The Rail Engineer - Issue 92 - June 2012

June 2012

i s s u e

92 On time and to budget!

THAMESLINK REVIEWED AS THE PROJECT REACHES A MAJOR MILESTONE

Developing Investment Projects

Introducing IECC scalable

Pushing the Boundaries

Simon Kirby’s plans for Network Rail’s new infrastructure business.

Examining the latest control system for the new regional signalling centres.

Last minute changes while renewing older sections of the Manchester Metrolink.

written by rail engineers for rail engineers

available online at www.therailengineer.com

june 2012 | the rail engineer | 3

welcome Grahame Taylor’s

Operating notice

Editor Grahame Taylor grahame.taylor@therailengineer.com Production Editor Nigel Wordsworth nigel@rail-media.com Production and design Adam O'Connor adam@rail-media.com Engineering writers chris.parker@therailengineer.com clive.kessell@therailengineer.com collin.carr@therailengineer.com david.shirres@therailengineer.com graeme.bickerdike@therailengineer.com mungo.stacy@therailengineer.com peter.stanton@therailengineer.com steve.bissell@therailengineer.com stuart.marsh@therailengineer.com terry.whitley@therailengineer.com Advertising Asif Ahmed asif@rail-media.com Paul Curtis pc@rail-media.com Tom O’Connor tom@rail-media.com

buildings. In the end it’s about providing a much better service to the vast numbers of people travelling into and through London for many years to come.

In a refreshing emphasis on practicality, David Shirres gives us his take on the Network Rail “Safety

by Design” initiative. Wouldn’t it be a good idea for designers to consider how their structures are to be built? Of course. And many do already. I’d like to go that one step further and insist that designers are let out of their silos to see sites in the flesh. It’s not really good enough to show them photographs.

Modern digital cameras rely so much on amazing wide angle lenses and it’s tempting to cram everything into one image. The consequence? The remote designer has no feel of how constricted a site is in real life. So, let them out for the day. It’ll do them good.

When the lights go out, and a depot door closes for the last time, then it’s not long before dereliction sets in. Nature and the elements are not the only intruders. Allerton Depot on the southern outskirts of Liverpool was in a sorry state early in 2011 and yet a deadline loomed for the introduction of new stock. Restoring a maintenance depot requires a long shopping list of bits, a sound implementation plan, a committed workforce and innovative procurement thinking. Terry Whitley takes you through the nail-biting narrative.

On his recent trip to Belgium, Clive Kessell went to see Libor Lochman, executive director of the Community of European Railways, part organiser of a seminar entitled (surprisingly) “Value for Money in Railways - what can Europe learn from Great Britain?” Is this what they really think? Well, er... no but it’s a great title that hides some huge underlying complexities. But for one moment there... the rail engineer Ashby House, Bath Street, Ashby-de-la-Zouch Leicestershire, LE65 2FH Telephone: Fax: Email: Website:

On time and to budget!

Collin Carr looks at the Thameslink project as a whole and finds it’s an ongoing success.

6

Developing Infrastructure Projects 12 Network Rail’s Simon Kirby outlines the changes and opportunities presented by the new organisation.

UK Railways - Value for Money?

16

PHOTO: KUZMIN ANDREY/SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

We welcome a couple of guest writers this month: Dr. Liesel von Metz, HM Inspector of Railways at the Office of Rail Regulation; and Steve Wiskin, safe by choice manager, Atkins. And while their subjects are completely different they contain a silver thread linking their contributions together with that of our own writer David Shirres. It is that of safety in the design process.

The whirl of Infrarail is over for another year. It’s now time for the real hard work of following up all those contacts away from the buzz that was there over the three days. Nigel Wordsworth took time off from our stand to talk with Simon Kirby, Network Rail’s managing director, infrastructure projects who had just spoken in the rail engineer seminar theatre.

Nigel reports on the creation of the Network Rail Infrastructure Projects business which will not only compete with the open market but also have the tantalising possibility of operating overseas.

Road rail vehicles are great, aren’t they? Think of a task. Find a machine that does it on dry land. Fit it with rail wheels and off we go. But hang on a minute. Have a read of Dr. von Metz’s point of view.

These contraptions aren’t toys. They can be incredibly useful and achieve amazing productivity, but they have a couple (at least) of annoying habits.

They can have stopping issues on wet rails and, as they’ve lost their steering, they can’t get out of the way of people or other machines very quickly.

We’ve fed you snippets of Thameslink over the past few months. Each one is a tidy morsel in its own right. We’ve alluded to where a project fits into the larger picture, but this month Collin Carr stands back - not quite over the parapet - and gives us all an overview of the larger picture and how much of this massive project has been completed. It’s not just about dramatic bridgeworks and shiny

in this issue

Europeans are impressed by the costs saving going on in the UK. Clive Kessell finds out more.

Introducing IECC Scalable The latest version of the Intergrated Electronic Control Centre is now in service at Swindon.

20

Pushing the Boundaries 32 Stobart Rail manages the difficulties of working to tight timetables on Manchester’s Metrolink network.

Making RRVs safe 44 ORR’s Lisel von Metz looks at steps being taken to improve safety when using RRVs on worksites.

Safety By Design

54

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Editorial copy Email: news@rail-media.com Free controlled circulation Email: subscribe@rail-media.com The small print the rail engineer is published by RailStaff Publications Limited and printed by Pensord. © All rights reserved. No part of this magazine may be reproduced in any form without the prior written permission of the copyright owners.

David Shirres talks with Keith Miller of Network Rail about the Safety Leadership and Culture Change programme.

Allerton reborn 60 The Liverpool train depot is back in service with a new lease of life. Terry Whitley has been to visit.

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4 | the rail engineer | june 2012

IN BRIEF New trains for Merseyside Merseytravel has started the process to replace its entire fleet of 59 trains.

Currently it is recruiting a project director to oversee the multi-million pound scheme and the procurement process will commence in the autumn.

However, the trains will be completely new and should be in service by 2017.

The current fleet of class 507 and 508 trains were built in the late 1970’s and, despite a full overhaul programme that began a decade ago, both the expected lifespan of the vehicles and the current leasing arrangements are set to expire over the next six years.

news

STATIONS

Northampton renewed

Nottingham tram revealed The design of the second generation Nottingham trams, to be built by Alstom in Barcelona, has been revealed. Twentytwo new trams are on order, and the first will be delivered in two years’ time.

The new trams have been styled to complement the current 15-strong Adtranz (Bombardier) fleet, but are an updated version of the Citadis family that Alstom has already supplied to 36 other cities, including Paris, Madrid and Dublin.

Northampton will be the latest town to benefit from a remodelled railway station, after the announcement of a £20 million project to renew the unprepossessing station currently on the Northampton Castle site.

In essence, a completely new station and footbridge will be built next to the existing station, adjacent to the A4500 St James’ Road bridge.

The existing platforms and canopies will be retained, but everything else

will be new.

Outline design has been carried out by BDP Architects and Hyder Consulting. A final design and build contract will be let by the end of the year. Work shall commence early in 2013 and the new station should be open mid-2014.

Half of the funding is coming from central government. Making the announcement, Transport Secretary Justine Greening said: “Northampton deserves a station that will be a

brand new ‘Gateway’ to the town and stimulate the redevelopment of the station area.” At the same time, Communities Secretary Eric Pickles commented: “This £10 million for the Castle Railway station is another step forward in Northampton’s resurgence as a place where local communities thrive.”

The balance of the cost will be borne by Network Rail’s discretionary fund and Northamptonshire County Council.

LIGHT RAIL

Tram-Trains are coming Tramlink Nottingham Chief Executive, Phil Hewitt, said: “These are excellent vehicles and we’re delighted to provide a truly eye-catching tram for the City of Nottingham.”

New principal contractors Nine companies were awarded provisional principal contractor’s licences for the first time by Network Rail recently.

Katie Ferrier, head of supplier engagement, and David McLoughlin, finance and commercial director, presented certificates to Alun Griffiths (Contractors), Cleshar Contract Services, Coffey Construction, CR Reynolds, EMEG Electrical, Eric Wright Civil Engineering, Miller Construction, NDC Consultants and Tata Steel.

The presentations were made at Network Rail’s office in Eversholt Street, London on Friday 18 May 2012.

Afterwards, Katie Ferrier commented: “Network Rail needs a pool of high quality contractors to deliver a first class railway, so it’s good to add these companies to that list today.”

The much-discussed project to run tram-trains in South Yorkshire is now reaching a conclusion as £58 million of funding has been announced to

create a service between Sheffield and Rotherham. Seven tram-trains will be purchased from Vossloh and will be manufactured in Spain. The

purchase contract should be signed this July, with the first vehicle being delivered in November 2014 and the fleet complete by September 2015.

The new route will include 3.5 miles of Network Rail infrastructure which will be electrified with a 750V DC overhead system. There will be a new, 400 metres long, plain line connection with the Supertram network, together with associated signalling alterations, and a 200 metre plain line turnback facility at Parkgate (one mile north of Rotherham Central station). Low level platform/tram stop facilities will be created at Meadowhall South, Rotherham Central, and Parkgate. Network Rail’s capital costs are expected to be in the region of £17 million.

Infrastructure work should start in summer 2013 and be complete by summer 2014. After trials following the delivery of the first tram-train, the first passenger services will commence in 2015 and be run by Sheffield Supertram.

june 2012 | the rail engineer | 5

news

ROLLING STOCK

INFRASTRUCTURE

Fudged and delayed Busy Bank Holiday

Leaving aside the much-publicised Siemens vs Bombardier debate, the Department for Transport (DfT) is still being very evasive when it comes to setting a date to sign the Thameslink train contract.

Originally due to be placed by December 2010, the contract with Siemens was announced on Thursday 16 June 2011 – the day after Philip Hammond, then Secretary of State for Transport, spoke at the rail engineer seminars at Railtex and said he didn’t know when the contract would be announced!

Everyone then waited for the ďŹ nal signature on the contract documents.

That was going to be October – then

December. On 22 February 2012 a DfT spokesman stated: “The completion of the IEP and Thameslink deals is Spring 2012�. Did we mention that IEP hasn’t been signed either?

On 17 May 2012, Maria Eagle, Shadow Transport Secretary, posed a written question: “To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the reasons are for the time taken to ďŹ nalise the Thameslink rolling stock contract; and when she expects the contract to be ďŹ nalised.â€?

Theresa Villiers answered: “The Department expects to conclude the core project agreements with Siemens and Cross London Trains shortly, following which Cross London Trains and their lending banks then need to conclude the ďŹ nancing documentation required to secure the necessary equity and debt funding for the project.â€?

So the ďŹ rst half of the question – what has caused the delay – was just ignored. The second half – when will it be signed – was fudged, and a possible extra delay due to ďŹ nance documentation was raised for the ďŹ rst time. Even Maria Eagle’s oďŹƒce hadn’t heard that one before!

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Network Rail spent the early May bank holiday long weekend out on the tracks, working at more than 2,000 sites to complete jobs such as replacing rails, installing new points, upgrading signalling and many other tasks besides.

The signalling teams successfully completed a variety of projects ranging from installing new level crossings; renewing and commissioning new signals; and replacing existing Radio Electronic Token Block (RETB) signalling systems.

It was also a very busy weekend for the track teams with a number of key switch and crossing and plain line works successfully completed. Works at Hitchin and Wigmore Lane experienced delays in their possession hand back but the Scotland and North East regional team successfully completed the reconstruction of a new underbridge on the West Coast Mainline between Lockerbie and Carlisle.

The Southern region delivery teams successfully completed engineering works on three key projects: various commissioning work on the East London Line, a successful bridge

replacement at Tunstall Dyke and a train lengthening programme at Putney Station.

With another round of Bank Holidays planned for June, Network Rail will again be taking the opportunity by reduced passenger demand to carry out more upgrade works to the infrastructure, using every minute to get the infrastructure as good as it can be, ready for the Olympic Games.

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feature

On time and to budget!

Connect managing director, Neal Lawson, accompanied by Minister of State for Rail, Theresa Villiers MP. As a result of the Thameslink Programme, First Capital Connect has been able to supplement their train fleet of 86 ageing Class 319 four-car trains with 23 Class 377/5 four-car Electrostars, plus an additional 3 Class 377/2 four-car Electrostars on hire from Southern.

To accommodate these new longer train sets, five new 12-car sidings were built at Bedford, named Jowett Sidings after an old Bedford railwayman.

Capacity increase at Farringdon

writer

Collin Carr December 2007, the government I nannounced a £5.5 billion improvement grant for the “Thameslink programme”. By any standards this was, and continues to be, a significant and very demanding programme both for the engineer and for the many paying passengers who, over the years, have braved the rush hour on this line each morning.

Many articles have been written about particular aspects of this programme.

However, now is a good time to review progress across the scheme and to consider which benefits have been realised and what still needs to be delivered. To help with this task, the rail engineer spoke with Chris Binns, head of engineering for the programme for Network Rail.

Overview The Thameslink route is now a well established concept. It includes two airports, Luton and Gatwick, and 50 stations from Bedford to the north of London through to Brighton on the south coast. The project also includes a redeveloped station design for Farringdon, a totally revamped Blackfriars station, and rework of the railway corridor from Blackfriars station to London Bridge station spanning the well known Borough Market.

Added to this significant array of engineering projects there is also the need to completely remodel the track layout in the vicinity of London Bridge station, plus the reconstruction of that very unpopular

station itself. The current track layout is an operator’s nightmare, which is not surprising since there has been little change since 1908.

Throughout the project, Network Rail has been working closely with the franchise holder, First Capital Connect. Work started in 2009 at Luton Airport Parkway station to extend the platforms in preparation for new 12 car train sets. Many other stations on the route required similar work, and at West Hampstead station the work was augmented to include a new footbridge, station building and access improvements.

Close cooperation The first batch of 12 car trains was delivered to plan on Monday 12 December 2011 and was welcomed by First Capital

Farringdon Station has two London Underground platforms and two platforms served by the Thameslink route trains which are operated by First Capital Connect. The station building is listed and the site before work started was very congested. A butcher’s shop and a 14 storey office block were amongst the buildings that had to be demolished. It was not possible to extend the two Thameslink platforms to accommodate 12 car trains at the northern end of the station because the gradient of the track is 1:29, which is too steep for stopping trains. Therefore, the Moorgate branch at the southern end of the station was closed to enable the construction work to take place.

Passengers are already arriving in greater numbers because of the longer trains, and this will increase with the introduction of Crossrail. The safe and efficient flow of people through the station is a major concern and it needed to be radically improved. Work managed by Network Rail and undertaken by a Costain / Laing O’Rourke joint venture, with Atkins

june 2012 | the rail engineer | 7

feature providing the design, included extending the platforms and a new footbridge linking Thameslink with London Underground platforms. Also, to encourage passengers to use the whole station, the existing station roof was extended by approximately 60 metres at the northern end and a new integrated ticket hall serving Thameslink, London Underground and Crossrail has been constructed at the southern end.

Chris Binns explained that the newly installed lifts in the ticket hall extend down to the level where the Crossrail tunnels will be constructed, which is an excellent example of the coordination and collaboration that exists between the different railway projects at present.

Innovative piling testing In total, more than 200 piles were installed, ranging from 20 to 40 metres in length, as there was concern about settlement associated with the future Crossrail works. Most of the piles were of 300mm to 450mm diameter, but the new ticket hall had to be constructed on forty 1.8 metre diameter reinforced concrete piles.

Normally, one of these piles would be tested using kentledge. However, the confined working space made this impossible and so they used the Osteberg Cell testing system which required a sacrificial jack to be incorporated into the pile structure then

activated to induce a force of 81MN to test the pile’s ability to cope with the design loading. This system was originally used for off-shore structures and it is the first time it has been used on a railway site.

All the work planned for this location is now complete with only some cladding and roof work still outstanding, but all the new facilities are now available for passengers to use.

(Above) O-Cell installation at Farringdon.

(Inset) Piling at Farringdon.

8 | the rail engineer | june 2012

feature

Blackfriars bottleneck the rail engineer has been closely following the development of the new Blackfriars station, with a number of articles outlining the many technical challenges that had to be addressed.

Balfour Beatty was the principal contractor for the whole scheme, working alongside Jacobs Engineering consultancy for the structural engineering design and Tony Gee & Partners for the bridgeworks.

The new entrance on the south bank of the Thames was opened in December 2011, making Blackfriars the first station to straddle the Thames with access points on both banks.

To accommodate the new 12-car trains, new covered platforms now span the Thames. More than 4,400 solar panels have been incorporated into the design to improve energy by providing

50% of the station’s energy requirements. This is alongside the installation of 18 “sun pipes” to allow natural light into the north entrance plus a rain water harvesting system. To add to the engineering challenges of this particular project, a brand new London Underground station has also been constructed.

The station is now part of the already impressive river landscape. It is completely accessible for disabled travellers and, with its innovative design, is a credit to the London transport system and the city itself.

Thameslink trains no longer have to cross tracks to access their platforms so there are no conflicting movements.

This service is now operational.

Borough Market The need to extend the two track railway bottleneck to four tracks through a 350 metre path rich in cultural heritage and listed buildings, spanning Borough Market and High Street west of London Bridge station, has now been

resolved. This was a major achievement.

To add a bit more flavour, this is also a prime archaeological site.

It was also a huge challenge for the engineers who designed and constructed six continuous spans of double track bridge with I-girders supporting transverse steel-concrete cross-girders and a concrete slab deck.

In addition, a unique, single span, tubular steel bridge has been designed to span Borough High Street leading up to the station.

Under the overall control of principal contractor Skanska, and the specific skills of Watson Steel supported by the capabilities of the Dutch specialists, Mammout, the 1200 tonne, 72 metre long, 6 metre high steel tubular bridge span was slid into place, without difficulty, using self propelled modular trailers. It took 70 hours and it now forms a significant, and hopefully agreeable, landmark for the area.

This particular part of the project is an excellent example of collaborative planning which is a recognised “Lean

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10 | the rail engineer | june 2012

Technique” designed to drive out waste and deliver to plan. On this project, success included a saving of eight weeks within the first six months on site. Chris explained that there were similar initiatives on each of the projects and that they have all proved to be worthwhile and cost effective.

He also commented that this was the most complex public/construction interface site he has ever worked on and there were 247 “Party Wall” agreements drafted. He added that the local community certainly knew about the work but everyone appeared to be content with the progress and there have been very few complaints. The Victorian market roof structure has been removed, refurbished and refitted to accommodate the new viaduct. New glazing has been added as well as a new glass structure located alongside the new bridge designed to promote the market location.

feature This work is an essential element of the overall Thameslink programme and it paves the way for the complete redevelopment of London Bridge Station which is due to begin in 2013.

Outer areas In addition to these higher profile works, a considerable amount of activity has taken place to prepare stations on the Bedford route to accept the 12-car trains. The majority of this work was carried out under a framework agreement with Carillion which delivered 30 platform extensions and commissioned approximately 60 rail systems.

Carillion has also constructed, under this contract, the stabling facility at Bedford and the new station building at West Hampstead that were mentioned earlier. All of this was delivered in just 12 months - under budget, ahead of programme and, most importantly, with a good safety record.

Next stop - London Bridge

Archaeology In addition to some anticipated Roman exhibits, the archaeological finds included a pair of 16th century “Borough Delftware” plates which are now on display at the Museum of London. Throughout this work, Network Rail worked closely with the local community, including the traders and management of the historic Borough Market, to limit the impact of the construction work.

The market has now been expanded into a new glazed market hall on Borough High Street and also has a presence on the High Street for the first time in centuries.

So, this brings us up to date. The next stage of the programme is the aforesaid redevelopment of London Bridge station and the changes to the associated track layout. All of this work will take place under the glittering Shard of Glass building which looms over the site.

In fact, work has already started on this project. With Network Rail leading, Costain has been appointed as principal contractor for the station work supported by WSP and Hyder.

Balfour Beatty Rail is principal contractor for all the track work, and Invensys has been awarded the complex signalling contract.

Planning permission has now been granted by the Borough of Southwark. A crash deck has been erected under the old train shed roof so that the original roof can be demolished safely to enable the new platform canopy structures to be erected.

The existing layout provides six through platforms and nine terminating platforms.

The scheme will reverse this arrangement, providing nine through platforms with through platforms 4 and 5 dedicated to Thameslink.

Dickensian arches There will be a new underground concourse that will extend from one side of the station to the other. This will involve the removal of a significant number of Dickensian arches, passages and a covered roadway. Escalators and lifts will be installed to access the concourse, which will be larger than the Wembley pitch.

Extensive changes to the track layout to the east of the station will remove the many crossover manoeuvres that have blighted this location since the late nineteenth century.

Also, a dive-under junction will be constructed at Bermondsey, thus creating train paths more akin to a motorway intersection.

This project will offer gradual improvements and will be completed by 2018.

Benefits In summary, this is what Network Rail and their dedicated teams of engineers are aiming to achieve: • More trains with an increase from eight to potentially twenty four trains per hour in the core area during the peak period by 2018; • New platform extensions at outlying stations to accommodate the longer trains; • A safe and acceptable environment for passengers to arrive in larger numbers in longer twelve-car sets rather than the present eight at key locations; • Less congestion and overcrowding with much improved tube access at the new Farringdon and Blackfriars stations; • The remodelling of Farringdon into an interchange with Crossrail and a major hub in the railway network; • A completely rebuilt and modernised London Bridge with capacity for thousands of additional travellers during peak periods.

By any standards, Thameslink is a very complex and challenging collection of projects. To date, all the output targets have been delivered on time and within budget.

Many of the individual projects have won industry awards. Everything is going well.

From an engineer’s perspective, Chris summed it up perfectly. He commented: “Delivery teams keeping to the programme and budget helps enormously when making key technical decisions.”The sentiment behind this statement can be appreciated.

What is equally important is that it also means that First Capital Connect is able to demonstrate a continually improving service to their customers. Given the progress to date, this is a situation which should continue for some time to come.

We deliver Reading resignalling One of the busiest sections of the UKâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s transport network, the Reading Station Area is a major network hub, serving as a crossroad for rail traffic and services to all parts of the UK. Network Rail commissioned a rebuild of the railway to increase capacity levels, reduce delays and provide a better equipped station.

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12 | the rail engineer | june 2012

feature

Developing Infrastructure Projects

writer

Nigel

Wordsworth

South West Trains the first example of a deep alliance.

Kirby, Network Rail’s managing S imon director, infrastructure projects, spoke in the rail engineer seminar theatre at Infrarail recently and outlined his thoughts and objectives for the new Network Rail Infrastructure Projects business which he is setting up. It will have quite an impact on the industry, so it is worth reporting what he had to say.

He started by reminding his listeners that rail is a growth industry. “We used to use a statistic there’s more people using the railways now since the second world war there’s actually more people using the railways now than there ever has been on what clearly is a smaller infrastructure, a more closely packed infrastructure, and a lot of what we are doing is around capacity - it’s about addressing many of those issues created by that growth.”

However, as Simon commented: “Rail is a fantastic place to be at the moment”, and he reported that discussions with government around funding are very positive in terms of seeing rail as one of the ways of stimulating economic growth.

Network Rail’s performance in this control period is on track in terms of reducing cost, and Simon emphasised that there is a firm commitment to reduce costs further by 2014.

Safety is an absolute priority, but delivering the programme safely, at lower cost, is forcing Network Rail to look to change and be more collaborative in the future.

Into the future Looking at CP5 and into the future, Simon stated that Network Rail will be “A fundamentally different company by the end of 2012”. It has already devolved its route operations into separate business units. Route managing directors are in place across the country, focussed on customer engagement while running and operating the assets of a high performing railway.

KNELL PHOTO: MIKE

Two current projects, Reading (above) and Thameslink Farringdon (below).

Over time, different relationships will evolve in different ways, depending on the specifics of that route. Simon believes that Network Rail will become more of a group of companies, and in some routes will be more connected with its customers from a business perspective. In fact, there has recently been an announcement on an alliance with South West Trains, the first example of that type of relationship.

june 2012 | the rail engineer | 13

feature However, he is mindful that it is very important to remember the networkwide benefits of running a national railway system, so Network Rail will still have a key role in terms of running Britain’s railways apart from the devolved routes.

As part of that role, Network Rail is creating a separate project business which he outlined to his audience. It is aligned regionally with the route businesses, as the new routes are the prime customers of the new Infrastructure Projects business. There are four regional areas, Scotland and the North East, Central, Western and Southern. They are not route-based, mainly because of economies of scale and some technical reasons behind some of the projects, but they are regionally-based with route delivery directors supporting each of the key customers.

Signalling remains a national programme because it is of strategic importance, and also because there are design resources all around the country that can work on projects wherever they are in England, Scotland and Wales.

Additionally, there are still two major outstanding programmes, Thameslink and FTN/GSM-R. Both are currently at critical stages of their development and these will remain under central control.

Clear and accountable relationships Organisationally, there would have to be changes. “To actually have a competitive market though, bearing in mind our key client will be Network Rail, we have to separate the Infrastructure Project business into a separate subsidiary company.” He said that a lot of work is currently going into that, and the plan is to make that change next year to enable true competition by having a separate subsidiary company with its own systems and financial controls to be able to operate in that environment.

One of the main changes is that this year, for the first time, the four regions will have profit and loss accounts and will be run as businesses with accountable management teams. As Simon said: “For me, it’s about giving those people more accountability, decentralising the organisation”.

There will still be a central organisation of course, but it will be under half the size of the organisation of a couple of months ago.

Responsibility will be moved into the regions with some support from the centre, rather than having the centre running the business.

So why is this being done? “It is about CP5 and the future. It’s about creating an organisation that, frankly, people want to work with - an organisation that is delivering value through a more competitive market. Running a monopoly organisation, it’s virtually impossible to demonstrate value for

money - you can benchmark things but clearly, ultimately, competition is the only way we believe we can do that.

So opening the market up as part of this process to competition on some of our projects is one of the key elements of the reason behind doing it.”

There will also be earlier and greater engagement with partners. As an example, Simon cited the London Bridge project on Thameslink. “We start construction in 2013 next year and, as of last year, all of our key partners, certainly at first tier and in some cases at second or third tier, are now involved in the design process, helping to deliver hopefully a safer and more constructable solution. I do believe by getting the people involved in the construction in the design has to be the right thing from a safety performance point of view.”

International interest Network Rail also has a low-key international agenda. “One of the areas we’ve been looking at, and we’ve decided we’re going to move into, we get asked every couple of months by someone somewhere in the world can we help advise on a rail project.

Normally by governments or a government agency, and sometimes actually by consultant engineers who

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Opening up competition All this will open up the market in terms of new suppliers. Moving into CP5, elements that Investment Projects delivered by right under the old organisation will now be opened up to contestability. So the Infrastructure Projects organisation will be competing in the market for projects alongside existing partners and new market entrants. It is obviously about lower unit costs, and bringing new suppliers and technology into projects will deliver those benefits.

Simon thinks that, as Network Rail forges closer relationships with its suppliers, it will potentially have fewer partners in the future than it did in the past. He believes that is almost inevitable as more framework contracts are placed, but, as he said, “Hopefully that will enable longer term planning in those partner organisations. We’ll have much closer projections of work and people will know what they’ve got to deliver, not just next month but next year and the year beyond, so they can plan resources and train people for that.”

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feature

term relationships. Things will go wrong, things will work, and we need to learn from that.”

Simon is very mindful that Network Rail, as a client, needs to have an appetite for innovation. It needs engineers who want that innovation and understand where it’s right or wrong to apply that innovation and he feels that is a cultural issue which needs more focus.

Transparency and collaboration

Blackfriars - before and (nearly) after.

comment that organisations like DB, SNCF, MTR are in that sort of space and we’re not. So we’re looking at creating an international consultancy business to really work in partnership with other consultancies to deliver that type of advisory service.”

It will be on a small scale to start with, but Simon hopes it will change perceptions of Network Rail in terms of being engaged in international projects around the world.

Not the only player And so, by the end of next year, Network Rail Infrastructure Projects is looking to compete for projects. Simon put it like this: “Ultimately in CP5 we will be a major player, but not the only player, in developing and delivering projects for Network Rail. Without giving you the wrong perception though, the higher value / higher risk projects, the Thameslinks, the Readings, that type of thing, there’s certainly no plans at present to compete at that sort of level in terms of taking output and taking capital risk. But smaller, low value projects that’s certainly the plan and something we’ll work on with the pilots over the next 18 months.”

To do that, a different type of strategy was announced about a year ago in March. It is about “Safer delivery, driving down costs,

introducing more innovative solutions, reducing scope variations because we have got much more aligned objectives between ourselves, our consultants and our contractors in one project rather than having potentially different objectives. This is about aligning our risks and our financial objectives to create one high-performing group of teams.

“And, clearly, reducing duplication and resources is happening now - I’ve been to a few projects recently where Network Rail staff are working for contractors or consultants who are then working for a Network Rail manager, and vice versa, so its great to see that and that is already delivering benefits for both Network Rail and some of its partners on some of our projects.”

Learning from Europe To work out the best formula for alliancing, Simon Kirby reported that Network Rail conducted an investigation about 18 months ago which looked at different projects around Europe in transport, in rail and in different types of infrastructure. It looked at why certain models worked and certain models didn’t, and developed a seven stage model that goes all the way from complete outsourcing to a joint business limited company relationship.

“Most of our focus at the moment, though, is very much in more collaborative working, either in pure closer engagement all the way through to a number of alliances with shared risks and shared objectives which we’ve now got in place.

“There’s certainly a commitment to do this, but we do believe, to get to where we want to get to, we do need longer

It also needs openness and transparency.

According to Simon, Network Rail is publishing a lot more information now and will continue to do so going forward. He said that more aligned objectives are needed, and that is the focus at project level.

Different forms of contract are being developed for alliances after much study of other forms of contract used across other sectors and other utilities such as electricity and water.

However, as a client, Simon admits that Network Rail can only really enter into these relationships when it understands, at the start of the project, what the costs of that project should be. A lot of work will need to go into benchmarking and cost build up.

There will be much more emphasis on behaviour and technical competence and a target cost compared with a few years ago.

In his opinion, the key objective is to demonstrate value for money, so there is a real need to understand the costs of programmes.

Network Rail achieved BS11000 accreditation a couple of months ago, the first infrastructure client company to achieve that. “It’s not about the certificate though, its about things being different on the ground,” Simon commented. “And for those who know the model, it really does cover all aspects from strategic issues all the way through to awareness and ultimately, if things go really wrong, how do you disengage from the relationship. It is assessed by a third party, it is done collaboratively with our partners, and I’m very pleased to say that we have now achieved that on a number of programmes.

“It is all about aligned objectives, and as a client organisation it’s about people understanding our objectives and vice versa, and we are seeing innovation now starting to come through in a number of areas on the work we are doing.”

Simon finished off by speaking directly to Network Rail’s contractors. “For me it’s about engagement - it’s about understanding what you need and my teams understanding what you need - in the new world in the new Infrastructure Projects business.”

16 | the rail engineer | june 2012

feature

writer

Clive Kessell

UK Railways - Value for Money?

PHOTO: KUZMIN ANDREY/ SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

are constantly being told by the W epopular media that Britain’s railways are less efficient and more costly than those of our European counterparts. So strong is this belief that successive governments have commissioned expensive consultative studies to determine the reason and to put forward recommendations by which this perception can be reversed.

Imagine, therefore, the surprise when an evening seminar was organised back in February by the Community of European Railways (CER) and ATOC entitled “Value for Money in Railways - what can Europe learn from Great Britain?” Is all the press talk just so much hot air? Do the British actually operate a railway system that is the envy of many others? the rail engineer went to Brussels to meet Libor Lochman, executive director of the CER, to find out what had prompted this seminar.

The perceived UK scene Britain’s railway organisation is the only one where there is true structural separation of infrastructure from train operators.

Despite the traumas of the early privatisation years, the significant increase in passenger numbers that the British train operating companies have attracted is being noticed within Europe and particularly by the EU. The scope for innovation is seen as impressive, with many new journey opportunities having been developed along with a general improvement in rolling stock quality and train service frequency.

The quality of stations is much higher with bright, welcoming signage and better train running information.

Whilst the franchise system is noted, so has been the emergence of open access operators where bottom line accountability is the key to survival. Perhaps the prestige high speed lines within mainland Europe have a better image than the intercity lines of the UK, but these are very much the exception.

The general train service offering within Great Britain is viewed as better than equivalent countries in Europe.

The EU vision The European Commission would like to see this perceived best practice implemented elsewhere. The implication is that the majority of train operations remain dominated by the state-owned railway organisations, with very little competition having emerged as a result of EU initiatives to split infrastructure from operations.

A vision has emerged that, in order to compete successfully against road and air, both of which now largely exist in open market conditions, the railways must do likewise. The model seen by the European Commission to achieve this would be a single European rail infrastructure management that would sell train paths on a competitive basis.

This vision is seen by the CER as flawed, largely because rail infrastructure remains state owned and a level playing field with other transport modes could not be achieved. A better focus should be on improved co-operation between infrastructure managers to obtain coordinated investment plans, train path allocations, equitable charging arrangements and harmonised rules for cross border traffic.

Perhaps it is too much to expect that the rail business, both infrastructure and train operations, could be subsidy free. Just how the EC sees subsidies being paid is unclear and the expectation that open access operators would flood in is probably unrealistic. The mechanism to make this all come about is an unknown but, more pertinently, would it represent value for money and would it be more efficient?

In Europe, the payment of subsidies to train operators follows no set pattern. Most franchises in the UK obtain subsidy to operate a guaranteed minimum service level.

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18 | the rail engineer | june 2012

In Europe, PSO (Public Service Obligation) compensations apply to the incumbent state controlled operators and this results in lower fare levels.

Germany‘s InterCity Express (ICE) services are not under the PSO contract whereas the regional lines are, so they are able to offer cheaper, although slower, travel between two centres. The Vienna-Salzburg line in Austria is trialling open access competition which should lead to efficiency gains.

Freight services must not be forgotten.

Much depends on the contracts that the freight customers have negotiated. Subsidy is not the order of the day and freight traffic must be bottom line driven, in many ways a pity since road user charges do not fully pay for the wear and tear on road infrastructure.

Since rail freight transits are usually long distance, the freight operators pay more for access.

feature Is the Vision realistic?

So why is the CER bothered by all of this?

Basically, because it has real fears that the EC vision is over simplistic and may well lead to a worsening of railway finances. If true, it begs the question why should a member state pay for an EU model that costs the tax payer more?

The “Value For Money” seminar was arranged to bring an element of realism to this complex problem. The line-up of speakers was impressive. As well as Libor Lochman, there was Sir Roy McNulty, Michael Roberts of ATOC, deputy head of cabinet for the EC transport vice-president, Roger Cobbe from Arriva Trains and Vice Chairman of the CER and Brian Simpson, MEP for the North West and Chairman of the Parliamentary Transport and Tourism Committee.

All outlined their own perspective position, but at the heart of it all is the vexed issue of ”value for money”. Whilst the British model looks attractive and progressive to mainland European eyes, it undoubtedly costs more than European counterparts. The often quoted figure is one third more.

Understanding why this should be is the vital question - is it because the model itself is more costly? Or, more likely, is it because the interfaces between infrastructure and train operators are so complicated that they create needless inefficiencies that have to be paid for? Various instances come to mind: • The price and priority of train paths • Over complex financial penalty regimes • Over zealous safety demands • Possession management and line closures/bus substitution • The infrastructure monopoly and perceived high cost of projects.

Add in to this the Passenger Rights Obligation and the financial compensation that has to be paid. If the cause of delay is clear, then this must be paid if delays exceed 60 minutes.

None of these are unique to the UK, but the McNulty report sets out how some may be tackled. The UK goal is to save £3∙5 billion per annum on rail costs by 2018. This has to be achieved without any significant cut back in services and no line closures.

Expansion, projects and environment The UK lags behind mainland Europe in the provision of high speed lines. Attitudes seem to differ considerably; Libor Lochman had not heard of the acronym NIMBY and

was amused when it was explained. There is a general acceptance that high speed lines are good for the wider European economy with less emphasis being placed on proving the individual business case for a particular project.

Environmental issues are more sensitive in the UK, maybe because these are easy to latch onto as a means of preventing progress. European examples are rare. One instance was cited; the Cologne-Frankfurt high speed line freed up train paths for freight on the lines that run either side of the Rhine. This has resulted in many more freight trains running around the clock with considerable increase in noise and some people having difficulty sleeping. So vociferous are the complaints that tunnels may be drilled to relocate the line away from hotspot areas.

Most European investment has been in high speed lines, with regional routes left largely as they were. The reverse is true in the UK, where main line upgrades have been, and continue to be, carried out.

Although high speed lines are extremely expensive, a green field site is always easier to work on compared to an operational railway and far less disruptive, perhaps another reason why British rail projects cannot be compared directly.

In conclusion The CER is right to sound a note of caution to the EC if it tries to impose and expand institutional separation as the single model for Europe. There are many factors to take into account and these must be fully understood. Can the Europeans learn from the British? Just look at what has happened with low cost airlines, where UK initiatives are being copied right across the continent and the wider world.

However, for rail, it is not that simple. The EC needs to note that the British are experimenting with a partial vertical alignment in some parts of the country , such as the “Deep Alliance” between Network Rail and South West Trains, as a means of improving efficiency and reducing cost. Equally, Network Rail is in the process of devolving operational decision making down to smaller management units.

One might be tempted to say: “If you wait long enough, the wheel goes full circle.”

Quite how the European model will pan out will be watched with interest.

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20 | the rail engineer | june 2012

Introducing

feature

writer

Lawrence Roberts Marketing Manager, DeltaRail

IECC Scalable (Above) IECC Screens used for testing and support at DeltaRail’s head office in Derby.

(Right) The old (IECC Classic) installation at Swindon B, comprising a total of seven cabinets.

and particularly signalling S ignalling, control, is an aspect of railway engineering that is always progressing.

Technology improves and systems become more sophisticated, all the while driven by the need to improve safety, run more trains, and reduce costs.

It is now over twenty years since the first Integrated Electronic Control Centre (IECC) was introduced in the UK, and now the product takes a significant pace forward as Derby-based DeltaRail launches its next generation signalling control product - IECC Scalable. This is now in pilot at the Swindon B signal box and is due to migrate to the new Thames Valley Signalling Centre (TVSC) late in 2012.

The company has been providing its firstgeneration control system, now renamed “IECC Classic”, for use on the UK mainline network for the last 23 years, and it is now the most widely deployed VDU signalling control system on Network Rail with over 50 workstations in service. IECC Classic currently controls many of the busiest parts of the UK network, with recent installations including the North London Line (controlled from Upminster and Liverpool Street) and Reading (at TVSC).

Modern signalling control systems take the form of sophisticated signalling software, running on a dedicated hardware platform, that is able to send control requests to the interlockings (the hardware that provides the front line safety system), which in turn drive the signals and points. The signaller sits at a desk with a set of Visual Display Units (VDUs) that show the layout of the track, the location and identification of trains, and the status of the signals. In the case of IECC, the signals are controlled by the signaller using a keyboard and a trackball.

Origins of IECC IECC Classic was originally developed by British Rail Research, with the first installations commissioned in 1989 at Liverpool Street, Yoker (on North Clydeside) and York. Since then, DeltaRail has undertaken several upgrades to IECC to replace obsolete components and to enhance functionality. Specialist graphics cards and tape loggers, for example, have been replaced with robust industrial PCs, and new software has been incorporated to automatically identify and alert the signaller if a train passes a signal at danger (SPAD alarms). IECC Classic is capable of interfacing to the different types of interlocking in the UK, which has made it a flexible control system capable of keeping pace with developments in the design of interlockings. DeltaRail is continuing with this strategy, with improved interfaces reducing the cost and time of implementing new systems.

The Classic system architecture, organised around duplicated networks and serial communication links, has remained the same for the last 23 years. It is now time for a new architecture, and DeltaRail has delivered the proven functionality of IECC Classic on industry standard blade hardware and the LINUX operating system. A very important architecture change is the inclusion of IBM’s Websphere® technology resulting in much faster development of new features and simpler integration with existing and next generation systems.

IECC’s strength has always been in enabling high railway traffic capacity from a large control centre, but it was too expensive for smaller signalling schemes because of the cost of the minimum configuration of seven cabinets of hardware. A key feature of the new product is that it is the most costeffective system for all scheme sizes, with a minimum of only two cabinets, hence the name “IECC Scalable”.

june 2012 | the rail engineer | 21

feature Automatic Route Setting (ARS) An important feature of IECC from the start was the provision of an intelligent Automatic Route Setting (ARS) system that makes automatic signalling control decisions to assist the signaller, even when traffic conditions are perturbed from the normal timetable. When there is major disruption to railway operations, signallers use ARS to: • Continue routing trains outside of the disrupted area, allowing attention to be focussed on the incident; • Assist in implementing contingency plans when there is a failure of trains or infrastructure; • Set special short-term timetables for additional trains.

IECC is still the only signalling control system that provides ARS as a standard feature for Network Rail applications.

DeltaRail is currently under contract to deliver Enhanced ARS.

New Control Architecture An important requirement for the signalling control systems in the new Network Rail regional operating centres (such as TVSC) is the ability to interface with interlockings that use electronic or relay technology in the existing smaller control centres and signal boxes, with passenger and staff information systems, and with the national IT systems used for timetable and maintenance planning. The systems must also provide a flexible and future-proof

capability to interface with new traffic management tools, ERTMS/ETCS radio block centres and driver advisory systems.

In other industries, similar requirements for distributed information systems have led to the concept of Service Oriented Architecture (SOA), although they have rarely featured in railway control applications. The exploitation of SOA has been the approach for the development of IECC Scalable. At the heart of the system is IBM’s Websphere® “message broker” which links all of the software components through a common data link.

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any number of the components are “published” so that they can be received by those components that are “subscribed” to receive them. This is a particularly efficient way of operating a signalling control system since the various components (including workstations, ARS, timetable processing) are called into action only when triggered by external events, such as a train entering a new section of track. This approach does not suffer from the long processing times which can be associated with polling all of the devices in a sequential manner.

(Above) The IECC Scalable installation at Swindon B, showing the interlockings behind the cabinets.

(Inset) The two IECC Scalable cabinets and the new improved technician’s interface.

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(Bottom) The Swindon B control room showing the IECC screens in operation.

(Inset) A DeltaRail employee pointing to the processor blades during a presentation on a demonstration system in the Derby office.

All of this enables the IECC Scalable signalling control capability to be connected efficiently to the wider environment in which it operates, simplifying and clarifying the route that data takes between the various system modules. The data acquired and created by IECC Scalable (train movements, infrastructure status, timetables and route-setting decisions) can be published and used to inform a wide range of users, from route planners to support staff and the travelling public. By making data available in this way, users will be able to define new applications which will be implemented at a lower cost and in shorter timescales than traditional system upgrades.

feature Faster, lower cost and more flexible Commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) hardware blades, operating system software, software programming languages and communications equipment are used for all IECC Scalable systems, to enable ease of hardware maintenance and software support. Improved design and test processes ensure that initial cost, and wholelife operating costs, are lower than for the Classic IECC, and the use of automated design and test tools reduces the cost of implementing upgrades, and enables changes to be made quickly.

As already mentioned, a standard IECC Scalable configuration consists of two hardware cabinets compared to seven for IECC Classic, requiring less footprint, power and cooling. The management of spares will be much simpler with IECC Scalable and there is the additional benefit that the modern components improve reliability.

The IECC Scalable signaller workstation replicates the IECC Classic arrangement to ensure familiarity with what has gone before, but permits additional graphical displays for ARS and timetable processing on a standard PC screen at the workstation or accessed over the Network Rail wide area network. Signallers’ workstations no longer have to be at the same place as the interlockings, or even co-located with the control system.

Trial at Swindon B and the future IECC Scalable is going through an initial Network Rail product acceptance as a likefor-like equivalent of the existing system, where an IECC Classic has been in service

since 1993. A new IECC Scalable has been installed alongside the IECC Classic at Swindon B. After rehearsals, IECC Scalable was commissioned on 18 March and now controls high speed passenger and freight trains around the busy junction at Didcot on the main route from London to Bristol, Cardiff and Oxford.

The Swindon B operation will be transferred to TVSC at Christmas 2012. There are already seven IECC workstations controlling the Reading and Heathrow-Paddington areas, and it is planned that the centre will eventually control the whole of the Western route. Meanwhile, DeltaRail is working at TVSC to make progressive data updates to the existing IECC Classic systems to track the infrastructure changes being undertaken for the Reading re-modelling and Crossrail projects. The company is also undertaking early GRIP stage studies for the additional workstations required at TVSC to recontrol the Slough, Swindon A, Oxford and Bristol PSB areas, and of the impact of electrification and ERTMS roll-out for control of the route.

Contracts are also let for IECC Scalable at Cambridge (to control the new modular signalling equipment being installed by Signalling Solutions Limited between Ely and Norwich), and Harrogate where a VDU workstation installed in the mechanical box will permit closure of adjacent boxes at Horsforth and Rigton.

As Network Rail steadily reduces the number of signalling centres in the country, bringing all control into just fourteen regional operating centres, the number of IECC Scalable installations will increase in the future.

24 | the rail engineer | june 2012

Re

feature

design rail clip the cost of running Britain’s R educing railways is a continuing process, and one that the rail engineer has covered on a number of occasions. All aspects of both maintenance and renewals are coming under the microscope as Network Rail and others look for any opportunity to increase efficiency. This month, the spotlight falls on the cost of replacing rails, and Pandrol, the leading manufacturer of rail fastenings, has been developing a new product to help keep costs down.

The Pandrol 'Re' system of track fastenings has been designed to achieve savings in manpower during the re-railing process. It uses innovation to drive track delivery programmes towards greater yardage, reducing whole life costs through a major improvement in efficiency. The new system also improves the longevity of rail fastening components on older types of concrete or steel sleepers .

Re-cent improvements

(Above) The stressing site showing the 3rd rail conductor and the VSR equipment.

(Inset) Close-up of the VSR stressing rollers in conjunction with the Pandrol 'Re' system.

Using recent major improvements in technology, the number of individual components has been reduced from five per rail seat to three. The two-part insulator concept, that was first developed for the Pandrol Fastclip system, has also been incorporated.

In the new 'Re' system, the rail pad is supplied with the side post insulators already attached, reducing time and labour when laying out and installing the components on site. Dividing the insulator into two parts gives greater component life and allows the separate parts to be made from either the same or different materials to further fine-tune track performance.

Careful selection of the actual material used can also improve rail threading and clipping rates, leading directly to reduced manpower requirements and improved yardage.

Re-designed clip The design of the 'Re' clip takes advantage of a new manufacturing process, patented by Pandrol, known as “Intelligent Cold Setting”. Clips are individually loaded into a press fitted with sensors capable of measuring their mechanical properties. These measurements are used, in real time, to calculate the optimum amount of force that should be applied to produce a clip with the required geometry and material characteristics, and the peak load applied by the press is controlled accordingly.

With modern transducers, computing, and control systems, this whole process can be completed in a few seconds with no manual intervention so that each and every clip is manufactured to give the best possible performance. In practice, this new technology allows the size of the clip to be reduced whilst retaining high toe-loads.

'Re' system clips are also supplied with toe insulators already in place, again reducing installation time and the number of loose components on site.

Re-duction in components Assuming the need for a 7.5mm maintenance pad, the current assembly of components per rail seat used for replacement of clips, pads and insulators on F27 concrete and W400 steel sleepers comprises two e1809 clips, two 724a orange insulators and one 7.5mm

grooved rubber rail pad. This gives a total of five components per rail seat, or ten components per sleeper.

In contrast, replacing the above assembly with the Pandrol 'Re' system requires the use of two Re1609 clips complete with toe insulator and one composite 7.5mm rail pad complete with side post insulator - a total of three components per rail seat or 6 components per sleeper.

This means that there are two fewer components per rail seat, a significant saving in the time needed for storage and handling. Having the composite 7.5mm rail pad pre-attached to the side insulators makes placing the assembly quicker and more accurate, and rail threading is easier using a recently developed technique for captive fastening systems evolved for the Fastclip system.

june 2012 | the rail engineer | 25

feature Re-ceiving the rail The single composite rail pad is curved to enable easy placing of the pad into the rail.

The curvature of the pad creates an “openjaw” of the side insulators and an inclined plane to receive the rail, and the pad is flattened by the weight of the rail as it is threaded into each rail seat. The insulators close on to the foot of the rail as the pad is flattened, self-centring the rail in the rail seat and reducing the time needed for the threading and clipping process.

Work is under way to develop an automated installation method of the composite pad as a second phase of the adoption of the 'Re' System, and this will lead to still greater efficiency on-site.

Re-railing at Bawtry The first installation of the Pandrol 'Re' system took place in April 2011 on Network Rail tracks near Bawtry, South Yorkshire. The site was on the up fast line, with an approximate 3000 metre radius curve, 150mm cant and line speed of 125mph.

Sleepers were predominantly F27 but some F40s had also been installed at an average of about one in six.

Work consisted of re-railing two 709ft lengths of continuous welded rail (CWR).

Within this length, 212 F27 sleepers (on the high rail only) were to be fitted with the new 14229 composite rail pads and Re1609 clips.

Work commenced with all existing clips being removed. The rails were then threaded out of the rail seats using a McCulloch rail threading machine. New 'Re' components were laid out into position on the sleepers from a rail trolley located on the adjacent track. Once the new pads were placed into the rail seats, the new rails could be threaded into the sleepers. Vortok Stressing Rollers were positioned fifteen sleepers apart and the rails were welded at each end, then stressed in the middle.

Clipping up was completed using standard Panpullers.

The contractors required very little product training as the 'Re' system is not very different from the usual components.

However, it was very evident that, while rerailing the other rail using traditional components was taking place, more than ten people were used for installing components - four or five (two to three of them on their knees) were employed just placing insulators. When installing the 'Re' clips, these five men were not required. In general, all that is required to install 'Re' after the components have been distributed is a team of two or four men on Panpullers and one or two men placing clips into the housings (dependant on the length of the installation).

Re-training Following the first installations on the network, Pandrol organised a road show tour of Network Rail maintenance delivery unit (MDU) depots. Most were visited during the autumn of 2011 and staff were given a product briefing and a demonstration using a short track panel. The Pandrol team, supported by Vortok International, explained how the 'Re' system works from the initial installation through to the first rail

stressing in conjunction with the VSR system of stressing rollers.

The road show team completed 26 demonstrations and travelled over 2,800 miles during six separate weeks starting at the beginning of September and finishing by the first week of December.

During this period, Pandrol was investing in, and commissioning, the high volume tools needed to meet the forecast demand.

The Pandrol 'Re' system being tested to the European CEN standard for rail fastenings.

Re-alising savings The release of high volume components following commissioning started in January and has accelerated during the spring of 2012. Site experience is now being widely reported from across the UK network. Savings in time and manpower have been realised on sites which have switched from existing 'e' clip assemblies. One particular site in the northwest of England has reported: “I have heard back from the Carlisle section manager, who replaced the existing fastening system with the Pandrol 'Re' System - he managed a quarter mile in eight hours, which is a vast improvement on current methods.”

The recent re-railing project at Micheldever in Hampshire reported similar results by rerailing over one mile of track during one weekend possession.

The track was stressed over a separate weekend and the operation was so efficient that time lost in the early part of the possession was recovered during the clipping operation.

These savings from the implementation of Pandrol’s new 'Re' system are set to be repeated across the network, contributing to the industry’s efficiency improvement programme.

Site awaiting rail threading at Spittal Junction.

Rail threading using a McCulloch threading machine at Spittal Junction on ECML north of Peterborough.

'Re' demonstration at the Carlisle MDU.

26 | the rail engineer | june 2012

feature

writer

Barry Dilks Projects Director, UK Power Networks Services

From Strength to Strength very complex industry. For example, power distribution for the High Speed 1 route was funded and delivered by the company, from option consideration, working up budgets, design concept, detailed design, building, commissioning, maintenance and operation.

Earlier involvement

UKPNS designed and installed cable gantry at Southwork.

the field of power distribution for I nrailways, UK Power Networks Services (UKPN Services) has a reputation for meeting client expectations and executing works to a high quality, in a safe manner, to agreed timescales and within approved budgets. Known for working in an open and honest collaborative manner both with client project management teams and with external influencers such as local councils, its “Can Do - Will Do” attitude, combined with a No Shock culture and a reputation for facing challenges head on, has ensured the success of the company as a principal contractor.

What is less well known is the ability of UKPN Services to undertake a broader spectrum of work across the whole life cycle of business and project management, from concept through delivery to operation and maintenance. The company has extensive knowledge within power distribution as one of the largest electrical utilities companies that delivers whole lifecycle business management and improvements within a

So considering its working ethos, which includes the principal of “Our clients reputations are important to us”, the company took a view in 2009 to promote its broad competencies. It opened dialogue with clients to establish opportunities to engage at a much earlier stage, maximising the benefits that will result from UKPN Services’ broad competency, knowledge base and experience.

The strategy was quite clear in that, if a client’s expectations could not be met or exceeded, then the company must not promise to deliver something that it is not capable of undertaking or managing. There was a realisation that a number of areas had to be strengthened, and this was addressed by improving policies and processes and undertaking a recruitment campaign to strengthen the engineering department.

Although those initial tasks are complete, this is a rolling exercise and one that, in essence, will never be finished as the business keeps evolving.

Since that decision in 2009, success has come about in a number of areas. This includes working with High Speed 2 by providing power modelling, submitting a conceptual design report for the main power distribution system, and looking at options for power regeneration from trains back into the electrical distribution system.

Getting a GRIP Network Rail use a process called GRIP (Guide to Railway Investment Projects) to manage the development and delivery of infrastructure projects, whether renewals or enhancements. The GRIP process breaks the development and delivery of a project down into eight stages, from inception (GRIP 1) through to the postimplementation and realisation of benefits (GRIP 8). There is also provision for activities which take place prior to the GRIP process commencing (Pre GRIP) and after the GRIP process has been completed (Post GRIP).

UKPN Services has seen some success within Network Rail Infrastructure Enhancements and is now actively engaged in GRIP 3 and GRIP 4 works.

As was reported in the rail engineer last month (issue 91, May 2012), a new substation was required at Gatwick airport as part of the Thameslink Programme.

UKPN Services was contracted to deliver GRIP 4 for this project. However, due to the time constraints, the substation had to be on line by December 2011, and considering the number of key and crucial interfaces the project had to deliver, the work actually ended up being closer to GRIP 5. As a result of the high quality of this work, the company was awarded a contract for GRIP stages 5 to 8 which was delivered with no safety issues and under budget following a continuous drive to manage efficiencies. The quality level was such that the project was singled out by Network Rail to be used as a model for future works.

june 2012 | the rail engineer | 27

feature

Network Rail GRIP stages 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

output definition pre-feasibility option selection single option development detailed design construction, test and commission scheme hand back project close out

London Underground uses a similar Project Management Framework (PMF) known as the V&V stages 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

outcome definition feasibility concept design detailed design delivery project close benefits rationalisation

More Thameslink Such was the success of the above project that Network Rail has now contracted UKPN Services to undertake additional GRIP 3 and GRIP 4 work streams as part of the Thameslink programme. These include option selection (GRIP 3) for DC bonding between Elephant & Castle and Kentish Town, the provision of insulation under running rails within dual electrified areas, gapped screen options on 11kV feeders between Cannon Street substation and City Thameslink, and the reduction of the dual electrified area within City Thameslink.

GRIP 4 work includes assessing asset condition, reviewing power availability and offering a single option solution for DC traction power at each of eight different locations.

In addition, the company has been asked

by Network Rail to tender for option selection and development for a new switching station at Three Bridges and a 16MW substation at Williams Way.

Planning for the future UKPN Services continues to actively pursue work in the GRIP 1 and 2 arena, where its knowledge base, competency, key skill set and delivery experience can provide additional benefits to clients with this early engagement.

The key to any company’s success is its people - they are what make projects a success. When establishing teams, it is very important to engage people with the right attitude and values, then provide good leadership that encourages innovation. They must be client focused, be honest when challenges arise and have the ability to work as a team. Teams deliver success while individuals feed the team with individual performances.

The company has recognised this, and has put together integrated, multi-disciplined teams with one common goal, co-located with the client whenever possible. UKPN Services makes sure that all delivery interfaces are internal and shared by everyone, that the expertise of everyone in the team is complementary, and that it doesn’t walk away from problems affecting performance, even those created by third parties.

UKPN Services’ goal is to support the rail sector by helping clients meet and exceed their project visions by delivering comprehensive, sustainable, secure and cost effective solutions through innovative thinking. Its expertise comes from a long experience in the operation of utilities, transportation systems and facilities combined with extensive involvement in public/private transactions and developers and comprehensive expertise in project management.

Sliding equipment in and out at Farringdon, due to height restrictions within the tunnel.

Southwark substation receives three new traction transformers, smaller in size but greater in load.

28 | the rail engineer | june 2012

feature

More

power less energy O btaining something for

(Above) Hydraulic resevoir.

(Right) Compact aluminium actuators for operating doors, walkways etc.

nothing (or from nothing) has been a goal of scientists through the ages.

The existence of the Philosopher’s Stone, and various other alchemical devices, has been rumoured for centuries. But never has anything been proved.

Now, however, one of the world’s leading specialists in the field of drive and control technologies has managed to achieve more power from less energy - and without breaking the laws of physics!

This breakthrough has occurred in the cooling of engines and exhaust systems in rail vehicles. Bosch Rexroth has developed a range of hydrostatic fan drive systems which, by continuously adjusting cooling effort to match changing requirements, greatly reduce energy use compared with traditional solutions. Both cost and energy efficient, they also occupy up to 20% less space in the engine compartment.

How is it done?

The new hydrostatic fan drive cooling systems provide designers with a convenient and dependable way of optimising engine and combustion temperatures, which is an essential prerequisite for satisfying increasingly stringent emission requirements. With today’s environmental sensitivity, and the need to comply with higher exhaust standards such as Euro 6 or Tier 4, reducing gas temperature becomes ever more important. In traditional systems, radiator cooling capacity may need to rise by up to 40%, resulting in size increases of 20%.

However, applying Rexroth fan drives to engines and exhaust systems compensates for this, reducing noise pollution and the impact on the environment. The robust BODAS RC series of controllers is used in mobile applications with hydrostatic transmissions to achieve maximum results from the hydraulics through sophisticated closed loop controls.

Operators have found that controlled hydrostatic fan drives are superior to conventional units driven by V-belts because variable control of fan speed reduces fuel consumption and reduces exhaust and noise emissions. Components are compact, with various optional mounting locations to suit application space, and provide a very reliable cooling system.

One important feature that is useful in rail applications is the provision for the intermittent reversal of the fan. This cleans the radiator and restores cooling performance in dusty or dirty environments.

Matched components Part of the Bosch group, Rexroth provides all the components needed to achieve optimum temperature control of engines by use of highly sophisticated sensors. The BODAS controller ensures that the fan is always operating at the correct speed. When the engine is cold, a low fan speed ensures that the inefficient warm up phase is as short as possible, while when the engine is operating at full power the fans provide maximum cooling. In short, the system keeps the engine temperature and efficiency at optimum, irrespective of the engine speed.

The main components of the system are a range of pumps, motors, sensors and valve modules, together with a matched controller and software. The controller can

june 2012 | the rail engineer | 29

feature

be connected to the CAN bus (Controller Area Network) of the engine thus making additional sensors unnecessary. There are options on drives, pumps and the number of sensors to suit the particular vehicle, and Rexroth work with customers to ensure the most economical solution is chosen.

BODAS RC controllers are used to quickly and affordably create a complete mobile hydraulic solution without time consuming and expensive hardware development. They provide multifunctional inputs and outputs for the control of the electro-hydraulic components in the machine, and can be used for other vehicle features such as lights, instrumentation and power supplies.

In complex applications, multiple controllers can be connected via the CAN bus to form a network. The number of

inputs and outputs can be extended quickly and economically, and integral safety features provide simple and reliable machine diagnostics. Matched to the RC controllers, the BODAS software modules offer preconďŹ gured application solutions for drive and working hydraulics.

So, hydrostatic fan drive cooling allows the engine to provide more power while losing less energy along the way. Those ancient alchemists would have been impressed!

(Top) Roof mounted cooling system for locomotives with electric drives or hydrostatic drives from Rexroth.

(Below) Hydraulic manifold.

Optimised Fan Drives

Roof Module Cooling

Door Actuation

Improve performance, reliability and efficiency for your rolling stock Robust, versatile and reliable equipment, size constraints, temperature ranges, IRIS certification, energy efficiency. These are a few of the hurdles which multi-technology solutions from Rexroth will help you successfully overcome. From service repairs to cooling systems, braking, actuators and hydrostatic transmissions, all your needs and demands drive Bosch Rexrothâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s solutions. www.boschrexroth.co.uk/rail Bosch Rexroth Limited 15 Cromwell Road, St Neots, Cambridgeshire, PE19 2ES Email: info@boschrexroth.co.uk Tel: +44 1480 223200

30 | the rail engineer | june 2012

plant & equipment

Suck itand see

be called “the world’s most powerful T ovacuum excavator” is a big claim, but

Removing 300mm of ballast during a trial at Beeston, Nottinghamshire.

that is exactly what the new RailVac RA7 is.

Built and designed by the Swedish companies Railcare AB and the DISAB Group, the RA7 really does do what these companies say it will, and they have seen it in action for many years on Sweden’s railways.

That said, when can vacuum excavation be used and how does it work? For those familiar with track maintenance and renewal work, it’s easier to start by describing what the RailVac RA7 does not do. Vacuum excavation means there is: • no need to cut rails or remove sleepers perhaps keyhole surgery could describe the way vacuum excavation works, because the RA7 excavates between the sleepers to the required depth and width; • no need to waste time disconnecting switches, tie-rods or crossing components; • no risk of impacting on any highly valuable infrastructure such as existing pipework, drainage, cabling and electrics, any damage to which only exacerbates the time and cost issues involved.

Damage prevention In seven years of using the RailVac, the Swedish company that operates it, Railcare AB, has never once had a possession over-run or even broken a cable. Any rail engineer will realise how that can benefit normal railway operations by the lack of disturbance to schedules. So how does vacuum excavation compare with traditional techniques?

Digging by hand, or excavating with mechanical tools, cannot avoid having an impact on track and the trackbed, so a CAT scan is often used in conjunction with these traditional techniques, adding to the time and cost required. By comparison, the impact made by vacuum excavation is much less so CAT scans aren’t needed. Furthermore, with vacuum excavation, no track has to be taken up - and that’s largely why there are no over-runs with the RailVac. Possession time is the common factor in any rail maintenance or renewal project, and the RailVac maximises valuable track possession time. With the RailVac wagon in place, excavation can start immediately.

Shutdown is just as fast, so all the time is focused on repair and maintenance. Once the RailVac has done its job, and the repair is completed, new ballasting is done immediately while the RailVac takes away all the old ballast it has vacuumed for disposal.

Undercutting is another form of traditional excavation technique. However, while faster than doing things manually, it takes far longer than vacuum excavation and doesn’t cope with compacted material like clay.

Anything goes On the other hand, the massive suction power of the RailVac will handle any material, as seven years of successful operation has proven. Basically, anything that fits up the RailVac’s hose - goes. The RailVac’s 225mm diameter flexible suction hose has a metallic end pipe which is manoeuvred by a hydraulically-operated excavator arm. Just one operator controls this (think of a PlayStation console!) while standing close enough to see what’s going on at the sharp end.

Typical repairs that demonstrate the benefits of using a RailVac are to switch and crossing units, which normally need the track to be cut back, taken out and lifted while 300-400mm of ballast is removed and a new unit is installed and ballasted.

june 2012 | the rail engineer | 31

plant & equipment Demonstrating RailVac’s capability at Wirksworth.

UK specific

Typically, this requires 16 hours and a 12 man gang, with a 24 hour possession and all the subsequent impact and disturbance to normal running schedules. The RailVac doesn’t need to work this way; 300-400mm of spent ballast can be removed with everything else in place and a C, D or E crossing fitted over four 3-4 hour shifts of track possession time during the week. There is no disruption to normal schedules nor any need to disturb weekend running either.

Other typical repair examples include plain line re-ballasting, drainage installations, level crossing refurbishments, and under track crossing (UTXs). A RailVac can vacuum excavate a double track UTX in 20-30 minutes, up to 1.5 metres below the sleepers and with no disturbance to the sleepers or normal operational schedules.

The number of operatives required on site also underlines the RailVac’s advantages over traditional techniques. A typical track repair usually needs upwards of a dozen men. The RailVac needs fewer - just a controller, two other RailVac operatives and a small gang for jacking and packing. Using a RailVac can be safer as well.

On a recent trial at Beeston in Nottinghamshire, a Gv crossover was replaced with the RailVac excavating 300mm below the track. The operation took eight hours in total - just two fourhour possessions for each unit, with no interruption to normal daily operational schedules.

The RA7 RailVac unit is Railcare AB’s first bespoke air/vacuum excavator, or to give its full name, a Ballast Vacuum Extraction System (BVES), for the UK market. Designed and built using the most powerful vacuum equipment available from the DISAB Group of Sweden, it conforms to W6A loading gauge standards. In wagon mode the RA7 can be dead hauled in train formation, and when in a track possession situation and working in the self-propelled mode, it is classed as on track machine (OTM).

The RA7’s suction power comes from two Caterpillar C9 diesel engines, two vacuum pumps and two air compressors, creating an impressive 19,000 cubic metres of air flow per hour at around 95% vacuum efficiency. The machine’s flexibility comes from a manipulator arm for excavation and a unique hydrostatic transmission system that is powerful, reliable and precise in its operation. There are about 40 identified RailVac applications suitable for the UK, some of which are already creating benefits for Network Rail.

The braking system on the RA7 is controlled from all driving/operating positions. To reduce the risks of injury to personnel and damage to the infrastructure, a number of emergency safety systems have also been built into the machine.

A Network Rail engineering acceptance certificate (EAC) was issued early in 2012 and the unit can now provide ballast excavation services for infrastructure owners and maintainers all over the UK. Network Rail has already granted Railcare AB a certificate of full product acceptance for the RailVac method of work.

RailVac excavation services in the UK are supplied by Bridgeway Railcare LLP, a collaboration between Bridgeway Consulting Ltd and Railcare AB of Sweden. As a specialised contractor, Railcare AB is now investing heavily in the UK railway market. Coming from Sweden, where the 7 day railway philosophy is already a reality, Railcare AB’s methods are not only innovative but very well placed to help the UK’s railway operators and owners make a dramatic difference to the traditional techniques, time and costs of track maintenance and renewals.

32 | the rail engineer | june 2012

plant & equipment

Pushing the

Boundaries expect the unexpected. It is good A lways advice for any railway project, particularly one being undertaking at short notice, as Stobart Rail recently discovered on a project for Manchester Metrolink.

Fortunately, the experienced management team was up to the task.

In February, Stobart Rail was asked to tender for a package of work between Bury and Manchester Victoria on phase one of the Metrolink development. These lines had been converted from main line railway routes and originally opened in April 1992.

The works consisted of a 674 metre skim dig with 700 metres of new, continuous welded rail, the installation of new adjustment switches and a pair of insulated rail joints, and then tamp and stress the track over a distance of 975 metres. It sounded simple. However, there were to be no engineering trains

involved and the rail would be provided in 60ft lengths that would need to be welded up in the same 51-hour disruptive possession during which the rest of the work had to be completed. It was becoming more of a challenge.

Planning for success Stobart Rail was successful in its bid and, once contract documentation was exchanged, a project team was set up. Keith Winnery, Stobart’s rail director, decided to appoint Will McMurray as project manager for the scheme, as Will’s reputation for attention to detail would ensure the successful delivery of the project. Little did Keith know how important that decision was to be.

Will’s first task was to set up a procurement schedule for all materials and confirm that the various components that would be required were available. Next, as vehicle access points are limited on this section of line, an agreement was negotiated with the East Lancashire Railway (ELR). This allowed Stobart Rail to remove a fence for temporary access to the Metrolink tracks and the ELR set aside a lay-down area within its own yard for the project to use. In this and other ways the ELR management was most accommodating and went out of its way to assist the Stobart Rail team.

Programme timescales were extremely tight and, with no contingency available, many risk mitigation measures were considered and implemented including having extra resources, plant and labour available.

Track Renewals & Maintenance Stobart Rail recently completed a track renewals project for MRDL between Bury and Manchester Victoria consisting of a 674m skim dig renewal without Engineering Trains within a 51hr possession. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Stobart Rail successfully delivered the core works within a very demanding timeframe, both lead-in and delivery.

Despite unforeseen circumstances affecting key aspects of their supply chain, they responded effectively by reworking their methodology just days before the core works began. Their level headed and proactive approach ensured

the track was handed back on time at operational line speed.â&#x20AC;?

Clive Pennington Head of Engineering, MRDL Stobart Rail specialise in track off, track on bridge / viaduct replacement, strengthening, waterproofing works as well as minor and major track renewals.

Keith Winnery Rail Director t. 01228 518 150 e. keith.winnery@stobartrail.com Andy Richardson Operations Director t. 01228 882 300 e. andy.richardson@stobartrail.com

If you would like to discuss full or packaged works in this field please contact us for further details.

stobartrail.com

34 | the rail engineer | june 2012

plant & equipment A site meeting was held, attended by everyone involved in the running of the project, from directors to plant operators and safety representatives. All were provided with rosters detailing the plant and labour to be used on the disruptive possession and with sketches detailing the position of all plant throughout the works.

Everyone was encouraged to put forward ideas to make things easier and many of those suggestions were implemented.

The different work teams were shown the “bigger picture”, so they were aware of all the other operations on site.

In detail The plan was that, on midweek nights up to the main possession weekend, the 78 sixty-foot lengths of rail would be run out and positioned so that they could be flash butt welded whilst other works were in progress. Once welded, they would be dragged into place and thimbled into their housings once the new sleepers were laid.

On the weekend of the main 51hour disruptive possession, the first task would be the disconnection of all electrical bonding and the S&T bonding at both insulated blocking joints. The adjustment switches, impedance bonds and ATS beacons would be removed.

Task lighting would be set up and the old track cut up into 60ft panels to be removed by means of a tandem lift onto trailers connected to a Unimog. This would free up the track bed for a skim dig using a Rail Bug excavator and a road-rail bulldozer fitted with a Trimble 3D guidance system. These would be supported by other road-rail excavators with trailers and two eighttonne dumpers to keep the excavation time to a minimum.

On completion of the excavation, three road rail vehicles (RRVs), fitted with sleeper bailers, would begin to place the 900 new sleepers. Meanwhile, the 60-foot long rail sections would be flash butt welded together further along the site and then dragged, using specially-made rollers, into position alongside the excavation to be thimbled in once the sleepers were ready.

Crisis talks Unfortunately, on the Thursday prior to the main possession, Stobart Rail were notified that the flash butt welder was unavailable due to problems with failed welds. An emergency meeting was held with the Metrolink management team and plans were drawn up to deliver the project using thirteen welding teams which would be supplied at very short notice by SkyBlue. The whole team responded positively toward what could easily have been a “show stopper”, and the planned programme was altered to suit this different approach. Fish plates, fassetta clamps and bonding cables had to be procured for a minimum of 20 joints and the critical rail temperature would require monitoring as there was a

“Stobart Rail successfully delivered the core works within a very demanding timeframe, both lead-in and delivery.

Despite unforeseen circumstances affecting key aspects of their supply chain, they responded effectively by reworking their methodology just days before the core works began. Their level headed and proactive approach ensured the track was handed back on time at operational line speed.”

Clive Pennington, Head of Engineering, Manchester Metrolink

possibility that the rails would not be stressed prior to the site being handed back to traffic.

Once the sleepers were in place, two RRVs with rail beam attachments started placing the rails. Following rail installation, four teams were mobilised: • Team A installed “biscuits” and clipped up using two e-clip applicators; • Team B installed fishplates and fassetta clamps on ALL joints prior to tamping; • Team C used RRVs to ballast up; • Team D, made up of engineers and track quality supervisors, oversaw tamping to compact the ballast.

After tamping, the 13 gangs of welders were spread throughout the 700 metre length of the project, welding up joints as soon as they became available.

Additional difficulties The location of the work also caused complications. All of the work was carried out under OLE, which in certain areas was extremely low due to the A56 and Manchester Old Road Tunnel. This reduced the project team’s ability to load and unload trailers.

Severe curves through the tunnel made the installation of the sleepers and rail difficult, compounded by the presence of drainage catchpits in the six-foot and a concrete wall in the cess.

To add to the logistical difficulties of this operation, the same access was being used to facilitate works further along the track at Besses O’ Th’ Barn. This separate project was replacing approximately 280 sleepers and 7000 ferrules, as well as adding new ballast, on another 800 metre section of line.

Even the weather was against them. It poured down on the Sunday, conditions were horrendous and normal movement became difficult.

However, despite everything, the possession was handed back on time with all the works completed apart from the stressing, which was carried out on the following weekend. The whole project team heaved a huge sigh of relief as what could easily have been a disaster was turned around, due in part to Will McMurray paying attention to the details.

june 2012 | the rail engineer | 35

plant & equipment

Shine a light! lights have made a tremendous L EDdifference to night-time working on the railways. Their light weight and low power consumption have made truly portable lights a reality so that work teams can carry their own lighting with them.

At the forefront of these developments is Peli Products. The Glossop-based company offers a range of lighting products for various applications, and they have become a common sight on both small and large work sites around the railway network.

the number of hours and minutes (maximum 40 hours - minimum 6 hours) of light required and the unit will calculate and adjust the output, ensuring no-one ever gets left in the dark.

David Smith, product manager, commented: “We have harnessed the new technology to develop a smarter product within the overall design of the existing unit.

This real time display allows the user to plan time and shifts accordingly.”

Next generation lighting Intelligent control However, rail maintenance companies have been asking for even more. They requested lights that had a longer battery life which would enable the unit to be used for more than one shift without the need to recharge. Advances in LED technology meant the design could be improved by making the output brighter and Peli devised a new intelligent control system to enable the user to manage the light effectively.

Intelligent control adjusts the light output according to the length of light duration required and provides a real-time display.

Using a simple keypad, an operator can set

This control system has been fitted to the next generation of Peli area lighting systems.

Each light head features six LEDs and has a maximum light output of 3000 lumens.

There are two light heads on the model 9460 and four heads on the larger 9470 system. The heads can be rotated 360° and tilted 180° to angle light exactly where required.

All the other features of the 9460 and 9470 remain unchanged; these rechargeable, self contained, portable units will continue to be ideal as work area or scene lights where power is not available. Night-time working just got a brighter future!

9460

NEW INTELLIGENT CONTROL

AREA LIGHTING SYSTEM !Rechargeable LED Lighting system !Portable unit can be quickly deployed !Now 50% brighter !Up to 40 hours light duration !Silent running !No fuel required, no fumes emitted !New Intelligent control system (also on 9470 unit)

Intelligent control adjusts the light output according to the light duration required. The user inputs the hours & minutes of light required & the unit will calculate & adjust the output accordingly.

Registered

Peli Products (UK) Ltd Tel: 01457 869999 www.peliproducts.co.uk $

$

$

$

$ $

$$$

$$$

36 | the rail engineer | june 2012

plant & equipment

A STORY of rail plant the last 13 years, Story Contracting O ver has grown from a small labour supply company to a well-respected, safety driven, rail and construction contracting company which owns its own plant. The plant hire side of the business has grown rapidly over the last few years, supplying core hires to many Network Rail delivery units, along with specialist spot hires throughout the North of England and South West Scotland.

More recently, Story’s plant and machinery has been passed as a supplier on the Nexus infrastructure in Newcastle, not only as Nexus’ first choice supplier, but also to its

subcontractors. With a workforce of over 30 directly employed operators and a team of ten plant fitters, each with their own designated van, Story Contracting has the ability to support any project with rail plant and has built its reputation by having a contractor’s mentality.

Story Contracting works closely with its customers to add value to their projects and to offer solutions to their problems. The greatest challenges on the infrastructure are time management and delivering projects in a safe manner. Combine these with meeting key performance indicators and finishing the work within budget and the task becomes unenviable.

Saving time Changing sleepers used to be a backbreaking task, using a workforce of eight to unclip, unpack, slide out and discard and reverse the task to replace them.

Not anymore! Story Contracting owns two Rosenqvist SB60 sleeper changing attachments which fit onto any one of their fleet of 18 Road Rail Vehicles (RRVs). These not only take the hard work out of the task, but speed the process up so that, on average, it takes six minutes to remove, replace and secure a new sleeper. Only two members of the workforce are required to unclip, pack and re-clip, which means that the rest of the team can be redeployed onto other tasks, reducing the health and safety implications.

The Rosenqvist SB60 is essentially two attachments in one. The blade pushes the ballast away from between the sleepers and then, controlled from the RRV, is neatly tucked away to let the short hydraulic grab work. This grab securely holds the sleeper, threading it out from the track sideways as the RRV spins through 180°. The removed sleeper is placed on the trailer that is towed behind the RRV, and the grab then selects a new sleeper, either wood or concrete, from the same trailer. This new sleeper is threaded back under the rail and held in place whilst it is clipped back into position.

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38 | the rail engineer | june 2012

plant & equipment Nexus news During the month of April 2012, Story Contracting worked alongside BAM Nuttall on the Nexus infrastructure in Newcastle, providing plant support for a project to stabilise an area of banking within a residential area. Working round the clock to install three metre lengths of rail to act as piles on the banking, the challenge was to minimise disturbance to the local residents.

Using a Ruglei method of piling, Story Contracting worked in collaboration with BAM Nuttall to fabricate a “shoe” to sit on a breaker attachment specifically adapted for the job.

The blade is then rotated into position to push the ballast back around the sleepers, leaving very little work for the workforce to finish off before moving on to the next sleeper. Once all of the sleepers have been replaced, a redundant sleeper, held in the grab, is used to create a neat shoulder.

Under the right conditions, up to 60 sleepers can be changed in a shift.

Not only is the SB60 a faster, safer, fully compliant and more cost-effective method of changing sleepers, but the job can be done and the worksite left tidy all in one shift. Running the sleepers out on a rail trailer from the access, and hauling the redundant sleepers back in, means that there is no requirement to go back out and collect them. The Rosenqvist SB60 sleeper changing attachment is rapidly being adopted by many Network Rail delivery units as the best tool for changing sleepers.

Safe drainage Story Contracting takes pride in its safety record, and another area where safety is paramount is the installation of trackside drainage. The infrastructure has literally miles of drainage which needs to be replaced, and allowing the workforce into an open trench is simply not an option.

With support from the local Network Rail delivery unit in Carlisle, Story devised a method of digging trenches to the correct level and depth and installing the catchpit and pipework using one RRV and ensuring that the workforce is kept out of the trench at all times. With the clever use of laser levels, and highly-skilled operators who have developed a method of lifting the catchpits and pipe with an RRV, Story Contracting are promoting this method of drainage installation as best practice.

The overhead wires on the Nexus infrastructure are lower than the ones on Network Rail, so this presented a further challenge to the two companies. The piles were driven in during the night and then they were hammered home during daylight hours to minimise noise disruption to local residents. 1,250 metres of work was delivered on time with, once again, Story working closely with its customer to provide a successful plant hire service.

Investment in plant With Story Contracting delivering work over a larger geographical area came the need to expand the fleet. Four new Liebherr CZ W A900 excavators were delivered in August 2011 and were quickly absorbed into the fleet to replace some older, less versatile machines.

However, Story was still finding that the fleet didn’t have the capacity to satisfy demand. In the current climate, it’s a bold move to spend just short of £2m on new machines, trailers and attachments, but, having built its reputation on reliability and the skill of its operators, it was an easy decision to make.

In late summer of 2012, Story Contracting will take delivery of a further eight new Liebherr A900 machines, all complete with offset boom, rail wheel braking and excellent lifting capabilities. This will take the fleet up to 26 RRVs, along with a Unimog capable of towing 140 tonnes, various tracked excavators, wheeled dumpers and other plant approved for working on rail.

With its own fleet of low loaders, Story Contracting can now handle almost any rail plant challenge anywhere in the UK.

june 2012 | the rail engineer | 39

plant & equipment

Leading Rail Plant

Innovation known within the rail infrastructure W ellindustry, QTS Group is starting to make its presence felt as a principle contractor by successfully delivering projects throughout the UK. QTS is now recognised as a multi-discipline organisation, employing over 300 staff and offering a complete “one stop shop” service to the rail industry including specialist plant supply, vegetation management, civil engineering and drainage works.

Particularly renowned for its continuous investment in specialised machinery and innovative working methods, QTS has the capability to deliver complex railway infrastructure projects efficiently, effectively and within budget.

Plant Innovation Driven by managing director Alan McLeish, who has a fascination for developing innovative plant solutions to rail infrastructure challenges, QTS has recently created a unique new addition to their plant fleet - the Rail Robot, a user-operated, rail moving machine.

Operated via hard wired and radio remote control, plant operatives are able to work from a distance, reducing the associated health and safety risks. Rail Robots have the

ability to transpose up to 709 feet of continuously welded rail and, with their rubber tracks and light weight, will dramatically lower the risk of damage to sleepers or rail. Transportation is also an advantage with the Rail Robots being able to be transported on a standard pick-up truck.

With two Rail Robots working in tandem for rail lifting/transposing, they have a lifting capacity of 15 tons, or 7.5 tons working individually, making them perfect for use on big switches and crossings projects. Their strength and abilities on track allow the rail team to operate at greater capacity, dramatically reducing transport costs. Rail Robots remove the need for traditional roadrail vehicles for rail moving and switch and crossing transportation. Working without machine controllers and under OLE provides dramatic savings for re-railing and tranposing works.

QTS is now fully testing the Rail Robots and is expecting Network Rail product acceptance approval within a month. And with a great deal of interest from around the world, including Asia and Australia, plans are in place at QTS headquarters for a manufacturing facility for these innovative and unique machines.

Leading the way in Railway Plant Innovation QTS Group Ltd provides unique and cost effective plant solutions for the rail infrastructure industry.

Now introducing the Rail Robot - working with you to cut time, cut costs and cut risk.

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CWR Movement t Rail Transposing t Hard Wired & Radio Remote Controlled t Ability to Transpose up to 709 ft of Rail t Combined Lifting Duty of 15 Tonnes for more information or to arrange a demonstration contact QTS

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QTSGROUP.COM

40 | the rail engineer | june 2012

plant & equipment

Rapid

Response 30 years ago, the chief civil A round engineer of Swedish Railways had a simple but brilliant idea. Frustrated by the time it took to move material from the depot to any given work site on the railway, he initiated the design of a lorry which could travel most of the way by road, mount the track at a level crossing and complete its journey by rail. The SRS Road Rail lorry was born.

The concept was soon extended to include a comprehensive range of mounted equipment, enabling these vehicles to be used for a wide variety of tasks. The Road Rail lorry added a new dimension to permanent way engineering, in much the same way as the advent of the Harrier jump jet added to the capability and flexibility of the RAF. The idea soon moved overseas. Today, with a purpose-built depot in central England and an expanding fleet of Road Rail lorries, SRS Rail System supplies these specialist vehicles, together with highly-trained operators, worldwide. Recent destinations have been as varied as Saudi Arabia for the new Mecca Metro, and north of the Arctic Circle in Sweden.

An idea of SRS Rail System’s capabilities can be gained by looking at four varying examples.

It took just half an hour to lift each container and move it to the cess. Such rapid response, using the motorway network and travelling the final few miles on track, can only be achieved with commercial roadgoing vehicles which have been converted to road rail.

OLE renewal In 2005, a fleet of 53 SRS Road Rail vehicles was purchased for the major project to renew over 400 miles of overhead line infrastructure on the UK’s West Coast Main Line.

Their performance was described, at the time, by the joint venture project director, John Osborne: “Road Rail vehicles converted from standard trucks provided a versatile and effective means of servicing a work site 400 miles long. The man basket allows work teams to adjust overhead lines in perfect safety, using the onboard pantograph as necessary for checking wire position.

“Created to the project’s own bespoke requirements, some 53 are in use and their ability to work in awkward and otherwise inaccessible locations has been invaluable.

“Reliability is also excellent: the vehicles are in use seven hours a night, five or six nights a week (actually on site and driving to and from site) and have performed 368,000 hours since the project started.”

Rapid response At 03.30 on Saturday 1 March 2008, the SRS Rail System duty manager at Bolsover, Derbyshire, received a call from the Network Rail Rapid Response Team. The West Coast Main Line had been blocked in the Tring area in Hertfordshire by three 20-foot containers, which freak gusts of wind had blown from their wagons.

One container had landed on its end and was not only blocking the two central tracks, but it was also fouling the overhead line. Just three and a half hours later, an SRS articulated Road Rail vehicle carrying a Palfinger PR750 crane arrived on site. A specialist crew had been mobilised and the crane had covered about 75 miles by road and, at the end, by rail.

Drilling in Saltwood Saltwood Tunnel lies on the main rail route to the Channel Tunnel near Folkestone. It had to be strengthened as part of the preparation for the Channel Tunnel route, but it carried a very busy piece of railway with twin third rail tracks into Dollands Moor Sidings. The 954-yard long tunnel could only be made available for engineering work once a week for five hours, with occasional longer track possessions.

The task consisted of drilling 2,300 holes through brick lining of variable quality to enable the injection of grout behind. Each hole was 35mm in diameter and 7001,000mm deep. Two arrays of holes at 2,500mm centres were required.

As is often the case, time was of the essence. It was essential to mount the track as soon as possession had been granted after the last train had passed, to move swiftly to the site and to drill the holes quickly. To complete the task, SRS Rail System designed a special seven-station drilling rig mounted on a 25-ton Road Rail vehicle. Interlocks ensured the vehicle was stationary before the drills were deployed and that the drills were withdrawn before the vehicle could move.

The highly-trained crew developed a sixminute cycle time: drill seven holes - move drill seven holes - move - etc. This was gradually reduced to a best time of four minutes, some 105 holes per hour.

A STRAIL rubber road rail access platform was constructed 200 metres from the west portal of the tunnel. Here the vehicle could mount the track in about five minutes, drive to the work site in an average of 10 minutes and deploy the drills in one minute - a total of 16 minutes. Recovery time was similar.

Bridge positioning Bridge manufacturer Barhale employed the SRS Rail System to both transport and lift into position a six-ton replacement bridge near the town of Iron Horse.

Barhale delivered the bridge to railway sidings at a nearby power station where an SRS crane lifted it onto two SRS rail trailers.

These were hauled the final three miles down the track by a 25-ton SRS Road Rail truck.

At the site a Palfinger PR750 crane lifted the bridge onto bearings prepared by Barhale. The 750 tonne crane is believed to be the largest road-rail crane in the world; it is mounted onto an SRS 44-ton articulated Road Rail vehicle.

SRS Rail System operates a pool of 32 Road Rail vehicles from its purpose-built facility at Bolsover. These are available for hire across the UK and, increasingly, internationally. Rapid response is a speciality.

42 | the rail engineer | june 2012

plant & equipment

Bridge delivery by

RRV (Above) The new bridge ready to depart to site.

(Right) The station yard with the road crane and, behind it, the lorry with the concrete cill units.

replacements have been featured B ridge in the rail engineer on a number of occasions. Usually these reports cover the most interesting examples of this work, as many are simply routine. New bridge arrives by road - old bridge is lifted out - new bridge is lifted in - old bridge is taken away. It’s been done in under eight hours, although a lot of preparation work goes on in advance.

However, what happens when the new bridge can’t be lifted in from the road, as there is no road access?

Dunblane difficulty That is just what happened recently at Dunblane in central Scotland. As part of the preparatory works for EGIP, the EdinburghGlasgow Improvement Programme, the Bridgend footbridge near Caledonian Place was found to be foul of the proposed electrification.

Built in the nineteenth century, it was not practical to raise the existing bridge due to its dilapidated condition, nor was it possible to lower the track. The best solution was

deemed to be its complete replacement.

To this end, BAM Nuttall Ltd was appointed as principal contractor and work started on 2 April.

Day shift working accounted for most of the preliminary work.

Over the weekend of 28/29 April, the concrete supports for the bridge were prepared by sawing and other techniques ready for the actual bridge replacement the following weekend.

However, the complication was that there was no easy access which could be used to bring in the new bridge, and there was nowhere to site a road crane to do the lifting. It would all have to be done from the railway itself.

Plans were made to bring the bridge to the nearby station yard. Specialist plant company TRAC Engineering, based near Glasgow, were contracted to move the bridge from there to the work site.

june 2012 | the rail engineer | 43

plant & equipment Novel proposal After considering the problem, TRAC’s proposal in consultation with BAM Nuttall was to move the bridge using a short train with a difference. TRAC possesses a road-rail shunter derived from a Mercedes Unimog.

Ballasted up to a gross vehicle weight of 12 tonnes, this shunter can propel up to six wagons with a total gross weight of 300 tonnes.

The shunter and five flat wagons duly arrived on site in the yard at Dunblane station, ready for a 29 hour possession commencing at 22:00 on Saturday 29 April.

Two cranes were needed, a road crane from Ainscough to operate at the station end of the site, and a Kirow rail crane from VolkerRail to do the lifting at the bridge end.

At the appointed time, around 6am Sunday morning, the TRAC train departed for the bridge, where the Kirow lifted the old structure, weighing approximately 25 tonnes, from its seating and deposited it carefully along the length of the five small trucks. Once strapped down, the novel train departed for the short journey to the station and the road crane removed the old bridge to the yard.

Murdo Maclean, TRAC project manager, oversaw the reloading of his train, this time with two concrete cill units each weighing nine tonnes. These would be the spacer pieces so that the replacement bridge would sit higher than the original, allowing room for the OLE underneath. The cills were delivered to the work site and lifted into

place about nine hours after the old bridge had come out, once the work to prepare their seatings was complete.

The now-empty train returned to the station yard where the smart new bridge was waiting on a low loader, and this was lifted onto the five wagons ready to be carried back to its new location.

At around 8pm on Sunday evening came the most precise part of the whole operation, as the Kirow had to lift the 15tonne bridge from the wagons, swing it through ninety degrees and lower it precisely into place on top of the new cills.

However, no snags were encountered and everything went smoothly.

trac

After that, it was just a question of placing the old bridge onto the low loader to be taken away, removing TRAC’s small train from the railway, and packing up the road and rail cranes. Everything was successfully carried out within the 29 hours allocated to the possession, and the railway returned to operational service on time.

John Edelsten, BAM Nuttall’s project manager was happy with the service provided by TRAC, complementing both the site organisation and the personnel involved. With more bridge work being needed on the EGIP project, it shouldn’t be long before TRAC’s little work train is out again.

TRAC’s shunter with, behind, the Kirow rail crane.

Principal Contractors Licence & Plant Operators Licence

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TRAC is a specialist engineering contractor delivering engineering solutions from minor works through to complete turn-key engineering solutions to the rail sector.

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www.tracengineering.com

+44 (0)1698 831111

44 | the rail engineer | june 2012

plant & equipment

Making RRVs writer

Dr Liesel Von Metz HM Inspector of Railways, ORR road-rail vehicle (RRV) has become a T heubiquitous feature of engineering work on

Rail plant working in close proximity with people at Blackfriars.

the modern railway. Coming in many different guises, the RRV is fundamentally a road vehicle to which rail wheels have somehow been attached to allow the vehicle to convert from running on the road to running on the railway.

Many of the RRVs in use are 360° excavators, evolved from a base non-rail construction machine. During the past decade, the demands made of these machines have increased as they have become the “Swiss army knife” of the railway. In response, RRVs have increased in size and theoretical capability, and layers of safety features and warning devices have been retro-fitted.

Every seven years, RRVs must undergo recertification by a Vehicle Acceptance Body (VAB) along with upgrading to current standards so they can continue to operate on the Network Rail infrastructure. There is a significant maintenance requirement, and the rising cost of fuel (hence transport costs) has led to a trend towards more RRV maintenance being carried out on site. With many operators being on zero-hours contracts or working through agencies, and an inefficient work demand of peaks and troughs, it is little wonder the RRV industry is a challenging one.

safe

Incidents - causes and solutions

Fail-to-stop risk

There is a clear pattern of accidents and close-calls involving 360° RRVs, which fall into three clear categories: • fail to stop (runaway) • overturn • collision with people.

There have been a number of incidents where “high-ride” type RRVs failed to stop and “ran away,” including those at Farringdon, Glen Garry and Raigmore. In all cases, the immediate cause was a lack of braking force caused by a loss of contact between the road wheels and the rail wheels. Whilst there were a number of reasons for this, these incidents would have been prevented had rail wheel brakes been fitted. To address this cause, Network Rail are funding the development and fitting of railwheel braking to some 450 “high-ride” type excavator RRVs by December 2012.

Also, following enforcement action by ORR in March 2011, Network Rail put interim risk controls in place (while rail wheel brakes were being developed) including more rigorous maintenance of the road-wheel / rail-wheel interface, restriction of the use of “high-ride” RRVs on gradients of 1 in 75 or steeper, and changed on-railing methods.

In the past three years there have been over a dozen serious accidents involving RRVs, and findings from proactive site inspections by inspectors from the Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) have revealed an underlying pattern of poor control of lifting activities and of the risk to people from RRVs. In consequence, some 23 ORR Enforcement Notices have been served on activities relating to RRVs on Network Rail infrastructure during this time, and ensuring that the industry deals with RRV risk has become an important part of the ORR Railway Safety Directorate’s work.

Common causes, common solutions In response to this risk profile, and with strong encouragement from ORR, Network Rail formalised the RRV Safety Improvement Programme in the summer of 2011 as a cross-business initiative to drive rapid risk reduction in a number of clear areas agreed with ORR. These included the fail to stop risk of “high-ride” types, the overturn risk and the people-RRV risk.

46 | the rail engineer | june 2012

plant & equipment

and lifting methods, and on ensuring that the lift planner is competent. Planning of lifting should be proportionate to the lift being undertaken, based on the site/load/machine/task, and realistic.

Hence, a new (non-Sentinel) role and competency of “RRV Lift Planner” is being created, with authorisation to prepare/amend RRV lift plans being taken away from crane controllers. The Lift Planner competence will be awarded through assessment or through training following a syllabus defined by Network Rail.

People and RRVs

(Inset-upper) Red light clearly indicates that safety devices have been overridden.

(Inset-lower) Rexquote railwheel braking system.

Three rail-wheel braking systems have now been approved and are being fitted, as reported in issue 89 of the rail engineer (March 2012). These are manufactured by AJH Plant, Rexquote and GOS Engineering.

Overturn risk The basic cause of RRVs overturning is from lifting a load that is beyond the capability of the machine. Examinations of incident causes, and observations from site, have revealed a culture that turns a blind eye to safety devices being switched off or overridden, the selection of machine by habit or cost, poor planning of the lifting operation, and a lack of competence amongst many of those planning lifting operations.

The solutions developed by the RRV Safety Improvement Programme have focused on combining the responsibility for planning the lift with the authority to specify the plant

There have been some serious injuries caused by people getting too close to an RRV when the operator did not see them. There are clear causes of people and RRVs being too close, including the machine operator having difficulty in communicating with the machine/crane controller, a lack of “exclusion zones” or ones which are unachievable, and sites which have no safe place in which to stand. This derives from poor site planning, lack of effective supervision and a culture in which people do not see a “yellow machine” as posing a risk.

Solutions include the use of duplex radio communications between the machine operator and the machine/crane controller. From March 2012, this is mandated on Network Rail infrastructure.

The RRV Safety Improvement Programme is also developing “simple rules”, so that people stay away from RRVs unless the machine is stood down, and hopes to integrate this into Personal Track Safety (PTS) training and Network Rail’s “Lifesaving Rules” initiative. Also being developed are systems for achieving a coherent plan to enable people to work and walk safely in engineering worksites in which RRVs are working or travelling.

Driving Change In order to drive these changes home so they become the normal way of working, the RRV Safety Improvement Programme has piloted training to improve the skills of Network Rail staff tasked with site assurance.

Roll-out of this training is planned for

2012/13. This should drive wider recognition, challenge and resolution of unsafe acts/states (for example lifting with a safety device over-ridden).

Identifying emerging risk An advantage of Network Rail and ORR working collaboratively is the opportunity to identify emerging risk, such as Adjacent Line Open (ALO) working with RRVs. Lessons from mainland Europe highlight a number of incidents over the past 10 years where ontrack plant (including RRVs) and passing trains collided during ALO working, and a close study of UK logs has identified near miss incidents and at least two collisions over the same period.

With the rapid increase in ALO working on the UK railway network, it is important to proactively seek to learn and apply the lessons of these incidents and near-misses.

With ALO working, there is the opportunity to work to develop suitable methodology which delivers the risk control required by UK legislation. Of course, the irony is that when this initiative succeeds, most people will never know as it is extremely difficult to measure an accident prevented.

Progressing to Clear Risk Reduction The RRV, in its current format, poses a risk to both railway and workforce. The challenge of achieving rapid risk reduction is significant but vital. Collaborative working between ORR and Network Rail on the RRV Safety Improvement Programme has shown how progress can be achieved when working together with a clear commitment to defined goals. An example of future collaboration is the work recently commenced on looking at safety control systems integrity being undertaken jointly

by ORR, Network Rail and the Health and Safety Laboratory.

During the coming year, the developments put in place over the past six months should lead to a clear risk reduction during the use of RRVs on Network Rail infrastructure. As the industry seeks to work more closely together, perhaps this type of robust collaboration will be used to deliver other key changes. For its part, ORR is working to ensure that the RRV risks being tackled by Network Rail are addressed across the whole rail industry.

48 | the rail engineer | june 2012

safety systems

Simple safety afety fencing. It’s something that’s S always around, yet no-one sees. It

needs to be put up at the start of almost every lineside job, and taken down afterwards, but other than that it’s just there - like sleepers and ballast.

However, it needs to be put up quickly, as everyone else is waiting to get on with the job, and taken down even more quickly if the work is running a little late and the hand-back time is approaching.

So what is needed is a simple, even foolproof system. It also has to be light, easily transportable, and to do the job of separating people from trains.

Lightweight safety fencing, which fastens to a track while protecting people working in the cess or on an adjacent track, is not new. There are several systems on the market which clip to the rail in one way or another, but now there is one which is even simpler, and doesn’t use clips at all.

Instead, it capitalises on two of the great facts of life. Rails are made out of steel, and steel is magnetic.

The new Magnetic Safety Barrier from Rail Safety Systems (RSS) has been brought to the UK by Innovative Railway Safety.

Based in Swansea, they are specialists in such equipment and know a good safety system when they see one.

What is it?

(Above) Once properly installed, the magnets keep the barrier firmly in place.

(Below) Installing a barrier at the Beeston trial site.

A square-section steel tube, zinc-plated to protect it from the elements, is fitted with a broad black plastic head containing two powerful magnetic strips. When this head is attached to the web of the rail, the tube extends horizontally out from the side of the track. As the head is hinged, some vertical movement of the tube is possible and the tube itself is shaped with a double kink which rests on the top of a sleeper and keeps the tube approximately horizontal.

At the other end, a sleeve fits over the tube. This then curves upwards to form a vertical stanchion, again in lightweight square-section steel tubing. The actual position of the stanchion is adjustable - the sleeve can slide along the horizontal tube and is bolted in place using a series of predrilled holes. As standard, there is a total of 600mm of possible adjustment, allowing the fence to be positioned the correct distance from the running track.

On the outer face of the vertical stanchion are two, pre-positioned plastic clips. Once a row of stanchions is in place, horizontal poles can be clipped into these, forming the fence itself. Both fibreglass and aluminium poles can be used - if aluminium then there are plastic isolators along its length to prevent any problems with the metal poles bridging signalling circuits.

Installation Poles and stanchions are transported to site in specially designed bins. Normally, the horizontal tubes and vertical stanchions are already bolted together with the correct clearance. These are then simply clamped, about three metres apart, to the side of the rail web over a sleeper on which the kink in the horizontal tube rests.

The installer never has to go close to the running rail, but can stand in a position of safety holding the vertical stanchion while attaching the magnets to the rail.

Once a run of stanchions is in place, the first fence poles are clipped in place.

Subsequent poles are attached using a patented bayonet connection and clipped up. A team of people, working together, can install a run of fencing remarkably quickly. Once they get into the swing of things, and assuming the stock of

june 2012 | the rail engineer | 49

safety systems

components is close by, several hundred metres can be erected in just a few minutes. No ballast needs to be disturbed provided that the rail web is accessible, the fence can go up.

In operation, the strong magnetic clamps hold the fence securely in place. It is practically impossible to just pull the magnet off the rail, so work can take place behind the fence in complete safety.

hinges on the magnetic head until that hinge hits a stop. Continued upward movement rolls the magnet off the rail the head has a radiused upper edge to allow this. So the whole bracket comes free without undue effort.

Then it is only a case of putting everything away and removing it from site. As no ballast was disturbed in erecting the fence, there is nothing to be replaced.

Removal Taking the fence down is almost a reversal of putting it up. The poles are removed first, the bayonet couplings making splitting it into short lengths easy.

Despite the magnetic clamps being almost impossible to pull off in service, removal is actually quite easy. The stanchion, and its attached horizontal pole, is just pivoted up vertically. This assembly

Critical acclaim The Magnetic Safety Barrier was first introduced onto the Dutch railway system in 2010. In March 2011, it won the Europe Innovation Award at the Rail-Tech Europe trade fair in Amersfoort. “All together, the crucial significance of safety for employees performing maintenance work on the track was reason enough for the jury to send Rail

Safety Systems home with the 2011 European Innovation Award”, said jury chairman Professor Riessberger.

The new fencing has been tested by TÜV, is approved for use in Germany, and is now also approved by Network Rail for use in the UK. Initial use has found that is can be up to twenty times quicker to erect and dismantle than conventional barriers, reduces the physical effort of the operatives and the ballast is not disturbed.

Installed correctly, it does not affect axle counters or DC track circuit signals.

Innovative Railway Safety arranged the first major use of the new fencing in the UK last month and, with the advantages that Magnetic Safety Fencing offers, no doubt it will shortly be appearing on a work site near you. Once erected, it still won’t be noticed, but it will certainly appear and disappear a lot quicker!

(Left to right) The magnet head, pole clipped onto the stanchions, and a complete barrier in place.

www.rss-rail.com

The Innovative Magnetic Safety Barrier.

Compliant with EN13374

No danger of damaging underground signalling cables

Innovative Railway Safety Ltd

No loose components

Tamping and Ballast cleaning can continue in-situ

Ty Penmynydd, Llangennith,

No tools needed

Safe, simple and light

Swansea, SA3 1DT

Very fast build time - major savings in working and possession costs

Fast assembly / disassembly with no requirement to remove or replace ballast

Email: paul.inrailsafe@btconnect.com

The RSS Railway Safety System consists of only two components.

Tel: 07974 065798

www.inrailsafe.co.uk

50 | the rail engineer | june 2012

safety systems

A mindset, not an initiative

writer speaking, initiatives are G enerally designed to solve a problem in the short term and then they disappear.

Considering how important safety is, when Atkins developed the Safe by Choice programme (SbC), it was conceived, not as a short-term solution, but as a way to change people’s behaviour, so that safety would be at the forefront of people’s minds. While it has been a challenge, four years on, SbC has proven to be successful, not just in Atkins, but in the wider industry as well.

Creating a safety mindset?

SbC is a behavioural-based programme which challenges staff actions to reduce the chance of accidents occurring. The aim for Atkins was to create a safer working environment, the ultimate goal to embed a “do something” attitude, or being Safe by Choice. The programme works by giving staff a “toolkit” to challenge unsafe acts effectively so that they take ownership and responsibility for not only their own safety, but the safety of those around them.

Making SbC a sustainable idea The SbC programme was initially delivered to Atkins’ UK rail business. To ensure buy-in from all levels, a series of workshops was developed and rolled out to everyone from site operatives to the leadership team so that everyone could play their part. It was important that everyone was on board to bring about a real cultural change.

Steve Wiskin

Safe by Choice Manager, Atkins

While each workshop differs, the core emphasis of all four are the same - bringing about a “safety first” philosophy. These workshops actively challenge the reasons why unsafe choices are made by exploring why people take short cuts or risks at work.

It has been found that this is much more effective than just telling staff to be safe. The workshops cover safety leadership, key influencers, developing influence and an overview of the SbC programme.

Of course, workshops were just one part of the strategy. To reinforce the SbC message and to maintain awareness of the programme, an internal communications campaign was undertaken. This included comicstrip style posters and emails highlighting everyday choices about safety,

such as wearing high visibility clothing. The programme has also been further reinforced by the introduction of job descriptions which give ownership and responsibility to key influencers across the business. This enables them to consistently raise awareness of any potential dangers in the workplace and report accordingly.

Safety is a choice The SbC programme has proven to be very successful, with a major increase in the number of close calls being reported in the business since the programme began in 2007/2008. A close call is an unplanned event that did not result in injury, illness or damage – but had potential to do so. This increase in close call reporting indicates that staff and contractors to whom the programme has been delivered so far, now numbering around two thousand, are much more aware of safety and are actively taking steps to prevent accidents.

june 2012 | the rail engineer | 51

safety systems SbC Safety Award Having successfully communicated the SbC message to all rail staff, Atkins has also introduced the annual SbC Safety Award.

Now in its third year, the award recognises staff who put safety first by reporting close calls. Previous winners of the award have included a member of staff who helped two children to safety after they tried to take a shortcut to a playground through open train tracks. Another Atkins employee asked a member of the public to move to a safe place on a train platform after he noticed her sitting on the platform edge, oblivious to the fact that a train was approaching.

Winners of the award receive £250, plus £250 for their chosen charity. By recognising staff who report close calls, this award is just another way in which Atkins has been able to embed the SbC campaign throughout the business.

Keeping` the momentum going...

To keep SbC at the forefront of people’s minds during the second and third year of the programme, the workshops, SbC Safety Awards and internal marketing campaign all continued. But it was now time to challenge the supply chain on their approach to safety.

To do this, a number of key suppliers were invited to a safety forum during which the SbC programme was introduced to them and they were asked about their own programmes to ensure that staff work safely.

Those suppliers were then sent a formal letter, encouraging them to take the next steps in embedding safety in their own businesses.

Both the forum and letter were well received, with some suppliers such as BCM, VGC and Kelly deciding to roll out their own versions of SbC. Likewise, the success of SbC

has also been acknowledged by industry partners including Network Rail and London Underground.

While the industry at large has taken to Atkins’ SbC programme, the delivery of the programme is not designed for profit, just safety. Any financial reward stemming from its delivery is reinvested in the development and improvement of the programme itself.

The future looks safe Workplace safety is not just limited to staff who work on railway tracks, it involves everyone from administration staff to designers and the management team. While safety has always been a part of Atkins’ design and management processes, in 2012 the safety team is establishing two other distinct approaches: Safe by Design (SbD) and Safe by Leadership (SbL). SbD will

ensure that safety is embedded within the thought process of designers and that risk is actively identified and managed. SbL will make certain that senior managers and directors lead by example and engage with staff and contractors, as well as seek to influence industry to improve standards.

So, SbC is not an initiative. During the past four years, the message has been constantly reinforced and is now very much a part of every Atkins employee’s mindset. Behavioural change takes time, but is well worth the effort.

When thinking about work practices, the question is: “Do I work safely?” The answer is usually always “yes”.

The next question is: “Am I safely working?”, meaning - does safety have equal priority to production? It’s certainly something worth considering, after all, safety is everyone’s responsibility.

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Forth Bridge warning (Right) ATWS in place - note the row of lights and klaxons on the right hand wall.

(Inset) The strike-in treadles.

Bridge is located nine T hemilesForthto theRailwest of Edinburgh. It is regarded as a crowning achievement of Victorian steel bridge building and its robust cantilever structure was designed to combat the high winds that had caused the failure of the Tay Bridge with significant loss of life eleven years earlier in 1879.

The bridge is composed of 54,000 tonnes of open-hearth steel. The world’s first-ever steel bridge, it was opened in 1890 when the future King Edward VII travelled to Edinburgh to hammer in the last of 6.5 million rivets. It has a surface area of 45 acres, and this led to one of the most persistent British urban myths; the legend that the moment workmen finish painting the Forth Rail Bridge they cross back over the estuary to begin painting the other end anew. This is one fable that can finally be debunked in 2012 after a £130 million, ten year project which fully refurbished the structure. After shot-blasting away 40 previous paint layers across the 2,500-metre cantilever structure, a 400-strong team applied 240,000 litres of durable epoxy paint to the bridge, which will now not need another coat for 20 years.

Health and safety considerations, as well as the need to avoid disruption to Train Operating Companies (TOCs) by minimising downtime on train movements, have been the principal concerns of Balfour Beatty Regional Civil Engineering, the main contractor to Network Rail on the project. On average, there are between 180 and 200 train movements daily as the bridge is the principal artery between Edinburgh and Fife - and it had to be kept open at all times.

Automated warnings Balfour Beatty entrusted track warning systems, safety procedures and safety maintenance to Vital Rail which provided a Safety Critical Management Team and associated support. Up until the completion of the painting and refurbishment, Vital Rail supplied, maintained and operated an Automated Track Warning System (ATWS) across the length of the bridge. Indeed, the ATWS became an integral part of the bridge’s maintenance system during the works.

Vital’s activity on the project was coordinated from the company’s office in Bellshill, near Glasgow. The Vital Rail site supervisor for the project was Alan Richardson, who said: “The culture on the bridge is that your colleague will do anything for you. Previously, operatives had acted as lookouts for each other, so putting absolute trust in the Automated Track Warning System was a new way of thinking.

The crew realised that, however much their opposite number wanted to support them, he could be fallible. The ATWS technology does not tire or have a ‘bad day’. When the men realised this, the equipment actually began to contribute to their peace of mind.”

The ATWS sirens which warned of an approaching train had to compete with wind, riveting and shotblasting. It was therefore a crucial feature of the Autoprowa™ automatic proportional warning system from ZÖLLNER Signal Systems Technologies that the microphones had the “intelligence” to evaluate ambient noise levels, and adjust the volume of warning signals accordingly. The ZÖLLNER system used on the bridge has been approved in Europe by a respected panel of independent safety assessors, Technischer Überwachungs-Verein (TÜV), and is fully accepted by Network Rail.

Automatic activation Graham Gillan, Vital Rail’s ATWS manager, said: “Vital used a hard-wired fully automatic ATWS solution on this occasion. As a train neared the work site, the detector placed on the track would be activated when the train wheels ran over the treadle and audible warnings would combine with flashing beacons. This approach factored out human error. Dual redundancy was crucial so twin devices were installed at the ‘sighting distance’ based on speed and time in order to give the workforce - particularly scaffolders - adequate warning to secure their equipment. At the approach of a train, Balfour Beatty staff and their subcontractors working on the track, at deck level and right up to the top gantries, would cease all activity.”

Graham continued: “At the end of the work site there was a strikeout treadle which cancelled the warning that had been generated. This approach proved crucial in

june 2012 | the rail engineer | 53

safety systems

Useful RRVs A significant aspect of Vital Rail’s work during the bridge refurbishment involved the introduction of road-rail vehicles (RRVs) for moving materials, leading to a reduction in the health and

here are as tough as any painter or scaffolder is likely to encounter anywhere in the world. The track is 45 metres above the firth, and while an operative will be aware that he is near water, he may not be able to see it which can be disorientating. Before any painting could be done, a crew had to be screened off from the environment in encapsulated areas supported by several tons of complex access scaffolding. The logistical and safety implications were complex. The days of there being a permanent railway ‘colony’ of fifty families in cottages at the east end of South Queensferry are gone, but even with the refurbishment project finished, Vital Rail will continue to have a responsibility for safety here as we have had since 2004.”

PHOTO: IAIN WATSON

an environment characterised by constant fog and sea fret. Not being reliant on visibility reduced downtime dramatically. Vital Rail also supplied safety critical personnel and track labour to contractors who needed to move materials around the bridge. All our staff had their PTS (Personal Track Safety) certification and where appropriate they also had Control of Site Safety (COSS) qualifications. Senior management from Vital formulated safe system of work plans and, in addition to Balfour Beatty, we briefed the various disciplines such as Pyeroy (painting) and ThyssenKrupp Palmer (scaffolding).”

safety risks associated with manual handling. This approach is also being introduced by Network Rail through its own RRV Safety Improvement Programme, notably during a recent RRV exclusion zone workshop at the Westwood training centre near Coventry.

The main benefit of the use of RRVs, which are manufactured by Liebherr and Colmar, has been the reduction in manual handling and the associated risk of injury which cannot be factored out however rigorous the safety protocols. Moving 15 tons of equipment on a single vehicle up to 320 yards at a time across a cantilever to the main works allowed Balfour Beatty to meet both safety and commercial objectives simultaneously.

Colin Hardie is a construction manager at Balfour Beatty Civil Engineering who has worked on the bridge for a decade. He said: “The breadth of offering from Vital Rail became apparent as they helped us implement a site-specific safety regime and put all staff through rigorous, tailored induction courses. This is a unique environment that is unlike any bridge, trackside or depot work our staff have encountered. Vital supervisors have helped us with the very occasional man-management issue but what has been really impressive is the rapport they have shown with all the contractors and trades here.”

Alan Richardson said: “The North Queensferry side of the bridge is particularly prone to fog and all parties agreed that the ATWS introduced by Vital Rail produced substantial savings across the board. Working conditions

54 | the rail engineer | june 2012

safety systems

Safety byDesign

Bathgate track remodelling: use of a large crane to position all track reduced handling risk.

Strategy for success writer

David Shirres Rail believes that all accidents N etwork and incidents are avoidable - as all its risks are known about somewhere in its business, either consciously or subconsciously.

For this reason, it’s Safety Leadership and Culture Change (SL&CC) programme is promoting risk awareness, proactive involvement and open communications as part of a cultural change programme.

This programme shares the widely acknowledged belief that effective behavioural change will deliver significant site safety improvements, but perhaps not so well recognised is the potential for safety improvement through better project design.

For example, in an HSE study (Bennett, 2004) it was found that in 43% of the construction accidents studied, designers failed to address hazards that led to the accident.

One person who does understand how much designers can reduce the risks to maintenance and construction workers is Keith Miller, head of safety and sustainable development (Scotland and North East), Network Rail Infrastructure Projects, who is leading the SL&CC programme’s “Safety by Design” initiative. Although design might be considered a technical issue, Keith explains that the success of his initiative depends on the behaviours promoted by the SL&CC programme. He feels that risks to those working on rail infrastructure will only be effectively addressed if designers proactively seek to identify and manage such risks by engaging with those who will work on the assets they design.

Keith is leading the promotion of the Safe

by Design philosophy to improve design safety. This includes awareness training on the responsibilities laid down in the Construction (Design & Management) Regulations 2007 (CDM). This training is now being given to all those in Infrastructure Projects as training courses are being developed for each CDM role.

Since February, investment panels have had to confirm that project design considers maintenance before granting investment authority, and examples of bad practice in this respect have been provided to route financial controllers. In March, Network Rail held a Safe by Design conference which was attended by 40 design suppliers.

Useful as these actions are, Keith recognises that a systematic programme is required to embed the required processes into the Network Rail design and procurement processes as well as ensuring designers’ commitment to the Safe by Design philosophy. In this, Keith is supported by Paul Clark, head of engineering (central), Network Rail Infrastructure Projects. Paul has been actively involved in workshops to develop the Safe by Design programme which have identified issues to be addressed and the required actions. This has led to the development of a programme which was agreed by Network Rail’s Project Safety Leadership Group in April and addresses the following issues: 1 Design risk assessment (DRA) 2 Early focus on buildability and temporary works 3 CDM roles and responsibilities 4 Lessons learnt 5 Procurement and programme.

Paul offers examples of actions taken as a result of the workshops. To support DRAs, a project advice note has been issued on what a DRA should address on a typical project and a procedure is being trialled on the use of warning triangles on “Approved for Construction” drawings to highlight work elements identified in the DRA. To share lessons learnt, a collaboration website is being developed to share best practice in project design. Initially, those attending the workshops have been invited to populate this website, but the intention is that all Network Rail’s design suppliers will contribute.

A big difference As well as undoubted safety benefits, Safe by Design offers significant cost savings at minimal, if any, initial cost. If done at the conceptual design stage, workforce safety improvements can be introduced at low cost. Examples of design safety improvements that offer construction and maintenance cost savings include: • Removing drilling, grinding and cutting processes; • Off-site assembly; • Increased use of mechanisation; • Providing structures with scaffolding fixture points for future maintenance; • Locating equipment cabinets greater than three metres from the line with no requirement to go “on or near the line”; • Indentifying access route for heavy materials within a building at the design stage to enable use of mechanised plant; • Using products such as lightweight TroTred troughing (the rail engineer issue 83 Sept 2011) to provide a combined cable route and safe cess.

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safety systems

Highbury and Islington footbridge.

Lee Parlett, heath and safety manager (Crossrail & Reading programme), Network Rail Infrastructure Projects, has experience of the benefits of design changes made early in the project lifecycle. He has been using CHAIR (Constructability Hazard Assessment Implication Review), a technique developed in Australia to reduce construction, maintenance, repair and demolition safety risks associated with design.

A recent CHAIR review was undertaken for an embankment that forms part of Crossrail’s new Heathrow flyover. This took two hours, involved 15 people and identified 30 risk reduction measures to be incorporated into the design including integrated reinforcing wall edge protection, lifting lugs for prefabricated panels, emergency egress and water run off mitigation. Lee’s belief in the Safe by Design philosophy was vindicated as it showed that, in his words, “with relatively little effort, it had really made a difference”.

Barriers to success Designing for workforce safety is a legal requirement of the CDM Regulations. Unusually, it is a legal requirement that offers potentially large safety and cost benefits at minimal expense. However, although it would seem to be a “no brainer”, the concept is often not applied. Keith gives examples of an axle counter in the six foot, new S&C being installed without an access point, and lines converted to bi-directional working without additional track protection.

Temporary works are often a problem. In a recent example, Keith saw a scaffold erected with its internal ledger bracings obstructing the working platform. Nevertheless, as Keith says: “I’ve got a huge amount of respect for Network Rail’s designers.

They face the challenging task of designing safe rail infrastructure in accordance with the numerous applicable standards.”

Perhaps this partly indicates the problem, as hazard identification at design stage is unlikely to be effective if it is standard driven. Instead it requires an understanding of the construction and maintenance problems which may

be unique to individual projects. Hence the requirement, at an early stage in the project, for designers to engage with construction and maintenance personnel.

Another difficulty is that much design has to be discipline specific, whilst risk mitigation generally requires a multifunctional approach. For example, the track designers’ remit for replacement S&C may not include either permanent or temporary access.

As far as the CDM Regulations are concerned, the role of designer is not limited to technically qualified engineers.

The HSE’s Industry Guidance for Designers shows how roles that are not normally thought of as designer’s, can take decisions that have an impact on the health and safety of others. For example, sponsors might unduly limit available land, insist on a particular surface finish or limit maintenance access by specifying soft landscaping. Under the CDM Regulations, these are design decisions.

However, those making such decisions might not be aware that they are adopting the CDM designer’s role.

A tale of three bridges Balfour Beatty and Hyder Consulting provided the rail engineer with practical examples to illustrate how they have applied the Safe by Design philosophy. The new footbridge at Highbury and Islington, provided as part of the station remodelling, has an odd looking bump underneath its mid span. This is in fact a bolted splice to eliminate the requirement for delivery of a long bridge span. It involved minimal structural alterations and was simple to implement on site.

Andrew Dugdale, director for stations and depots, Hyder Consulting, explains that limited site access was identified early in Hyder’s design development review and incorporated into the design assurance log. As a result the final design had to address this constraint. The splice did, however, introduce additional risks of temporary erection and stability which was managed by appropriate instructions on the design drawings. Any potential working at height problems were eliminated by specifying connection of the splice before the bridge was lifted.

Keith Warburton, head of engineering for Balfour Beatty Rail Projects, explains how Balfour Beatty believes in going beyond compliance to challenge the “norm” of preliminary designs, employing a pro-active approach that minimises risks. He offers two specific examples of conventional rail civil engineering risks being largely eliminated by this innovative approach.

(Above) Scaffold bracings obstructing the working platform.

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safety systems

Sutton Park underbridge before (right) and after (below).

(Right) Falmer lifting operations.

At Falmer Station, Balfour Beatty had the task of repairing the existing footbridge which presented risks of limited gauge clearance, contamination from blasting and inadequate access to structural members. It was decided to eliminate these risks by the novel solution of removing the structure from the railway and replacing it with a temporary footbridge.

Detailed structural analysis was undertaken to specify the temporary work required and produce detailed drawings for lifting operations. This eliminated initially identified risks as work could then be done off-track. It also minimised possession requirements and the associated night-time working.

The Sutton Park line to the north of Birmingham, constructed in the late 1870s, provides a heavy freight route that avoids New Street. When Balfour Beatty was given the job of replacing a life-expired cattle arch, the original remit was demolition of the arch and its replacement with a new concrete or steel deck with new sill beams on repaired abutments.

This demolition would have created risks from the excavations, working on track and at height, substructure stability, waste, noise and dust (and the problems that this would cause with a Site of Special Scientific Interest nearby). There would also have been a large amount of waste material for disposal. Balfour Beatty’s alternative solution was to avoid the need for demolition by creating a new arch structure to support the original. This eliminated all of the initially identified risks and resulted in a smaller construction project which reduced the need for site storage and haulage.

From the past to the future In 1916 Richard Maunsell, chief mechanical engineer of the South East and Chatham Railway, gave his presidential address to the Institution of Locomotive Engineers on the subject of locomotive design and maintenance. He concluded by saying that: “The engineer instinctively looks for the

prominence of details which he knows should be accessible and he rightly regards as a monstrosity a machine which is lacking in this respect.” One hundred years later, this statement applies equally to new rail infrastructure with poor maintenance access.

Just last month at the rail engineer technical seminars at Infrarail, almost 100 years after Richard Maunsell’s comment, Simon Kirby presented Network Rail’s future strategy for project delivery. In doing so, he declared his belief that “getting contractors’ early input to design has to be the right thing from a safety point of view”. He felt this to be just one of the benefits of Network Rail’s new approach to supplier engagement and project delivery, for which cultural change is essential. Thus the Design for Safety initiative is an integral part of the changes, to which Network Rail is committed. For this reason alone its success would seem to be guaranteed.

The assistance of Network Rail, Hyder Consulting and Balfour Beatty in the preparation of this article is gratefully acknowledged.

Project design safety guidance is available from the websites below:

w www.hse.gov.uk/construction/cdm/designers.htm w www.crossrail.co.uk/assets/download/483 w www.saferdesign.org

june 2012 | the rail engineer | 57

mornings of all three days, and the technology on show was both interesting and, in some cases, novel. The seminars were informative, and, as usual, there seemed to be as much networking going on in the aisles as on the stands!

At a trade show, as in any marketing activity including advertising in the rail engineer, the trick is to stand out from the crowd. It doesn’t matter if you have the most technically advanced widget at the show unless it is attractively presented to pull people onto your stand then no-one will notice it.

So what was eye-catching at Infrarail?

While walking up and down the isles, several things caught the eye. Cosalt-man was forever climbing the wall, while the stand staff at Henry Williams looked decidedly

cuddly. They were playing computer games at Prolec and UCA had an interesting model of their new JCB-based shunter.

Gioconda were running a competition, and former Gadget Show presenter Jon Bentley was among more than 70 people who took part in the company’s Judge the Distance competition to win a Kindle Fire although he was pipped to the post by a railway systems engineering student from Birmingham University. Hongsin Kim’s answer of 360m was just one metre off the correct distance of 361m, while other participants guessed anywhere from 5m to 750m!

The large lorries in the Yard were different, and a welcome addition to the show. And as usual there was the opportunity to fill one’s pockets with coffee mugs, pens, memory sticks and, of course, copies of the rail engineer.

Talking of which, Rail Media had the only pink stand at the show - so we certainly stood out from the crowd. And the new version of RailStaff (we’re not allowed to call it RailStaff II!) was attracting a load of interest.

At the end of a busy three days, it was home to a darkened room to recover. Next stop - Berlin, for four days of InnoTrans in September. Rumour has it that Rail Media will have a stand there too - so please drop in and say hello.

PHOTO: ADAM O’CONNOR

is over for another year. It was a I nfrarail busy show, particularly in the late

PHOTO: JONATHAN WEBB

PHOTO: JONATHAN WEBB

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An editor’s write r

Grahame Taylor

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58 | the rail engineer | june 2012

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Infrarail a success! the difficult economic times, just D espite over 4,500 decision makers, managers and engineers visited this year’s highly successful Infrarail show at the National Exhibition Centre from 1 to 3 May. The number of visitors very closely matches the figure for the previous Infrarail in 2010 (in fact it’s two more!) and shows how buoyant the UK rail market currently is.

Those visitors were at the NEC to see over 200 exhibitors. These included leading established suppliers taking part alongside many first time exhibitors bringing innovation and new products to the market.

Industry engagement with the event was strengthened by the support and presence of the Railway Industry Association and by the Rail Alliance networking organisation, the latter co-ordinating participation by a group of its members.

Feedback from exhibitors both during the event and since indicates a very high level of satisfaction with both the number of visitors and their status, with many companies saying they had made potentially valuable new contacts and some even concluding deals at the show.

Successful seminars As usual, the rail engineer organised and staged a successful series of keynote addresses and technical seminars on all three days of the show, and they were well attended. Highlights were keynote addresses by Minister of State for Transport Theresa Villiers MP; Howard Smith, chief

Greatly enjoyed the event, which often gives a “larger picture approach” to someone in my position; typically at the end of a long supply chain.

Nick Bird, Dambro

PHOTO: JONATHAN WEBB

PHOTO: ADAM O’CONNOR

operating officer, London Rail, at Transport for London; and Simon Kirby, managing director, Network Rail Infrastructure Projects.

In her speech, Theresa Villiers reiterated the government’s position on the need for the industry to cut costs. She also called for a stronger partnership between government and the supply industry to respond to future major challenges such as high-speed rail.

Howard Smith detailed recent achievements by London Rail and said that expansion of the capital’s network will certainly be needed, given projections of an increase of 1.3 million in London’s population by 2031 and employment growth of 750,000.

It was a pleasure to attend and I really enjoyed the talk by Simon Kirby. Thank you for arranging it and making the event worthwhile.

Jim Holden, First Great Western

The current restructuring of Network Rail and especially the way this is impacting on the supply industry were among themes addressed by Simon Kirby, and his views are reported in more detail in this issue of the rail engineer.

The technical seminar programme consisted of presentations by eighteen exhibitors on a wide variety of topics from self-locking fasteners to LED lighting and from emergency incident planning to bridge manufacture. For most of these the seminar theatre was full, and for several it overflowed into the surrounding aisles. In addition, David Golding from Network Rail talked about the imminent electrification programme, while Steve Holmes of Balfour Beatty Rail tackled the subject of sustainability.

The seminars I attended were of great interest.

Kevin Goode, URS I have put Railtex 2013 in my diary.

Keith Walter, Atkins

june 2012 | the rail engineer | 59

Other attractions A new and well received feature this year was The Yard. Devised in collaboration with the Rail Plant Association, this dedicated area of the exhibition hall provided a showcase for larger rail infrastructure construction and maintenance vehicles and plant. A more familiar part of the show was the On Track Display, sponsored by Tata Steel.

Lively discussion and audience participation characterised another new feature, The Platform. Staged by the Rail Champions business development organisation and supported by Railnews, a series of panel discussions challenged conventional thinking when tackling key issues facing the industry.

The second Infrarail Awards dinner recognised significant achievements by exhibitors, with a panel of independent judges making awards in six categories: • Newcomer to Infrarail: Wireless CCTV • Award for Innovation: M J Quinn Integrated Services • Signalling & Telecoms: SigAssure UK • Health & Safety: Prolec • Plant & Equipment: GGR Rail • Judges’ Choice: Unipart Rail.

This was the ninth Infrarail organised by Mack Brooks Exhibitions, which also manages the highly successful series of Railtex shows. Commenting on its success, exhibition manager Heidi Cotsworth said: “The positive and supportive feedback we received during Infrarail, and remarks made

since, indicate that this was a very successful event for everyone taking part. We warmly thank everyone who contributed to this success - exhibitors, visitors, speakers at the seminars and participants in the panel discussions, as well as all our show partners and supporting organisations.”

But despite all these special attractions, the show was all about its exhibitors, who seemed well satisfied with the event. As an example, Tom Page, business development manager for welder generators at ArcGen Hilta, said: “This is the second time we have exhibited at Infrarail, and, as always, the show was a great success for us, giving us the opportunity to meet with both new and existing clients. We had some great enquiries from Network Rail on our welding range, and a lot of interest from a range of companies in our Lumaphore portable temporary lighting kits as a new and unique lighting solution for the rail market.”

The organisers’ thoughts have already turned to Railtex which will take place at Earls Court in London from 30 April to 2 May next year. Looking ahead to this, Heidi Cotsworth added: “It is clear that there are plenty of business opportunities in the UK rail market in both the short term and looking further ahead. That sets the scene very well for next year’s Railtex and we aim to make that an equally successful event for the industry.” the rail engineer will be at Railtex 2013 will you?

w www.railtex.co.uk

Thanks for organising the seminars, they were very interesting. I particularly appreciated the chance to hear Theresa Villiers’ very informed view on the industry.

Roland Kettle, Network Rail

PHOTO: ADAM O’CONNOR

PHOTO: NIGEL WORDSWORTH

feature

I found the exhibition very informative, particularly the seminars that were held over the 3 days.

Malcolm Harmsworth, Lend Lease

I enjoyed the seminar I attended; thanks for sponsoring it. Keep up the good work.

John Lowe, Rapport

60 | the rail engineer | june 2012

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Allerton reborn Villiers MP, Minister of State T heresa for Transport, officially re-opened

PHOTO: JONATHAN WEBB

Allerton Depot on Thursday 10 May 2012 after Network Rail and Northern Rail delivered a comprehensive refurbishment project in just six months.

Close to Liverpool South Parkway station, the new depot actually opened in December 2011 to maintain the additional units that Northern received as part of the Department for Transport’s rolling stock programme. This saw 60 additional carriages added to Northern Rail’s fleet, providing passengers with an additional two million much-needed additional seats each year.

The original depot had been closed early in 2008, when train company and freight operator EWS lost the contract

THE NEW MCE ‘LIMPET’ NOT TO BE MOVED LOCKABLE FIXING SYSTEM...

“No drilling required”

to service the Voyager fleet for Virgin Trains. However, following a £13.4m investment from the Department for Transport, the derelict depot has now been transformed into a modern rolling stock train maintenance facility.

Planning Early in 2011, the Northern Rail rolling stock strategy was agreed with the DfT identifying the (then) closed Allerton Depot as a requirement to service Northern Rail’s fleet of Class 156 diesel multiple units (DMU), along with some Class 150s and Class 142s.

Initially, Network Rail’s CP4 delivery plan commitment to the DfT identified that the stabling project could only be completed in December 2013. It became clear that another solution was needed, as the depot had to be operational for the December 2011 timetable change, just nine months away. As the usual delivery route via external contractors would not reduce the delivery timescale sufficiently for Northern Rail, Network Rail looked at how the programme could possibly be met by alternative delivery routes. A decision was made to use the Network Rail maintenance team which committed to the timescales and successfully completed the work to a high standard.

Northern Rail would recruit local staff to operate the depot once the construction was completed.

Peter Rigby, Network Rail’s special projects manager, and Peter Dunn, new depot strategy manager for Northern Rail, started planning the refurbishment in April, and work started in earnest on Monday 6 June 2011.

External works ...allows staff to take responsibility for, and guarantee their own personal safety whilst working on any type of Rolling Stock.

WHICH HAS NOT BEEN POSSIBLE - UNTIL NOW! See our full range of Railway Safety Products for Depot & Trackside use on our website www.mcelectronics.co.uk Or call us for a catalogue on 020 8428 2027

MC Electronics Ltd 61 Grimsdyke Road Hatch End Middx HA5 4PP

T: 020 8428 2027 F: 020 8428 2027 E: mcelectron@aol.com www.mcelectronics.co.uk

Outside the depot, in the yard and sidings, 4.7 miles of track were renewed and 27 sets of hand points installed.

The former oil interceptor plant, fuel delivery tanks and pumps, as well as four other buildings, were demolished and seven under-track crossings installed. 25kV overhead wires are installed within the yard but, for the moment, not within the train shed.

A new carriage washing plant was delivered by Garrandale and installed.

As the toilets on Northern Rail’s

writer

Terry Whitley

vehicles discharge under the train, an automated under frame cleaner was also needed, using a hot water jet wash to clean the trains before maintenance.

Unsurprisingly, the drains needed a complete rework. To comply with current environmental legislation, all waste and foul drains had to be connected to the local sewerage system. This meant rerouting the foul drains from the Cheshire Lines, and the carriage wash effluent pumps, into the new Northern Rail system. All foul sewers had to be connected to a new United Utilities connection as the previous one was allowed to drain into a Victorian culvert which fed into the Mersey! A new 12 metre foul sewer chamber with pumped evacuation was installed, along with a Klargester foul drain from the signal box and wheel lathe.

For security, a cabin with an automatic access gate was fitted and the site totally fenced in. Over a kilometre of drivers’ walking routes were laid out, with low energy LED lighting and a new level crossing in front of the depot. There are also new aprons across the tracks to the front and rear of the depot.

Network Rail completely refurbished the wheel lathe building and Northern Rail staff are recommissioning the Hegenscheidt wheel lathe and installing a new swarf conveyor system.

Once this wheel lathe is fully operational, the facility at Longsight depot in Manchester will be taken out of service for refurbishment.

Inside the depot When the depot building was unlocked the boiler room was found to be under three feet of water. This room housed four heating boilers, two for the accommodation block and two for the train shed, so its refurbishment became a priority. Boiler circulation pumps and motors, and boiler shunt pumps and motors, were renewed in the process.

The heating system itself was redesigned, with 600 metres of Sabiana radiant heating panels in the train shed and eight Sabiana fan coil units in the stores and workshop. Most of the pipework was renewed after removal of the old roof vent stacks.

june 2012 | the rail engineer | 61

All services were rewired, as were the wheel lathe and the new carriage washing plant.

The fuel delivery system was refurbished, and a network of pipes installed to deliver lubricating oil, hydrostatic oil and glycol from a central tank store to ten multi-service points around the depot. These also incorporated a waste oil vacuum recovery system. Similarly, a new compressed air distribution system was fitted, along with a new compressor.

On the floor of the depot, lowered pits on road number five were provided with a Mechan engine removal and replacement system utilising a hydraulic lift table, with mechanically interlocked removable rail sections and a 2-tonne capacity jib crane, to facilitate the removal and replacement of complete engines. The floors themselves were painted with anti-slip Pumatect Resin, a solvent free, high build, heavy duty, epoxy floor coating, and the roller shutter doors were refurbished.

Accommodation The office block houses the engineering depot supervisor’s office and shift production manager’s office. There is CCTV coverage of the site and a building management system which monitors energy consumption, the depot protection system, all lighting both internal and external, heating and ventilation, the fire alarm system which also activates fire shutters between the train shed and the accommodation block, and all fluid levels in the tanks and bunkers.

A separate stores building is worthy of note. The stores facility is completely managed by Unipart Rail which has designed and implemented procedures for supplying parts in a timely fashion directly to the maintenance teams, facilitating quick turn-round time for the units.

The transformation from a derelict shed and yard to a modern, fully functioning train maintenance depot in just six months is an

PHOTO: JONATHAN WEBB

PHOTO: JONATHAN WEBB

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achievement of which Network Rail and Northern Rail can justifiably be proud. Forty six new jobs have been created, and twelve class 156 DMUs are serviced every night from the allocated fleet of 28.

Allerton is also planned to be the home for the cascaded class 319 EMU fleet, when Network Rail’s North West Electrification programme is complete. So there is a firm future ahead for this once-neglected facility.

Mechan engine replacement system.

Safety, boxed.

Intelligent Rail Depot Safety Solutions that work straight out of the box.

Depot Protection

SMART Depot Personnel Protection Systems, installed worldwide, protect staff and equipment by ensuring the safe and controlled movement of rail vehicles into and out of depots.

Interlocking

Sophisticated electronic and electrical systems to prevent personal injury or expensive damage.

Planning Suite

A multi-user, web-based graphical task planning application replacing the traditional whiteboard.

Visit www.depotmanager.co.uk

Maintenance

• Points/Switches, DPPS, Interlocking • Track circuit renewals (IRSE Licensed) • Signals, level crossings, AWS, TPWS etc.

• SMTH testing including cable testing

Find out more at www.zonegreen.co.uk Tel: +44 (0)114 230 0822 Fax: +44 (0)871 872 0349 Email: info@zonegreen.co.uk

62 | the rail engineer | june 2012

senior appointments

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

june 2012 | the rail engineer | 63

senior appointments

Advance-TRS has more than 25 years experience of recruitment on Network Rail and London Underground Infrastructure. This has provided us with an extensive network of professional clients and candidates at all levels throughout this niche sector.

We are currently engaged with some of the industry leaders assisting in the delivery of key projects such as Crossrail, HS2, MAFA Frameworks, and major station upgrades.

All of the opportunities shown below are currently LIVE and we have clients who are actively recruiting in these areas:

P-Way Design Engineer

£35,000 - £45,000 pa

Telecomms Design Engineer (SISS & Ops)

Based in Manchester, York, Swindon, South East

Based in North West, York, London, Birmingham

Senior P-Way Design Engineer

Project Manager (LUL Comms)

£40,000 - £50,000 pa

Based in York, Swindon, Manchester

£30,000 - £45,000 pa

£45,000 - £55,000 pa

Based in Central London

Principle P-Way Design Engineer

up to £70,000 pa

Project Engineer – Signalling

Based in Manchester

£35,000 - £65,000 pa

Based in Derby or Birmingham

Assistant P-Way Design Engineer

£25,000 - £30,000 pa

Based in York

Signalling Design Engineer

£30,000 - £60,000 pa

Based in Derby, Swindon, York, Birmingham

Overhead Line Design Engineer

£neg salary

Estimator – Signalling/Civils

£40,000 - £45,000 pa

Based in Birmingham or Swindon

Based in Derby

www.advance-trs.com

For more information on these or any other current vacancies contact us on 01483 361 061 or send your CV to

or find us on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

info@advance-trs.com

Job Title

Location

Ref

Design Engineer OHL Senior Engineer Project Manager Buyer Mechanical Engineer Project Engineering Manager

Birmingham Hamilton York Chippenham Chippenham Croydon

86666 84721 86665 86662 86661 86664

Visit our website for a complete list of Rail positions across the UK and apply online today quoting the ref above.

Upload your CV today orionjobs.com

Orion Rail Services (ORS) are part of the UK’s largest engineering recruitment specialists Orion Group.

ORS are a Network Rail approved company and are Link-Up accredited to supply a number of rail related positions.

The Group work with some of the largest industry players across rail providing manpower throughout the UK and overseas.

People are our business worldwide

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Delivering your energy infrastructure

UK Power Networks Services is a leading provider of electrical infrastructure to the rail industry.

Whether it is the groundbreaking electrification of High Speed 1, or the technically complex programme of upgrade works at Blackfriars, we are consistently providing electrification excellence on the most challenging projects.

Our long-term commitment to delivering best in class electrical infrastructure is at the heart of everything we do. As part of the Cheung Kong Group, we have access to a wealth of international experience in managing power distribution and infrastructure assets.

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