marina.
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ROLLING STOCK/DEPOTS Class 720 train on test, May 2020.
MALCOLM DOBELL
New Trains in a Pandemic
Introducing Greater Anglia’s new Aventra trains into service
I (Left) Wheelchair space. (Right) Universal toilet.
n August 2016 Abellio was awarded a long-term franchise to run the Greater Anglia network from October 2016 for nine years to 2025. The big surprise was the commitment to replace the entire fleet of trains between January 2019 and October 2020. This represented an investment of some ÂŁ1.4 billion.
A total of 38 Stadler Flirt bi-mode trains were selected, comprising 14 three-car and 24 fourcar units, for the more rural, largely unelectrified routes (Class 755/3 and 755/4). Stadler Flirt all-electric trains were selected, comprising 10 twelve-car units in all-standard-class accommodation for Stansted Express services (Class 745/1) and 10 twelve-car units with first and standard class accommodation and a bistro for the London-Norwich inter-city route (Class 745/0). These were financed by Rock Rail.
Rail Engineer | Issue 188 | Jan-Feb 2021
For the extensive London commuter network, 111 Bombardier Aventra trains were ordered with 89 five-car and 22 ten-car units, financed by Angel Trains. This order was flexed in mid-2020; the ten-car trains were replaced by five-car units, so the order was now for a total of 133 five-car units (Class 720/5). The number of cars - 665 remained the same. The Stadler trains entered service between July 2019 and December 2020. The first Bombardier train entered service in November 2020.
ROLLING STOCK/DEPOTS Some of the challenges of getting the Stadler trains into service have already been described (issue 180, December 2019), so this article concentrates on the Bombardier trains. In mid-January 2021, Rail Engineer spoke to Ian McConnell, Greater Anglia’s franchise and programmes director, about the challenges of getting the much larger Class 720 fleet into service during a pandemic. Firstly, the basics. This is a fleet of five-car trains that can operate in five-car or 10-car formation. As the cars are 24 metres long, a 10-car train is approximately the same length as a 12-car train of three four-car units such as Class 360, which are formed with 20-metre-long cars. As a result, a 10-car train made up of two Class 720 units has some 1,080 seats, compared with 840 seats on a three-unit Class 360 train. Moreover, the tare weight of a 10-car Class 720 train is 386 tonnes compared with 516 tonnes of a 12-car Class 360 train, a saving of some 130 tonnes. The panel describes more of the features of the Class 720. Ian McConnell was keen to highlight the effort that Greater Anglia has put into providing comfortable seats, with passengers sitting adjacent to the bodysides having more foot space as bodyside heaters have been eliminated in favour of heated floors. As with all modern commuter fleets, Class 720 trains feature spacious gangways,
air conditioning, spaces for wheelchairs, comprehensive passenger information, Wi-Fi, power and USB sockets, as well as spaces for bicycles. They are also fully compliant with the Technical Specification for Interoperability for Persons of Reduced Mobility. The Class 720 fleet is being maintained by Bombardier Transportation at Ilford depot under a train service agreement, and Ian McConnell said that his team has developed an excellent relationship with Bombardier. The delays to the start of rolling out the Class 720 into service were discussed and it was clear that these were knock-on delays arising from the software issues that delayed entry into service
Wide gangway between cars and information screen.
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ROLLING STOCK/DEPOTS facility to accommodate the Stadler trains), at stabling points around the network and at stations including Sheringham, Wickford and Cambridge. Ian was proud that Abellio had managed this infrastructure programme itself rather than the more usual model where works are delivered by Network Rail on the train operator’s behalf.
Testing
Work in progress at Ilford depot to provide staging allowing access to all areas of Class 720.
of the London Overground Class 710 Aventra units. Ian added that software issues were still top of his list of technical challenges, although he added that the trains in service are running well and there were no technical issues that were overly concerning.
Production and testing were well under way when COVID struck, leading to the lockdown in March 2020, initially stopping both activities. Fortunately, suitable COVID-safe protocols were developed for safe working and both restarted, but with some restrictions in place with production also suffering from supply chain issues. Unlike some new train projects, Ian’s team were still able to travel to witness key activities as the overwhelming majority of testing was being carried out in the UK, especially at the Railway Industry Development Centre near Melton Mowbray. The Office of Rail and Road (ORR) issued its authorisation for Class 720 on 8 June 2020.
Training Contract variation
Class 720 cab with central driver’s seat.
A fixed formation train can be very inflexible - for example, a small fault in a cab that cannot be fixed immediately causes a whole train to be lost. Moreover, the fixed formation is very demanding for maintenance facilities, not least for the wheel lathe, where a track length of twice the longest unit length is required. Another, possibly deciding, factor arose from the lockdown in March 2020. Along with all the other passenger operators, Greater Anglia significantly reduced the service and has since adjusted the timetable several times. Indeed, services were reduced again during the drafting of this article. Ian said that all these factors led Abellio, the Department for Transport, Angel Trains and Bombardier to review the order with a view to increasing the flexibility of the fleet, leading to an agreement to amend the order so that the 22 ten-car trains became 44 five-car units. This caused a loss of just 440 out of a total of over 72,000 seats, just under 0.6 per cent of the total across the new suburban fleet - still a massive increase in seat numbers compared with the old fleet. Stations, depots and sidings have received some £300 million of investment to accommodate the new trains - both Stadler and Bombardier. This is in addition to the £1.4 billion mentioned above. Several platforms have been extended, there have been extensive changes to facilities at Ilford depot, to accommodate the five-car trains, in Norwich (Crown Point Depot and Victoria Sidings), at Clacton (a new lifting
Rail Engineer | Issue 188 | Jan-Feb 2021
The unique programme to replace the entire fleet led to a decision to set up a dedicated business readiness team to plan all the diagrams, rosters and other processes and ensure that everyone in the business was ready to use the new trains. Critical to this, of course, was training the train staff - drivers and conductors. As can be seen from the photo of the cab, the driver sits centrally, and, whilst there is a seat for an instructor, it is impossible to maintain a twometre social distance space between the driver and instructor. Abellio worked closely with the drivers’ trades union representatives to design a practical way to train the staff. This involved creating “bubbles” of drivers and instructors, with routine testing for COVID-19 for everyone in each bubble.
ROLLING STOCK/DEPOTS
CLASS 720 KEY FEATURES Exterior/dimensions/performance:
Service The first train went into service on 26 November 2020 on the Liverpool Street to Southend line. By mid-January 2020, 12 units had been accepted, of which eight were in service. The Braintree and Southminster lines have been added since November. The plan is to gradually extend the use of the new trains to all the Great Eastern routes in Essex and on to Ipswich in the first half of 2021 and to begin on the west Anglia route between Liverpool Street and Cambridge in the second half of the year. Eventually, Greater Anglia’s new Class 720 trains will run across the electrified parts of the Greater Anglia network including Hertford East, King’s Lynn and Cambridge to London. It will also serve Great Eastern main line destinations including Norwich, Diss, Stowmarket, Ipswich, Manningtree, Colchester, Chelmsford, Stratford and Liverpool Street, and also Braintree, Clacton and Southend to London. They will be supplemented by Stadler Class 745 trains on the London to Norwich inter-city service and on the Stansted Express service. Ian expects all the new trains to be in service by summer 2022 but recognises that the shape of services over the next year or two is not something that is currently possible to forecast. Thanks to Greater Anglia’s Lucy Wright for her assistance with this article.
» Five-car train mass: 193.1 tonnes » Layout: DTLW-M3-M2-PML-DM » Nominal car length 24 metres / train length 122 metres » Aluminium welded, bolted bodyshells » Bombardier FlexxEco inside-frame bogies » Top speed: 100mph (161km/h) » Maximum power at wheel in traction: 2,300kW per unit » Maximum power at wheel in braking: 3,700kW per unit » Starting tractive effort per motor: 21.6kN » Maximum acceleration: 0.8m/s² » Brake effort per motor: 17.0kN
First day in service.
Interior: » Mostly seating will be three by two » Seats cantilevered from the bodyside to create a clear floor for easier cleaning and storage of luggage » Walk-through cars for easy passage from one car to another » Air-conditioning » Heated floors, eliminating body-side heaters that encroach into legroom » Fast free Wi-Fi; USB and plug sockets » Information screens on trains and stations indicate where there are empty seats » Four cycle spaces on each five-car train » Two toilets on a five-car train (including one accessible) » Toilet sink waste harvested, treated and reused to flush the toilet » Seating capacity: 540 seats on five-car train » Seat back tables
Rail Engineer | Issue 188 | Jan-Feb 2021
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Safety by Design A
lthough rail maintenance facilities have a high
Time for change
concentration of people, the safety of depot
Achieving high operational throughput while keeping the risk to staff as low as is reasonably possible requires the right safety culture and effective follow up of health and safety incidents. Whilst “there has been no sustained change in the number of recorded near-miss events involving rail workers over the last five years”, the RSSB Annual Health and Safety Report 2019/20 states that “although train operators input depot accidents to SMIS (Safety Management Intelligence System the rail industry’s on-line health and safety reporting system), other organisations that carry out train care and maintenance do not. This means the industry does not currently have a complete picture of depot risk. This needs to change. In order for the risks to staff at maintenance depots to be fully addressed, they must first be accurately reported. Considering that the real harm numbers for depots are likely to be much higher than recorded, it is clear that changes need to be made.
workers does not have the same focus as there is for track workers.
With a third of workforce fatalities occuring in depots in the period covered by the latest RSSB report, there is a need for a depot worker safety task force as there is for track workers. This would help provide a focus on the safety of the railway in its entirety, ensuring everyone returns home safely to their families each day, across the entire network.
The risks to depot staff The risks that face rail maintenance staff during their day-to-day work are undeniable; high speed vehicles, high voltage electricity and powerful machinery combine to make modern depots potentially deadly places to work. This is further compounded by the growing number of vehicles on the network, leading mounting pressure on operators and a desire to achieve ‘pitstop style’ servicing. With existing facilities having finite space, and with greater through-put being required, an increasing amount of work is being carried out in non-traditional areas such as stabling roads. It is becoming common place for cleaning, fuelling, sanding, the emptying and cleaning of controlled-emission toilets (CET) and even minor maintenance activities to be carried out on stabling roads. These tracks typically do not have depot protection systems, so staff protection is dependant on rules compliance which does not protect against human error.
and sidings s t o p e d , s d r “Ya % of all 0 2 r o f t n u o c ac ith 29% w m r a h e c r workfo e last five h t in s ie t li a t of fa in Yards, g in r r u c c o s r yea (YDS).” s g in id S d n a Depots nual Health n A B S S R : e Sourc rt 2019/20. o p e R y t fe a S and
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Rail Engineer | Issue 188 | Jan-Feb 2021
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The Innovative Road End Panel (REP) Allows Staff to Create Safe Zones to Work In. harmed by decision errors or lapses in communication. RFID tags identify when an individual is working on a maintenance road, whilst powered derailers protect them from unexpected train movements or heavy machinery. The system also incorporates klaxons and beacons to provide audible and visual warnings of moving vehicles.
Unique challenges
In depots, train moves are made in the proximity to the workforce. These are at low speed and generally unsignalled. The modelled risk of being struck or crushed by a train is lower in depots than on the running line. However, such tragic events have occurred in the past, demonstrating that it can happen and there is no room for complacency. The major risk profile for yards, depots and sidings is dominated by slips, trips and falls, along with accidents caused by contact with objects. This relates directly to the types of work carried out and, although minor injuries have dropped to their lowest level in five years, the RSSB found there has been an increase in major injuries reported. They included instances of staff injured when using tools and equipment, as well as slips and falls on uneven ground.
Integrated depot safety A fundamental principle of the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations is that safety should be designed into any new facility. Minimising harm to staff requires safety to be designed into depots at the earliest opportunity and that this should acknowledge the changing maintenance environment, such as work being conducted on stabling roads. Hence, it is essential that new-build facilities and modernisation projects consider the risks to staff at the design stage and look to integrate available technologies, such as Zonegreen’s market-leading Depot Personnel Protection System (DPPS). The planned implementation of technologies such as DPPS brings the concept of ‘safety by design’ to depots.
Rail Engineer | Issue 188 | Jan-Feb 2021
Network Rail defines safety by design as “to control health and safety risks in infrastructure, rolling stock, equipment and processes by early consideration of potential risks and dealing with those risks at the design stage.” However, it is found that all too often, new works or modifications fail to take simple steps to avoid potential hazards. The RSSB identified the top-three underlying causes of near misses as ‘decision error’, a ‘slip or lapse’ and ‘verbal communications’. Therefore, the key to reducing staff harm is to minimise the margin for human error. Whereas traditional depot safety relies on paper permits and manual systems that could be misinterpreted or applied incorrectly, DPPS uses intuitive technology to automate safety and remove the human element. It physically eliminates the risks posed by SPADs, overhead lines and highpowered equipment, making it easy to set up safe areas in which to work, where it is impossible for staff to be
The RSSB health and safety report 2019/20 concluded: “Britain’s railways rely on a mix of Victorian engineering and new technology - with everything else in between. Each poses its own challenges. The old infrastructure was built to last. It has done so for over a hundred years, but for how much longer unaided?” Thankfully, help is at hand. Each DPPS system is designed specifically to meet the individual needs of the depot and its function. It is flexible and future-proofed, enabling it to adapt to the changing maintenance landscape, and can be interlocked with signalling systems and existing third-party equipment such as wheel lathes. When combined with Depot Manager software, the status of the DPPS can be viewed from a control room, helping to enable the safe and efficient passage of vehicles around facilities, protecting staff and infrastructure.
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Exeter’s new depot a tight squeeze GRAHAME TAYLOR
E
xeter St. David’s goods yard was a reasonable size when it was first established back in the 1840s. But then it soon started to be nibbled away. By 1864, additional platforms were constructed for the adjacent station, as a result of
the arrival of three more railway companies.
Nothing much changed until the early part of the 20th Century, when further platform alterations took another chunk out of the southern end of the yard. With the River Exe all along the western side, the engine sheds to the south west and the running lines on the east, there really wasn’t much room left, apart from a narrow sliver of land. With the demise of steam, the engine sheds were converted into a diesel depot. This has room for a pair of diesel multiple units (DMUs) and a heavy maintenance shed that can take but a single carriage. As goods traffic dwindled, the goods lines were removed and the site became the typical railway blend of informal car parking, abandoned ‘stuff’ and a smattering of portable buildings.
More seats, more trains Then came the 2019 timetable change, which heralded an increase in passenger seating of over 50 per cent. Those additional seats meant additional and longer trains, and those additional and longer trains would need to be maintained. Fiona Cane, GWR’s head of commercial development, explained: “The trains have been cascaded as a result of
Rail Engineer | Issue 188 | Jan-Feb 2021
the delivery of new trains running under the wires between Paddington and Bristol - and the removal of the Class 143 Pacers that have…left the business.” Nice euphemism! As already mentioned, the existing DMU facility can deal with just two 2-coach trains. The new trains will not fit and to split a DMU to make it fit would add two hours to any maintenance routine. Something had to be done. And the ‘something’ was a brand-new depot, built to 21st century standards, capable of taking two to five coach units. A scheme was developed to GRIP4 (single option development) by RPS Group and a contract valued at £34 million awarded to main contractor Hochtief in December 2017. But, looking again at the diminished goods siding site, it was pretty obvious that it would all be a ‘bit of a squeeze’.
Tight Fiona, who spent over three years as senior project manager at the new depot, knows the site well: “The footprint of the new depot is almost as big as the footprint of the existing goods yard. “It isn’t just area that is a problem. Levels are critical. Trackwork has to join the existing connection into the main line. If the connection site changed, then this would have meant a change in the main line signalling. Timescales were tight enough, without bringing in an additional discipline.”
ROLLING STOCK/DEPOTS The new access roadway at the north end had to tie in with the existing Station Road. Normally, road levels are more forgiving, but on this occasion the entrance on to Station Road is within yards of the level crossing at the north end of St David’s station - so, no room to manoeuvre there. Given the need to have level maintenance lines within the shed, this meant that the level of the building was fixed. Despite the building structure being supported on piled foundations, there was still the need to excavate for the working areas below the tracks. The final obstacle was a substantial (big enough to stand in) culvert that takes water from the hills to the east of the station, under the main lines, under the goods yard to discharge into the River Exe which, as well as a parallel relief channel, is tight against the western boundary. Needless to say, this outfall level too is fixed. The challenge for Arup, Hochtief’s designer, was how to construct a ‘swimming pool’ type of structure with an underside that is lower than the soffit of the culvert. The original plan was to divert the culvert around the shed outline. The adopted solution was to opt for a squashed, but wider, culvert beneath the maintenance shed, formed of precast concrete box sections.
Ground conditions As is typical for a plot of railway land, the ground conditions were predictably grim. An extensive and disruptive ground investigation by CC Ground Investigation took place which confirmed the likelihood of numerous unidentified services, obstructions and layers of toxic/unpleasant materials. There was no option but to take such ‘stuff’ away, as there was no room to bury it and cap it off. An ordnance survey was carried out, but, despite intensive bombing of Exeter during the war, ordnance was well documented and had been dealt with at the time. The survey was limited to a desktop analysis. No substantial risk was identified and, happily, no bombs were found! Local firm JD Civil Engineering set to work temporarily diverting the offending culvert to allow the installation of precast concrete sections. At the same time, most of the site drainage was established. This has no connection to the culvert. Surface and foul drainage from the southern end is pumped over the culvert and taken on to the outfalls in Station Road. Much of the site rainwater is captured and recycled - including that needed for the new carriage washing facility. With the new building and its associated trackwork occupying all the site, there was no room for the normal village of welfare facilities, or compounds for stores, or for materials deliveries.
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Rail Engineer | Issue 188 | Jan-Feb 2021
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The main contractor set up site offices in a portion of railway land to the north of Station Road. This northern goods area had enough room for deliveries and storage, and further storage was available adjacent to a sidings complex further to the north. Having cleared the site of extraneous clutter, the ground conditions were never going to improve. This had been marsh land originally and was incapable of supporting any building on normal footings. Piling was essential and these were 15-metre-long CFA (Continuous Fluid Auger) piles. The process is virtually vibration-free and one of the quietest forms of piling, making it ideal for environmentally sensitive areas. There are several densely populated areas around the whole site, and hammered piling would have been unacceptable. The system eliminates the need to use support fluid or casings in cohesive soils, non-cohesive or water bearing soils. CFA piles are formed by drilling using a hollow stem continuous flight auger. After reaching the designed depth, a high slump concrete is then pumped through the hollow stem. While the concrete is being pumped, the auger is withdrawn at a controlled rate, removing the soil and forming a shaft of fluid concrete extending to ground level. A reinforcing cage is then inserted into the concrete.
Above ground As the main building began to take shape, with steelwork fabricated and erected by Bourne Steel, space became ever-more a scarce commodity. In order to reduce site movements, the main contractor set up a large self-erecting tower crane, which needed a special license to ensure that loads were not suspended over the main lines. The site of a new siding track to the west of the main building was used as a haul road until the final stages of the construction. This helped with access, but even this had its problems towards the southern throat of the site. A small patch of useful land could not be accessed, because the existing DMU maintenance shed blocked the way. With some imaginative staging, some of the main shed cladding at the southern end was delayed so that vehicles could drive into the shed to access the storage area. The primary maintenance building contains a workshop area, a two-storey store area and a three-storey office/welfare area. Mechanical and
Rail Engineer | Issue 188 | Jan-Feb 2021
electrical services were installed by N G Bailey. The maintenance workshop area accommodates two 5-car lines in a “swimming pool� arrangement with overhead cranes and a further three-car line with synchronised jack-lifting capability and a service pit underneath. There is no wheel lathe on site, but bogies can be swapped around and taken away for treatment. Two small turntables assist massively. Across the Station Road is a fuel farm, as there is no room in the main site. All the fluids, diesel and the various oils in the workshop are stockpiled and fed into the shed via a substantial fuel overbridge. It was deemed to be better to have an aerial route, which can be easily inspected and maintained, rather than having a buried route beneath the busy Station Road. Within the depot, staff are protected by a DPS (Depot Protection System), which was designed and installed by FirstClass Safety & Control.
Ventilation Ventilation of the shed was a particularly challenging issue. Regulations govern the nature and quantity of emission thresholds. The purpose of the shed is to service, maintain and run a wide variety of diesel engines. Emissions will occur and there is the potential that limits may be exceeded. This is not a depot dealing with just one type of brand-new train. Such depots can install specific ventilators that lower onto known exhaust outlets - a bit like cooker hoods. GWR has inherited a mix of rolling stock with a mix of outlets within the vehicles. The alternative selected was whole-shed ventilation. Typically, fans that are used in these circumstances could be too noisy, both for those working inside the shed and also for the neighbours. Foreman Roberts, MEP designers along with RPS, recommended the use of closed-fan type units and these are housed in 26 enclosures on the roof. These need specific access for regular inspection. Concentrating on this one specific detail has made sure that the building is future proof. Any rolling stock can be accommodated in the shed.
ROLLING STOCK/DEPOTS
Installed in parallel is a complex array of sensors to check the emissions levels in real-time and, if necessary, alert the production manager of hazards in good time to avoid harmful exposure. Pedestrian access to the depot is via a bridge across to the northern station footbridge. This too had its own challenges. The main contractor worked around the clock to complete the link within a three-week window of opportunity whilst the lift access to the platform was temporarily closed.
Focussing on people Fiona and the project team focussed hard on how to help people do their work well in the new facility. This extended to both the engineering depot staff and the train crew, who are
moving into their new accommodation from ‘temporary’ (25-years temporary) cabins on the far side of the station, in order to be close to their frontline managers. Uniquely for GWR, there are now shared facilities in one building. At the time of writing, the site is soon to be handed over to GWR, trial running of trains having taken place in December 2020. The transformation of the old yard from a brown field site (and that’s being kind!) to a 21st century train depot is impressive but, no matter what future technology might bring us, it won’t be easy to make it any bigger!
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Rail Engineer | Issue 188 | Jan-Feb 2021
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SC OT TRAIN LA ND EN G ’S RO D Y
H
DAVID SHIRRES
R
ail Engineer’s recent feature on hydrogen trains mentioned plans to produce a hydrogen demonstrator train in Scotland, but it went to press before the announcement of the contract award. As this initiative has much of interest, in both the train and the UK’s decarbonisation strategy, we hope readers will agree that it is worthy of another hydrogen-train article. Both the Committee on Climate Change’s Net Zero report and the National Grid’s Future Energy Scenarios conclude that hydrogen will have a key role in the decarbonisation of the energy system. They consider that replacing fossil fuels requires an increase in both zero-carbon electrical generation and hydrogen production. This would provide power beyond the fixed electrical distribution system and could also be used for heating, for example for high temperature industrial processes and domestic heating using the existing gas grid. In November, HM Government published its Ten Point Plan for a Green Industrial Revolution. One of these points was driving the growth of lowcarbon hydrogen, which it considers will potentially unlock 100,000 jobs by 2050. In Scotland, the devolved government’s ‘Scottish Hydrogen Assessment’ was published in December. This concluded that Scotland could produce significant quantities of green hydrogen from offshore wind. It also considered three scenarios for hydrogen production in 2045, which ranged between 20 and 127TWh. In these scenarios, transport would consume between 7 and 22TWh of hydrogen production and the value to the economy was estimated at between £5.7 and £25.9 billion resulting in between 68,000 and 313,000 jobs by 2045.
Rail Engineer | Issue 188 | Jan-Feb 2021
Accelerating hydrogen In July, the Scottish Government announced that it was to invest £300,000 in a hydrogen accelerator at the University of St Andrews to support delivery of its target of net-zero carbon by 2045. This requires the University to collaborate with relevant Scottish institutions to drive hydrogen technology innovations and to encourage knowledge sharing and the development of expertise to support transport applications. It also aims to maximise the economic opportunities from the shift to zero or ultra-low emission transport by fostering new partnerships between industry and government.
Thus, this supports Transport Scotland’s transport decarbonisation plan and Scottish Enterprise’s requirement to develop the supply chain to support Scotland’s green recovery. In September, the University of St Andrews announced that it was seeking a partner for the next phase of the production of a hydrogen train demonstrator. This scheme had been developed by Scottish Enterprise and Transport Scotland. Its first phase had been a concept design for conversion of a Class 314 EMU that had been jointly developed by Brodie Engineering of Kilmarnock and Arcola Energy. The contract notice for the second phase required a hydrogen train to be demonstrated on the Bo’ness and Kinneil heritage railway and available for the COP26 world environmental summit in Glasgow in November. It had an estimated contract value of £2.74 million and stated
ROLLING STOCK/DEPOTS that the contract objectives were to: 1. Prove, or work towards proving, that Scotland has the capability of modifying an existing item of rolling stock to install hydrogen fuel cell (FC) technologies, batteries and control equipment; 2. Work with the regulatory bodies to develop the necessary standards and controls for the use of hydrogen fuel cell electric power on passenger rolling stock; 3. Inform rail policy on the application of such technology on the Scottish passenger rail network in advance of the decarbonisation target of 2035 for Scotland’s passenger rail services; 4. Demonstrate, or work towards demonstrating, to Scotland’s rail community, through practical application, the operation of hydrogen fuel cell electric passenger rolling stock; 5. Provide Scotland’s supply chain with the opportunity to develop its skills and advance its knowledge of the application of hydrogen fuel cell electric technologies on passenger rolling stock, as well as issues relating to hydrogen supply and refuelling infrastructure; 6. Provide educational institutions with the opportunity for research and practical application of hydrogen fuel cell electric technologies within the rail industry.
In December, this contract to convert a surplus Class 314 EMU into a hydrogen train was awarded to an industry consortium led by Arcola Energy working with partners Arup, Abbott Risk Consulting and Aegis.
The big picture Rail Engineer was glad of the opportunity to have a Zoom call with Arcola Energy’s founder and CEO Dr Ben Todd and the company’s head of rail engineering, Glenn Daniel, to discuss the Class 314 hydrogen train project and the wider role of hydrogen in a net-zero economy. Ben founded Arcola Energy in 2010 to bridge the gap between evolving clean energy technologies and end-user needs. The company is a Tier 1 supplier that offers zeroemission solutions for heavyduty vehicles and transport. To do so, Arcola Energy has developed powertrains which integrate fuel cells, batteries, hydrogen storage, power electronics, motor, and brakes. These can either be retrofitted or installed on new vehicles. The company has been part of various engineering partnerships which have seen their powertrains fitted on buses, HGVs and refuse collection vehicle (RCVs). He notes that Glasgow City Council has a project for 23 hydrogen-powered RCVs, one of which will be operational in Glasgow during the COP26 summit.
The company’s fuel cell system was also used in the Surf ‘n’ Turf project on the Orkney Islands. This demonstrates how hydrogen can be used as an energy vector by generating it from tidal and wind power on offshore islands and transporting it to generate electricity on the Orkney mainland.
314209 at Yoker Depot in Glasgow waiting for its hydrogen conversion.
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ROLLING STOCK/DEPOTS Hydrogen storage
(Above) Alstom’s Breeze, the proposed UK iLint equivalent, has hydrogen stored inside the train. (Inset) Roof mounted hydrogen tanks on Alstom’s iLint.
Ben pointed out that the objectives of the Scottish hydrogen train project do not include building a train. There they are all concerned with the much bigger picture, which is about building Scottish hydrogen capabilities, helping industry to understand where hydrogen fits and overcoming natural reluctance to adopting this technology. He considers that there is extraordinary potential for renewable electricity in Scotland, which he feels is currently constrained as promoters cannot secure sufficiently strong electricity purchase agreements. These need to be of at least ten-years duration to make renewable power investments sufficiently attractive. A zero-carbon economy requires more renewables and decarbonised transport. His view is that hydrogen is an energy vector, stuck between these requirements,
Rail Engineer | Issue 188 | Jan-Feb 2021
which realises both of them. Also, the more projects that use hydrogen, the better the economics. Trains are great in this respect as they offer a predicable demand and return to base which simplifies hydrogen supply. We discuss the poor efficiency of hydrogen traction, which Ben feels is not an issue as it does not detract from hydrogen’s role as an energy vector, as he had described. He also considers that this explains why the economics of hydrogen need not depend on the use of surplus overnight wind power, which Ben feels is a “nice to have.” Furthermore, this would require electrolysers to run at a low percentage utilisation. Ben is convinced that, with economies of scale, the price of hydrogen generated from renewables can only be reduced, whereas the volatile cost of fossil fuels is likely to increase. He considered Alstom’s €500 million contract to supply 27 trains in Germany, which includes the supply of hydrogen fuel for 25 years. No company would enter into such an agreement unless there was reasonable certainty of fuel costs over such a long period. This is the case for hydrogen, as its costs are the capital and maintenance costs of the electrolyser and renewable power installation.
One of the limitations of a hydrogen train is that, compared with diesel, it requires much more space to store its fuel. As a result, this may encroach upon the train’s passenger space, which is a particular problem in Britain. For example, each coach of Alstom’s German iLint stores 98kg of hydrogen in roof mounted hydrogen tanks. However, as the constrained British loading gauge precludes the use of roof tanks, Alstom’s “Breeze” proposal for a UK hydrogen train has hydrogen stored within the coach body. The iLint stores hydrogen as a compressed gas at 350bar, which is the norm for heavy-duty hydrogen applications and requires what Ben described as a “quite straightforward” pressure vessel. Hydrogen cars generally store it at 700bar, as consumers want maximum range and are prepared to pay for it. However, this requires more expensive cylinders and is not an efficient way of storage as doubling the pressure from 350 to 700bar only stores 60 per cent more hydrogen. Alternative ways of storing hydrogen are by chemical storage, such as Ammonia or metal hydrides. However, these present practical problems such as long refuelling times. The 3-car Class 314 hydrogen train will store 80kg of hydrogen, which is sufficient for its use as a demonstrator train. Doubling this amount for passenger use would require some hydrogen to be stored within the coaches, where Ben feels there is scope to create appropriately ventilated spaces that do not take up too much passenger space. He feels that, in the short term, a lot can be done to efficiently package 350bar hydrogen within a train, possibly including the development of rectilinear tanks to maximise storage space.
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Artemis energy recovery test vehicle outside a workshop at Bo’ness. The railway also hosted a test of a Vivarail battery train so is becoming a testbed for decarbonisation initiatives.
Class 314 driving motor coach 64600 on the M9 motorway passing the iconic Kelpies at Grangemouth en route to Bo’ness.
Moving to Bo’ness The three-car 25kV AC Class 314 units were second generation British Rail EMUs that were built in 1979. They were withdrawn in 2019 due to their lack of compliance with the persons of reduced mobility legislation, which became law in January 2020. The outer coaches have driving cabs with powered bogies and an unpowered pantograph trailer coach is in the middle of the unit. Of the 16 units built, all have been scrapped except for unit 314209, which was moved to Yoker carriage sidings in December 2019, ready for its conversion to a hydrogen unit. It stayed there for a year until
Rail Engineer | Issue 188 | Jan-Feb 2021
it was moved under its own power from Yoker to Shields Depot in a regular empty stock move on 16 December. The next day it was moved by road from Shields Depot in Glasgow to Bo’ness on the shore of the Firth of Forth. The train was moved shortly after Arcola was engaged to undertake the hydrogen train conversion. Ben was impressed at that way everyone client-side recognised the urgency to get project started and pulled all the stops out to get the train to Bo’ness before Christmas. He felt that the requirement to complete the hydrogen conversion before COP26 in November was challenging. However, his team had previously replaced diesel engine/transmissions with hydrogen powertrains on similar projects within a ninemonth timescale, and so he was confident that this was achievable. The heritage Bo’ness and Kinneil railway has workshop facilities to maintain its collection of steam and diesel locomotives. Its five-mile line has a challenging gradient and is connected to the
main Edinburgh to Glasgow railway. The Arcola team has an agreement with the railway that its train can use the diesel locomotive workshop whenever required. There is also the potential to engage the railway’s experienced engineering volunteers on the project. Another benefit of basing the project at Bo’ness is familiarising the railway community with hydrogen trains, as required by the project’s fourth objective. Many volunteers at Bo’ness have extensive contacts within the Scottish railway community. A hydrogen fuelling station to compress, store and dispense the gas will also be provided at Bo’ness for the train. Hydrogen will be delivered by road on a tube trailer.
Converting the 314 Glenn Daniels advised that the first step was to weigh the train. It is important to ensure that the converted unit is neither too light, which presents a derailment risk, nor too heavy, due to axleload and dynamic gauging constraints. Hence, during the conversion
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Rail Engineer | Issue 188 | Jan-Feb 2021
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ROLLING STOCK/DEPOTS
Class 314 underfloor hydrogen powertrain arrangement.
Water vapour from the Bo’ness and Kinneil Railway’s steam trains is more visible than that from hydrogen trains.
work, all components removed and fitted will be weighed. Although the unit was designed to carry a 25-tonne passenger crush weight, he is sure that the converted unit would not add anything like this crush weight. Indeed, it is possible that replacing the electrification kit with hydrogen equipment may result in a lighter unit. Hence, there may be a requirement to add ballast. The conversion will fit an Arcola A-Drive hydrogen fuel cell powertrain with hydrogen tank and battery modules under each coach. Once the old equipment is removed, there is plenty of space to fit a steel frame with these modules underneath each coach. The powertrain will be the PP70 variant which provides a peak power of between 200 to 300kW. It will use fuel cells supplied by Ballard. The Class 314 motors presented a particular challenge. These DC motors are powered by an AC feed from the 25kV transformer which is converted into the required DC voltage by thyristor control. Unfortunately, there is nothing available off the shelf to marry the A-Drive powertrain’s DC output to this thyristor control. It was felt that the option of developing the software and power electronics to do this presented an unacceptable risk to the project timescale. Hence it was decided to replace the DC motors with permanent magnet AC motors of a type used with Arcola’s powertrain. This then presents the mechanical problem of fitting the new AC motor to the old bogie’s suspension tube to drive the motorised axle’s gearwheel. Arup will design the
Rail Engineer | Issue 188 | Jan-Feb 2021
required fitments, which will be manufactured by an external supplier. Although this is a non-trivial task, the timescale for it can be quantified. In this respect, mechanical engineering is much less risky than software engineering.
Raising awareness Like many visitor attractions, the Bo’ness and Kinneil railway has been hit hard by the severe restrictions imposed during the COVID pandemic. Hopefully, its trains may be able to operate normally in the not-too-distant future. When they do, the railway’s steam locomotives will be joined by another train that exhausts water vapour, as hydrogen combines with oxygen in its fuel cells. Having a hydrogen train running on its railway may also help put Bo’ness on the map, even though the train won’t be carrying passengers. No doubt Bo’ness will see a good few visitors from the railway community as the project aims to familiarise them with the concept of a hydrogen train. It’s possible there may be distinguished visitors in November, as delegates at COP26 travel the 35 miles from Glasgow to see the train. This is likely, as certification to run on Network Rail’s infrastructure is
not required until the next phase of the project. Ben considers that Arcola’s proven hydrogen engineering and the consortium’s risk-based approach should satisfy main-line certification requirements. From his perspective, the key point is understanding what these are. He hopes that this should now be clear after Porterbook and the University of Birmingham’s Hydroflex received approval for mainline testing in England in September. So perhaps, by November, it might be possible for Scotland’s hydrogen train to run under its own power to COP26 in Glasgow after all. No doubt, it will be widely acclaimed there. Yet, for many railway engineers, the jury is still out on hydrogen trains. With their poor efficiency and the need to store hydrogen inside the train, they have their limitations and should certainly not be considered as an alternative to electrification. Yet, they are the only potentially net-zero traction that have a reasonable range on lines for which electrification is uneconomic or is not possible for many years. Furthermore, any meaningful assessment of the value of fuel-cell-powered trains must consider the UK’s decarbonisation strategy and the role of these trains in a future hydrogen economy. Scotland’s hydrogen train should raise awareness of these issues and is part of the drive to develop a hydrogen supply chain to support a net-zero future. Rail Engineer looks forward to following the development of this hydrogen train project.
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FEATURE
QTS Group continues
to lead innovation in road rail plant fleet
B
eing the leading force in bespoke rail plant has always been a passion for rail contractor QTS Group. Founded in 1992 by managing director Alan McLeish, the company has brought a selection of world-first machinery to the rail industry and now employs over 500 staff and has offices around the UK, including at Strathaven, Nottingham, Preston and Penrith. QTS has grown over the last 29 years and now delivers a variety of services to the UK rail network, including drainage, fencing, civil engineering and design and training, as well as vegetation management. Through the years, QTS has developed a strong reputation for its innovative approach to plant, creating bespoke pieces of kit which can travel easily from road to rail. These machines are not only unique, but they also allow for the creation of huge efficiencies for the company and its clients. One of the most well know is the Mega Chipper, the world’s first rubber-tracked and railmounted chipper.
Rail Engineer | Issue 188 | Jan-Feb 2021
Mega enhancements However, with a commitment to improvement and innovation, the team at QTS is constantly evolving its ideas and has recently unveiled a new, industry leading rail mounted chipper, the Mega Chipper V2. This advanced machine is the successor to the original Mega Chipper, which QTS has revamped, re-engineered and improved to create a more powerful and efficient machine. The fully automated 460 horsepower machine has the ability to chip a 600mm diameter tree in 10 seconds, enabling the company to process more material than any other rail contractor in the UK.
Following years of studying and improving the existing machine, the V2 now features a personnel carrier for up to four operatives, fault reporting by text and remote diagnostic access for fault finding. The new blade configuration helps to make the machine operate more smoothly and efficiently. The rail wheels are hydrostatically driven when in work mode and can be fully operated via remote control, enabling the operator to be located in a position of safety. The rubber tracks are more powerful for both climbing steep embankments and road travel. One of the new Mega Chipper V2’s first jobs was on the East Kilbride line,
FEATURE which is undergoing electrification works. This six-month-long project saw QTS work along 16 track miles, clearing all vegetation from both sides of the track by six metres, removing any dead, dying and dangerous trees which pose as a risk to the infrastructure. The man behind the vision of the QTS plant fleet, managing director Alan McLeish, said: “With track access becoming increasingly limited, efficiency is more crucial than ever. The idea behind the first Mega Chipper was to create a machine that could handle large trees and chip them on site, saving both time and manpower. “The QTS Mega Chipper was the world’s largest and only rail-mounted chipper. However, we wanted to continue to innovate and improve on the original version. “After many discussions on adaptations with the operating and design teams here at QTS, we created the Mega Chipper V2, a bespoke and upgraded chipper with even more power.” The Mega Chipper V2 is part of QTS’ 47-strong vegetation fleet and a part of its wider plant machine fleet. QTS has over 60 machines working across the UK, many of which are first of a kind, and invests £3 million a year, both in new machinery and in upgrades to the existing fleet.
Further investment QTS is constantly investing and innovating, including a recent investment in metal detector technology that will be fitted throughout all of the firm’s chipper fleet. These will stop unused metal Pandrol e-clips, which are
often thrown into the vegetation at the side of the track, from going through the chipper and damaging the blades. Alan added: “It doesn’t stop at the Mega Chipper. Our focus is on steady investment in innovation across our whole plant fleet, including everything from excavators and cranes to jetters and vactors. Our drainage fleet is incredibly impressive and we’ve been working on more than 48 design projects this year. Whether that’s upgrades to our existing Unimogs or new attachments for our rail road excavators, we want to be at the forefront of innovation on the railway.” The firm has also taken delivery of a Compactor, a module designed to collect vegetation materials on site and take them away for biomass - another piece of machinery unique to QTS. This compactor has a capacity which will enable QTS to move two to four times the material volume compared to traditional methods. The compactor is mounted onto a standard rail trailer coupled to a road-rail excavator, which is used to lift and load vegetation. The
excavator operator has full remote control of the Compactor’s hydraulic power pack and compacting sides to give greater efficiency and safety on site. In 2019, QTS made a further investment and bolstered its workshop to include a ‘special projects’ team. This team of engineering specialists is focused on rebuilding and improving current machinery, as well as working on a series of other projects which will help to keep QTS at the forefront of rail plant design and development. Alan added: “We are incredibly proud of the machinery that we develop and not only do we utilise them for our clients, but many of them are available for hire. We have a dedicated plant division which looks after the logistics of the machines which ensures that they are able to move around to the required locations easily.” For more information on QTS, visit wwww.qtsgroup.com. For more information hiring any of our plant, email barry@qtsgroup.com
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LIGHT RAIL/METRO
An CLIVE KESSELL
l i a R t h g i L f o
MALCOLM DOBELL
T
he term light rail covers many facets. To many, it means a tram system or a network such as Docklands Light Railway, but in fact it covers much more and will even impact on traditional heavy rail.
To bring out some notable new concepts and to examine the ongoing expansion of existing systems, the Railway Industry Association (RIA) staged a series of short online sessions over a five-day period in mid-December 2020, during which various experts examined some innovative opportunities that may well come to fruition in the next few years. It proved immensely interesting...
Tram Train Many readers will be familiar with the tram-train experiment between Sheffield Cathedral and Rotherham Parkgate, introduced in October 2018. Running firstly on the Sheffield Super Tram system, it then connects on to Network Rail infrastructure before diverging on to a short section of dedicated track into Rotherham. The vehicles therefore have to be both trams and trains during their five-mile journey. Seven vehicles were purchased from Stadler, said Simon Coulthard from the Network Rail Light Rail Development group, having both a 750V DC and 25kV AC capability from overhead lines. However, for this project, only the 750V DC power supply is used as Network Rail has electrified its part of the route at this voltage.
Fully accessible boarding with low-level platform access was part of the specification. Since opening, 1.6 million journeys have been made, 96 per cent of services arrived within five minutes of right time, the fleet has amassed 903,000km of running and 100 per cent passenger satisfaction recorded. Differences between a tram train and a tram are: 1. It has to be equipped with equipment to obey the Network Rail signalling systems, including AWS (Automatic Warning System) and TPWS (Train Protection and Warning System); 2. Crashworthiness has to be uprated; 3. Wheel profiles that are different from main line standards have to be catered for, with a raised check rail being a possibility to prevent derailments on points and crossings; 4. Clearances have to conform, as heavy rail freight trains use part of the same route. Although the trial is officially ended, the service continues with Local Authority support. It is considered a pipeline for the future and talks are continuing with other operators around the UK including Manchester and the West Midlands.
New Technologies and Innovation Light rail abounds with new ideas. James Hammett, the managing director of UK Tram, and Alex Dodds from Network Rail produced a shopping list of things that are being considered and worked on for light rail systems, including where these interface to heavy rail. Their list included: Âť Catenary-free operation, building on experience with the CAF trams now operating on the West Midlands Metro;
Rail Engineer | Issue 186 | September/October 2020
LIGHT RAIL/METRO This is quite a portfolio and shows the volume of work being carried out in the light-rail sector. There is now a Light Rail Safety Board with a Tram Accident and Incident Database which logs every daily incident on all the UK systems. Some of the developments are covered in later sections of this article.
The Coventry Project
Diagram demonstrating the stepped wheel profile for the Sheffield Tram-Train. » Simulator training both for driver and control-room staff; » Track slab ‘quick install’ designs, such as the Em-track ‘H’ Beam system and other innovative designs; » Lightweight composite overhead-line infrastructure, with much faster installation, being developed by Cecence and Brecknell Willis; » Smart driving techniques to optimise energy consumption; » Maximum rail wear limits, being developed by Huddersfield University; » Rail restoration, companies including ARR Solutions are providing methods for weld repairs to grooved rail; » Tram Train learning hub to gain collective experience; » Rolling stock glazing improvements, to increase the strength of the glazing without a significant increase in weight, are under development by FAR UK and Warwick University as a response to the weaknesses found after the Croydon tram accident; » Heat map for travel loadings plus a journey planning aid; » Tram speed control using the SIMOVE GPS system being trialled in Manchester as well as the Sella Controls beacon system now deployed on the Croydon system; » Authority to work permits for greater safety of staff working on the infrastructure; » Object detection and speed warnings to combat a growing number of incidents; » Hazard perception with associated testing and assessment of drivers; » Safety-critical staff alertness and wellbeing with associated monitoring; » Digitisation of cross industry standards and development of the Transport Infrastructure Efficiency Strategy (TIES); » In-cab signalling to replace trackside equipment; » Switchless point development and removal of moving blades; » Battery, hydrogen and other alternative power sources; » Avoidance of track circuits and replacement with axle counters; » Where level crossings exist on any mixed heavy/light rail routes, ensuring safe operation for both types of railway; » Managing trespass risk between heavy and light rail networks - a barrier between the two being a possibility, as at Rotherham Central station; » Customer information systems - whether to fully integrate or separate for different rail networks at a common station.
In May Rail Engineer (issue 184) reported RIA’s first 5-day unlocking innovation online event “Digital journeys for rail passengers and freight”. This included a day devoted to light rail which included a presentation on the Coventry Very Light Rail (VLR) project. Coventry has significant traffic congestion and pollution problems plus poor connectivity, with at least two of its major centres being out of town - the Ricoh football stadium and associated function centre in the north and Warwick University in the south. Plans to get people out of their cars include providing an urban very-light-rail network, centred on the railway station and consisting of four circular routes north, east, south and west of the city.
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Nicola Small, the programme manager for the city council, explained the logic of the scheme. R&D work began in 2018, with serious planning scheduled for the 2022/4 period and the first seven kilometres of route expected to open in 2025. Conventional tram networks cost between £35-50 million per kilometre. The target cost for the Coventry double track Very Light Rail (VLR) network is £10 million per kilometre, this to include a depot, vehicles, utility diversions, no overhead catenary and fewer earthworks. A 3-5 minute headway is envisaged. Warwick Manufacturing Group (WMG), a spin off from Warwick University, is constructing a prototype vehicle, due for completion in Jan 2021, which will undergo initial testing in Germany, so explained James Meredith, the project manager. 20-25 vehicles will be required, all being single cars, self-powered from a 750V 54kWh battery giving a range of 70km. An out and back journey will consume about 9kWh. Vehicle construction is steel, aluminium and composite, with a carbon/ polyethylene bumper and carbon/kevlar cab ends. Poly-carbonate windows will align with post Croydon accident recommendations. All axles will be driven, with an innovative bogie to enable 15-metre radius curves, giving a top speed of 70km/h and capable of tackling a 5% gradient.
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Overnight charging time envisages a 20kW supply, but rapid charging at 200kW will take three to five hours. All of the electronics and the battery are in underfloor packaging, particular attention being paid to safe chemistry and no fire risk. Autonomous driving is a future vision and would permit a greater load factor per vehicle. The track is equally important and Christopher Micalief, the lead engineer at WMG, described the ‘Trackform’ development, a track system that has been used in the Valenciennes light rail network. This is far less disruptive and comes preformed to enable simpler and quicker installation. The basic depth is less than 300mm, but with a central cavity of 600x600mm between the rails to incorporate utilities where the owners can have easy access. The minimum radius of 15 metres is achievable. Cost is £2,050 per single track metre, with a cure time of 24 hours and laying 500 metres of track will
take six weeks. The design is ongoing in conjunction with partners INGEROP, based in Paris, and RENDEL, a UK company, the intent being to have a demonstrator available by October 2021.
A Vision for Leighton Buzzard This medium-sized Bedfordshire town is surrounded by silica sand quarries, now being developed as new building sites that need easy access to the town centre and main line railway station. Ian Foll, managing director of Arnold White Estates Renewables, said that, although bus routes connect these estates to the station, these are not considered commensurate with carbon emission reductions. A VLR route is therefore projected, out towards Checkley Wood, to provide a multimodal, multifunctional transport corridor. The concept is track-based, electric, single car vehicles with residents being able to call one of these on demand with ‘pay as you go’. Maximum time to wait is expected to be 20 minutes.
LIGHT RAIL/METRO Fanciful, well perhaps, but a positive vision if nothing else? Much will depend on finance, local support and the real cost of construction. Watch this space.
Automatic People Movers Some readers will be familiar with the Pod system from Heathrow Terminal 5 car parks to the terminal building, whereby people travel in a ‘personal pod’ that proceeds on a dedicated concrete track to their required destination point as described in the July 2014 Rail Engineer (issue 117). It has been expanded four times since opening and replaces 70,000 bus journeys each year. Described in Julian Turner’s presentation, this is covered later in this article. Stansted Airport has a light-rail transit system with two kilometres of elevated and tunnelled track and six platforms/ three stations. It recently required a replacement control system and Michael Gray from Firstco explained the requirement to reduce the cost of both installation and operation. Known as Trak Travel, the system uses mostly COTS (commercial off-the-shelf) components with SIL2 PLCs at the core of the intelligence (safety integrity level 2 programmable logic computers).
Migrating from the previous technology to the new was a real challenge, due to legacy documentation leaving much to be desired and a lack of available engineering hours. Now, with three successful years of operation, the system operates entirely automatically. Perhaps this is not conventional light rail as such, but it is certainly something that Leighton Buzzard might consider.
Evaluation, Trialling and Standards With so many initiatives in the light rail business, there needs to be a testing centre where these can be evaluated, somewhat similar to what Network Rail has at Old Dalby and Tuxford. To meet
this need, the Black Country Innovation Manufacturing Organisation (BCIMO) has been set up at Dudley with an engineering hall and research labs being built that will open in 2022. It will include a length of test track, from Castle Hill to Cinder Bank on the formation of a closed railway line, complete with a tunnel and a 15-metre-radius loop. Nick Mallinson, the CEO, described the overall purpose as: 1. Construction and testing of prototype vehicles, of which two will be completed in early 2021, including the one for Coventry; 2. Exploitation of digital technologies in the light rail field;
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LIGHT RAIL/METRO 3. Testing new infrastructure components developed by SMEs; 4. Evaluating passenger experience for all aspects of light rail operation; 5. Encouraging system integration activities with the ultimate goal of having a proven, off the shelf, low risk system that can be purchased by cities and local authorities. Richard Jones, recently with RIA, has joined the BCIMO team and will welcome anyone who wants more information or a visit to site. The terms for SME usage were not stated but are expected to be favourable.
Energy Optimisation and Power Provision Whatever system of light rail is deployed, it will need a power source, be it from an overhead line or a battery. The amount of energy used will depend on how the vehicle is driven and considerable savings can be gained if this is optimised. Stuart Hillmansen from ENERAIL, a spin off company from Birmingham University, told of the research that has gone into driving techniques, including if ATO (Automatic Tram Operation) is used. A case study in Edinburgh showed that maximum acceleration from a tram stop, then much use of coasting and a gentle braking to the next stop gives the best results, in the region of a 17% reduction in energy consumption. To get maximum advantage, a low-cost DAS (Driver Advisory System) will give the driver a continuous target speed, when to motor and when to coast, with a countdown clock to the next stop. If ATO is used,
many more instructions can be given to the traction and braking controls, further optimising energy use. The provision of overhead wires is expensive and there is a growing move towards contactless systems. Engineering consultant Mott MacDonald has been modelling traction power systems (not just for light rail) under the brand name TRAIN, examining both super capacitors for energy storage and batteries if a discontinuous overhead system is used. More information can be gleaned from the Mott MacDonald website. Equally, weight will have an impact on power consumption. Steconfer Rail, a company set up in 2018, has provided the trackwork installation for a VLR system in Doha Msheireb Downtown district over a two-kilometre route with no overhead line provision, so said operations director David Bailey. The single, lightweight
cars are powered by two large Lithium Phosphate LiFePO4 batteries that can give 20 hours of operation. The route will be set up as ‘free to travel’, so may become very popular and the single cars may well have insufficient load-carrying capacity. A planned spin-off enhancement will be to operate two or more cars ‘joined’ electronically with a two-metre spacing. Formulating the safety case for that will be a challenge, as it will need to have a SIL4 rating. This innovation is currently being tested by the system and vehicle supplier TIG-M on its test track. If a system is totally dependent on battery operation, how can reliable charging be achieved? Noel Dolphin from Furrer+Frey described the overhead cantilever charging structure they are providing for the Dudley test track, which will commence testing in Feb 2021. An inverse pantograph will lower on to copper strips mounted on the vehicle roof. Charging can take place at terminal stations, if an extended layover is foreseen, or at a depot, without the need to connect charging cables. What of the batteries themselves? Ongoing research would suggest that Graphene batteries may be a better answer than using lithium; they offer a fast charge time of two minutes and are capable of 100,000 charge/discharge cycles over the lifetime of the battery.
Traction Motors Traditionally, vehicle electric motors are mounted in the bogie frame with a gearbox connection to the driven axles, all of which adds unwanted mass. Neil Cooney from Stored Energy Technology described the ActiWheel project, where the motor is incorporated into the wheel.
Rail Engineer | Issue 188 | Jan-Feb 2021
LIGHT RAIL/METRO Reducing and simplifying the cost of track is ongoing work for Triton, a company based in Norway, under the brand name PCAT - Pre Cast Advanced Track. The aim, according to John Hammond, is a low cost, low weight system with intelligent monitoring and no maintenance. Track is formed into modules using recycled aggregates and low-grade granular materials plus recycled plastic and rubber. The modules can then be craned in and bolted together. Use of Tritonite, the company’s nano-silica additive, improves the strength of the concrete by a factor of between two and three and makes the concrete completely waterproof. The strength increase allows for a thinner slab, only requiring a shallow road cavity.
SET wheel motor installed in a London Underground D stock bogie. The axle can pivot about its centre line fixed to the bracket shown in blue. By so doing, the mass of the bogie can be reduced by over a third, albeit with a small increase in the unsprung mass. Work with Huddersfield University’s Institute of Rail Research shows that this has the advantage of extending the wheel and track life, (despite the increase in unsprung weight) and will give a 10 per cent energy saving, eliminate the gearbox, reduce particles from braking and offer a smoother, quieter ride. All axles become powered and this enables a steering system using vectored torque to individual wheels, which will reduce lateral forces on points and crossings. Not just intended for light rail, the system has been simulated on London Underground’s curvy Circle line and on a former LU D-stock carriage (similar to the Vivarail vehicles destined for the Isle of Wight), where significant weight
savings were demonstrated. If intended for use on routes retaining track circuits, care must be taken to ensure track circuit shunting on contaminated rails, where lightweight vehicles have traditionally been a problem.
Infrastructure opportunities Reducing the cost of OLE structures is an obvious challenge. Mike Orange from Cecence described a new composite system now under evaluation at Long Marston. With self-insulating cantilever poles and registration arms, composite support cables replacing steel, ‘plug and play’ interfaces, no tension weights and low corrosion, the system is anticipated to have a long life. A saving of £1 million per kilometre for a double-track route is predicted.
Vehicle Autonomy With all the work going on in the automotive industry, what are the spin offs for light rail? Julian Turner from the Westfield Technology Group listed some of the opportunities: » To reduce weight, bio-composites for body work, a micro lattice for crash structures and Reynolds tubing for the chassis should be the basis of vehicle design;
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LIGHT RAIL/METRO » Sensing by radar, LiDAR and touch sensitive surfaces is now commonplace, an example being the QE Olympic children’s park in east London; » Vision systems to detect rubbish, in-path objects and pot holes, as well as numberplate recognition, are all transferable technologies; » Systems to predict people jumping on and off vehicles at unauthorised places will be needed; » At least three redundant systems will be needed on board, with the capability to work successfully in snow and leafy conditions; » Voice assist with 5G capability for accurate mapping will become a standard feature. Fully automatic operation of the vehicle may also build on the experience being gained from the automotive sector, so says Graham Lee from WMG. The ultimate objective will be a system with no driver or other staff on board, similar to airport terminal shuttles. However, when considering this objective on a public right of way, many challenges emerge, of which perception and path planning are the most sensitive. Safety will be vital, but the advantages of low operating costs and a smoother ride are there to be gained. In all of this, cyber security must be at the forefront of deployment. Colin Robbins from Nexor described the worsening situation, with intrusions impacting on
Rail Engineer | Issue 188 | Jan-Feb 2021
safety and ransom payments. Last year, an estimated $1 billion was netted by criminals. Weaknesses in infrastructure and supply chain security are the elements that attackers will target. Companies were advised to look to ISO 27001 for standard guidance, but, in a shameless piece of self-promotion, Colin reminded delegates that Nexor is there to help companies understand, prevent and contain cyber attacks.
Rail Forum Midlands told of a project, launched in July 2020, to remove weight, involving about 100 organisations including Bombardier, Hitachi, Siemens and Porterbrook, plus 31 SMEs, five universities and two research centres. 52 possible opportunities have emerged so far, mainly covering advanced material and interiors. No details are yet allowed out, as they will be subject to regulatory and approval procedures as well as intellectual property constraints.
Implications for Network Rail and heavy rail
Overall Message
Much publicity is being given to possible line and station re-openings that were closed in the Beeching era. To rebuild to traditional heavy rail standards will be expensive, so new ways of achieving this at much lower cost are being investigated, according to Amanda Roper from the Department for Transport (DfT). £500 million has been allocated for developing schemes, covering three funds: » New stations with 75% funding available to help Local Authorities; » Advanced proposals covering lines that still exist, such as Okehampton-Exeter and Ashington-Newcastle; » New ideas, with 111 applications received so far, many of which may be suitable for light rail applications. More information can be gleaned from restoringyourrailway@dft.gov.uk Not solely part of the light rail agenda, but very much for the benefit of all rolling stock manufacturers, comes an initiative to lighten many of the components. Elaine Clark from
The five sessions covered a lot of ground and, clearly, VLR is a transport system that should appeal to many smaller towns and cities, 20 of which are already showing interest. Much work is being put into developing low-cost solutions, with the UK Rail Research & Innovation Network (UKRRIN) providing a co-ordinating role. 19 industry partners, four universities and many other research establishments around the country are all engaging to produce cost effective solutions. If a step change in rail innovation is to be achieved, relationships must be extended to cover SMEs, the supply chain and the main rail and transport sectors. Having the BCIMO test centre will be central to building linkage with all interested parties, including the supply chain, potential operators, passenger groups and regulators. BCIMO sees itself as the hub mechanism, including funding facilitation. As a final word on the ultimate objective, Innovarail foresaw a vision of removal of all moving parts from the infrastructure, no use of copper, a static points control system with onboard determination of routing, road and rail as one system with safe separation and junction crossings. It’s going to be interesting to see what actually transpires in the years to come.
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MARK PHILLIPS
West Midlands Metro
e t a d p U
T
he West Midlands Metro system is, right now, in the midst of a major expansion, and it is not letting the coronavirus pandemic stand in its way. In fact, in a subtle way, the virus has brought some small, but surprising, economic and social benefits to the construction process.
The West Midlands Metro has been in operation for just over twenty years now, first opening for passengers in May 1999. The route from Wolverhampton, running south-east to ‘central’ Birmingham for 13 miles and broadly following the corridor of the national rail route from Wolverhampton to Birmingham Snow Hill, saw the return of trams to Birmingham for the first time since their removal in 1953. Initially, ridership was not as high as envisaged at the outset of the scheme proposals. In part, this may have been due to the service terminating at Snow Hill station, which, whilst being convenient for some offices, businesses and shops, is not regarded locally as exactly ‘central’ to the city. Slightly less significant, in terms of motivation of usage, was the fact that the Wolverhampton terminus, St. George’s, whilst in the shopping quarter, was not adjacent to the national rail station. The first of these situations has already been addressed. The Birmingham ‘city centre’ terminus was extended to Grand Central, adjacent to New Street station, with intermediate stops at St. Chad’s, Bull Street and Corporation Street, bringing the tram service further into the city centre. This extension came into use in
May 2016 and annual usage jumped from around 5.0 million passenger journeys per year, first to over 6.0 million and eventually to 8.0 million. At the Wolverhampton end of the route, extending the tram to the main railway station is one of four significant extensions to the Metro which are currently underway: » Birmingham Westside Metro extension » Wolverhampton City Centre Metro extension » Birmingham Eastside Metro extension » Wednesbury to Brierley Hill Metro extension
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Also currently under development and evaluation is the East Birmingham to Solihull Metro extension, which will extend to Birmingham Airport and HS2’s Interchange station, but this proposal is longer term.
Transport Authority and Project Management Funding, ownership, management and operation of the Metro has evolved once or twice since its original creation. Since 2016, these arrangements have stabilised under the authority of Transport for West Midlands (TfWM), which established the Midland Metro Alliance (MMA) to plan, design and build extensions to the West Midlands Metro on its behalf. The MMA consists of the West Midlands Combined Authority, which owns the Metro, a
LIGHT RAIL/METRO consortium of design experts from Egis, Tony Gee and Pell Frischmann, and rail construction specialists Colas Rail. In turn, Colas Rail has recruited sub-alliance partners Colas Ltd., Barhale, Bouygues UK and Auctus Management Group to carry out specialist services within the overall construction partnership. Michael Anderson, director of projects for West Midlands Metro, emphasised to Rail Engineer that a major benefit of the alliance has been the creation of relationships whereby it is easier to develop and build extensions and enhancements to the network without resort to a new form of contract each time. The contractors understand that there is always the possibility of future work under established business conditions and arrangements whilst, at the same time, the client is not under obligation to guarantee any specific volume of work.
Current extensions in progress Birmingham’s western extension continues the original Line 1 from Grand Central up through Victoria and Centenary Squares, along Broad Street, through the Five Ways underpass to a new Edgbaston terminus on Hagley Road. The first section of this extension, as far as Centenary Square, was opened early in December 2019, giving easy access to the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, the International Convention Centre and Symphony Hall. The remainder of the extension will be open by the end of this year. The underpass at Five Ways was closed to road traffic in June 2019 and track laying there and throughout Broad Street is largely complete. Later this
Aerial view of Westside extension along Broad Street, crossing canal near Gas St. year, there will be 12 weeks of testing and commissioning, followed by shadow running in readiness for opening in December 2021. Of particular note, this extension is the first tram system in the country that is using battery power. For aesthetic reasons, the use of catenary wires through the heritage areas of Victoria and Centenary Squares was deemed unsuitable. Also, for structural clearance through Five Ways underpass, catenary was a problem. Therefore, the CAF Urbos 3 trams, which are part of the West Midlands Metro fleet, use the manufacturer’s available modification to use lithium-ion supercapacitors and batteries to run through these sections. The second extension currently under construction - Wolverhampton City Centre Metro extension - is a short spur from the original route that is being built to provide an additional terminus at the main rail station, which is currently being redeveloped. This spur will open in autumn 2021. Trams arriving from the south will alternate between St. George’s tram stop and Wolverhampton station as their destination. With the opening of
Switch and crossing installation.
this line, a major transport hub of train, bus and tram will be created for the Black Country city. The extension to the east of Birmingham city centre will consist of a branch from Line 1 at Bull Street, continuing past Moor Street station, the new HS2 terminal and Curzon Street terminating at High Street Deritend. Early work, such as diversion of utility services, has already commenced. The target is to open this branch in 2025/6, which should tie in with the projected start of HS2 services. The major enhancement of the overall Metro network, in terms of extent, will be the Wednesbury to Brierley Hill Metro extension, on which significant physical work has recently commenced. The first section of the route, between Wednesbury and Dudley, makes use of a portion of the closed South Staffordshire Railway. This route is projected to help regenerate the Dudley and Sandwell areas. Dudley, in particular, will be able to capitalise on the route for a number of other projects, including the Very Light Rail Centre and the Dudley Institute of Technology. The route will also improve connectivity by standardising journey times and link Dudley with both Birmingham and Wolverhampton by tram. The route should be open sometime in 2024.
Employment and training opportunities MMA has a mission to employ staff as locally as possible, to support people getting back into work and to encourage young people to consider a career in construction and railway engineering. They were in the lead, with other employers from the UK’s Light Rail industry, in designing and founding a level two apprenticeship scheme for individuals wanting to develop a career in the tramway construction environment.
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S&C in position at Edgbaston terminus, Hagley Road. In November 2020, this Trailblazer Apprenticeship in Light Rail won the Institution of Civil Engineers Education and Inspiration Award. MMA also supports local colleges in the provision of sector based training in appropriate disciplines. Along with other companies and authorities this proves to be a mutually beneficial arrangement. By funding a percentage of the course costs, MMA partner companies have an entitlement to participate in the pre-selection of course candidates and also to evaluate them after completion. Whether a particular individual eventually ends up working for MMA or not is not regarded as a major drawback as both the individual and the industry will have ultimately benefited.
Interaction with local communities and workplace culture MMA is committed to strong involvement with local communities throughout the region in which it operates. This shows itself in several ways, including by aiming to employ a high percentage of its workforce locally, by targeting ethnic and gender diversity, by actively encouraging young people to consider a career in construction and by providing apprenticeship and other training schemes. One recent initiative has been the launching of Connecting Futures within MMA’s overall website. This aims to inspire young people to consider a career in construction and railway engineering by providing information, advice and guidance. Browsing this platform gives the opportunity to hear from current MMA employees about how they became involved and their career experience. There are several
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short videos of employees describing their specific job roles and giving focus to such topics as apprenticeships, graduate schemes and how to progress within the sector. Prior to the onset of COVID-19, MMA’s Engagement and Skills team had shared this type of information with visits to schools, colleges and youth organisations across the West Midlands. The pandemic, and its associated restrictions, put a stop to this direct involvement and prompted the creation of the alternative on-line facility, which has broadened the accessibility of this information. The site workforce stands currently at around 100. As work expands on the Brierley Hill route, it is anticipated that there will be between 250 and 300 staff deployed. MMA aims for a target of 90 per cent of their employees to be from the local community, as far as practical regarding the skills required. Another example of MMA’s community approach has been the donation, to the Severn Valley Railway for reuse on their heritage line, of over a mile of track lifted from the former railway line now being developed for the Wednesbury to Brierley Hill extension.
Without doubt, the COVID-19 pandemic has had its effects on the office and site activities for MMA. Not all of these have been detrimental, however. The main office, at Alpha Tower, normally accommodates 140 staff. During the severe lockdowns, when as many staff as possible have been enabled and encouraged to work from home, only 20 have been working in the office, which has made it easier to comply with social distancing rules. For site work, to avoid any significant disruption to construction, additional cabins and additional PPE have been provided. Also, to further assist with social distancing, a system of staggered meal breaks has been introduced. Regular testing of the workforce, by means of the lateral flow test, which gives a quick result, every five days (one-fifth of the workforce tested every day) before the start of shift has been an additional precaution. So far, only two positive tests have resulted, with individuals immediately sent home to self-isolate in line with government guidance. Peter Cushing, director for Midland Metro Alliance, told Rail Engineer that, throughout the pandemic, he has tried to ensure that all staff feel in regular contact. This has been achieved by him sending a weekly email bulletin and every fortnight holding a live video team meeting for all. There is also an ongoing focus on positivity and well-being, concentrating on potential mental health issues throughout the organisation. Social interaction is strengthened with regular quizzes as another method of countering any feelings of isolation. There have been staff surveys looking for positive feedback and suggestions on the working environment and also canvassing views on aspects of the enforced ‘coronavirus culture’ that could be beneficial to retain long-term even after the virus.
New paving throughout has transformed Broad Street's 'Golden Mile'.
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Resurfaced Broad Street past Ice Skate, Birmingham. One unusual and interesting by-product of the pandemic is noteworthy. For construction of the new tracks along Broad Street from Centenary Square through to Five Ways, consideration had to be given to minimising disruption to the many bars and restaurants along with heavy vehicular and pedestrian traffic along this section of the route. Under normal circumstances, this work would be planned as a series of short sections, protected behind hoardings, with several ‘linking-ups’ to be carried out subsequently. However, with so many premises closed by lockdown regulations, the opportunity was taken to arrange for longer sections of hoarded-off site at any one time. This
has multiple benefits; greater working space for delivery and removal of materials, longer continuous casting of concrete track infill, fewer ‘linking-ups’ and an overall shorter cumulative time period of closures affecting Broad Street. As for the operational route of the Metro, the first lockdown in Spring 2020 caused a reduction in ridership of between 70 and 80 per cent and the latest lockdown has seen a reduction of around 40 per cent.
Budgets Noticeably, the budgets for the various network extensions are not proportionate to their geographic route lengths and there are good reasons for this.
» The Westside extension, 2.15km in length, has a budget of £150 million, but this includes for the capital cost of four new tramsets; » Wolverhampton City Centre Metro extension is 0.7km, with a budget of £35 million. » Eastside extension to Deritend, only 1.7km in length, is up at £227 million. This includes the cost of expensive land acquisition through the central city section and Digbeth, more new rolling stock and complex terminal details, in conjunction with the HS2 terminus at Curzon Street; » The Wednesbury to Brierley Hill extension, 11.1km long, is budgeted at £450m. This has to fund reconstruction and/or refurbishment of some large structures and the purchase of more rolling stock. So, the relative mix of land acquisition, infrastructure extent, new or refurbished track and structures and the capital cost of rolling stock are different in each case. In total, a further 21 new tramsets will be purchased over the next two to three years. As a result, the depot at Wednesbury must be doubled in size and the power supply over the original line is to be upgraded.
Demolition/reconstruction of bridges underway for the Wednesbury-Brierley Hill Metro extension.
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EEDINBURGH’S x t e n dTRAMS ing
DAVID SHIRRES
I
n 2013, few in Edinburgh would have wanted an extension to the tram network. At the time, the trams were a toxic subject in the city. The tram project was causing massive disruption in the city, was three years late, almost £300 million over its £490 million budget and was not delivering the full project. Businesses and residents along Leith Walk had a particular reason to feel aggrieved. They suffered during the tram’s utility works but were not to benefit from the tram as, in 2011, the cost overrun resulted in a decision not to build the section from Newhaven and Leith to Edinburgh.
2001 tram network proposal.
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A tram network was part of the City of Edinburgh Council’s 2001 new transport initiative. This proposed a 35-kilometre tram network for which construction was authorised by Acts of the Scottish Parliament in 2006. However, due to funding issues, the Council decided only to build the 18.5 kilometres between Newhaven
and the Airport for which tram and infrastructure contracts were let in 2008. CAF won the contract to supply 27 lowfloor trams, which, with the curtailment of the Edinburgh to Newhaven section, were twice the number required. The trams were delivered on time from 2010 onwards and had to be stored in a nearby industrial estate until the delayed infrastructure was ready for them. Despite the tram’s difficult beginnings, once the system opened in 2014, the trams proved to be popular, with
LIGHT RAIL/METRO ridership well above original predictions and consistently high customer satisfaction scores.
Newhaven extension approved By 2015, support for completing the original tram project to Newhaven was such that the Council commissioned the production of an outline business case, which was published in 2017. In 2018, the business case was finalised, there was a public consultation exercise and invitations to tender for the tram extension were issued, pending its approval.
Moreover, the BCR did not include its wider economic benefits. The Newhaven extension will serve one of the most densely populated areas
The final business case costed the extension at £207 million and concluded that it had a cost benefit ratio (BCR) of 1.4. This is perhaps not surprising as the extension requires no additional trams and much of the utility clearance work had already been done.
of the city. It also enables the tram to link three of the city’s four priority investment zones - Leith waterfront, the city centre and Edinburgh airport - and so provides employment opportunities that would not be possible without high-capacity public transport.
Another uncosted benefit is that the tram is part of the Council’s Sustainable Energy Action Plan and will both facilitate modal shift to potentially net-zero carbon transport and encourage active transport, as cycling paths will be created alongside tram lines. The business case envisaged an eventual peak service of eight trams an hour between Edinburgh and Newhaven overlaid with 8 trams an hour (initially 4) between Haymarket and Newhaven. This service would require 25 of the city’s 27 trams. It forecasts annual journeys of 15.7 million once the extension was complete rising to 21.6 million by 2032. Pre-Covid journeys on the current network were 7.4 million a year. In March 2019, the Council approved the Newhaven tram extension. This was just two years before its powers to build the extension, granted under the 2006 Edinburgh Tram Act, were due to expire.
The CAF-build trams are 43 metres long and have seven articulated modules, four of which have a single bogie with the three suspended between the bogie modules.
Tram works at Ocean Terminal, a shopping and leisure centre opened in 2001 as part of Leith’s urban renewal and home to the Royal Yacht Britannia.
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The tram terminus at York Place.
The extension Extending the tram to Newhaven requires 4.6 km of electrified double tram track as well as two new substations. There are crossovers at the Newhaven terminus station and turnbacks at Ocean Terminal and Balfour Street stations. All stations have island platforms except for Foot of the Walk and the Newhaven terminus stations. The double track extends beyond Newhaven station to provide a stabling facility for two trams with appropriate security measures. The work also includes the removal of the current single-track terminus at York Place, to be replaced by a new Picardy Place station immediately to the east. The only significant earthworks are a ramp to raise the formation to its terminus at Lindsay Road in Newhaven. No new bridges are required, although the tram formation crosses a railway line under Leith Walk and a bridge over the Water of Leith at the docks. There is also the requirement to replace two roundabouts near Picardy Place by a series of signal-controlled junctions and smaller islands. The complex road junction at the bottom of Leith Walk also requires adjustment of traffic lanes and signal timings. There are also four supplementary projects that are separately funded and are being progressed in parallel to the
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tram extension project. These include traffic calming, revised access arrangements and a cycleway between Foot of the Walk and Ocean terminal.
Community and business support One of the lessons learned from the original tram project was the need for better engagement with the local community and to support those affected, particularly local businesses. This started with the 2018 consultation exercise and resulted in eight design changes in respect of cycle paths, road layout, crossing points and public realm design. A communication strategy was developed that considered the needs of all stakeholders and how best to communicate with them to ensure their concerns are addressed. This includes
a complaints hotline which is manned from 07:00 until one hour after work finishes. The project publishes a regular stakeholder and communication dashboard which shows that around 500 contacts are made per month that take an average of 82 hours to resolve. The main sources of enquiries are email (46%), Twitter (23%) and phone (23%). There is also a £2.4 million business support package for independent businesses that depend on customer footfall and are affected by the works. This provides: » A dedicated business support team to provide support and assistance; » Free improvement courses in areas such as e-commerce, marketing and web design; » Business continuity fund to help with short-term cash flow issues during project construction; » Discount vouchers which can be purchased online to spend in local stores; » Free cargo bike hire provided in collaboration with SUSTRANS to help businesses move goods and service customers; » Five logistics hubs for the delivery and despatch of goods from business where tram works prevent normal loading. These can also be used by residents for the delivery of bulky items. These were designed in accordance with feedback received from 227 businesses.
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The contracts In March 2019, the Council awarded two contracts for the tram extension. The first was a design and build Infrastructure and Systems Contract (ISC) for a value of £90 million. This was awarded to a joint venture of Farrans, Sacyr and Neopul (SFNJV). Farrans had constructed the 2.7km section of the Edinburgh tram project between Gogarburn and Edinburgh Airport. The second was a £25 million Swept Path Contract (SPC) to clear utilities and obstructions below ground and for the tram’s overhead line system. This contract also includes the requirement for archaeological investigations as part of the route clearance. This was awarded to Morrison Utility Services (MUS). These contracts included a six-month Early Contractor Involvement (ECI) stage, in which the two contractors engaged with stakeholders to plan the work and associated traffic management, undertake
(Above) Foot of the Walk logistics hub on part of the route where work has yet to start. (Inset) Utility work on Leith Walk.
detailed design, develop a fully integrated programme and other project documentation including a stakeholder management plan. A decision was then made to proceed with the project, after it was confirmed that costs were still acceptable. Siemens Mobility was also involved at this ECI stage, under a direct contract with the Council. Once notices to proceed were issued, Siemens was sub-contracted to SFNJV under terms previously negotiated with the Council for the delivery of electrification, SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition), telecoms and tram and road traffic signalling.
The programme The project is planned to take 46 months from contract award to start of service. After contract award in March 2019, the ECI stage was completed in November 2019, whereupon the contractors were given a notice to proceed with physical works. However, the work had to be paused from 27 March due to the Covid lockdown and resumed on 15 June, once suitable arrangements were in place. The original plan was for construction to be completed by October 2022, although this may be impacted by the Covid stoppage. Thereafter a fourmonth period of testing and commissioning is planned before the start of service in Spring 2023. A key aspect of the programme is the ‘one dig’ approach, which establishes each worksite only once and removes it only when work is complete. This requires close working between the STC and ISC contractors and was one of the lessons learnt from the original tram project.
Part of the Leith Walk worksite cleared of utilities.
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Archaeology and heritage
Track laid on Leith Walk.
Pandrol jigs position encapsulated rails.
Whilst many utilities were removed during the original tram project, there remain significant challenges, such as a 500mm gas main in Leith Walk. The programme divides the work into 17 worksites, of which the longest is 1.4 kilometres between London Road and Manderston Street on Leith Walk. This was one of the earliest worksites to be established, due to the number of utilities and the many businesses along it. However, traffic management arrangements had to be set up first. This made road traffic on Leith Walk one-way towards the city centre on a single lane with the worksite in the centre and a cycleway on the other side. As of January, the SFC contract had cleared sixty per cent of the Leith Walk worksite for the ISC to start tracklaying along most of it. Amongst the last work to be done will be the complex road junctions at the top and bottom of Leith Walk. To maintain a service to the end of the current tram line, the final worksite will be the demolition of York Place tram stop and tying in the existing track to the new extension. It is envisaged that work will start here in the winter of 2021/22.
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QTrack In March 2020, 11,000 18metre-long tram rails arrived at the port of Leith, where the project has a warehouse to encapsulate the rails for track laying. For curves below 100 metre radius, rails were sent to British Steel in Scunthorpe to be pre-bent to remove internal stresses. The tram extension uses the Pandrol QTrack embedded ballastless track system. This encapsulates the rail in specially shaped, elastic, prefabricated, resin-bonded rubber profiles to give the required stiffness characteristics and electrical insulation. The system does not have sleepers and so offers an even load distribution with lower vibration. The encapsulated rails are installed in a reinforced concrete slab which supports the rail. Whilst this is being
Leith has a long history as Edinburgh’s port, and so archaeological investigations were an essential part of the route clearance work. This was done in close consultation with the city’s archaeologist and undertaken by Guard Archaeology, which was sub-contracted to the SPC contractor, Morrison Utility Services. Much of this work took place adjacent to the 1790s A-listed South Leith Parish Church. Here, the graveyard wall was very close to the tram track and so had to be dismantled and rebuilt with improved foundations. Whilst this was being done, an archaeological dig outside the graveyard in front of the wall found 359 bodies, many of which are thought to date from between 1300 and 1650. These were removed for forensic analysis to reveal information about the health, diseases and diet of medieval Leith’s population. Other historic finds, some of which date back to the 16th and 17th centuries, include whale bones, which may shed light on the town’s historic whaling industry, a cannonball, historic drainage, a large stone wall and a possible slipway. These date from the early development of the town and indicate that reclamation of
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parts of Leith from the sea could have occurred earlier than first thought. Of more recent historic interest was a time capsule, buried under a statue of Robert Burns in Constitution Street that was erected in 1898. This statue had to be moved in January 2020 and will be replaced, two metres to the east, when construction works are complete. The capsule contained various historic artifacts including information about the Leith Burns Club, which had erected the statue.
Lessons learnt When Newhaven and Leith get their tram service in 2023, this will complete phase 1a of the original tram network. Yet, in 2008, a contract was let to complete it in 2011. This 12-year delay - the result of the sorry saga of the original tram project -is now the subject of a public inquiry which was announced in June 2014. It held its preliminary hearing in October 2015, public hearings in September 2017, heard closing submissions in May 2018 and has, so far, cost £11.3 million. The Edinburgh tram inquiry has therefore now taken longer than the delayed tram project itself, and has still yet to report. Its website states that “At the appropriate time, Lord Hardie will make his report and findings available here.” The website also contains 189 hearing transcripts, 228 witness statements and
6,428 supporting documents. Amongst the key issues being considered by the inquiry are that on award of the infrastructure contract, the preferred bidder found that only 60 per cent of detailed design had been done, many third-party approvals were outstanding and that the utility works were very far from complete. These were due to have been completed before the contract was let. At the time, the political imperative would not allow any delay to the project. Hence, there was no question of delaying the infrastructure contract award until these issues were resolved. As the contractor was not prepared to accept the fixed price contract required by the client, an additional contract schedule was negotiated which, as far as the contractor was concerned, required the client to accept the risk of these uncertainties. Yet, the client understood that the contract had a “high degree of fixity in the price.” At the inquiry, comments from senior Edinburgh Council officials included “the belief that there was a fixed price contract turned out to be erroneous” and “We finished up with a contract that very senior legal people and adjudicators in the dispute resolution were saying later that they didn’t know what it meant.” One expert report noted that the Council was “being asked to agree to a contract where
the design specification was incomplete with the contractor having an integral role in project design (the design contract was transferred to the contractor on contract award). This position effectively set the foundational conditions for conflict, delay and a significant recalibration of outcomes.” The contractor also noted that the utility work, which should have been completed before the infrastructure contract award in 2008, was the biggest delaying factor with many diversions ongoing up to 2012. It is unfortunate that its findings could not have been available to those setting up the Newhaven tram extension project. Yet the above issues, and other difficulties with the original project, are well known to those who have studied it. No doubt, this includes those managing the tram extension project. Certainly, it would seem that lessons from the original project have been taken on board. For example, hardly a year into the contract, 60 per cent of the utilities on Leith Walk have been cleared. None of the above detracts from the benefits of finally having trams in Edinburgh. They have proved popular, ridership was steadily increasing until the Covid lockdown and they have high passenger-satisfaction ratings. Nevertheless, given the history of the Edinburgh tram project, there are some on the Newhaven tram extension route who feel its cost is not justified. Leith and Newhaven have waited a long time for their trams. When they enter service in 2023, hopefully, the benefits to the local community will be clear and it will have been worth the long wait.
Completed track on Ocean Way, Leith.
Trams running on Leith Walk from 2023.
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he UK railway industry has been much criticised for the excessive cost of its electrification projects. Of course, not all projects run over budget, and sometimes, even then, the overrun has been caused by factors outside of the industry’s direct control. However, the criticism has focussed minds and resulted in several industry initiatives. One was the Railway Industry Association’s Electrification Cost Challenge Report. Another was a pair of research projects promoted by the University of Sheffield, Furrer+Frey and Network Rail. After four years, two PhDs have been completed, both focusing on different areas of costefficient electrification and improved reliability. The University of Sheffield, Furrer+Frey and Network Rail are all members of the UK Rail Research and Innovation Network (UKRRIN). The research demonstrates that collaboration between universities and industry can play a vital role in bringing innovation to Britain’s railway. Ultimately, the work shows how engineering research can help underpin electrification of the UK’s rail network, driving innovation and improving service reliability for passengers. The two pieces of research, undertaken by Sam Hayes and Özgün Sunar from the University’s Department of Mechanical Engineering, were both supported by Furrer+Frey and Network Rail to focus on cost-efficient electrification of the UK rail network. They were jointly funded by the University of Sheffield, Furrer+Frey and the European Union, as part of programmes to improve research collaboration with the railway industry. Professor David Fletcher, head of the research group at Sheffield, said: “The engagement with Furrer+Frey has been
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really great in funding and steering these research projects. Their expertise has ensured the research stayed focused on industry needs, ensuring impact from the academic input of our PhD students.”
Wind, speed and slope The first PhD, undertaken by Sam Haye with the support of Prof David Fletcher and Furrer+Frey’s Katherine Chan, examined the effect of wind, train speed and gradient with the aim of avoiding the need for bridge reconstruction on future electrification projects. Bridge reconstruction has been a key driver in increasing electrification costs, so reducing the need for these reconstructions is key to reducing costs, as highlighted in RIA’s Electrification Cost Challenge. Performance of the wires was recorded, using both large-scale wind tunnels and computational fluid dynamics, to create a digital twin of wiring geometry. This digital twin was then validated with real-world testing at Network Rail’s Rail Innovation and Development Centre (RIDC) test track at Old Dalby, near Melton Mowbray in Leicestershire. The researcher looked at the maintenance impact of steeper gradients in order to determine whether the need to reconstruct bridges could be avoided in future.
Engineering director at Furrer+Frey, Rob Daffern, said: “I studied at The University of Sheffield, so to be working with cutting edge research back at Sheffield has been tremendous. The whole industry is focused on reducing costs and research is key.”
Improving reliability The second PhD project was undertaken by Özgün Sunar, with the support of Prof David Fletcher and industrial supervision by Chris Bryan of HS2. The focus of this research was to improve the reliability of overhead line electrification equipment, when shortcircuits and arcing occur. The research used both modelling and mechanical/electrical testing to establish intervention points and understand when maintenance is needed, prior to service-interrupting failures. The research also trialled innovative new conductor materials. The ultimate aim was to improve the performance of electrification and enhance reliability by preventing failures. Director of Furrer+Frey Noel Dolphin said: “We’re proud to be supporting decarbonisation through electrification. Research and study are one of the keys to making electrification cost efficient. “However, as the Railway Industry Association’s Electrification Cost Challenge Report has shown, we need to remember that implementing a rolling programme of electrification would have the biggest impact on costs. By reducing costs and improving reliability, we make this business case stronger.”
FEATURE Dr Patric Mak, senior engineer for Network Rail’s Technical Authority, said: “It’s really important for Network Rail and the wider rail industry to continue to look for ways to bring innovation to Britain’s railways and at how we can address new challenges, such as more extreme weather. “On behalf of Network Rail, I’ve been delighted to support both of these PhD students with their research, which will help us to create a more modern and resilient railway, meaning fewer delays for both passenger and freight service.” Demonstrating cost-efficient electrification has been a key component of moving away from boom-andbust infrastructure building. The railway industry has called for a rolling programme of electrification. Electrification is the most efficient method of traction power for railways, Specifically, electrified railways: » Are better for the environment, with carbon emissions 60 per cent lower than diesel trains today, increasing to 80 per cent less when using the estimated 2040 grid mix, and are the only option for decarbonising intensively used lines; » Produce no air pollutants at the point of use;
» Are quieter, reducing noise pollution for those living and working near the tracks and reducing noise and vibration for passengers; » Have a strong economic and business case – compared with diesels, electric trains cost less in the long term, when compared to the whole-life costs of diesel services, are cheaper to build, more reliable, requiring less maintenance, and are cheaper to operate and longer-lasting; » Are lighter weight, meaning less wear to the track and therefore
less maintenance, and carry more passengers with better acceleration and shorter journey times, even with relatively frequent stops; » Reduce passenger delays, as electric trains are more reliable than diesel trains; » Will be vital in decarbonising rail freight, which is already a low-carbon mode of haulage and delivers benefits in excess of £1.7 billion each year to the economy. Joint academic research, in collaboration with industry, could be key in delivering future cost-efficient electrification and a reliable railway.
Robust, rapid, pivoting, retractable, elegant & highly conductive — Furrer+Frey’s Rigid Overhead conductor Rail system ROCS is renowned throughout the world for its superior standards of quality & reliability. In tunnels, in stations, in the open, on bridges, in workshops and depots, ROCS can easily adapt to any structure. Furrer+Frey has supplied its groundbreaking ROCS system for more than 3400km of track across the globe and it is currently tested up to 302kph line speeds.
schweiz@furrerfrey.ch
@furrerfrey
www.furrerfrey.ch
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Christmas and COVID
yet the work goes on…
NIGEL WORDSWORTH
T
he COVID-19 pandemic has been a two-edge sword for the railway industry. The disease itself has been dreadful, with a number of railway workers and tens of thousands of the population dying from it and many
times more infected to a varying degree. Words cannot express how we all feel about the devastation this disease has caused.
Yet the effect of the pandemic - the lockdown and people being told not to travel - has assisted the railway infrastructure companies. Total line closures, unpopular at any time, have been possible without major disruption - the few passengers travelling were easily handled by bus. So major works have been planned in a hurry (Kilsby tunnel), and the occasional overrun (Gypsy Patch Bridge) has been largely forgiven. It’s a strange time. Normally, on a busy railway, the total closedown of the network on Christmas Day and Boxing Day, and the sparsity of passengers over the rest of the period, makes the Christmas and New Year holiday a popular time to catch up on heavy maintenance and renewals. This last holiday was no exception. Despite COVID, social distancing and strict hygiene regimes, £137 million of engineering work was delivered from the evening of Wednesday 23 December 2020 to the early hours of Monday 4 January 2021. Teams of engineers worked in over 4,500 worksites across more than 1,700 possessions, delivering major enhancements as well as core renewals and maintenance works across the rail network. Of these, 48 projects, delivering infrastructure through a total of 84 worksites, were identified as RED through the Delivering Work Within Possessions (DWWP) standard, therefore carrying a greater risk of overrun and/or a more significant impact in the event of an overrun. Major projects included: » Large-scale Switches & Crossings (S&C) renewals at Nine Elms Jcn, St Johns Jcn, Cardiff West Jcn, Bristol East Jcn & Cadder Jcns; » Plain line track renewals at Cheddington, Stechford, Ardwick and Balshaw Lane within the North West & Central Region, Paddington within the Western Region and Pollokshields
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East (Scotland); » Significant multi-disciplinary works at King’s Cross as part of the King’s Cross Remodelling scheme; » Continuation of a number of large enhancement schemes, including Leeds station, Werrington Dive Under, Euston HS2 Enabling Works and the new Brent Cross station; » Structures, OLE and drainage renewal schemes at multiple locations across the network employing a variety of methodologies to renew aging assets and improve journeys for passengers and freight. They all went almost without a hitch. In total, 17 out of the 1,705 possessions overran, a total of one per cent. These included: » Eastern region - Postwick Bridge (Anglia). An overrun of 714 minutes occurred after Storm Bella delayed the bridge installation on 26/12. This risk and potential overrun was understood prior to Christmas so arrangements were put in place to accommodate this with support from Greater Anglia. The condition of the structure meant that this work had to be completed. » Eastern region - Barking Riverside (Anglia). An overrun of 237 minutes occurred following some specific design issues relating to an individual track circuit. » Eastern region - Brent Cross (East Midlands). An overrun of 68 minutes occurred during the partial handback on 28 December due to remedial work required upon the OLE equipment (one empty stock move was affected).
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» Eastern region - GE Mainline (Anglia). An overrun of eight minutes occurred due to delays encountered at possession level whilst handing back to operational use.Wales & Western region - Bristol East Junction (Western). Delays were encountered with the signalling gantry lift (due to Storm Bella) resulting in a possession overrun of 126 minutes. In total, there were eleven reported accidents over the period and one RIDDOR reportable dangerous occurrence. Of the eleven accidents, two were without injury, five were classified as a minor injury with no lost time, a further two were classed as minor injury with lost time, and two are awaiting classification. The RIDDOR reportable dangerous occurrence took place on Christmas Day during works to renew a number of S&C units at Nine Elms (Southern). The incident saw the collapse of a section of parapet wall in the Pontons road area. This incident remains under investigation to identify root cause, the sequence of events and the circumstances that led to this taking place. However, no injuries occurred as a result of this incident. Two minor environmental incidents also occurred, both relating to spills of small amounts of hydraulic fluid on site. They were dealt with immediately, utilising spill kits, with no lasting impact. A look at the ‘RED’ projects reveals the variety of work that Network Rail and its contractors undertook over the holiday.
Two of the major projects were in the Eastern region. At King’s Cross, all four tracks on the final approach to the station in the ‘throat’ were lifted to access the Camden Sewer underneath. This was removed and replaced with a modern segmented concrete version, buried deeper so the ‘hump’ in the tracks and the speed restriction could be removed. This project is the subject of a separate report in this issue of Rail Engineer. At Werrington, further up the East Coast main line, a grade separation project is building a dive-under below the ECML, allowing freight trains to travel between the Stamford lines and the Spalding lines without crossing the ECML and slowing down high-speed passenger trains. The actual dive-under box was pushed under the ECML in January, but Christmas work installed and tested bi-direction signalling so that two lines could be kept open during the later work. The relocation of North Cricklewood sidings is underway to make room for the new Brent Cross station. All did not go as planned as high winds disrupted overhead line installation and some of the signalling programme had to be cancelled when key members of the team had to self-isolate due to COVID exposure. Platform 0 was brought into operational use at Leeds station, even though installation and testing staff had to be quarantined for COVID. There were also issues with misplaced and crossed cables that had to be reworked. The underbridge at Cuffley, on the Hertford loop just south of Cuffley station was replaced. Carrying two electrified lines over the B156 Station Road in Cuffley, it has a single span of 10.6 metres with nine-degree skew. The superstructure consisted of three longitudinal plate girders and transverse steel troughs, while the abutments and wing walls are primarily mass concrete and faced with blue engineering brick.
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The bridge superstructure was in poor condition, suffering from corrosion at the ends of the transverse steel troughs. The main girders also had minor defects from road and rail strikes. The entire bridge deck was replaced over the holiday and the line reopened as planned. Final rail welding and track tamping was scheduled to take place two weeks later. Another bridge, over Doncaster Road (A638) in Coften, was also replaced. Constructed in around 1880, the bridge had two independent decks, one for each of the unelectrified lines that it carried. Due to substandard clearance, the bridge had been subjected to repeated bridge strikes, resulting in significant damage and subsequent repairs to main and cross girders. The impacts had also led to replacement of some cross girders and stiffeners to the main girders. Although the new bridge was completed and handed back on time, there had been an initial delay as the replacement decks were nine days late arriving on site, limiting the time for trial erection. A problem with the bearing connections was therefore picked up only just before the project was due to commence, but a temporary fixing was put in place and the ‘go’ decision was delayed until everyone was happy during the possession. The deck of a two-span overbridge at Staddlethorpe Broad Lane, Gilberdyke, was replaced. The structure consists of a masonry arch crossing an access road and a steel and concrete flat deck crossing the Up and Down Hull lines. The steel and concrete section was removed and replaced with a new steel and pre-cast concrete integrated structure during a 56 hours and 45 minutes disruptive possession. Some residual works for Crossrail were carried out in Anglia, between Pudding Mill Lane and Gidea Park, including stations civils, demolition, signalling, signalling power, traction power, and OLE. Work took place on the autotransformer feeder cables, bonding was completed on six bridge structures and on London Underground at Stratford station. Gidea Park station platforms were resurfaced to bring new platform levels into line with platform extensions. The strengthening and cladding of the overbridge at Ilford station were completed so that the existing width restriction could be removed and full capacity reinstated, and the ticket hall at Romford station was demolished ahead of reconstruction and fitout of the new station layout and station systems. A total of 13 S&C point ends were replaced at the country end of Colchester station, as well as over 800 metres of plain line, new associated signalling and points heating equipment, and the
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OLE was checked to make sure it was fit for the new track layout. A sliding buffer stop was installed on Platform 6 to suit Greater Anglia’s new rolling stock. The Stratford rewire project, which will replace the existing fixed termination overhead line electrification equipment with a modern auto-tensioned design between the Liverpool Street end of Stratford station (Carpenters Road) and McGrath road at the Forest Gate end of Maryland station, continued. Two twin-anchor booms, each 29 metres long and weighing around eight tonnes were installed, while four wire runs and three switches were replaced. Two further bridge replacements were carried out over Christmas and New Year 2020. The underbridge over Oaks Lane, Postwick, on the Norwich to Lowestoft line, was initially planned to be delivered in February 2020 during a four-day blockade. However, due to severe high winds and weather (Storms Ciara and Dennis) impacting the planned crane lifting operations, the main works were cancelled and moved to Christmas. The existing structure was in poor condition which resulted in increased frequent examinations and maintenance costs. However, the weather once again intervened, this time it was Storm Bella that delayed the critical lifts by 14 hours, forcing implementation of the agreed 12-hour contingency possession overrun to complete the works. The bridge at Camden Road had been identified as requiring substantial strengthening works due to fatigue cracking and poor deck condition. Previous emergency works had resulted in both track and road closures and the structure was under an enhanced frequency of examination and monitoring, as was the nearby bridge at Chalk Farm, which was in a similar condition. Both bridges were strengthened during a complex Christmas programme which included an emergency wheel-timber replacement on Camden Road bridge with only two weeks’ notice. The Barking Riverside Extension project involves the construction of a new railway station in Barking in the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham to serve the Barking Riverside regeneration area. The extension will run partly over the existing London, Tilbury and Southend railway line from Barking, while 1.5km of the 4km of new railway will be laid on a newly constructed steel and concrete viaduct terminates at the new elevated station. Work planned for Christmas 2020 included the removal of the four sets of points that currently lead into Ripple Lane sidings from the Up and Down Goods lines, as well as two additional sets on the plain line, and to install and commission six new sets of points along with associated signal post telephone works.
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However, a track circuit design issue on one set of points prevented the handing back of the Ripple Lane West Sidings and the Up Goods line. In addition, the tamper allocated was inadequate for lifting and slewing complex S&C and was only able to achieve a consolidation pass. Although the plain line tie-ins were tamped, the S&C had to be jacked and packed to enable the setting up of the points. The Upminster signaller on panel 3 would not allow signal testing to commence due to the perceived increased workload that this would create. As a result, two possessions had to be cancelled to facilitate the start of the signal testing works - these works will be re-planned in future weekend possessions. Platforms 16, 17 and 18 at Liverpool Street station are being remodelled. Over Christmas and New Year, the ballasted track alongside Platforms 17 and 18 was removed and replaced by slab track, points were removed and the track plain lined and OLE adjustments made in preparation for works at Easter. The buffer stop for Platform 18 was replaced.
On two occasions, plant came into contact with and damaged the OLE, so repairs had to be made. In addition, a contractor working on behalf of BT broke through the bridge/soffit over Platforms 17-18 while undertaking fibreoptic cable installation at street level, necessitating another repair. The Ardleigh Green bridge replacement project - the phased demolition and replacement of the TfL bridge carrying the A127 dual carriageway over the line between Harold Wood and Gidea Park train stations, was completed in May 2019. However, the Phase 3 demolition works (originally planned for Christmas 2018) could not be undertaken until Christmas 2020. This involved the relocation of OLE brackets and cables from the trestle piers (located in the cess and 10 foot) to the new soffit of the new bridge decks, the slewing and protection of cables in troughs and the demolition of the brick piers to sleeper level. The work was completed 24 hours early.
North West and Central A 579-yard plain line track renewal of the Down Main line at Ardwick station required the existing rail and wooden sleepers to be removed as panels by heavy lifter from the platform. LERPS (lateral resistance end plates) were to be fitted to the sleeper ends through the station curve. The track was replaced as planned using a McCulloch FLASS to position the sleepers before the rail was lifted in by McCullock TRT handling machines. The work was completed as planned and the track was handed back at line speed of 30mph. Stressing was partially completed and was due to be finished midweek. The LERPS were fitted, however, due to the structure, shortened LERPS were required in places and these had to be ordered.
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The signals and route indicators in and around the Crewe station area are an early version of the fibre optic standard alphanumeric type, originally installed in 1985 as part of the Crewe SCC commissioning; they were deemed beyond life extension or repair. Over Christmas and New Year, 37 signals were renewed at Crewe station, including LED conversions for main aspects, position light aspects, standard and miniature indicators. The project was also to reinstate the temporary approach control link (TACL) on one signal, fit overspeed sensor systems (OSS) to two more and install dropper cages on three signal gantries. In addition, a new OLE structure at Basford near Crewe replaced an earlier gantry. The Birmingham New Street Area Renewals (BNSAR) project is renewing all life-expired signalling systems and trackside equipment in the Birmingham New Street PSB control area with control passing to the West Midlands Signalling Centre. This work continued through Christmas and New Year, and will continue with individual platforms being taken temporarily out of use as equipment is renewed. The plain line track renewal at Cheddington replaced 578 yards plus one external ramp (total 600 yards) on the Up Fast between Saturday 2 January and Monday 4 January, using six engineering trains and a tamper. The existing 60’ track panels were removed by a TRM (track relaying machine), after which road-rail excavators dug the old spoil into open wagons, The formation was then dozed to level, sand-replacement geotextile was installed then bottom ballast from open wagon was then added on top of that. New sleepers were installed by a hydraulic lifter and spreader, new rail was thimbled in and clipped up using a Pandrol CD400 clipping machine, after which top stone was unloaded from the auto ballast train and tamped to the design level. The site was handed back on time, fully welded and with a temporary speed restriction of 60mph. The OLE (overhead line electrification) was renewed on all four main lines plus one spur through Bletchley. This allowed the existing OLE structures to be recovered. In the event, three structures will have to be recovered on later weekends after delays caused by high winds on Boxing Day. Obsolete Joss Lock points operating equipment (POE) was replaced by more modern Clamplock types on three sets of points in the Manchester Piccadilly station throat. In addition, two Clamplocks were also renewed, to improve reliability on the ‘Eastern’ lines coming out of Piccadilly. The team worked well in inclement weather, and discussions were held around the resilience of regular personal protective equipment (PPE) in an area where there is excess oil and a lot of debris caused by old rolling stock. The use of paper coverall suits is being looked at for future works.
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A heavy S&C refurbishment took place at Slade Lane, where the switch diamonds had an unrepairable defect caused by hot weather due to a shallow depth construction method. The damage was being covered by a temporary speed restriction. All lines were closed, blocking the route from the main lines to Manchester Piccadilly station and Manchester Airport. The top layer of ballast was excavated and new ballast distributed. The new S&C panel was installed and welded in place, and the layout tamped by an S&C tamper to improve consolidation. SIN119 (Special Inspection Notice 119) has resulted in a national programme to improve earthing of location cases, following a Network Rail contractor having received an electric shock in March 2012. Work at Carlisle South involved Class I and Class II upgrades to assets fed by the Carlisle Ring Main, where these works could be done in rules of the route (RoTR) access. To improve visibility for drivers on the approach to the key junction south of Preston station, position light junction indicators (PLJI) were replaced with LED equivalents over Christmas as wheels-free access wasn’t available under RoTR possessions. Two new location cases were commissioned by the Bletchley signalling team as part of the Marylebone Golden Five Mile scheme. Some new track circuit equipment was also commissioned. An existing single-span U-deck occupation bridge at Great Bridgeford, which carries a farm access track road over four electrified railway lines, was replaced with prestressed over 54 hours of the 2020 Christmas blockade. A Zayo fibreoptic cable had first to be slewed onto temporary supports, and the OLE dismantled, before the old bridge could be removed and its abutments demolished. New cill units were installed along with three precast inner beams. The Zayo cable was replaced and then two edge beams added. Finally, the OLE was reinstated. Unexpectedly, the contractor had to develop and use a jacking method to free the end of the bridge, but, despite this, the project was completed 12 hours early. A plain line track renewal on the Up Main line at Balshaw Lane resulted in a 60mph handback in place of the expected 50mph. Existing rail and sleepers were scrapped, with the rail being burned into 20-foot lengths and loaded onto the work train. Due to minor plant issues, stressing was not undertaken and this will be completed at a later date.
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A similar process at Farringdon curve also led to a 60mph handback, this time without the stressing issue. At the same location, however, plans to remove the existing drainage and install a new drainage system using 300mm pipe came to naught when investigation works on the shift identified a fully functioning 600mm pipe which, if replaced with 300mm pipe, would have risked causing further flooding issues. Refurbishment of three catch pits was completed and further works identified that several catch pits had been capped off incorrectly, causing blockages throughout the system. Leaving the existing 600mm pipe in situ will enable the volume of water on site to drain away correctly. If the pipe had been changed for a 300mm pipe, there is a possibility that the system would not have been sufficient for the volume of water involved. Auxiliary Wire forms part of the OLE Mark 1 compound equipment which was installed on main lines in the 1960s. Following modelling, it was realised that pre-sagged equipment offered better performance. In the past six years, LNW North has had five incidents where the auxiliary wire has parted, causing delay, plus one instance where the driver of a failed unit received a severe electric shock while inspecting their train. Over Christmas and New Year, the Auxiliary wire was removed from three wire runs at Mossley Hill, with preparatory work completed on a fourth wire run, although the wire drop is still outstanding. In a short possession of less than 12 hours, 176 yards of plain line track was renewed on the Down Stour at Wellington Street. New geotextile was laid, with bottom ballast, track and top ballast going on top of that. Temporary joints and clamps were installed before the site was handed back at 50mph. At Stetchford South, 453yds of the Up Coventry was renewed between 24 and 27 December 2020. Balfour Beatty’s Track Relaying Machine was used to remove the old track in 60-foot panels and install new track on bottom ballast laid over new geotextile. All works were completed as planned and the track was handed back at the planned 60mph TSR fully stressed and around eight hours early. The Northern Hub Alliance renewed under-track crossings (UTX) and track drainage on the Down Chat Moss line. This was an enabling stage for the renewal of 200 metres of the track formation later in the year. The team also commissioned the new SCADA (Supervisory control and data acquisition) system at Castlefield junction and Water Street. This will enable safer and quicker isolations to be taken at these critical locations.
The deck of Cow Lane underbridge in Cosham, between Fareham and Portsmouth, required replacement to bring capacity to RA8 at line speed and to reduce the bridge strike risk to double amber. A 450-tonne road crane was used to remove the existing bridge deck and replace it with two steel U-decks. The track was lifted and replaced, S&T and HV cables slewed onto the new decks and axle counters removed, re-instated and tested back into operational use. A failed weld on the Up line was clamped and a closure rail will be installed later. A 50mph TSR was planned anyway, so the failed weld did not cause any additional operational impact. The two metallic bridge decks outer spans of Selsdon Road bridge, on the Brighton main line, were replaced with precast and prestressed concrete units manufactured by Shay Murtagh. The structure was life expired and contained hidden critical elements (HCE) which could not easily be inspected or repaired, so replacing the structure removed the HCEs and provided a greater resistance to bridge strike. Although the Christmas period is typically quieter than normal, particularly during the current pandemic, two of the four lines were kept open for trains throughout the works while the Up Fast and Down Slow metallic bridge decks were replaced during two 52-hour possessions. Once the decks were installed, the track was replaced using the existing running and conductor rails.
Wales and Western Stage C of the remodelling of Bristol East junction took place in the Christmas holiday, in advance of a blockade in Summer 2021 to deliver Stage F. Five point-ends were installed, along with points heaters, and the In/Out sidings recovered. Signalling was disconnected, reconnected and tested alongside the track work and the new East gantry was erected. Foundations were also constructed for two new signals, to be installed later. The handback on the morning of 28 December was delayed by two hours due to time lost during the lift of the new gantry caused by Storm Bella which then delayed the wheels-free testing. The project to replace the roof of Bristol Temple Meads station continued during the holiday, with a good start made on installing the temporary works scaffolding that will be in situ for the next two years. The scaffolding will be contractor Taziker’s access to undertake all work in the main train shed.
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During the course of the refurbishment, the end screens to both the ‘Exeter’ and ‘London’ ends of the train shed will be refurbished, as will the original features inside the train shed, including the timber soffit cladding and metallic supports. All previously painted surfaces to the canopies will be repainted to ST3 specification (25 year design life) and the glazing replaced throughout. Timbers were replaced on the deck of the bridge over the Grand Junction Canal at Park Royal in London. The track was removed to allow access and then both the waterproofing and 360 timbers were replaced, and positive deck-end drainage installed. The track was then replaced ready for on-time handback. Work took place at London Paddington as part of the Safer Faster Isolations project, under which traction power can be switched off quickly and safely without anyone needing to access the railway. Six sections were tested successfully over Christmas, despite an additional worksite having been added at short notice. An unknown and unexpected buried cable caused delays on the 220-yard ballast and formation treatment renewal on line two into Paddington station. The cable was left undisturbed, but the work - 220 yards of ballast renewal, six completed and 448 yards of stressing, slowed down. Despite this, the site was handed back on time. Merrick Road footbridge in Southall, London, was installed on behalf of Ealing Borough Council by Network Rail and Balfour Beatty. Once completed, this 66-metre combined footbridge and cycleway will reconnect the north and south of Southall and promote greater use of cycle routes. During a five-day blockade over the New Year holiday, the South Rail Systems Alliance relayed five of the seven S&C point ends at the west end of Cardiff Central station, with the remaining two to be relayed later. Plain line track was also renewed, signalling, including 18 axle-counter heads, was disconnected, reconnected and tested and recently installed OLE adjusted. While the project was completed as planned, niggling faults both during and after the work marred the team’s success. During the possession, there was an eight-hour late start due to isolation staff issues at ECO Didcot and there was a four-hour breakdown of one of the S&C tampers. After handback, there was an axle counter irregularity on Monday morning during traffic, plus a battery power pack failure of one set of points on Thursday morning.
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Scotland From Christmas Eve until the early hours of Saturday 2 January, engineers were working at Cadder to the north of Glasgow to replace over 1km of track and renew or refurbish 12 sets of points. The team also renewed signalling and overhead power equipment and upgraded points heaters. At Greenhill junction, between Glasgow and Edinburgh, work took place over Christmas to upgrade signalling systems to make the railway more resilient and reduce delays for passengers. To the south of Glasgow city centre, engineers worked from New Year’s Day until the early hours of 4 January to renew junctions and life-expired tracks at Pollokshields East and on the approaches to Glasgow Central station.
A job well done Overall, it was another successful Christmas and New Year programme. 99 per cent of the work was completed on time, and the impact on the travelling public and on freight operators was minimal. Once again, thousands of dedicated railway workers gave up the pleasure of spending Christmas with their families, and thoroughly deserved the break many of them took in early January. This year the COVID epidemic complicated matters. Safe plans of work, involving distancing where at all possible and other precautions where it was not, had to be put in place and one or two projects suffered when key workers were suddenly unavailable due to quarantining. But the programme was delivered, despite the pandemic. Andrew Haines, Network Rail chief executive, had the final word: “I would like to say a massive thank you to all those who have been out working tirelessly through the festive period to maintain and upgrade our infrastructure, delivering significant improvements and for those who have been keeping our passengers and freight customers moving throughout. “Your hard work and dedication is truly appreciated.”
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Rail Engineer | Issue 188 | Jan-Feb 2021
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