The Rail Engineer - Issue 83 - September 2011

September 2011

i s s u e

83 BALFOUR BEATTY RAIL CELEBRATES OPENING OF NEW OFFICE IN GLASGOW

Committed to Scotland

Jungle or MineďŹ eld?

Bridge within a bridge

Boxing Clever

Real Time Train Prediction system by Train Companies, ATOC and Network Rail.

Brighton Goods Bridge No. 6 is an impressive and complex 5 span intersection bridge.

A planned, co-ordinated and accelerated programme of signalling renewals.

written by rail engineers for rail engineers

available online at www.therailengineer.com

september 2011 | the rail engineer | 3

welcome Grahame Taylor’s

Operating notice prime and sub-prime alike, dropping M inisters, their buckets and spades and hurrying back to London, the FTSE index nose-diving, smoke rising above many cities... it must be August! And yet apart from a couple of thousand tons of slurry landing on the Brighton Line, see the Drains and Leaves feature on page 50, all is strangely quiet on the railways.

Our cover story this month is about Scotland.

Nigel Wordsworth has been working with Balfour Beatty to summarise many of their major projects over the past few years. From the Forth Bridge repainting to the use of air insulated switchgear in a track sectioning cabin in Paisley, Balfour Beatty have had a continuous presence north of the border. It’s also an antidote to the impression that everything happens in London.

Back in the days of BR – and that is some time ago now – it was not unusual for around 100 signal boxes to be closed every year. Network Rail’s recent announcement of the closure of 800 boxes at the rate of just 50 a year needs to be viewed in this context. The main story though is much less about the closure of signal boxes. There is the parallel proposal to introduce a national traffic management system that is advanced enough to anticipate train moves in the event of disruption.

While on the theme of clever software, Clive Kessell gives an account of the Darwin project that seems to have very similar aims. It’s called Darwin, apparently, because it keeps evolving! The livestock analogy is continued with the whole prospect of providing reliable and current train information to the public being described as being like a can of worms or even a bucket of snakes. The public can be very unforgiving at the slightest error in train running information – and quite rightly so.

Chris Parker’s story is all about a road – the Porthmadog bypass. But in its act of bypassing Porthmadog, Minffordd and Tremadog in North Wales it manages to impact on four separate railways.

Combine with this the involvement of two major contractors in a joint venture working on major engineering through an environmentally sensitive area and the result is a complex project indeed.

In that mass of railway lines just to the north of Clapham Junction, Network Rail have made a preemptive strike. Replacing a bridge in that part of the network was never going to be easy. With the real prospect of the Battersea power station site being rejuvenated it could be near impossible soon. Collin Carr takes us on a journey to Brighton Goods Bridge No. 6 and in the process comes close up with the realities of working near the famous dogs’ home.

As we head towards the Autumn there are two events worth noting in your diary. The Infrastructure Show (NEC, Birmingham, 17-19 October) has a major rail presence with speakers from Network Rail, Crossrail, HS2, London Underground and many others. There will also be a diverse range of leading sector suppliers and manufacturers showcasing the latest product innovations.

If you prefer fresh air exhibitions then make your way to the Long Marston Storage Facility, just 7 miles southwest of Stratford on Avon. MacroRail, on Friday 16 September, has fifty organisations, members of the Rail Alliance, demonstrating their products on this complex that has over 20 miles of private track. But remember, Long Marston is vast and it’s easy to get lost – I know!

Returning to Scotland briefly, David Shirres tells us about Borders Railway which will join Edinburgh with Tweedbank, near Galashiels. Network Rail’s sponsor for the connection to the national network seemed almost surprised about how uncomplicated this project has been. There were no issues with weather, access, neighbours or the operational railway, and their contractor did a good job. Perhaps a project team deserves a straightforward project once in a while!

Editor Grahame Taylor grahame.taylor@therailengineer.com

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

Production editor Graeme Bickerdike gb@therailengineer.com

Telephone: Fax: Email: Website:

Production and design Adam O'Connor production@therailengineer.com Engineering writers chris.parker@therailengineer.com clive.kessell@therailengineer.com collin.carr@therailengineer.com david.shirres@therailengineer.com mungo.stacy@therailengineer.com steve.bissell@therailengineer.com stuart.marsh@therailengineer.com stuart.rackley@therailengineer.com terry.whitley@therailengineer.com Advertising Asif Ahmed asif@therailengineer.com Nigel Wordsworth nigel@therailengineer.com

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in this issue

Committed to Scotland 6 Balfour Beatty Rail celebrates opening of new office in Glasgow.

Jungle or Minefield?

Real Time Train Prediction system by Train Companies, ATOC and Network Rail.

12

Bridge within a bridge 16 Brighton Goods Bridge No. 6 is an impressive and complex 5 span intersection bridge.

Borders Connection

20

Borders Rail Connection project to re-align a 300 metre turnback siding.

Make tracks to The Infrastructure Show 22 The Infrastructure Show will offer fresh insight into today’s major rail infrastructure projects.

Power in Boxes

30

Hidden systems inside trains become ever more complicated.

Euro-Freight on HS1 36 A container service from Hams Hall to Novarra in Northern Italy was operated on HS1.

Drainage development 52 Designers have put a greater emphasis on good drainage design, resulting in product development.

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

forthcoming

features

Sister publication of Track, Safety Systems Plant & Equipment, Concrete

October November

4 | the rail engineer | september 2011

IN BRIEF New strategic partnership RSSB and TRL (Transport Research Laboratory) have agreed a strategic partnership to share and combine research expertise in transport with their specific experience in the road and rail sectors. Each organisation has a common vision to enhance the value of their services to RSSB members and TRL’s customers around the world.

‘This partnership will build on a wealth of experience in rail and transport and will enable both organisations to develop and deliver new, cost-effective, solutions to a broader transport market, as well as the international rail industry,’ commented Sue Sharland, Chief Executive of TRL.

news

PROJECTS

Gautrain phase 1 opens

Cotswolds Redoubled!

The £70m improvement work on the North Cotswold was completed on 22 August. Parts of the line between Worcester and Oxford have been redoubled with a total of 21 miles of extra track having been laid. Signalling and stations along the route have also been improved.

The extended first phase of the Gautrain project in South Africa opened on 2 August. The network now reaches from Rosebank Station in Johannesburg to Hatfield Station in Tshwane (formerly Pretoria), enabling the commencement of passenger services across the 74 km system.

The complete 80 km Gautrain route links 10 stations to connect South Africa’s economic centre of Johannesburg to its national capital in Tshwane, and also extends out to the OR Tambo International Airport.

The first part of phase one, the 20 km route between OR Tambo International Airport Station and Sandton Station, opened to passengers in June 2010, in time to provide passenger services for the FIFA Soccer World Cup visitors. The final 6 km section between Rosebank and Park stations will be opened at a later date.

The Bombela Concession Company, which includes Bombardier, was awarded its contract by the Gauteng Provincial Government of South

Africa in September 2006.

Bombardier’s involvement was to deliver an integrated rail system including a fleet of 96 Electrostar vehicles, the majority of which were assembled in South Africa from Derby-produced CKD kits, the Cityflo 250 train control system and all the track work, power supply and distribution systems, communications systems, automatic fare collection, project management, systems engineering and integration, and testing and commissioning.

TELECOMS

The final part of the project was a 16day blockade in August when 15 miles of double track were aligned, tamped, stressed and welded between Moretonin-Marsh and Evesham.

The first train ran through the new section at 6am and marks the culmination of a project that started in summer 2009 with double track laid in Chipping Camden Tunnel.

New stations guide Network Rail has published a new Guide to Station Planning and Design to provide a source of good practice for organisations involved in improving stations, big or small.

The guide does not specify particular designs to follow, instead it helps design teams assess whether their plans will deliver better stations through making them accessible and easy to use, integrate well with their communities and make a positive economic, social and environmental impact.

Mike Goggin, director of stations, said: “Our new guide will help any organisation planning to make improvements to make the right decision for passengers and for local communities.”

Network Rail Telecoms is go...

As this is the Signalling & Telecommunications issue of the rail engineer, it is opportune that Network Rail chose this month to announce the formation of Network Rail Telecoms. Making the announcement, Peter Henderson, group asset management director, stated, “Network Rail Telecoms has been created to design and deliver a new, single, unified telecoms organisation focussing, among other things, on improving the effectiveness of our deployment and use of telecoms assets and managing whole life telecoms in the

most efficient manner. The team will be responsible for all of our telecoms assets, strategy and policy decisions, including operating, maintaining and enhancing our assets. They will also be responsible for the design and delivery of the service to the customer.”

To head up this new operation Andy Hudson has joined Network Rail as Telecoms Director. He is currently vice president field operations and infrastructure engineering at Interoute Telecom, where he has helped transform the business from a fledgling operator

to a successful European carrier.

Andy takes up his new post in September.

Clive Kessell, writer for the rail engineer who headed up the Telecommunications Engineering department of BR and who was the Engineering Director at British Rail Telecoms before it was privatised, commented, “It is good to see Network Rail recognising that telecommunications form an important part of railway operations by creating this new single department. The wheel seems to have gone full circle.”

september 2011 | the rail engineer | 5

news

STRUCTURES

UPGRADES

New agreement

Shine a light

Network Rail has announced the next stage of its plans to reform project delivery to save money in the rail industry. Projects will be delivered more quickly as successful suppliers will be on standby - ready to go - rather than having to enter another bid process to win work.

Simon Kirby, Network Rail’s managing director investment projects, stated: “This is our commitment to changing the way that we work with our suppliers.

Partnership breeds innovation, cuts duplication, saves money and delivers more quickly for our customers.

“The geographic focus of the contracts will build closer relations bringing a greater understanding of our safety culture and the need to minimise the impact of work on the travelling public.”

The time it takes to deliver ‘multi asset framework agreement’ (MAFA) projects - which combine signalling, track and civils - will be cut from months to weeks. In the past some of these have taken up to eleven months to get up and running

Light has been shed on four former railway tunnels in the Peak District National Park which have now been opened up to the general public as cycle trails.

The National Park Authority is improving the trail between Bakewell and Wye Dale by opening the tunnels for use by cyclists, walkers and horse riders, which have previously been closed for safety reasons. The work is part of the £2.25m Pedal Peak District project, to encourage more people to cycle in the park.

As the project is located within the National Park, there have been constraints as much of the work was

causing frustration for Network Rail’s clients and putting off potential investors. In addition, the cost of delivery on these projects will be cut by up to 20%.

Six suppliers have been selected with the first work already under way in the Manchester area. In total £750m of work will be delivered under the plans.

The six contracted companies are: Balfour Beatty Rail (Scotland), Buckingham (LNW), Carillion (LNE), Colas - Morgan Sindall (West), C Spencer & Volker Fitzpatrick (South East - shared portfolio).

The successful suppliers will work with Network Rail far earlier in the design phase, enabling the industry to better build in safety and innovation. Being responsible for a particular region will align suppliers with Network Rail’s new route based structure.

carried out in areas requiring Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) consent from Natural England.

Contractor J Murphy & Sons Limited, working for the Peak District National Park Authority, has installed new cabling to light up the tunnels on the Monsal Trail which runs between Bakewell to three miles south of Buxton. They were constructed as part of the Midland Railway line in the 1860s, which closed in 1968 as a result of the Beeching Report.

Murphy has also carried out six kilometres of surfacing to the trail and in Headstone, Cressbrook and Litton tunnels.

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6 | the rail engineer | september 2011

feature

writer

Nigel

Wordsworth

Balfour Beatty

Committed to Scotland

INSET PHOTO: (centre) Peter Anderson discusses the new Matisa B41UE with John Mason MSP & Ian Davidson MP (right).

mid-August, Balfour Beatty Rail invited I nNetwork Rail, key rail consultants and members of both the Westminster and Holyrood parliaments to take part in their first Open Day to celebrate the opening of their permanent office in Shettleston, Glasgow.

The full spectrum of rail disciplines were showcased including representation from other parts of the Balfour Beatty Group including Plant and Fleet Services, Regional Civil Engineering and Engineering Services giving delegates the opportunity to meet and discuss all of their rail life-cycle requirements from concept to delivery.

Interesting kit

Air Insulated Switchgear.

Several interesting pieces of equipment had been brought in especially for the day.

One of the new B41UE Matisa Tampers, part of Balfour Beatty Rail’s recent £20m investment in new plant, had been specially transported from Cambridgeshire, and the recently approved Air Insulated Switchgear, detailed elsewhere in this feature, that will be trialled on the Paisley Corridor project was brought over from Balfour Beatty Rail’s base in Offenbach, Germany.

There were a number of other items of plant on display as well. A Front Shovel Excavator, Base Ballast Hopper, Unimog, Top Ballast Hopper, Doosan and an Ultrasonic Flaw Detection RRV all attracted interest.

Address Peter Anderson, Managing Director of Balfour Beatty Rail UK, in an address to the delegates, spoke of the Group’s work in Scotland, and specifically important rail projects such as Paisley Corridor Improvements, Glasgow Central Station, Gourock Station, Airdrie to Bathgate Rail Link, Edinburgh Waverley Station and the Forth Bridge, emphasising the benefits of the projects for the local communities.

Innovation - Air Insulated Switchgear As one of the exhibits, Balfour Beatty Rail GmbH in Germany showcased their Air Insulated Switchgear. the rail engineer has already reported on a solid conductor beam system for overhead electrification (issue 66 April 2010). Since then, Balfour Beatty Rail has introduced Air Insulated Switchgear (AIS). This has been designed specifically to meet the requirements of 25kV 50/60Hz railway applications and is derived from conventional 3-phase switchgear.

The Balfour Beatty Rail AIS TracFeed TAC switchgear is developed for use with single phase (TAC1) and two phase (TAC2) railway applications serving all AC feeding systems such as conventional, booster and autotransformer.

It is common for switchgear used for 25kV railway applications to be insulated using SF6 gas (Sulphur Hexaflouride). This is a better insulator than air, so that the gaps between components can be reduced while still avoiding arcing. However, SF6 is a “greenhouse gas” as defined in the Kyoto protocol. This leads to restrictions both in manufacture and disposal of the gas. Specifically with regard to switchgear, the equipment has to be monitored 24/7 as any leakage will not only cause the equipment to malfunction but will also result in an environmental incident.

Clever design has allowed Balfour Beatty Rail to utilise air insulation. This provides a product that conforms with current environmental requirements, supports Balfour Beatty Rail’s Sustainability Roadmap and is also easily extendable - there is no longer the need to bleed off SF6 gas, make modifications, and then refill.

First introduced on the continent, the initial trial site for the new switchgear in the UK is at the Paisley Gilmour Street TSC (Track Sectioning Cabin). The requirement for a single circuit breaker provides an ideal opportunity for the trial site at Paisley.

september 2011 | the rail engineer | 7

feature Initiative - Overhead Line Training School Apart from the high-profile announcements of electrification in England, on the Great Western main line and between Manchester and Liverpool, there has been a quiet surge in electrification projects in Scotland. The new AirdrieBathgate route is electrified, as are the new lines on the Paisley Corridor Improvement Scheme (PCI). And shortly EGIP (EdinburghGlasgow Improvement Programme) will be starting - and that is electrified.

So Balfour Beatty Rail has identified that there is a skills shortage for electrification specialists in Scotland. The company already has an overhead line training school at Kirkby on Merseyside, and drawing from that expertise they will shortly be opening a new training span at Shettleston.

Balfour Beatty is currently speaking with local schools and colleges and the new facility will be open in March 2012.

The current PCI OLE team will provide many of the skills required to run the programme and several current projects are only a few miles away. Balfour Beatty Rail fully intends to bridge the skills gap in Scotland in preparation for the electrification projects coming up over the next few years.

Dedicated Isolation Teams Safety is always important on any railway project, but it is even more critical when overhead electrification is involved.

As one of the major players in the installation and maintenance of overhead electrical equipment, Balfour Beatty Rail is naturally very determined to fit this type of work into its Zero Harm philosophy hence it’s no surprise to hear that it has decided to create dedicated isolations teams.

The first of these has been deployed in Scotland. The team consists of an Isolations Manager, supported by an Isolations Supervisor, Nominated Persons and Earthing Assistants.

With this expertise, Balfour Beatty Rail is capable of satisfying all Isolation Planning and Implementation requirements both internally to their own project works and externally to a number of main contracting organisations throughout the rail industry.

Balfour Beatty Rail Isolations can manage possession and isolation planning requirements for all track access works with a high level of focus on a safe provision of a timely and efficient service which is recognised as ‘Best in Class’.

Shettleston Community Growing Project (SCGP) Another key purpose for the Open Day was to reinforce Balfour Beatty Rail’s commitment to the community, the latest being the Shettleston Community Growing Project (SCGP). A resident-led initiative in the heart of Shettleston, the Project has

instigated the transformation of a derelict site into a multi-use space for residents, community groups and local schools and will help reduce carbon emissions by some 1,286 tonnes a year. For every Open Day delegate Balfour Beatty Rail will be donating £10 to this wonderful project.

Peter Anderson commented, “Today has been about celebrating the opening of our new office here in Shettleston, once again showing how committed we are to supporting Network Rail, Transport Scotland and local communities.”

Key current projects As the day unfolded, Balfour Beatty teams were continuing to put that commitment into practice by way of a number of ongoing multidisciplinary projects in other parts of Scotland. Key standout examples are the Paisley Corridor Improvement and Forth Bridge Refurbishment projects.

Paisley Corridor Improvements The Paisley Corridor Improvements (PCI) in Renfrewshire is a £169.8 million project to upgrade one of the busiest two-track railways in Scotland to three and four tracks.

As part of this, Balfour Beatty Rail is midway through a £27 million multidisciplinary contract on behalf of Network Rail to construct additional running lines and install associated overhead line equipment (OLE).

At first sight, the project looks quite straightforward. 4.5 miles of a widely spaced two-track railway are being upgraded to three tracks with an additional 1.5 mile section of four tracks between Glasgow Central and Paisley Gilmour Street. However, this six-mile stretch of railway handles more than 300 trains every day and forms a notorious bottleneck to services operating on the Ayrshire Coast and Inverclyde lines.

There is no way it can be closed during the upgrading process.

The very nature of converting a busy twotrack railway into three and four tracks inevitably requires a lot of construction access, and managing this whilst minimising disruption has been the biggest challenge for the project team, as Balfour Beatty Rail’s Project Director Doug Lee explains: “As well

as heavy traffic on the route, the scheme also demands the installation of 39 point ends within tight schedules, significant civil engineering and modification of the OLE. “Because of access problems on this busy route, the project does not comprise of a simple linear progression of works. Instead, staged works feature heavily - 26 stages over a 12-month period. If we miss a stage or overrun on any one of them, it will seriously impact upon the later stages.”

Access for the construction activities is limited to short possessions and the importance of maximising their use is critical to meeting a demanding programme of works. The frequency and nature of the possessions vary throughout the project to suit the traffic demands and many weekends have been planned for 11 plus 8 hours duration rather than the traditional straight 29 hours. In this way, the railway is restored to traffic for the busiest part of the day, from late morning until mid evening.

Airdrie-Bathgate electricfication being installed.

Paisley Corridor Improvements.

8 | the rail engineer | september 2011

feature maintained ever since, with painting being carried out where and when it was required.

The contract is set to mark the end of the modern myth when the painting on the Forth Bridge comes to an end in 2012.

Recent successes While Balfour Beatty can’t lay claim to be the first painters of the Forth Bridge over a century ago they can rightfully put their stamp on a number of high profile rail projects successfully delivered in Scotland over recent years.

Edinburgh Waverley Railway Station

Kirow crane installing new track on Paisley Corridor Improvements.

The painting on the Forth Bridge comes to an end in 2012.

PHOTO: EIFION

The most recent possession was for 72 hours over the weekend of 6 August 2011.

12,000 man hours were worked over that weekend, split between Balfour Beatty Rail, Network Rail and Invensys Rail. An extensive programme of electrification, signalling, track work and civil engineering formed part of the first major commissioning stage of the project as a whole. The second part will take place over Christmas 2011 although there will be some significant interim track and electrification works during September involving four 54 hour possessions.

The project is on track to be delivered successfully and on time at the end of 2011 and is of strategic importance to Balfour Beatty Rail. “We are very keen to maintain our business presence in Scotland and PCI forms a vital part of our business plan in this respect,” says Doug. “This contract demonstrates the strength of our partnership with Network Rail north of the border and we look forward to delivering a first class service.”

Refurbishment of the Forth Bridge Balfour Beatty Regional Civil Engineering is currently undertaking a works contract, in partnership with Network Rail, to refurbish the Forth Bridge.

The works on the Forth Bridge are carried out in a series of phased operations at a number of locations at any one time.

Complex access scaffold is erected and the work areas screened from the environment before the existing layers of paint, applied over the last 120 years, are removed using an abrasive blasting technique. Steelwork requiring maintenance is then repaired before the new paint is applied in three protective layers, to preserve the steelwork for years to come.

The Forth Bridge is a marvel of Victorian engineering, carrying the East Coast Main Line railway over the Forth Estuary by way of a 2.5km cantilever bridge. Designed by Sir John Fowler and Sir Benjamin Baker and constructed

by Sir William Arrol at a cost of £2.5 million, it incorporates 55,000 tonnes of steel held together with some eight million rivets.

This unique structure has been in constant operation since its opening in 1890 by the then Prince of Wales (later King Edward VII) and has been the subject of the legend “like painting the Forth Bridge,” a job that has never been completed.

The bridge in fact has only ever been painted in a single operation when it was built but has been continuously

Edinburgh Waverley railway station is immense. It covers an area of 25 acres in the centre of Edinburgh and is used by over 19.2 million passengers a year. It is Britain’s second largest station after London Waterloo.

The station was first opened in 1846 and was rebuilt between 1892 and 1902. In 2008 Network Rail delivered a £150 million project to improve the infrastructure of the station and provide much-needed extra capacity.

This included two new, longer platforms and the reintroduction of platform 5, extensive track remodelling and new signalling to allow four more trains to pass through the station per hour each way, and extra platform capacity for longer commuter services.

Improved appearance The next stage was to improve the appearance of the station for passengers. In 2009 Balfour Beatty Regional Civil Engineering was awarded a £50 million 3year contract to refurbish and completely re-glaze the 34,000m2 station roof with clear, strengthened glass to shed new light on the station concourse and platforms.

The project will see all of the old glazing on the roof replaced including a large section made of clear plastic sheeting, the result of a low cost temporary fix made twenty years ago.

The station’s original Victorian ironwork features are to be repaired and repainted while non-essential station furniture, buildings and redundant high level walkways will be removed. In addition, new lighting and roof drainage systems will be installed, footbridges renovated and the concourse and platforms will be resurfaced.

september 2011 | the rail engineer | 9

feature

and Bathgate. This used the existing Edinburgh-Glasgow lines from Haymarket to Newbridge Junction in West Lothian and then the recently double-tracked branch to Bathgate where it included a new light maintenance depot complex. The second section covers the route from Bathgate to Airdrie which extensively comprised a new two-track electrified railway.

Safety deck Work commenced with the installation of a ‘safety deck’ at the east end of the station.

This is being moved east to west across the station as the roof works progress. For increased safety and environmental considerations, the safety deck and the working areas are encapsulated.

Safely above the safety deck, the project team is stripping away old glazing, abrasive grit blasting the steel work to strip off old layers of paint and installing a support system for the new glazing. This will be made up of 28,000 new glass panels, the first of which was put in place on 21 April 2011.

Throughout the work the station will remain operational. Close working relationships between Balfour Beatty and Network Rail’s station personnel were required from the outset to ensure there is minimal disruption to passengers, trains and third parties while delivering safely a quality restoration of this historic station.

The contract is on schedule to be completed by November 2013.

Airdrie-Bathgate The Airdrie-Bathgate Railway Project was the longest new conventional passenger line to be built for over 100 years. As part of the £300 million scheme, funded by Transport Scotland and delivered by Network Rail, Balfour Beatty Rail was awarded a £55 million contract in May 2008.

This involved the double-tracking of the single line between Airdrie and Drumgelloch as well as laying two tracks between Drumgelloch and Bathgate. The entire route from Airdrie to Edinburgh’s Haymarket Station was electrified with a 25kV AC classic booster system including the provision of new traction power supply sites along the route.

The railway infrastructure work naturally fell into two distinct sections. The first was the operational railway between Haymarket

the brackets themselves. As much of this was carried out on the river spans, the use of scaffolding would have been very difficult and costly. As a result, specialist subcontractors undertook the work using a rope access system. Once the brackets were in place, the overhead line gantries could be easily installed.

First glazing gets moved into position at Waverley Station.

New track Birdsmill Viaduct One of the more challenging aspects of the contract was the construction of overhead line equipment on the historic Birdsmill Viaduct. Built in 1849 and now Grade B listed, the multi-span masonry structure is located to the west of Newbridge Junction, carrying the Bathgate branch over the River Almond. Access for construction plant and equipment was limited and, to add to the complexities, the works had to be undertaken in the harsh winter months of early 2010. To complete them safely and on time, a coordinated approach was necessary to dovetail functional engineering and construction requirements, coupled with strong working relationships between contractor Balfour Beatty Rail and client Network Rail.

Due to the limited access to the bridge from ground level, plant and materials were brought in by rail. The first construction operation on the viaduct was to install the OLE mast mounting brackets. This involved removing some of its masonry to make way for a new cast-in-situ concrete plinth, installing the bracket mounting bolts, coring through the outer masonry to make provision for the tie bar, and then installing

On 7 June 2010, Balfour Beatty Rail’s New Track Construction (NTC) machine started work. This high output system can lay new track at a rate of up to 250 yards per hour by implementing a continuous process of sleeper and rail installation onto a preprepared formation. The unit comprises a truss wagon, reception wagon, self-powered wagon and sleeper carrying wagons. As well as high output production, other benefits are high quality track installation and lower manpower and plant requirements as well as reduced risk of injuries during track installation compared with traditional techniques. The NTC provides a means of constructing track that is consistent with both Network Rail’s ‘Safety 365’ and Balfour Beatty’s ‘Zero Harm’ policies.

Overhead line foundations, structures, cantilevers and return conductor wiring were the first elements of the new-build section to be installed. Carrying out this work before the track was laid provided flexibility in the type of plant and equipment that could be used. When the trackbed had been prepared and rail positioned, the NTC unit came into operation. The final elements involved the overhead line wiring, tamping and stressing.

Airdrie-Bathgate Winner of Best project - large (projects valued over £20m) at the 2011 Network Rail Partnership Awards.

10 | the rail engineer | september 2011

Glasgow Central station caters for 34 million people per year.

feature

Power supply A new traction power supply was provided via a 2x18MVA feeder station at Bathgate in which a Distribution Network Organisation compound has been installed that contains two 25kV disconnectors. Sectioning of the supply for the new-build railway is undertaken by track sectioning cabins located at Raiziehill and Drumgelloch.

This taxing project, made more complicated by the logistical problems of work spread across 40 miles of central Scotland, was completed by Balfour Beatty over a two-year period without an over run.

Glasgow Central Station Glasgow Central Station is the largest of the two main line stations in Scotland’s second city, and is the second busiest station in the UK outside of London (Birmingham New Street is slightly busier). It was first opened in 1879 and, as passenger numbers grew, has been enlarged and rebuilt several times since.

With the recent resurgence in rail travel, and the improvements to the Paisley Corridor that runs out of Glasgow Central, it was time for another rebuild. Balfour Beatty Regional Civil Engineering was contracted to do the work, including the removal of the existing platform 12 and the construction of two new 150m long platforms on the site of the short-stay car park.

Big improvement

Re-coping the platform at Gourock Station.

Work started on the new platforms at the end of September 2009 and full timetabled operations commenced on 24 May 2010.

The Glasgow Central works are the biggest improvement to passenger facilities at the station since 1906 when the original 1879 station was increased from eight to 13 platforms. Today the station caters for 34 million people per year and further growth is forecast. As a result, two new platforms have been constructed, each able to accommodate six-car trains.”

Glasgow Central Station is built on two levels and an extensive labyrinth of tunnels, vaults and arches exist beneath the site of the new platforms. This necessitated the installation of new structural columns and beams as well as the casting of a concrete slab to support the new platforms and associated track, S&C, OLE and signalling.

The reinforced concrete supporting columns with integral transverse beams were cast in

situ, partly on new foundations with loads spread through existing foundations. A concrete slab was cast in situ on top of the columns; the slab track was then installed.

has become Platform 14 and the old 13 is now 15. There should be no confusion however about the benefits delivered by the new platforms and station enhancements that Balfour Beatty has delivered.

Platform 12 Work was carried out over Christmas 2009 to permanently close the existing Platform 12 (formerly 11A) and remove the track and overhead power lines. Platform 12 was never originally planned for passenger use. At the time of construction it was actually called the ‘fish, fruit and milk platform’ but it became increasingly used for passenger trains in recent years as the numbers and length of trains using the station increased.

However it was very unpopular with passengers because its location on the bridge over the Clyde was physically remote from the rest of the station and it was also out beyond the cover of the roof. The new platforms solve all of these problems.”

Miller’s arch Closure of this platform permitted the track slewing and S&C work needed to create a route to the two new platforms, the entrance for trains being constructed through the station’s famous arch. This impressive feature, built as part of the station’s 1906 extension, was designed by the Caledonian Railway Company’s architect, James Miller. A collection of modern flatroofed buildings had cluttered the base of the arch and these have been demolished to fully reveal the grandeur of the original Grade-A listed structure.

The arch was never designed to have trains passing through it so it’s fortunate that it offered sufficient clearance to accommodate two tracks and it certainly provides an impressive entrance into the station. Now there is a clear unhindered view of the arch and, for the first time, this extends below its original visual base at platform level to reach the new tracks. To maintain consistency with the overall arch appearance, the newly exposed sub platform section of arch has been stone clad as part of the project and replacement period doors have been provided in the arch abutments.”

Confusing?

The platform renumbering at Glasgow Central sounds somewhat confusing.

Platform 11A, which had been temporarily renumbered as 12, has been replaced by the new Platform 12. The new Platform 13 did not previously exist. The original Platform 12

Gourock Station Gourock Station was always a bit of an afterthought. When the Caledonian Railway first built the Inverclyde Line, it terminated at Greenock Central. However, this was further from the quayside than the Glasgow & South Western Railway’s Greenock (Prince’s Pier) so the Caledonian was losing business.

They therefore extended their line to Gourock Pier which opened in 1889.

The new station was right on the quay and was built to handle a large number of ferry passengers. It had three platforms, one on the quayside and two as an island platform, and extensive glass canopies over all three.

However, in the 1980s these were cut back, and by 2006 the whole station was looking tired and dilapidated. The station hotel had been demolished, as had the old pier, and all that was left were the three platforms, a closed station building, and a portable ticket office. Various improvement schemes for the area had been proposed, including moving the complete station, but nothing had been carried through.

So in 2010 Network Rail awarded a £4 million contract to Balfour Beatty Regional Civil Engineering to improve matters. A large part of the work was to improve the sea defences but in addition the platforms were to be renewed as were the canopies and OLE equipment. The existing overhead wiring was fastened to the old canopies, so Balfour Beatty’s initial task was to remove that and erect conventional gantries. This left the site free for the removal of the canopies and installation of the replacements.

One platform face at a time has been taken out of service so that they can be resurfaced, and the whole project is on schedule for completion in November 2011.

In Summary In summing up to delegates at the open day, Peter Anderson commented, “Today has been about launching our new office here in Shettleston, once again showing how committed we are to supporting Network Rail, Transport Scotland and local communities. Balfour Beatty is here to make a difference and I would like to thank everyone involved.”

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12 | the rail engineer | september 2011

feature

writer

Clive Kessell accurate, understandable and P roviding timely information to the travelling public is an ever present challenge. Described once as not a can of worms, more a bucket of snakes, this is a fairly apt description for the task. Anyone who thinks it is easy has no concept as to what is required or how it should be done. The recent hard winter with large amounts of snow demonstrated the problem all too clearly. Train services were inevitably disrupted and particularly in the politically-sensitive electrified third rail areas of the former Southern Region. Here the massive build-up of snow and ice on the conductor rail made it a huge challenge just to keep trains moving, let alone providing accurate information as to which services would be operating. It is rarely as bad as this, but even minor disruption can present a significant challenge to the flow of train running information.

So why is it so difficult and what can be done to improve things? the rail engineer talked with Chris Scoggins, the Chief Executive of National Rail Enquiries, part of the ATOC sphere of operations, to find out.

• Integrated Train Planning System (ITPS) - this is the Network Rail basic timetable, which is compiled twice a year but updated every 24 hours & distributed every night to all rail companies and external bodies that require timetable information

• TRUST (Train Reporting Using System TOPS) - a system that logs train movements and timing at selected passing points on the network, distributing the report to train and network control offices

Old and Emerging Requirements The occasional train traveller usually associates passenger information as something that he / she acquires from the Internet to look up train times and fares prior to making the journey and at the station to get confirmation of train running and platform. These two elements remain vitally important and the accuracy of the information at this stage can have a significant impact on the perception of rail travel. The classic engineering terminology of right and wrong side failures just do not apply in this scenario. Wrong information given out is as damaging as not having any information at all; indeed some would argue that displaying wrong messages is worse than showing nothing.

The seasoned traveller, however, increasingly wants much more than this. The advent of mobile phone networks and on-air data provision has meant that personalised information for the planned journey should be capable of being given out both prior to journey commencement and en route. Any disruption that would cause the journey to be modified should be advised by text message or email direct to the person’s mobile device, be it laptop, iPhone, Blackberry or mobile telephone. With this upping of the facilities • Train Describers (TDs) - the part of the signalling system that informs signallers of the identity and whereabouts of every train on the control panel with all berth steps (real time train movements) being available as a data message

• Control Room Information Controllers known as the Tyrell system that is used to provide structured messages to TOC staff on cancellations, short train formations, etc.

comes the need for even greater accuracy so that the intending traveller can modify their day’s schedule with confidence.

Information Sources The railway operates to a timetable and from this it should be possible to derive data that is capable of being fed to all users who promote and publicise train travel. However, as in all modes of transport, the delay and disruption that can occur will cause the timetable to be deviated from in both planned and unplanned situations. It is during these times that information provision is at its most important and it has been a challenge for the rail industry over many years to get accurate updates to the running of services collated and distributed to those that need to know.

Enter the Darwin concept - an initiative and development by the Train Companies, ATOC and Network Rail to get much greater accuracy in the compilation of train information data and the distribution of it to a widening user community. Described as a Real Time Train Prediction system, Darwin draws data from a number of sources, assesses the information and then intelligently predicts what this will mean to the ongoing train service. The sources are: • Some CIS control desks where train departure updates are decided locally

• Darwin Workstations provided in the National Rail Communications Centre (NRCC) and in TOC control offices where direct input to the system can be made.

All these information packages are sent to Darwin as they happen so a high number of data messages are constantly being received.

Jungle

or Minefield?

september 2011 | the rail engineer | 13

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Agant iPhone presentation of Darwin Web Services showing service details.

What does Darwin Do? The success of any traveller information system will lie in its ability to predict the future to a high degree of accuracy. The algorithms of Darwin are designed to: • Store the basic timetable data plus planned short term amendments • Receive train running data from various sources to be able to predict how the train service is operating in real time • Identify trains that are not running to schedule • Compile the necessary data to produce amended train running information along the railway geography • Send this data to passenger information communications distributors provided by various third parties, including over 30 mobile phone companies, who will make this available to customers.

A typical situation could be the imposition of a temporary speed restriction maybe because of extreme heat or high winds. The system must assess how any reduction of speed will affect train running times, not just for a single train, but for all trains using that route. In the predictions made, train timings need to be marginally optimistic so as to ensure that passengers get to the departure point before the actual train arrival, thus perhaps dissuading people that they have time for the final cup of coffee!

Darwin is a new system that was introduced in 2009 but it had two predecessor systems that first went live in 2003. Darwin and its predecessors recognised the need for a national system by which customers can access the best possible real time running information for all trains nationally, using all the normal, easy

to use, customer contact channels.

Initially the service was offered only as stand alone information but is now built into journey planners as well.

Darwin is constantly evolving (hence its name!) and is now at Generation 3.

The Darwin Architecture and Supply Base The main Darwin contract is with Thales Group who, as well as doing the development work, also host the system, manage the provision of the service and maintain the entire Darwin architecture. The work is done from their Stockport premises. However, National Rail Enquiries own the intellectual property rights of the system and the programming code.

Other specialist firms are used by Thales when the need arises. Such is the pace of change that a new release is being issued every 4 months.

Darwin runs in a live/live configuration from two data centres in the north of England, each site being a duplicate of the other and linked together by different commercial telecom providers. Should one site fail, the other has the capacity to operate the entire system. The NRCC (National Rail Communication Centre), located at Doncaster, is responsible for monitoring the quality of data within Darwin. They can give valuable assistance to the TOC control rooms should they need help in keeping Darwin up to date with high levels of operational decisions during severe disruption.

Impact on Station Based Information Displays Automated provision of passenger information systems at stations has been around for more than 30 years but often suffered from the accuracy of the data that was used to drive the displays. The former Southern Region

14 | the rail engineer | september 2011

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Agant iPhone presentation of Darwin Web Services showing delays: Departures at Nottingham.

Agant iPhone presentation of Darwin Web Services: Departures at St Pancras.

of BR pioneered a system to actuate displays and announcements from a timetable data source but it was found necessary to have a dedicated team at the Waterloo HQ to amend the data so as to cover special workings, weekend engineering work, diversions and platform changes. Gradually this system was expanded to all busy areas of the national rail network and was improved over time by the many suppliers now offering products in this ďŹ eld. However, if disruption occurs and the planned timetable deteriorates, the system quickly fails to cope, with the result that much misleading (or even wrong) information is posted to displays causing mild humour at best and ridicule at worst.

Using Darwin data to provide a real time updating of station information systems was a natural progression and a trial has recently started at 17 Virgin stations on the West Coast Main Line, including major interchange points such as Crewe, Preston and Birmingham International. This has been done in co-operation with Amey who were the original providers of the station CIS equipment and who link the station systems together with an independent data network.

It is not the intention that any station CIS system connected to the Darwin data source would need a hardware upgrade. Some modiďŹ cation to the data provision routines will be necessary, which Thales will provide as part of their Darwin contract. The Virgin stations trial has been operational for nearly 2 months and it is calculated that the accuracy of the displayed information has improved to 99%.

Usage and Future Plans Statistics for general rail enquiries are illuminating. In 2002 there were 62 million train enquiries made to National Rail Enquiries primarily by telephone. In 2010, there were 250 million but less than 5% of these was by phone. The increasing reliance on data sources tells its own tale.

Information has therefore to be provided to cater for business and public data accessing and more than 180 licences have been granted for the receipt of Darwin outputs. 30 of these are mobile phone suppliers - used mainly for iPhone, Android and Blackberry customers - with a small charge being made for every user application. An average user accesses the system twice a day, mainly to check how a particular train service is

running. Web sites such as Twitter and broadcasters (BBC and ITV) also receive the data for onward transmission as do some travel agents. More licences are being granted all the time.

Rolling out Darwin data to station CIS systems nationally is a longer term project.

A phase 2 rollout to 1900 stations is seeking funding later this year with a 2 to 3 year implementation. This will include the major stations that are managed by Network Rail.

Getting real time train positioning data is still a problem on lines not provided with train describers and equipping trains with GPS receivers is being investigated as a possible solution.

Darwin is seen as a major step forward in both the quantity and accuracy of train running information on offer for public consumption. It will interface with various types of communication media as well as improving the displayed information at stations. At a time when certain sections of the media ďŹ nd rail transport an easy target for criticism, the work being done by the industry through Darwin will go a long way to dispelling the perception that train service information is often inadequate.

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BRIDGE

16 | the rail engineer | september 2011

feature

within a writer

Collin Carr n the south bank of the Thames, opposite Victoria station, sits the sprawling, disused site that houses the wellknown landmark Battersea Power Station.

Alongside is the smaller but just as well known Battersea Dogs & Cats Home.

O

Span 5 base reinforcement installation.

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

The bridge was constructed in 1913, just before the First World War. The construction of the deck for each span consists of wrought

iron longitudinal girders, cross girders and rail bearers. The up and Down Chatham lines are both supported on cross-sleepered track on longitudinal timbers, whereas the reversible line runs on wheel timbers.

Major investment The longitudinal girders span between padstones supported by brick piers and masonry abutments. The main girders are discontinuous over the intermediate piers allowing each span to behave independently. The structure is hemmed in

september 2011 | the rail engineer | 17

feature

Span 5 base construction in Battersea Dogs and Cats home.

by the Dogs’ Home and the power station and although there have been many false starts with schemes to rejuvenate the power station site, there is now a growing certainty that a new £5.5 billion scheme will transform the location. The underlying concern for Network Rail is that if the scheme progresses, access to their Brighton Goods Bridge No. 6 is likely to become even more difficult so now is the ideal time to carry out any remedial work that may be necessary.

For many years, structures with timber decking and wheel timbers have created significant challenges for the maintenance teams involved. Previous assessments undertaken by Atkins Rail in 2004 concluded that the structure was generally sound but that the cross girders limited the route availability of the structure. Network Rail had decided that at such an important location, any new structure would have to comply with full RU loading. Therefore, knowing that train disruption had to be kept to an absolute minimum, Tony Gee & Partners, design consultants, prepared various preliminary schemes for Network Rail to achieve this objective. Subsequently, these schemes have been developed into more detailed options by the current designer, Mott MacDonald, and BAM Nuttall has been invited to undertake this project as part of their 5 year Framework Contract with Network Rail. The work is valued at approximately £7.6m.

Christmas blockade The innovative design that was chosen included the need for regular weekend possessions and sequential blockades of the rail filled Spans (3, 2 and 1) leading up to Christmas 2011 and then, from Christmas Eve, a 9 day blockade, closing all lines for 3 days and then the top three Chatham lines for a further 6 days. Work started on site in the spring of this year and there are currently about 50 operatives working day shifts, 7 days a week. From the start of August the workforce will double and the site will become operational round the clock, increasing the momentum of activity that will continue right up to the Christmas blockade.

Animal welfare However, before any real engineering work could start, a significant number of dog kennels, exercise areas and recognised dog walking routes had to be relocated. Two weekly liaison meetings were organised with the Dogs’ Home to ensure that the walking

routes for the dogs were realigned well in advance. A cattery had to be relocated as well and buildings demolished, and a number of health & safety issues had to be addressed relating to the proximity of the animals. Contaminated ground conditions, created by man as well as animals, had to be managed, a “super highway” constructed for a cluster of important and potentially dangerous cables, and an ordnance survey undertaken to ensure that there were no nasty surprises still lurking around from WW2.

bridge, whilst avoiding too much disruption? This is where the on-site skills of the site team have been tested. The project has identified five key milestones leading up to the Christmas blockade, one for each span. Span 4 cuts across part of the Dogs’ Home so, as there is no railway under the bridge, this span was used to try out the proposed method of working and became the first milestone. This was followed by Span 5 which was in progress when this article was written. Spans 3, 2 then 1, are programmed for September to December.

Concrete Box design The design chosen is interesting and demands a significant level of site ingenuity.

An in-situ reinforced concrete box will be constructed in each span with the top at the level of the soffit of the existing superstructure. These concrete box structures will be different for each of the five unique and individual spans and must be completed before the Christmas blockade.

The new reinforced concrete boxes are designed to carry the required rail loading so when the existing superstructure is removed, no additional strengthening is required. This removal will take place during the Christmas blockade using a large mobile crane. The newly exposed top face of the concrete box girder that this will reveal will then be made waterproof. A suitable drainage system will need to be installed and 3,000 tonnes of new ballast imported by an end discharging ballast train provided by Network Rail. New track will be laid across the five spans for all 3 lines, top ballast placed and the track aligned, stressed and tamped ready for the demanding postChristmas timetable.

That all sounds quite straight forward, but the tricky bit is how do you create a structure from concrete in-situ, within a

Method of working Concrete was poured to form the base slab to span 4 in March this year, followed by the construction of the side walls. A polythene membrane was inserted between the existing abutments and piers and the new concrete forming the walls to enable them to act independently.

Reinforcement couplers were cast into the walls approximately a metre below the soffit of the existing superstructure. These were designed to receive the connecting reinforcement bars that would extend down vertically from the top slab of the box girder.

So far, it was all relatively straight forward.

The real challenge was how to construct the top section of the concrete box to enable it to fit directly below the soffit of the existing superstructure whilst minimising disruption to trains.

Bob Snow, Project Manager BAM Nuttall, explained to me how they addressed this challenge. With the invaluable assistance of their sub-contractor Kilnbridge Construction Services, and especially their Pre Construction & Engineering Manager, Plamen Petkov, three tables were constructed onto which a substantial 32mm diameter reinforcement framework was fixed to form the top section

18 | the rail engineer | september 2011

Construction methodology sequence picture board.

of the concrete box. The tables were supported on trestling so that they were at the correct required height for installation.

Wheels were fixed to the base of the supporting trestling and angle rails bolted to the base of the new concrete box. Then each table in turn was moved into its final position using Turfers and the reinforcement coupled together to form the roof of the concrete box.

Intermediate staging enabled the vertical reinforcement to be coupled to the side walls.

The devil is in the detail We have to remember that no two spans are the same so the challenge for the Kilnbridge steel fixing team is substantial and the devil is

Wall and table construction.

feature

definitely in the detail. So far the technique is working well and during a 24 hr possession of the Chatham lines, the timber walkway decking was removed exposing the reinforcement, 2 concrete pumps were installed alongside the structure and over an 8 hour period a 300 cubic metre concrete pour was successfully completed. It is proving to be an effective method requiring substantial onsite skills. Only four more spans to go!

In times gone by, the area around the power station was used as a water treatment plant so the ground conditions are a little suspect, especially around spans 1 and 2. Four piling rigs have been brought to site to be operated

by Keller Geotechnique. They will install over

150 reinforced concrete piles over 12 weeks during weekend possessions to strengthen the existing ground foundation within the spans. The piles will vary from 300 to 450mm diameter and will be founded into London clay ranging from 18-22m below ground level.

The work so far is going well. The technique they are using to cast a bridge within a bridge, five times, is proving sound.

The plan is to ramp up to round the clock working so that everything will be ready for Christmas when the old five span superstructure is removed.

The train operating companies involved understand and support the overall plan.

The dogs and cats appear to be taking everything in their stride and there is no evidence of stray paw marks in newly cast concrete. It is estimated that a total of 1,100 tonnes of reinforcement and 4,500 cubic metres of concrete will be used. There will be ballasted track in place which will be much easier to maintain. The structure will have adequate clearances and walkways to provide a safer environment.

By the New Year, trains will be running over the reconstructed Brighton Goods Bridge No 6 and Battersea’s famous animal residents will no longer have their walks interrupted.

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Tel: 020 7511 1888 Email: sales@kilnbridge.com# "7#03I! W,:I! Link-up ID 23248

20 | the rail engineer | september 2011

feature Turnback siding lifted prior to connection with track on new curved alignment.

Clipping up new track.

Borders

Connection writer

David Shirres new Borders Railway will S cotland’s connect Edinburgh with Tweedbank, near Galashiels. It will run for around 30 miles, largely over the course of the old twin-track Waverley line that ran between Edinburgh and Carlisle and closed in 1969. New track

will be laid on the old trackbed, largely as a single-track railway with passing loops, commencing early in 2012 and with trains running in 2014.

As reported in the rail engineer issue 78 (April 2011), the newly rebuilt railway will connect to the existing Network Rail system just beyond Newcraighall station. This is currently a terminus providing a Park and Ride service close to the Fort Kinnaird Shopping Park, 4.5 miles SE of Edinburgh. Normally trains reverse at the station, but when station dwelltimes conflict with freight train movements at the adjacent Millerhill freight depot a turnback siding is used, typically four times a day.

Realignment

MLM Consulting Engineers offer LinkUp accredited design and survey services to the rail industry. Our work ethic embraces collaborate working with our Clients to produce intelligent solutions to the national rail network, ensuring projects are successful from design through to construction.

MLM were appointed by Colas Rail to provide the following inspection and Form B design services for Borders Rail Link:

For further details of the Rail services MLM offer please contact: Lee Bowker, Director - Rail 01473 231100 lee.bowker@mlm.uk.com

The approach to communication and collaboration demonstrated on the Borders project by both MLM Consulting Engineers and Colas Rail was exemplary and is a typical example of MLM’s contribution towards a successful project outcome.

• • • • • •

Borehole Ground Investigation and Reporting Ecology survey and reporting Environmental Management Plan Civils Design Earthworks Bridge design

w w w. m l m . u k . c o m

Network Rail’s Borders Rail connection project was to re-align this 300 metre turnback siding along the Borders Rail centre-line converting it from a straight siding to one with a 300 metre radius curve. As the realignment takes the siding onto land not owned

by Network Rail, Transport Scotland has arranged for ownership of part of the land acquired by the Borders Rail project to be transferred over to accommodate the siding.

Transport Scotland’s delivery strategy for the new Borders Railway is a Design, Build, Finance and Maintain contract.

As a result the operation and maintenance of the Borders Railway infrastructure will be undertaken by the construction consortium rather than Network Rail. For this reason Transport Scotland require the interface with Network Rail to be as straightforward as possible. Network Rail’s project achieves this by laying 30 metres of track beyond the existing

boundary and placing the buffer stops exactly on that boundary. The Borders Railway contractor can then make a rail connection without impacting on Network Rail infrastructure.

Uncomplicated Sandy Tuckerman, Network Rail’s sponsor for the project, seems almost surprised about how uncomplicated this project has been. There were no issues with weather, access, neighbours or the operational railway, and the contractor, Colas Rail, did a good job.

Sandy explained that the project is a Transport Scotland requirement based on Scott Wilson’s reference design for the Border Railway project. However as that design did not quite meet GRIP stage 4 requirements, Scott Wilson was awarded a small contract to develop it to GRIP 4 so that a Design and Build contract could be let. This contract was let to Colas Rail in December 2010 for about £720k. Colas’ finalised design to GRIP stage 5 included passive provision for a double track junction, moving a signal and OLE mast, and vehicle incursion mitigation measures on a bridge above the siding. The latter is required as the siding is now to become a passenger railway. Colas subcontracted civil design work to MLM Consulting Engineers.

Work started on site in February.

Colas’ first work was vegetation clearance both along the new alignment and of an adjacent large open area to provide working space.

Originally it was envisaged that access to the site would require the construction of a steep temporary access road. However this was not necessary as DB Schenker, the project’s only neighbour, agreed that the site

september 2011 | the rail engineer | 21

feature

Millerhill Road

Millerhill Depot

A1

Overbridge 8

Newcraighall Station

could be accessed through their depot.

DB Schenker also made available a derelict building which was repaired to provide site accommodation and welfare facilities.

28 hours As the turnback siding had to be kept operational, all work affecting the existing railway infrastructure was done during a single 28 hour possession at the end of May. Prior to this curved track on the new alignment, consisting of CWR CEN56E1 rail on 560H steel sleepers with check rails, was laid on the land adjacent to the siding. During the possession this new track was connected to a point about halfway down the existing siding and the first half of the siding was slewed to align with the new curved track.

The signal and OLE mast were also moved during this possession with signal installation and testing subcontracted to NRL Ltd. This signal allows

Moved Signal

Buffer stop at Network Rail boundary

Existing Infrastructure Turnback Siding Removed Turnback Siding slewed to align with new curve New turnback Siding on Borders alignment Track to be laid by Borders contractor

trains to reverse beyond the junction entirely on Network Rail controlled infrastructure, thus retaining the current turnback facility which Network Rail consider may be necessary in the event of disruption on the new Borders Railway. The vehicle incursion mitigation work on the overbridge, raising curbs and painting handrails, was undertaken by the VGC group.

Work was completed on the project at the end of May, four months before the planned September completion date, at a total cost of just over £1million, £0.5 less than budget. This was perhaps a reflection on the project not having to face any of the difficulties associated with most railway projects.

But then why shouldn’t hard pressed project teams occasionally get a straightforward project? Trouble-free this project may have been, but with its completion the stage is now set for the construction of the remaining 48.7 km of the Borders Railway.

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22 | the rail engineer | september 2011

infrastructure show

Make tracks to

The Infrastructure Show

Infrastructure Show (NEC, T heBirmingham, 17-19 October) will offer visitors a fresh insight into today’s major rail infrastructure projects. There will be an opportunity to understand how these schemes are managed to reduce environmental impact while still meeting spending targets. And, of course, there will be the chance to see the latest product and system innovations in the sector.

A major highlight of the show will be its sector-focused hubs and Keynote Theatre.

These will feature expert speakers from Network Rail, Crossrail, HS2, London Underground and others in a series of freeto-attend talks. The Rail Hub will also provide a forum for visitors to meet with specialist suppliers and manufacturers and see major project updates from the biggest clients.

The Rail Hub’s Crossrail Focus Day will take place on Monday 17 October. Lee Davies, Costain’s Rail Contracts Director, will offer a supplier’s perspective on the project and

Martin Rowark, Crossrail’s Head of Procurement, will discuss procurement issues. In the afternoon Daniel Evans, Contracts Manager at Maccaferri, will host a panel debate looking at partner collaboration and innovation.

Tuesday 18 October is designated Network Rail Focus Day. Chaired by the rail engineer’s editor, Grahame Taylor, seminars will see Mark Prior, Head of Transportation at EC Harris, speak on Managing Cost and Tom Smith, Chairman, Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC), will give his views on how will things change under a restructured Network Rail. Other talks on

this day will see Network Rail presenters discuss sustainability and value for money issues whilst Dr David Cheer, Rockfall Mitigation Specialist at Maccaferri, will tell delegates how the innovative use of materials can create durable, value for money construction without incurring additional project risk.

A highlight of the Keynote Theatre programme takes place at 10:00 on Monday 17 October with Mike Ashley, Head of Stations at London Underground, taking part in a Leaders Panel alongside Steve Fox, Chief Executive at BAM Nuttall and Richard Coakley, Vice President of the ICE. They will discuss how best to deliver major infrastructure in the UK. In the same theatre on Tuesday, Andrew McNaughton, Chief Engineer at HS2, will answer the question, ‘How will High Speed Rail 2 shape the future of rail construction and travel in the UK?’.

A diverse range of leading sector suppliers and manufacturers showcasing the latest product innovations will also be attending The Infrastructure Show. Among the major exhibitors already confirmed for the event are ACO Technologies, Cleshar Contract Services, Costain, CPM Group, CU Phosco Lighting, JCB, Peri Ltd, Severn Trent Services, Vinci Construction UK, Korec, Kosran, RMD Kwikform, Tony Gee & Partners and Topcon.

A full exhibitor list and registration details are available from www.infrastructureshow.com.

w www.infrastructure-show.com

september 2011 | the rail engineer | 23

S

Izumi Products UK

RA tand 16

infrastructure show

Izumi Products UK Ltd offers you the widest selection of high quality hydraulic compression, crimping and cutting tools, cable cutters and hydraulic pumps for the Transmission and Distribution, Telecoms and General Industrial Markets.

Although predominantly serving the Electricity Supply Industry, we also supply: • The Railways • Private electrical engineering companies • Offshore oil companies • Wholesalers to electrical contractors

I

We manufacture quality products backed by quality service that supports our customer’s needs.

Tel: 01388 777 132 www.izumi-products.co.uk

Shay Murtagh Precast

nd

are suitable for switchgear and transformers as well as aluminium or copper overhead line systems. Friction-welded fittings are available where copper and aluminium systems meet.

Hydraulic cable and stay cutters run from 20mm - 130mm diameter, with single and double acting hydraulic crimping tools from 5 - 200 tonnes.

Single and double-acting hydraulic pumps with various drives are available as well as standard and non-conductive hydraulic hose and couplings, all specially designed for use in the electricity distribution industry. Izumi specialise in working with customers to develop new products to match their changing needs.

Izumi can also supply a wide range of products used in the construction of overhead power lines including winches, puller/tensioners, lifting structures, ladders, conductor pulling clamps, radial clamps, cable socks, conductor pulleys and stringing blocks, galvanized steel wire antitwist rope, working platforms, meter counting devices, dynamometers, tirfors, lifting hoists, swivels, conductor strand strippers and insulated operating rods.

0 a St 83 3A

zumi Products UK Ltd. was formed in 1995 by three electrical distribution engineers with experience in the electricity construction industry in the UK & South Africa. The Company is associated with the Izumi Products Company of Japan, as well as other manufacturers in Japan, U.S.A and South Africa.

Izumi Products Company has over 60 years experience in the manufacture of innovative precision hydraulic tools for the Electricity Distribution Construction Industry world-wide. In that time it has developed a global reputation throughout the power industry as a reliable manufacturer of hydraulic equipment and tools. Since 1962, Izumi has pioneered the development of wire connecting and cutting tools, as well as many other related products, showing an unsurpassed quality and range of products.

Product development As a result of its own development and associated companies, Izumi Products UK Ltd. offers a wide range of compression and bolt-down fittings, steel hardware and hydraulic tools to suit every type of system in use today. Connectors cover voltages from LV to EHV and

Murtagh Precast is the S hay leader in the manufacture of precast, pre-stressed and posttensioned concrete products in the UK and Ireland. Supplying bridge beams, culverts, retaining walls, liftshafts and bespoke products, the company is also seen as an industry specialist in the manufacture and construction of concrete tanks.

Already supplying leading contractors with products for Rail, Highways and Utilities, Shay Murtagh’s complete package of design, manufacture and delivery gives the client a full service with clarity, efficiency and quality of product.

Value engineering is a cornerstone of the company and it strives to give clients the most economical, efficient and durable design. Having earlier this year published the Bridge Beam Technical Manual to EuroCodes, Shay Murtagh Precast also provides an inhouse service of design to EuroCodes for culverts and other products.

Regular exhibitors at the Infrastructure Show, the Shay Murtagh Precast team will be on hand to discuss up-coming and ongoing projects. There will also be paper and electronic copies of the Bridge Beam Technical Manual available at the stand.

24 | the rail engineer | september 2011

infrastructure show

The Infrastructure Show 2011 - Rail Hub presentations Monday 17 October 2011 CROSSRAIL FOCUS DAY

Tuesday18 October 2011 NETWORK RAIL FOCUS DAY

Chairman: Nigel Wordsworth, Publications Manager, the rail engineer

Chairman: Grahame Taylor, Editor, the rail engineer

10:00

Crossrail – the progress and priorities Andy Mitchell, Programme Director, Crossrail

10:00

The outlook from ATOC – how will things change under a restructured Network Rail?

Tom Smith, Chairman, ATOC

11:00

Delivering value from Crossrail Procurement Martin Rowark, Head of Procurement, Crossrail

10:30

Delivering innovation and ensuring value for money at Network Rail Steve Yianni, Director of Engineering, Network Rail

11:00

Managing cost – how can the supply chain work more closely with clients to ensure that unnecessary costs are eliminated?

Mark Prior, Partner, Head of Transportation, EC Harris

12:00

How can we continue to ensure that UK rail offers good value, reliable services, without compromising safety?

Paul McMahon, Deputy Director, Railway Markets & Economics, Office of Rail Regulation

13:00

Reducing the cost of track renewals delivery across the south east Mick Rayner, Head of Mainline Operations, Balfour Beatty

14:00

Supply chain arrangements and partnering with Network Rail – what has changed and where we’re heading Ian Ballantine, Head of Procurement and Contracts, Network Rail

15:00

Case study presentation – how can innovative use of materials create durable, value for money construction without incurring additional project risk?

David Cheer, Rockfall Mitigation Specialist, Maccaferri

Crossrail – a supplier’s perspective Lee Davies, Rail Contracts Director, Costain

14:00

Minimising the environmental impact of Crossrail Rob Paris, Head of Planning, Environment & Transport, Crossrail Mike de Silva, Sustainability Manager, Crossrail

15:00

Partner collaboration and innovation discussion How can collaboration help to further cut costs? What can be learned from other projects?

Daniel Evans, UK Contracts Manager – UK – Ireland, Maccaferri

York EMC and upgrade of T hethedevelopment UK railway network continues

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as major infrastructure projects such as Crossrail and the electrification of the Great Western Railway escaped government spending cuts. London Underground works are also ongoing to reduce journey times and handle the predicted increase in passenger numbers.

Whether the works are overground or underground, achieving Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC) continues to be vital in developing a safe and reliable railway. As a leading provider of EMC assurance to the railway industry, York EMC Services continues to offer cost-effective solutions to prime contractors and subcontractors alike that allow them to meet their legal and contractual obligations.

Services, experience and expertise “Determining the most cost-effective solution to ensure EMC for large, complex infrastructure projects can appear challenging for contractors,” says Nick Wainwright, Operations Director of York EMC Services.

“However, with YES’s range of services, experience and expertise, we can quickly determine the solutions

available and then work with the customer to deliver the preferred solution in a timely and cost-effective manner.”

YES provides EMC consultancy, testing and training for the railway industry. Services include the development of management plans, control plans, hazard studies and compliance reports as well laboratory and on-site testing, and the provision of electromagnetic site surveys.

YES has recently provided consultancy and on-site testing services for major projects in the UK, South Africa and Australia.

3A Sta 86 nd 0C

12:00

september 2011 | the rail engineer | 25

infrastructure show

Maccaferri Ltd is the UK subsidiary of the M accaferri worldwide Maccaferri Industrial Group,

On an international scale, Maccaferri has pioneered the use of concrete fibrereinforcement technology in the manufacture of pre-cast tunnel lining segments for the rail industry. Fibre reinforcement replaces conventional steel cage reinforcement and saves time and production costs.

The steel fibres, which are about the size and shape of a small paperclip redistribute the forces within the concrete, restraining the mechanism of formation and extension of cracks - literally ‘stitching’ the sides of a forming crack together.

Maccaferri occupies a leading position in fibre reinforcement technology in Europe and their materials have been used extensively in high profile projects including the new Barcelona Metro extension, where fibre reinforced concrete was used to fabricate the 7.0m diameter lining segments for underground tunnels.

t Rockfall Mitigation t t t t t

Maccaferri Type 4 DF Series, Debris Flow Fence

nd

Geotechnical Solutions

Fibre-reinforced concrete

6 a St 55 3A

Recent landmark projects for the Company include work on the re-opening of the Airdrie to Bathgate link in Scotland, where main contractors BAM Nuttall and Carillion made extensive use of retaining wall technology from Maccaferri.

Stone filled Gabion retaining walls were built along several sections of the line to allow widening of the rail corridor and to create space for the construction of a new station complex at Caldercruix, midway between Airdrie and Bathgate. Here, Carillion engaged the Company’s specialist installation team, Maccaferri Construction to provide design and build expertise.

Near Denby Dale in rural South Yorkshire, Maccaferri Rock-fall mitigation systems have been used in a programme of remedial works on a 14.0m deep rail cutting by Network Rail partnership contractor, Construction Marine Ltd and designers, URS Scott Wilson.

Here, weathering over the last 160 years has resulted in significant weakening of the quarter mile long cutting’s 50 degree sides with consequent risk of instability and rock fall onto the line. With block sizes typically in the range of 200 - 600mm diameter, there was a significant probability these could cause a derailment should they become dislodged and tumble to the line.

The solution was the installation of a network of high strength, dynamic rock-fall catch fences from Maccaferri, comprising continuous, steel-cable mesh panels and energy dissipaters, stretched between articulated vertical posts. These were placed near the bottom of the slope to prevent debris spilling onto the line.

Top down rope access techniques and night-time working were used to allow installation of the catch fence system whilst trains were still running. Only limited night time possession was required which reduced the construction costs significantly.

d

Gabions

Rock-fall mitigation

an St 19 RA

specialising in retaining structures, erosion protection, rock-fall mitigation embankment stabilisation and concrete fibre reinforcement technology. Renowned as the inventor of the ubiquitous wire-basket Gabion, the Company has developed hugely over recent years and now operates over a wide spectrum of construction industry sectors.

Through its Rail and Infrastructure Division, Maccaferri will be showcasing the latest developments in embankment reinforcement and erosion prevention products and highlighting its range of rockfall mitigation systems for use in trackside and related applications.

The £300 million, 24km long Airdrie to Bathgate project was a major investment in Scotland’s public transport network and was completed in late 2010.

Systems Slope Reinforcement Erosion Protection Basal Platforms Pavement Reinforcement Construction Geotechnical design, supply and construction From concept to completion For technical literature pack t: 01865 770555 e: info@maccaferri.co.uk w: www.maccaferri.co.uk

30512 Maccaferri Half page Rail Engineering March AD 2011. RFN.indd 1

31/01/2011 09:07

26 | the rail engineer | september 2011

feature

41 Bypass

Railways

Glaslyn bridge beam installation, adjacent to Cambrian coast mainline.

(Inset right) Glaslyn bridge cofferdam installation.

Ffestiniog trains back on track.

writer

Chris Parker is a story about a bypass. However, T hisbefore you check the front cover to make sure that this IS the rail engineer and not the Road Builders Gazette, please be assured that it includes a considerable amount of railway engineering.

The Welsh Government placed a £35 million contract in December 2009 for the construction of 5.3km of new road taking the A487 around the towns of Porthmadog, Minffordd and Tremadog in North Wales. A joint venture (JV) partnership of Balfour Beatty and Jones Bros Civil Engineering UK was asked to construct a 7.3m wide carriageway on the flood plain of the River Glaslyn to the north of the Cambrian Coast mainline railway.

Along with sub-contractors Balfour Beatty Rail and Cleveland Bridge UK, the JV has built 8 new bridges, a number of smaller structures and a considerable length of embankment to create the substructure for the new road. 450,000m3 of fill, weighing about 900,000 tonnes has been used on the

project. It was sourced from the adjacent Minffordd Quarry and transported direct to site by a network of haul routes. As a result, 106,000 road wagon movements were avoided on the existing highway network.

Four railways Four different railway lines have been affected by the work. The obvious one is Network Rail’s Cambrian Coast line, the line of the bypass running close to it over much of its length. Also involved are the Ffestiniog Railway (FR), the Welsh Highland Railway (WHR) and the Welsh Highland Heritage Railway (WHHR). The FR is well known. The WHR is the relatively newly restored and reopened heritage line operated by the FR. It runs from Caernarfon on the route of the former Welsh Highland line for most of its length, but deviates from it at the Porthmadog end to join into the Ffestiniog Railway’s Porthmadog Station.

The WHHR is a separate, shorter heritage railway that operates on the original line of the Welsh Highland through the Porthmadog area.

The Cambrian Line was the most affected by the new bypass. 850m had to be realigned by up to 25m onto a new embankment built alongside to make way for the new road. A new 3-span viaduct carrying the bypass across the River Glaslyn is only about 50m upstream of the railway river bridge. In addition, a bailey bridge was built over the river above the new viaduct site to carry the haul road. Where the road and rail routes run side-by-side, new bridges and culverts were built beneath the road connecting with existing equivalents under the rail line. Finally, a level crossing providing the existing road access into Minffordd Quarry became redundant as the quarry will in future be accessed from the new bypass.

Shorter route The realignment necessitated first the construction of a new rail embankment, then the laying of new track onto it. Track installation was carried out by Balfour Beatty Rail. On 7/8 May this year the line was closed and bus substitution services took over whilst the existing line was cut and slewed over at each end of the new embankment and connected to the new tracks. This raised an unexpected issue, for the JV at least. The Cambrian Line is the site of Network Rail’s ERTMS trial, and the new railway is actually about 7m shorter than the old alignment.

Network Rail’s signalling team recognised the significance of this and updated the ERTMS system software for the route before the line was reopened after the diversion.

september 2011 | the rail engineer | 27

feature Bats At Minffordd Quarry the old level crossing was removed, since, as already mentioned, access to the quarry was to be diverted via the new bypass.

Nearby, a small drainage culvert passing under the original railway route had to be replaced by one under both new road and rail embankments. However, the environmental requirements for the site dictated that a large structure be built with sufficient headroom for bats to fly from one side to the other, so what was originally a culvert a few hundred millimetres in diameter has now become a significant structure. Apparently this is not the only such example on the route of the road, and some culverts are “almost high enough for a double-deck bus”!

Hydraulic modelling The Cambrian Line was also affected by construction works and plant operations in other ways. At the river crossing, construction upstream of the piers of the new road bridge and of the temporary bailey bridge could have had an effect on the river bed and the foundations of the rail bridge. Network Rail insisted upon hydraulic modelling before work began, and regular monitoring of the river bed and rail bridge foundations throughout the works and after completion, to ensure that there was no risk to their structure. Given the Glanrhydd accident in the 1980s when 4 people died as the result of the scouring away of the foundations of a rail bridge, their concern is understandable.

One of the largest crawler cranes in Europe was brought in for the construction of the permanent river bridges. This 630t monster was quite large enough to affect the adjoining railway should there be any mishap during its use, and so detailed methods of working were agreed with Network Rail beforehand. The same procedure was adopted elsewhere when cranes or similar plant were to be used where they might affect rail safety.

Ffestiniog Railway A new bridge carries the Ffestiniog Railway over the new bypass. It was constructed alongside the line on temporary trestles by Cleveland Bridge. In January 2011 the JV was given a 4 day line closure by FR during which they built the concrete abutments of the new bridge and dug out the “plug” of soil from between them. On 7 February the deck was slid into place on the abutments and within a week the complete structure was handed back to FR. Track was relayed over the bridge while additional

works were carried out on either side, including the remodelling of Minffordd Station and double-tracking through it. The first train crossed the new bridge on 2 March, only 6 weeks after the line was closed.

The FR gave the JV a great deal of cooperation, including an agreement for a temporary level crossing at Minffordd.

Manned by a JV employee who was trained as a crossing keeper by the FR, this plant crossing allowed the removal of 10,000m3 of material, cut out of the existing ground due to the differential level between the rail and new road levels, without the use of any public highways, a great benefit to the local population.

(top) Launching the Bailey bridge over the river Glaslyn. (middle) Ffestiniog bridge slide.

Earthworks operation.

28 | the rail engineer | september 2011

View of both the bypass and Cambrian Line from Minffordd quarry. (right) The temporary gated concrete crossing for both the WHR and the WHHR.

A visit by the then Deputy First Minister Ieuan Wyn Jones.

feature

Welsh Highland In contrast, the new road crosses over the route of both the WHR and WHHR. A site for the new bridge was chosen where the 2 lines lie close together. The structure is a 3-span design, also fabricated and erected by Cleveland Bridge, while its concrete substructure was built by the JV. The two railways pass through the bridge’s centre span, the side spans allowing access for both the local landowner and for future highway maintenance. A temporary level crossing over both rail routes was established at the site and the WHHR insisted on a different approach here from that taken by the FR at Minffordd as the line was to remain open during the works. A WHHR employee was used as crossing keeper, and gates, traffic lights and a telephone were all provided for his use. A concrete slab formed the crossing surface,

and one of the duties of the crossing keeper was to ensure that the flangeways in this were kept clear for the passage of trains.

Environmental matters The Environment Agency was heavily involved in the project, especially regarding the Glaslyn river crossing, and so were other environmental organisations, archaeologists and wildlife organisations. All placed constraints and requirements upon the construction team with provisions being made for the protection of reptiles, bats, badgers and birds. Virtually the whole of the site lies in the flood plain of the river and this too also caused complications. All these issues, and the need to liaise with the four separate railway companies involved, required careful and detailed preconstruction work planning and agreements.

Local involvement Both Balfour Beatty and Jones Bros are rightly proud of their liaison with the public throughout the contract. They

have held regular meetings with local councillors to give them advance notice of works and established a visitor centre close to their own offices. This provides information about current works and future plans and is open every working day. Even a large print of the route map with appropriate captions placed in the window of a local Tesco has proved popular.

The project team has supported local charities and allowed the mountain rescue team to use the visitor centre in the evenings as a training room. They have consulted local stakeholders about the appearance of the structures on the road, and have sought the views of the relevant railway companies about the colour and appearance of the new rail bridges. When, in response to a number of accidents and incidents across the railway network, there was a local campaign about level crossing safety, the contractors joined with the FR to work with IoSH and a local organisation called “Working Well Together” on a two day event. It included a practical demonstration on FR premises which highlighted the real danger to people of misusing a level crossing.

The new Porthmadog, Minffordd and Tremadog bypass is due to open in December 2011. On completion, it will represent a true joint venture between the two main contractors and four railway companies. There aren’t many projects like it….

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30 | the rail engineer | september 2011

feature

Power in boxes trains become more and more A ssophisticated, the hidden systems inside them become ever more complicated.

Nowhere is this more evident than in the ever-increasing power supply requirements.

With both AC and DC bus bars, and high and low voltage power take-offs, it is extremely complex, even a nightmare!

It’s not surprising that the train manufacturers leave their power supply solutions to a small number of specialist companies. So the chances are that, when you sit down on your high speed train, intercity train, regional railway or metro system, somewhere on board the power is being provided by global power supply company Powerbox.

Powerbox Established in Sweden over 37 years ago in 1974 and now represented in over 16 countries including Europe, US, Asia & Australia, this leading power supplier is keeping the railways running on a daily basis. Their main products are AC/DC, DC/DC and DC/AC power convertors but their units can be found throughout the train.

At the front, they will be in the headlamps and wiper units. In the driver’s cab they power displays, adjustable seats and onboard communication systems. Then there is the actual propulsion unit of the train itself where one will find Powerbox products in the IGBT (Insulated-Gate Bipolar Transistor) control, braking systems and on-board computers as well as the battery charging and system power generation areas.

As Train Operating Companies give their passengers more added-value, so the requirement for electrical power increases.

Warren Venn, UK Sales Engineer for Powerbox, explains. “We started to see an influx a few years ago with not just first class seating having carriages with power provided to their seats but with it being fitted as standard throughout most intercity operators. If you take Virgin’s Pendolino on the West Coast Main Line, or Chiltern Railways Bombardier Class 172s, more and more trains have seating fitted with AC power for laptops, phone chargers, etc. On some of the longer distances in the UK certain carriages are even fitted with in-seat entertainment systems.” And all those facilities need power.

Shine a light Even microwaves need power But that is not all. In the buffet they will be providing power for microwaves, coffee making machines, cash registers, fridges and chillers. There are power solutions for toilets and internal doors as well as obvious applications such as lighting.

The change to LED lighting from standard filament or fluorescent types hasn’t reached all rolling stock yet, although some companies are still assessing it, but as carriages are refurbished then the lower-power LEDs are being fitted. Although they use less power,

september 2011 | the rail engineer | 31

feature

operating companies and manufacturers are signing contracts for supply and service of the trains for 25 or 30 years, as is the case in the recent Thameslink contract, they want to know that not only have they got a product that will last the distance but that the company behind the product will be there to support them.

Not just trains they still use it, and it’s a different form of power than the original designs. So it is more work for Powerbox.

Even with similar trains built or refurbished for different operators, power requirements vary. The first phase of any project Powerbox work on is to assess exactly what the client is looking for in terms of reliability and deliverability. With rolling stock life being extended all the time, components have to last longer and be adaptable to constant changes.

Operators and leasing companies expect products to have a certain lifetime guarantee. But as more and more train

The new Thameslink and Crossrail contracts, plus new trains for the electrified Great Western and Liverpool to Manchester lines, can only mean more business for companies such as Powerbox. However, rolling stock is just one side of their business.

There are also applications on the Infrastructure and in and around stations that need similar power supplies, such as the recent developments in modular signalling.

Powerbox is also involved with a power system to supply trackside equipment in all areas of the UK. Their figures suggest that the new technology could save Network Rail up to 30%.

The new units are AC-DC with a power range from 100Watts up to 2kW built within a 19” rack system which is fitted trackside with 24V and 120V outputs. The entire system is intended to be installed, maintained, repaired and eventually decommissioned in the minimum possible time.

It must have the provision to be quickly and easily repaired or replaced and this will be achieved by use of plug-in components or groups of components.

So next time you see a highly-complicated system, whether it be a shiny new train or a sophisticated signalling system, you can bet that there will be a Powerbox label inside it somewhere.

Powerbox also manufactures power systems for trackside equipment.

32 | the rail engineer | september 2011

signalling & telecoms

Arson 81 (July 2011) of the rail engineer I ssue featured a report by Stuart Marsh on the Hickleton and Moorthorpe signalling renewals scheme between Sheffield and Leeds. Invensys successfully resignalled the areas of Hickleton, Moorthorpe Station and South Kirby (representing around eleven and a half miles of track , a large proportion of which is bi-directional). The Type B Network Rail project covered 52 Signalling Equivalent Units and saw the transfer of both the Moorthorpe and Hickleton signalling control areas to a new WESTLOCK computer-based interlocking at York IECC, as well as lineside renewals and the installation of a number of new Relocatable Equipment Buildings and Location Cases.

The completed project was commissioned at the end of May. In his report, Stuart commented that the area had become a hotspot for cable theft, and even stated “And it’s not just cables the signal box at Moorthorpe has been burgled several times.”

Recovery plan

Fire!

The ink was hardly dry on that article when, on Thursday 21 July, vandals struck and set fire to a location case at Hickleton. At 22:50 the loss of three SSI modules was reported by Network Rail, the cause being identified as a fire at location case 24/33. An immediate assessment was made of the extent of

the damage, resulting in the case being deemed to be beyond repair.

At 05:00 on Friday 22 July Invensys Rail was notified of the damage, with Network Rail requesting that the company mobilise as quickly as possible to replace the destroyed location case. Following the loss of the case, trains had to be stopped and cautioned leading to inevitable delays.

A recovery plan was agreed at 12:00 on Friday, with Invensys Rail undertaking to manufacture, supply, test, install and commission the replacement location case, with the Infrastructure Maintenance Delivery Manager (IMDM) at Sheffield taking responsibility for clearing the site and preparing it for the arrival of the replacement case. The team agreed that the new case would be commissioned in time for the railway to return to normal operational service by 06:00 on Tuesday 26th July - allowing just 90 hours to deliver the project.

To help expedite the process and ensure clear lines of communication between all parties, a small project team was assembled with key members from Network Rail, Invensys Rail and IMDM. An email chain was established to provide each member of the team with regular progress updates against the agreed plan.

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34 | the rail engineer | september 2011

In the face of such a challenging schedule, the team welcomed one piece of good news - the fact that an on-site inspection had established that the tail cables were undamaged (having been away from the heat of the fire) and so were capable of being re-used. A further 16 cables were tested and removed, as was the damaged location case, in preparation for its replacement. All this work was carried out in a ‘rules of the route’ possession to avoid further disruption.

A temporary 650v generator was delivered to site, with a Network Rail Incident Response vehicle used as a site office.

Two teams In the meantime, Invensys Rail had mobilised two teams to manage the project. At its manufacturing plant in Chippenham, the company’s pre-wire team were working around the clock to prepare a replacement location case for despatch to site, whilst in York, a project team was assembled at the company’s regional office to manage the logistics of the installation, testing and commissioning.

Just 72 hours from the initial project meeting, the replacement location case left Chippenham, with a factory test certificate, for delivery to site at 20:00 on Monday 24 July. By 21:30 all of the tail cables were wired back up and a disruptive possession was agreed from 22:00 to allow testing work to take place.

signalling & telecoms Signalling was then handed back to York IECC at 04:45 on Tuesday 25 July, over an hour earlier than planned and just over 100 hours since the arson attack itself. In total, the incident generated 1,350 minutes of delay every 24 hours up to and including the time when it was returned to service.

Timeline Thursday 21 July 22:50 • Location case 24/33 suffers arson attack

Extraordinary Commenting on this extraordinary project, Network Rails’ Programme Manager for LNE, Rod Moorcroft said: “We are simply delighted, and couldn’t have done this without Invensys Rail. The combined project team, including Network Rail maintenance and investment staff as well as our colleagues at Invensys Rail and IMDM, was absolutely determined to achieve a speedy restoration of normal signalling. I am very grateful to all those who put in additional hours over a weekend and Monday night in order to get this job done in a very quick time indeed. The dedication of all of the staff really showed and there was an air of quiet determination on site on Monday night as the location was lowered into place!”

Echoing Rod’s comments, Invensys Rail’s Project Delivery Director, Rob Cairns, said: “Having only recently been awarded the accolade of Network Rail’s Supplier of the Year for 2011, this project really demonstrated our commitment and determination to meet Network Rail’s needs, however challenging the circumstances.

There was a great spirit amongst the whole project team, which helped deliver such an outstanding performance”.

•

• • • • • • • • •

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Friday 22 July 05:00 Invensys Rail notified of the urgent need to replace the entire location case 12:00 Plan created and agreed Parts required for recovery phase assembled Resources identified and assigned 650V test plan agreed Site security arranged from 22:00 Friday to 10:00 Tuesday Signalling signed out of use on RT3187 22:00 Site security cover begins Site prepared for delivery of generator Incident van moved to site Saturday 23rd July 00:01 Sign into possession at 00:01 Disconnect and Lock off 650V Signalling Supply Disconnect power cables Deliver Generator to site Lock off supplies to and from Location 24/33 Test three core power cables Connect generator at Hickleton HABD 24/39 towards Bolton on Dearne Reconnect power towards 24/04 Identify each of the tail cables Controlled disconnection of four data link and ten tail cables Insulation and continuity test four data link and ten tail cables Disconnect MET Bag up all cables Prepare Location for lifting Tidy site 07:45 Possession given up

Sunday 24th July • Complete any outstanding testing

• • • •

• •

Monday 25th July 09:00 Old Location case removed 12:00 New location case leaves Chippenham Site passed across to Invensys Rail 20:00 Replacement location case delivered to site 21:30 Installation complete 22:00 Disruptive possession to allow testing

Tuesday 26th July 04:45 • Signalling handed back to York IECC • Tidy site • Recover incident van, toilets etc.

september 2011 | the rail engineer | 35

signalling & telecoms

Back to

copper information revolution on Britain’s T herailways places increasing demands on

Three wolverines

communications networks. By design, a standard Ethernet network has a transmission limit of 100 metres (328 ft) over UTP (Unshielded Twisted Pair) copper cables. To improve capacity, these are being replaced by more modern fibre-optic cables capable of passing more data over longer distances.

However, this is an expensive process. It also often leaves behind the redundant copper cables which are now either unused or host one or two legacy circuits.

Three models in the Westermo Wolverine range have now been approved for use on the Network Rail communications infrastructure.

The entry-level DDW-120 is a simple standalone unit for point-to-point applications needing only DIP switches for network configuration.

Next model up in the range is the DDW220 which has two SHDSL interfaces. These allow this unit to be used to create a daisychain network with a pair of DDW-120s as the terminators and DDW-220s spaced along the chain. The DDW-220 can also be used in multidrop applications providing 4 Ethernet ports at each point and can be used with no configuration, but can be managed if necessary using web screens or SNMP. Top of the range DDW-222 is officially termed a “Legacy Serial Redundant Ring Ethernet Extender”. This means that, as well as functioning in the same way as a DDW220, this model allows the cables of existing serial networks to be reused to create an Ethernet network while still allowing legacy serial devices to function on the new network.

New range So a new range of equipment from Swedish telecommunications specialists Westermo could be especially useful. Known as Ethernet Extenders, they can transmit data at rates of up to 15.3 Mbit/s over an operating distance of as much as 10 km (6.2 miles) over the existing copper cables. In practical applications however much greater distances have been achieved. Previously installed cables, for example a local telephone network, old RS-485 network or pilot cables can be reutilised. Speed and distance have been tested at an accredited test house using different cables and with and without simulated noise.

Harsh environments All three Wolverine models have been designed to operate in trackside environments. The units have been tested to EN 50121-4 and can operate in extreme temperature ranges (-40 to +70 C). They have been used globally on trackside systems benefiting from TBUs (transient blocking units) to ensure reliable operation even while large transients are interfering with the transmission lines, caused by lightning or high voltage switching.

Westermo Wolverine systems are soon to be installed by Network Rail to provide extra capacity using old copper cables that would otherwise be redundant. That is, assuming no-one steals the copper.....

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Three models in the Westermo Wolverine range have now been approved for use on the Network Rail communications infrastructure.

36 | the rail engineer | september 2011

signalling & telecoms

Euro-freight

on HS1

Overhead view of HS1 Freight loops.

trains have operated on High E urostar Speed 1 (HS1) since 2003 and passenger operator Southeastern began its high-speed services using Class 395 trains in 2009. The original Channel Tunnel Rail Link Act of 1996 required that HS1 should be able to accommodate future freight traffic, so passing loops were designed into the system to allow slower running trains to be overtaken by faster ones. HS1 Ltd has always been eager to open its asset to freight trains and has actively promoted its benefits to freight operating companies, particularly those wishing to deliver time-critical commodities to their customers that can make effective use of spare capacity on the high-speed line.

Yet, to enable freight, including larger gauge freight trains that currently operate in Europe, to travel to the UK, line owner and developer HS1 Ltd had to ensure that they were fully equipped with the requisite safety-critical on-board signalling system that could operate over the route. Working for HS1 Ltd, the high-speed rail engineering consultancy SYSTRA led an international team of engineers from freight operator DB Schenker Rail, signalling system supplier Ansaldo STS and the engineering division of SNCF to make the modifications to enable the Class 92 locomotives to operate on HS1.

The development was financially supported by the European Commission’s Marco Polo Programme, which aims to free Europe’s roads of an annual 20 billion tonne-km volume of freight, the equivalent of around 700,000 trucks per year.

HS1 signalling system HS1 is a double track line, which was built in two sections. The Channel Tunnel to Southfleet section has a prevailing line speed of 300km/h and the section from Southfleet to St Pancras International station, which is mostly in tunnel, has a reduced line speed of 230km/h. HS1 signalling was designed for

class ME140 freight trains, which carry light goods and parcels and operate at speeds of up to 140km/h.

For the majority of the 109km line, the driver receives on-board signalling information to advise operating speed, except for a short 1.5km section into St Pancras International station which uses conventional line-side coloured light signals.

Travelling at high speed, it is not possible for a driver to accurately perceive conventional trackside railway signals, so instead signalling information is transmitted from the track to the train and displayed on the driver’s controls. The on-board cabsignalling system used on HS1 is a fixed block continuous ‘track-to-train’ transmission system, called TVM430. It was originally developed in France for the TGV network and is also successfully used on high-speed lines in Belgium, Korea and by Eurotunnel.

TVM430 works through a combination of: 1. fixed infrastructure ‘block sections’; where the line is divided into finite sections, the length of which varies according to the maximum permissible line speed. Gradients can also shorten or lengthen a block section because they have an impact on the minimum braking distance of a train. Each block section is separated by a trackside marker showing a yellow triangle on a blue background.

2. transmitted codes and on-board equipment; which converts the transmitted ‘track-to-train’ code to a target speed displayed in km/h in the driving cab, and which varies depending upon the characteristics of the train. Another part of the track-to-train information transmitted to the train is also used for the Automatic Train Protection system (ATP).

The on-board speed display indicates either a line speed, not to be exceeded in the current block section, or a ‘target speed’ to be achieved by the train, which enables the train to be safely brought to a stop.

september 2011 | the rail engineer | 37

signalling & telecoms Furthermore, the speed display may be flashing to advise the driver that the next block section is more restrictive.

So each train, depending upon its speed, weight and braking characteristics, must have the correct parameters on board for a particular route in order for the on-board signalling system to function correctly.

Hardware and software modifications The Class 92 locomotive is equipped with a driver-operated control switch which enables the selection of the type of train, and this informs the on-board software of the right settings to use.

The hardware and software tasks for this programme of work were individually complex. The TVM430 signalling system was developed and manufactured in France and the safety processes and tools were unique, in their application, to HS1, under a UK safety management regime.

Furthermore, since the original HS1 design meant that only ME140 trains could be operated, SYSTRA and Ansaldo-STS used specialist design software to produce new route-specific cab-signalling speed tables for different classes of freight trains, namely ME120 (light goods, 120km/h) and MA100 (heavier goods, 100km/h).

Since the HS1 signalling system is based on block sections, evaluations had to assess new safe braking curves for different train types, corresponding to the gradient, line speed and other characteristics of the track throughout its length. Following this safety validation process, it was apparent that the

MA100 could not meet the HS1 block section safety requirements, due to their less efficient braking performance. As a result MA100 trains hauled by Class 92 locomotives are not authorised to operate on HS1.

Signalling system supplier, Ansaldo STS, provided the Class 92 locomotive with an upgrade of the TVM430 software (version 3).

SYSTRA then validated the software and its parameter modifications. After independent checking, an ‘HS1 Class 92 TVM430 Safety Case’ was produced in accordance with UK rail safety standards.

One of DB Schenker’s Class 92 locomotives was retrofitted with the new software, containing the relevant parameters for HS1 infrastructure and type tests were carried out on the installed software by Ansaldo STS and SYSTRA to ensure that the functional interfaces between the TVM430 system and the Class 92 locomotive worked effectively.

HS1 is ready HS1 Ltd is in a ‘state of readiness’ for freight operating companies to use its assets and in June 2011, it published its Freight Access Terms. Plans by rail freight operators to run regular services will undoubtedly open up the UK to the European rail freight network.

A container service from Hams Hall in the Midlands to Novara in Northern Italy was operated on High Speed 1 to test the operation of a loaded freight train on this railway. The assessment was declared an outstanding success by both DB Schenker Rail and High Speed 1, with a fault free operation being completed.

The train was the first of five such loaded freight train trials that took place on High Speed 1 during May and June 2011.

Regular freight operations on HS1 are not far away.

38 | the rail engineer | september 2011

signalling & telecoms

networks Building writer

Frank Van Campenhout

Fig 1

Fig1: Redundant ring topology

Fig2: All applications are mapped in configurable channels with a dedicated bandwidth.

Fig3: Different application network layers (SLANs) are created on a single physical network.

designing a telecommunications W hen network, the interconnections of the different elements can be arranged in various patterns. These arrangements are called the network’s topology, and this can be physical (the arrangement of the hardware and actual connections) or logical (how data is actually transferred within the network).

Metro & Rail infrastructures have specific networking requirements that are different from the traditional office or factory automation environments. A metro or railway line has a stretched physical topology, which can extend over long distances. The fibre-optic communication cables normally run alongside the track, and it is good practice to install them some distance apart or along different routes on both sides of the track to provide spatial redundancy in case of a cable break.

Due to the fact that the physical topology is stretched and that all communications fibres run through one or two fibre-optic cables, the optimal logical network topology for the backbone is a ring, which if broken can still maintain communication to all devices. Where alternative rail routes exist, it is good practice to configure the ring using different routes back to the node point. For large nationwide networks with interconnected lines, a meshed network provides additional redundancy.

Applications The most important network applications are of course signalling installations, such as ERTMS or CBTC, which control and monitor rail or metro operations. The same network can be used for VoIP (Voice over IP) based telephony services and public address (PA),

passenger information systems (PIS), wireless access for passengers & devices in the stations and along the track.

For remote surveillance and access control of the stations and level crossings IP video cameras may be added, which can be monitored in real time or recorded centrally to document incidents.

Applications supporting Power over Ethernet such as VoIP phones, IP CCTV cameras or wireless access points, can be powered via PoE+ ports (IEEE 802.3at).

Remote locations away from the main line can be accessed over optical fibre.

Depending on the available fibre layout this access network can be a star or a redundant Ethernet ring.

When combining different applications on a single network, the network has to take care that there is no mutual interference between applications. Traditionally VLANs (Virtual Local Area Networks) have been used to make a logical separation between application sub networks. However Fig 2 these VLANs don’t guarantee bandwidth availability. That’s why the SLAN concept (Segmented LAN) is introduced which reserves a dedicated amount of bandwidth (hard QoS) for each traffic engineered VLAN.

system dedicates a specific and configurable amount of bandwidth to every individual service. The huge advantage of this is that the bandwidth is always available for the application and that there’s no bandwidth contention between the different applications. This also means that the network can guarantee that adding a new application to the network will have no impact on the performance of signalling or SCADA system, which simplifies network planning and reduces project risk.

Bandwidth in abundance Industrial networks are available with a bandwidth of up to 10Gbps, which easily matches or exceeds the bandwidth requirements in modern metro & rail operations. This high capacity also allows the creation of multiple independent Gigabit Ethernet subnetworks (SLANs) on a single backbone.

Fig 3

Bandwidth guarantee The use of timeslots to provide a guaranteed amount of bandwidth (SLAN) to each application makes the network deterministic. The network management

Reliability & availability The networking technology used should have a proven track record of high reliability and availability in metro and rail applications worldwide. The main system components can be equipped redundantly to maximize system availability.

september 2011 | the rail engineer | 39

signalling & telecoms

Fig4: The addition of an OTN network layer (L1)

Fig 4

Fig5: Centralised network wide management

Fig 5 If possible protection switching in case of cable breaks or equipment failure should be based on hardware (L1) instead of RSTP/MSTP (Rapid Spanning Tree Protocol/Multiple Spanning Tree Protocol) (L2) or routing protocols (L3), which makes protection switching extremely fast (50ms) even for large networks.

For secondary redundancy (in case all fibre links are broken) back-up links over a public network, radio or satellite link can be used by means of MSTP or the embedded OSPF (Open Shortest Path First) routing protocol.

Operational costs The main operational cost is the cost of network unavailability, which is avoided by the industrial design and network reliability as described above.

The network should have an “install and forget” approach. The centralised network management system must provide monitoring, event logging and GUI based

configuration of the complete network, including occasional remote firmware updates.

If the network is deterministic and if the full configuration database can be prepared off-line the project risk and execution time are greatly reduced.

Cyber Security Public transport systems are considered to be critical infrastructure. Therefore the protection of these installations is of the utmost importance. Not only the physical security should be considered, which can be increased by access control, CCTV or other technologies; also the cyber security aspect cannot be neglected.

Legacy interfaces The topics above outline the main issues when it comes to the transmission of Ethernet and IP applications in a reliable and deterministic way. However, often not all applications are Ethernet or IP based. Some

applications are simply not available with an Ethernet interface, for other devices the IP capable version is more expensive. And then there is a lot of existing equipment in the field that is too costly and cumbersome to replace... So it can be useful if the network also supports analogue voice, serial data or analogue video applications directly, without the additional need for external convertors or codecs.

The increasing use of Ethernet & IP capable devices in the public transport sector drives the need for reliable multiservice backbone networks that are secure, have a long service life and are maintenance free. The use of industrial grade networks providing bandwidth reservation, fast restoration, network wide management tools and secure communications is the best guarantee for low operational costs in critical metro and rail applications.

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40 | the rail engineer | september 2011

signalling & telecoms

No

ToeStepping for TroTred Lungmuss, when he was R ichard Network Rail’s Director of Maintenance in Scotland, had a bit of a problem. He needed a solution to over-capacity cable routes resulting in cables lying unprotected on the ballast. In addition to this he was also looking for a safe walkway to be incorporated into the design of the solution.

Traditional concrete cable ducts didn’t seem flexible enough in their design to cope with high-capacity routes, so his mind turned to polymers and he started discussions with Trojan Services who already manufactured the TroTrof polymer cable trough range.

TroTred

Laying TroTred troughs on the Airdrie-Bathgate project.

The result was TroTred, an adaptable polymer trough system that is the same width as a safe-cess walkway - 700mm.

Manufactured as 5 separate components, which can be assembled into the finished trough either in the depot or onsite depending upon the project’s requirements, this novel approach combines the walkway with cables buried under walkers’ feet.

As standard, TroTred is 700 mm wide with a central separator and two 350mm wide slipresistant lids. Due to its modular nature, even higher capacity routes can be accommodated by simply adding additional centre sections and dedicated mid-section lids. Where space is limited, removing the central section and replacing the lids with a single one that is 440mm wide, produces the equivalent of a C1/43

trough. In even tighter situations, such as over or under bridges, the original TroTrof is manufactured to the same standards and is a direct replacement for a C1/9 concrete trough.

The twin-segment interior of TroTred allows power cables to be routed down one side and signalling and telecom cables down the other. The separation is enough to eliminate most interference problems. So now the safe-cess walkway has replaced the need for two conventional concrete cable troughs.

High volume The first high-volume use of TroTred was on Scotland’s new Airdrie-Bathgate line.

22,000 sections, or 22km of length, were incorporated into the design of the longest new conventional passenger railway line to be built in the UK for 100 years. Contractors were impressed by the ease with which TroTred was installed, and the extra-wide troughs meant even the most complicated signalling and communications installations could be accommodated with ease.

Theft resistant Cable theft has been an increasing problem in recent years. Each lid of TroTred can be fastened down using hexagonheaded screws, making their removal a more time-consuming problem and therefore deterring all but the most determined thieves. In addition, cable cleats can be fastened into the bottom of each trough

PHOTOS: RACHEL MILLER / TROJAN SERVICES LTD

segment. These prevent cables being dragged out of just one access in the trough, thieves now have to remove every lid and cut every cleat - probably more trouble than they will bother with.

Improving Paisley Trojan is currently supplying the Paisley Corridor Improvement programme. This is one of Scotland’s busiest passenger routes and Network Rail have committed to a full re-signalling of the route. TroTred has been further developed to include the use of Vortok posts that can be slotted into the unit to create a green zone when maintenance is carried out. Isolated access to one side of the troughing route is often all that is needed as only one of the twin lids has to be removed to expose each segment of the interior.

These latest units have enabled the installation team to negotiate restricted access and tight time restraints due to their lightweight material, flexibility in terms of adaption and doing away with the need to install a separate cess walkway for rail personnel. Experience gained on the Airdrie to Bathgate project has enabled Trojan to assist the Paisley team to dramatically reduce the impact of site-specific issues by offering TroTred as a solid solution to what would otherwise be an extremely difficult cable route installation.

Manufacturing and recycling All Trojan products are manufactured using high quality recycled polymer materials and an injection moulding process. Production and

september 2011 | the rail engineer | 41

signalling & telecoms materials comply with ISO 9001 standards ensuring product quality and full traceability of component parts. This attention to quality has ensured products delivered to site are compliant and therefore projects no longer need to over-order to account for rejects and breakages. All Trojan’s products can be recycled after their useful life, which has been demonstrated to exceed Network Rail’s minimum requirement of 25 years. For life expired units, and for installers’ offcuts, there is a recycling option to recover costs as part of the whole life benefits.

Due to the relatively light weight of the material - approx a fifth that of concrete fewer trucks are required for transport to site, resulting in fewer forklift truck movements and general handling of the product at the depot and on-site. This reduction of carbon footprint, together with the use of recycled polymers, offers Network Rail and other customers an opportunity to enhance their “green” credentials.

Constant improvement Trojan is constantly working with its customers, contractors and the rail industry in general to improve the benefits its products offer. Having supplied products to London Underground, Tyne & Wear Metro in Newcastle and Network Rail, Trojan is able to gather feedback from a variety of customers and build upon what is already a successful product range. For example, at London

Bridge, where access is extremely limited, Trojan’s C1/43 dimensioned troughs are being considered for both cable protection and a narrow cess walkway.

In recognition of the improvement that TroTred offers rail personnel when working trackside, and the environmental benefits, Network Rail presented Trojan Services Ltd with the 2010 Innovation Award at their annual Partnership Awards Dinner held at the NEC Hilton, Birmingham. With supplies to Thameslink and Crossrail on the horizon, Trojan look forward to continuing to combine neater and safer cable protection with improved personnel safety and reduced environmental impact and unit costs for some time to come.

Quality Sustainability Reliability Traceability Deliverability

Recycling today's waste for tomorrow's products Trojan Services Limited uses state of the art

cable trough and walkway have been designed

processes and high quality recycled polymers to

with quality, sustainability, reliability, traceability and

produce innovative and outstanding quality products

deliverability as inspiration.

for the railway and civil engineering industries.

The TroTrof® cable troughing system won the

Working closely with Network Rail over the past

Network Rail Environmental Award for Innovation in

decade, Trojan has developed a new, user

2008. The TroTred® combined walkway and cable

innovative cable troughing system. Both the

troughing system has been awarded the Network

TroTrof® cable trough and the TroTred® combined

Rail Partnership Award 2010 for Innovation.

Tel: Fax: Web: Email:

PO Box 675, Chichester, PO19 9LG 0845 074 0407 01243 783654 www.trojan-services.com info@trojan-services.com

42 | the rail engineer | september 2011

signalling & telecoms

Boxing clever writer

Background

Grahame Taylor

Right, so what does this mean and why is it on the table? It’s time to look at the current situation and also a bit of history.

There are, very broadly, three types of signal boxes. There are the 19th century structures with mechanical levers. These are frequently single-manned boxes in rural locations. All in all there are about five hundred in this category. They often control access to and from a branch line. If they’re unstaffed, then the branch is shut and this predetermines whether late evening or early morning trains can run.

In the 20th century, the panel box appeared from the 1930s onwards followed much later by the IECC (Integrated Electronic Control Centres) and there are a total of around two hundred of these. Some of these too are single manned. In recent years the Rail Operating Centres (ROC) have been built which, like the IECCs, have modern

announcing the closure of T heoverheadline 800 signal boxes is bound to attract attention. Even more so when there will be only 14 remaining. But what is behind all of this? What is Network Rail attempting to achieve by the wholesale closure of almost every signal box on the network?

Talking all this through with Steve Knight, Network Rail’s Head of Operations Development, it’s obvious that there’s some serious thinking behind the headline. It’s not just about the closure of boxes. In Network Rail’s words, “It’s a planned, co-ordinated and accelerated programme of signalling renewals with control moved to fourteen new centres that will feature new automated traffic management systems and software.”

ergonomically designed working environments and VDUs (banks of computer screens). There are just eight of these at the moment with a further six planned.

High unit costs The exercise isn’t a witch hunt against the mechanical boxes on the basis that mechanical is bad and computers are good.

It comes down to economics and a desire to improve the service for train operators.

Typically, the mechanical and early boxes control relatively few SEUs (Signal Equivalent Units)... one signaller in control of just a handful of levers. In fact, 18% of Network Control absorbs 49% of operating costs. At the other end of the scale - the area of the ROCs - one signaller can control 200 - 300 SEUs. In these centres, 12% of Network Control absorbs just 4% of Operating costs.

The challenge for Steve and his team is how to address the issue of high unit costs at the same time as acknowledging that some of the older, simple equipment is very reliable - at the moment. But the party doesn’t go on for ever though. Much of the signalling stock will need to be renewed in the next thirty years. Couple with this the desire to offer improved train operation (capacity/performance/passenger information), and a need to drive down operating costs and what has emerged is a strategy for an accelerated renewal policy along with another to control the network more effectively.

This all might seem a little ‘blue skies’. But it’s not really. There is no delving into technology that doesn’t exist at the moment. There’s no reliance on signal equipment that has yet to prove itself or even be invented. Steve’s strategy is based on existing technologies and existing traffic management capabilities.

Closure rates Returning for a moment to the box closure proposal it’s worth remembering that closures have been going on for at least the last 110 years. In 1900 there were 10,000

44 | the rail engineer | september 2011

boxes. After Beeching there were 5,000. BR had a relentless programme that closed around 100 per year. In fact, in the last 10 years before privatisation, BR closed more boxes than exist on the network at the moment.

Then, abruptly, it all went quiet after privatisation with only 10 closures a year.

The current Operating Strategy is aiming to close about 50 per year - just half the rate of the closures under BR, quite a few of which will be within the working memory of many on the railway.

Predictive modelling So, with the aim to centre train control on just 14 buildings, what are the possibilities?

Cost savings are one obvious result. The other Holy Grail is the ability to concentrate information from the network so that it will be feasible to model the running of trains in real-time and also to predict the behaviour of trains far more reliably than at present.

What traffic management systems (TMS) are used to predict train behaviour at the moment? Well, to be blunt, there aren’t any.

There is extensive reliance on experienced humans who are very good at what they do.

But it can be argued that the very powerful skills they use in their predictions could be of more use in the management of evolving situations. Up for grabs is the ability to reduce reactionary delays. This is the time lost between an incident occurring and the normal timetable being restored. At the moment, this accounts for 50% of all industry delays. Laudable though it may be to invest in reliable rolling stock or infrastructure this 50% just doesn’t go away.

Ten million minutes roll up every year and it has remained stubbornly static. Experience gained in other parts of the world suggest that a 20% reduction in reactionary delays is possible.

signalling & telecoms

Traffic management systems Although seemingly futuristic, the traffic management system uses proven software and processes from across the world, which will be adapted and prototyped in new centres with industry colleagues and supplier partners. It will be highly automated and will largely run itself.

It will include real-time planning/prediction and resolution of movement conflicts. This is done by optimising the use of the existing infrastructure to enable more capacity without impacting performance. And as a result it will include a single operational information system, providing real-time information to passenger and freight customers particularly during times of disruption.

It’s worth remembering that none of this is Signalling. None of this impacts on the interlocking. It gathers information from the signalling interlocking and uses this as a basis for its calculations.

Effective communications network It’s an uncomfortable fact for signal engineers and control software system writers that they can’t achieve anything unless there’s an effective communications network between the centres. Plonking fourteen buildings down around the country will be a waste of time if they are not able to be sat smack on the top of a large cable linking them with every other part of the network and indeed every other centre.

Steve is confident that this too is achievable and in most cases already in position.

The linking of buildings using the national secure telecoms network gives some interesting possibilities. As none of them will have conventional panel displays - the sort of thing that is dedicated to a particular stretch of line - it is possible for any centre to control any part of the network. With VDUs it could be possible for them to show a local layout and then, if an adjacent box is ‘out of action’, the layout for a remote location. This ‘great idea’ runs into practical difficulties if the operators of the centre are unfamiliar with the new layout. As Steve says, “Much of all this has to do with people rather than an addiction to technology”.

Action plans These are the ideas - what are the plans?

There are three things to do. First of all build the new operating centres. These unlock operating efficiencies. Steve’s view is that, “We’re about creating an environment where you’ve got all of the bits of running a railway you need in the same place; signalling control, electrical control and the train company resource. You will not succeed unless all the interfaces are seamless.”

As far as the location of these centres is concerned Network Rail has adopted a pragmatic mix of what they’ve already got, where they aspire to have locations in the future, and they’ve taken into consideration things like use of existing buildings, flows of train traffic, route customer boundaries.

Undoubtedly, people will say that these will change. They can change but they didn’t

Who points the way when it comes to signalling?

The Siemens answer: The latest Simis W v3 interlocking for the UK Simis W v3 can now work in a de-central mode like SSI. This substantially reduces the civils footprint and cabling required, whilst retaining its central architecture feature for complex stations and allows cost effective solutions for projects of all sizes. It also comes with hot swappable element controllers which can directly control DC point machines and NR LEDs, enhancing reliability even further.

The geographic principle embedded in the Simis W logic allows for a high degree of automation in data engineering, leading to excellent long term efficiencies like reduced onsite testing and shorter possessions. www.siemens.co.uk/mobility

Answers for mobility.

46 | the rail engineer | september 2011

signalling & telecoms

come about by fluke either. They’ve come about though patterns of travel, historical logical boundaries - and these arguments become less relevant all the time the centres can talk to each other.

From a technology point of view, these debates about boundaries are less relevant.

What is important is the people aspect.

There are two Modular Signalling pilot schemes today.

Crewe to Shrewsbury and Norwich to Ely are both due to be commissioned in the next year.

“We can create a case to replace mechanical boxes or re-control power boxes earlier than their renewal date with an aim to get about 80% of the network complete in the next 15 years. It is an acceleration of the renewal process.

Undoubtedly, mechanical boxes would carry on, but they incur disproportionately high annual costs in the process and can’t interface with Traffic Management technology.”

Modular Signalling pilot schemes

Prototypes

Secondly there’s the accelerated consolidation - the removal of mechanical systems and the re-control of power boxes.

Up to now Network Rail would have deployed the same signalling renewal solution on a mechanical route as they would have on a main line. Modular Signalling is a slightly simpler method of signalling for secondary lines and this technology will be used to allow mechanical signalling renewals to be consolidated into the new centres.

Finally there is the introduction of the traffic management technology which unlocks output capabilities. There will be a nationally specified TMS that will be independent of interlocking technology.

So, for example, it will be able to talk to an Invensys interlocking or a Siemens interlocking or an SSL interlocking. And this independence allows the TMS technologies to be refreshed more frequently than the interlocking technologies.

Network Rail is talking to six suppliers Signalling Solutions Ltd, Thales, Ansaldo, GE, Hitachi and Invensys - and aim to build two or three prototypes before next summer.

Steve points out that, “This is about making sure that our data can be integrated into their products. In discussions we need to understand what we want from traffic management and what they are capable of supplying.”

There are existing products which are operated in other parts of the world. They largely automate the routine stuff so allowing people to manage the emerging problems.

“We don’t have predictive capability. We’ve systems which say where trains are and how late they are, but nothing to say where they will land up and what to do about it.”

Building a prototype will give a better idea of the technology and also the training and people side. The prototype will probably centre on a workstation rather than being built into a resignalling scheme.

Although the headlines focus on the 800 signalbox closures, there’s much more involved in this project. Technology and communications have advanced to a point where everything is possible. And to a great extent, if it’s possible to do today then, sure as eggs, it’ll be possible tomorrow - and possibly easier.

Microprocessors will come and go, manufacturers will come and go, but the basic architecture of the new operating system will persist for decades to come.

september 2011 | the rail engineer | 47

feature

From Micro 2011, a brand new rail M acroRail industry exhibition, will be held at Long Marston, Warwickshire, on Friday 16 September.

Before you ask why we need another rail show, MacroRail differs from other UK exhibitions in several major respects. First of all is the venue. The Long Marston Storage Facility, just 7 miles southwest of Stratford on Avon, has over 20 miles of private track with 125 run offs and sidings and currently provides storage to over 1000 pieces of rolling stock. It also has several large buildings, formerly army storage sheds, the size of aircraft hangers. So, with one of the buildings and a length of track being used for the show, there is plenty of room for both on-track and off-track displays.

Rail Alliance Secondly, Long Marston is also home to the Rail Alliance. So entry to the show will be free, to both exhibitors and visitors. This will allow companies to spend their budgets on their displays, without worrying about stand space costs, making for a better presentation to visitors.

Rail Alliance approached 50 of their member organisations and suggested that they stage an exhibition with live demonstrations of welding equipment, tamping machines, vegetation control machines and shunting depot plant so that visitors could see the products demonstrated in real life situations.

Micro Rail The basic idea came about after last year’s very successful Micro Rail concept saw a group of 15 rail companies coexhibiting on a ‘value for money’ basis in Central Hall, Westminster, London. At that time, Micro Rail was put forward as an antidote to large expensive exhibitions. The idea grew from the original 15 companies so that now 50 organisations are taking part by inviting their customers and potential customers to come along, see what they have on show, discuss what has been developed and find out how it could benefit their business in a real rail environment.

Visitors can expect to see Rail Alliance members exhibiting rolling stock components, fabrications (including lightweight infrastructure structures and aluminium extrusions), mechanical and electrical systems,

to Macro Long Marston.

communications devices, cables and cable conduits, lighting, welding equipment and a host of other products. There will be providers of services such as non-destructive testing, surveying and mapping, and drainage maintenance. In short, there will be a wide variety of things to see.

Southco Southco are another Rail Alliance member exhibiting at MacroRail 2011.

They will be demonstrating their innovative fast-track access solutions for the rail industry. The company specialises in latching, locking, and electronic access and positioning controls for both rolling stock and infrastructure companies. Widely recognised as global experts in the supply of the next generation of engineered access hardware technologies for exterior and interior rail applications, Southco have a tried and tested ‘Vise Action’ compression latch which will be on display with a variety of actuation mechanisms. The unique technology of these latches prevents panels from opening accidentally or through constant vibration and also have visual indicators for open/closed positions.

Also on display will be Southco’s cost effective, easy-to-configure and install fixed and adjustable-grip cam latches which are widely used within the railway sector. Visitors will be able to see for themselves how Southco’s range of hinges and positioning control mechanisms are designed to provide improved quality to the feel of key touch points, such as LCD screens, drop-down tables, headrests and armrests.

SOUTHCO ®

E3

Designed for quick, secure closure in applications where vibration, sealing, and quality are paramount POSITION IT

ACCESS IT

VISE ACTION ® Compression latches

Over 5000 INDUSTRY PROVEN variations including multiple sizes, materials and access styles FASTEN IT

SECURE IT

Europe Customer and Technical Support Centre Tel: (44) (0) 1905 346722 Fax: (44) (0) 1905 34672

www.southco.com info@southco.com

ADJUST IT

48 | the rail engineer | september 2011

Trimble GEDO CE TMD from Korec.

feature

Korec

Korec will be running a series of As specialists in the provision of demonstrations during the day on three of construction, mapping, machine control and their systems: rail survey solutions for the Rail Industry, the The Trimble GEDO CE TMD - a multiKorec team will be on hand throughout the function highly accurate track measuring day answering questions on their complete device which, along with in-field and officerail portfolio. On the stand will be a Trimble based software, is approved for use by R8 GNSS, a range of Trimble’s GPS mapping Network Rail. and data collection systems for vegetation GEDO Vorsys - a user friendly system control, asset management etc. and also featuring two track measurement devices to Trimble’s optical and GPS Site Positioning speed up the measuring process when used in conjunction Macrorail Ad AugSystems.

11:rail engineer 24/08/2011 16:27 Page with 1 a tamper.

Sensefly swingletCAM - an unmanned flying camera for aerial mapping projects that can be launched by hand and weighs less than 500g making it ideal for route planning and checking track-side vegetation etc.

MacroRail - Confirmed exhibitors

KOREC on track for MacroRail

demonstrating Trimble's GEDO CE Track Measurement Device and Sensefly's unmanned flying camera

As specialists in the provision of construction, mapping, machine control and rail survey solutions for the Rail Industry, the KOREC team will be on hand throughout the day answering questions on the complete KOREC rail portfolio.

On the stand will be a Trimble R8 GNSS, a range of Trimble’s GPS mapping and data collection systems for multiple applications including vegetation control and asset management and Trimble’s optical and GPS Site Positioning Systems.

www.korecgroup.com

info@korecgroup.com

tel: 0845 603 1214

16th September Rail Alliance HQ Long Marston Bus Pk

4U Recruitment Achilles Information Ltd Adaptaflex Applied Inspection Arc-Gen Hilta Autodrain Ltd Avdel UK Ltd BCRRE Belvoir Engineering Services Ltd Bernstein Ltd Birley Manufacturing Ltd Bridge Rail Ltd D’Accord Management Services Dandryer Dytecna Eglin Concourse International Essempy Eurostar Excalibur Screwbolts Ferrartis First Components Flexicon Focon Global Key Greenmech Hall Rail Harmon Group iLecsys Independent Glass Institute of Metal Finishing ISC Best Practice Jake Services Kaba Ltd KMandT

Korec Lindhurst Engineering Ltd MAN Group Martin Axford Photography MAS - WM McGeoch LED Technology MIRA Motorail Novo Graf Pathfinder Rail Security Pestokill Ltd Powerbox Group Rail Media Group Railway Benefit Fund Resource Engineering Projects Rockwell Automation RS Components Samuel Wilkes (Engineering) Ltd Sapa Profiles Savigny Oddie SCG Solutions Schroff UK Ltd Southco Manufacturing Ltd Stewart Wittering the rail engineer Tappex Group TQ Catalis Trans-Tronic TRB Lightweight Structures Visul Systems W H Tildesley Westermo Data Communications Worlifts Ltd Zonegreen

september 2011 | the rail engineer | 49

feature

SMC Lighting SMC lighting towers have long set the standard for quality, reliability and performance. Their 1000W metal halide lamps give a bright and even light to cover the whole of a working area. There is also an auto-tilt option for directing light to a speciďŹ c work area. The lamps can be quickly retracted from their 8 metre height if they need to be manoeuvred under bridges and hazardous overhead power cables.

The lighting towers are equipped with an auto-start/stop facility which reduces fuel consumption by around 30%, helping users with their ecocredentials while also reducing costs.

Arc-Gen Hilta A live welding demonstration by ArcGen Hilta will show their Network Rail-approved Weldmaker 165SP2 coupled to an ESABâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Railtrac BV/BVR 1000. This robust super-silent generator is neighbour-friendly for companies operating in built-up areas and is ideal for working near stations in the evenings and weekends. Compact

and lightweight, weighing in at a mere 77kg, it is easily manoeuvrable from track access points to the worksite for essential repairs.

Being able to simultaneously use both welding and auxiliary outputs increases the versatility of this powerful little generator, whilst an auto-idle facility enables it to operate for up to 10 hours without needing to be refuelled. Two machines can be linked in parallel to double the welding output, offering companies considerable cost and time savings when on track.

Indoors, Arc-Gen Hilta will be lighting up the old hangars with their new and innovative Lumaphore soft light system and their Network Rail approved SMC-TL 90 mobile lighting tower alongside a static SL-90. These are available in 24V - 240V versions and the lightweight (only 8.5kg), robust tower is easily transportable. With an impressive ability to light up to 2400m², Lumaphore is an ideal lighting solution for rail projects where space is at a premium and the work site is far from an access point.

MacroRail 2011 is totally free to attend with free on-site parking. As Long Marston is a secure site, those wishing to visit Macro Rail 2011 are asked to register their intention via info@railalliance.co.uk or contact Rhona Clarke on 01789 720 026.

50 | the rail engineer | september 2011

drainage

&

Leaves Drains long, dull summer behind us and W iththeapromise of yet more dreary weather to come, the UK is once again battling with the threat of heavy rainfall and potential flooding. For most people this just means that the flip-flops are put away for another year and the wellies are dug out, but for the rail community it is a much more serious concern.

Flooding and water damage have always posed a threat to the UK’s rail infrastructure, given the very nature of the structures themselves. With most tracks built before engineers had a full understanding of soil mechanics, the soil and rock based structures are easily damaged by extreme weather conditions. Flash flooding poses a very real danger to the security of much of the country’s railways, and in turn the services that they provide.

In-depth study

An engineering study by Network Rail last year found that many asset failures were directly caused by water and drainage problems. Failures can cause lasting damage to ballast and formation, leading not only to potential delays in service, but also to lengthy and expensive repair work.

Network Rail released their ‘Interim Climate Change Adaptation Report’ in September 2010 detailing the possible effects of climate change on the nation’s rail infrastructure and highlighting specific concerns. The report focused on the dangers of flooding and how it can cause serious damage not only to timetables, but also to the very structure of our railways. With the report concluding that flooding is a long term, high risk problem, it is clear that something needs to be done to secure the network’s infrastructure.

South Croydon Even though it was not caused by bad weather, the recent severe disruption in the South Croydon area perfectly displayed the dangers of water inundation and highlighted the problems that it can cause. A burst water main led to a mudslide onto a busy commuter line, leaving 2,400 tonnes of debris blocking the tracks and severing services on the London to Brighton Line. Whilst it is true to say that

even the most sophisticated drainage systems would have struggled to cope with such a huge amount of water, it is certain that the drainage ditches and systems went some way to containing a situation that could have been a lot worse. After all, it took clean-up teams a full night to clear the tracks of debris to ensure some services could run the following morning. Without proper drainage would a normal service have been able to resume so quickly?

Leaves on the line As well as ensuring that drainage systems are in place and working to their full potential, another key element in the battle against flooding is vegetation management.

It is no secret that ‘leaves on the line’ has to be every commuters favourite excuse for service delays, but this very real issue is a concern with regards to track-side drainage.

With leaves, branches and vegetation debris being one of the key causes of blocked drains, it is imperative that this problem is tackled at source, helping prevent problems before they happen.

Specialised equipment The Quattro Group, one of the UK’s largest rail plant suppliers, has recognised the need for such action, and has dedicated an entire department to the maintenance of trackside drainage and the associated problems.

As well as cleaning, flushing and maintaining all types of track drains, this department also provides a wrap-around service which deals with the maintenance of track-side vegetation.

september 2011 | the rail engineer | 51

drainage This means that Quattro can not only flush and remove blockages in drains using modern, custom-designed machines such as Multicar jetters and powerful gully suckers, but their core machines also have attachments designed to deal with trackside vegetation thus ensuring that problems don’t happen in the first place.

Cheltenham An example of such works was the recent rehabilitation of 1,000m of drainage for Amey Colas at Cheltenham station and the surrounding tracks. Over the course of six weekends, the team was able to use a powerful gully sucker to remove silt and debris in the system, before using a Multicar vehicle fitted with a powerful jetter to flush the drains free of blockages and ensure that the water was able to run freely.

Such specialised equipment, whilst powerful enough to tackle the task at hand, completely clogged or had even collapsed. remains compact enough to be managed by Catching such issues quickly allows a team of only two trained operators per maintenance works to be carried out to machine. This small team ensures that, replace or repair areas in the system that whilst the job is completed quickly and may cause problems in the future, thus efficiently, there is no need for the operation reducing the need for emergency repairs. to disrupt existing works or cause major Whilst undoubtedly one of the least issues with access or transport. glamorous aspects of railway engineering, As well as carrying out a clear-up of the drainage is one of the core considerations existing drains, the drainage operators were to the maintenance of the UK’s rail also able to file a detailed maintenance infrastructure. Without proper care and report, highlighting areas in which the attention, flooding and water damage drainage system was weakened or needed could wash away the service that we replacing. The report detailed the level of silt strive for. that had built up in localised catchpits and Keeping the drains flowing helps keep the ZD262 in Quattro Drainage Ad:Layout 1 24/8/11 16:43 Page 1 Mudslide at South Croydon. locations which theR_Eng pipes were trains going.

QUATTRO DRAINAGE SERVICES KEEPING YOU RIGHT ON TRACK With a large fleet of vehicles specifically designed for the cleaning and maintenance of track-side drainage, the Quattro Group is ideally placed to deal with any drainage problems. Using our modern fleet, including a number of multicar-mounted jetters and gully suckers (all with integral CCTV for the surveying of track-side drains), the team can not only solve the problem, but also help diagnose any inefficient areas and help prevent further issues.

As one of the UK’s largest rail plant suppliers, the Quattro Group can guarantee to have not only the right equipment, but also the perfect people for the job. With a team of highlytrained operators working from 13 depots around the country last-minute emergencies can always be catered for, and you can be sure that projects will be completed efficiently and with no disruption to existing works or schedules.

Call us today on tel: 0845 900 2999 or visit our website at: www.quattroplant.co.uk

52 | the rail engineer | september 2011

drainage

Drainage development

has long been recognised that the I tprovision of drainage in permanent way

writer

David Haines

Group Business Development Director, Burdens Rail

work is a vital factor in ensuring the effectiveness and long-life of ballast.

Recently, designers have put a greater emphasis on good drainage design. This has resulted in product development to ensure that not only is any drainage system guaranteed to perform its primary function but that it offers advantages in terms of speed and safety of installation.

Draining Swiss track A good example of this new product development was seen recently at Lake Thun in the Bernese Oberland, Switzerland.

Here, BLS Netz AG operates a rail network spanning more than 900 km. Direct proximity to Lake Thun and Lake Brienz as well as minuscule differences in altitude regularly cause the groundwater level to rise and penetrate the track bed. After more than 30 years of service, it was decided to renew the railway line. In parallel with permanent-way renewal, the existing drainage system - made of concrete pipes in an open drain trench along the railway line and the cross drainage to a navigational canal also had to be modernised. According to the requirements of RTE 21110 (Swiss Railway Technical Code of Practice governing requirements for roadbed and ballast), the piping system required for railway line drainage in the roadbed and ballast has to meet the figures specified by

the operator, e.g. a clear water inlet opening of at least 100cm² and a minimum slot width of 6mm.

To ensure reliable operation of such a drainage system over a period of decades, demanding static, dynamic and mechanical requirements also have to be met. The gradient requirements are 0.65 to 11.05 per mil.

This construction project was realised with Simodrain® drainage pipes with an outside diameter of 250mm, SDR (Standard Dimension Ratio) 21, and 10mm slotting, specially developed for traffic route drainage by local company Simona. These extruded smooth-wall pipes meet the requirements of such a system, and with their large water inlet area they are capable of handling the specified 100cm. Using a special slot geometry and slot arrangement, and with the excellent hydraulic properties of the polyethylene (PE) material, the drainage provided by the system is ‘best in class’ and designed for the long term. End-milled slotting avoids undercuts, and hence deposits and incrustations. In addition, the pipes are easy to rinse out, making them the perfect solution for the Swiss railway infrastructure operator.

Cubis STAKKAbox Ultima Access Chamber

september 2011 | the rail engineer | 53

drainage In the UK, Burdens, who have been involved in drainage since the company was founded in the 1920s, is currently working with Network Rail to introduce the Simona range of heavy-duty solid-wall PE pipes for use in pressure zones and critical track drainage applications.

Catchpits Installing catchpits, a traditionally timeconsuming process, is another area where new thinking can pay dividends. Now Cubis Industries, a company with three manufacturing sites in Ireland and the UK, has developed the STAKKAbox Ultima access chamber. This is claimed to have numerous advantages over existing systems, particularly as regards speed of installation.

Indeed, because the chamber comes complete to site, they can be installed in as little as 18 minutes by a two-man team.

Other advantages are a loading strength of 12.5 tonnes, high chemical resistance, and design flexibility. Manufactured from recycled materials, the chambers offer a high level of safety in installation and use, all of which makes the product very cost-effective.

Cubis drainage catch pits are approved by Network Rail and by Manchester Metrolink, and supplied in the UK by Burdens.

Concrete Cloth Another innovative product, which has been mentioned in the rail engineer before, is so-called Concrete Cloth, a flexible cement-impregnated fabric that hardens when hydrated. It comes in a roll format with

a PVC waterproof backing and has been used on several Network Rail contracts where a traditional concrete pour would have been difficult. This flexible, strong and durable material is also easy to lay, allowing around 400m of ditch to be installed in one day with minimal staff. Concrete Cloth has achieved a Euroclass B-sl fire rating.

In September 2009, a 140m section of ditch was lined using Concrete Cloth by Amalgamated Construction (AMCO). The project was commissioned by Network Rail to provide drainage at the top of a railway embankment in Chipping Sodbury, Gloucestershire. This was the first time AMCO had used this product for ditch lining and the project was heralded as a major success. Concrete Cloth proved significantly quicker and easier to install than conventional concrete slab construction, reducing the project cost and time on site. The cloth was supplied in portable rolls for ease of use on a site with limited access.

Andrew Gurd, construction manager for contractor Amalgamated Construction Ltd, said “Concrete Cloth is incredibly quick and easy to use. It allowed us to line over 100m of ditch in less than 8 hours, with the minimum of manpower and plant.”

Installation begins with digging a Vshaped ditch with smooth, flat sides.

Concrete Cloth can be supplied by Burdens either in man portable-lengths (8 linear metres weighs 105kg) or in large rolls (120m, 1400kg) if the

necessary plant is available. Once unrolled and positioned, the cloth is hydrated by controlled spraying with water - even sea water may be used - with care being taken to avoid washout. An excess of water should be used as Concrete Cloth cannot be overhydrated. Once hydrated, it remains workable for about two hours, although warm ambient temperatures may reduce the working time. It hardens to 80% of its 28day strength in 24 hours and is ready for use.

Drainage products may be largely hidden from view, but that doesn’t mean that innovation is not taking place. After all, every high-technology engineering project needs good drains…

w www.burdens.co.uk/rail

Slotted drainage pipe at Lake Thun, Switzerland.

54 | the rail engineer | september 2011

drainage

Rail Drainage Asset Management weather can flood properties and S evere businesses, disrupt transport systems and cause real hardship to communities. The performance of any local drainage system determines the level of protection offered so in periods of unstable weather its condition must be effectively managed.

Ineffective drainage can have a significant effect on the performance of railway infrastructure and, although flooding is generally over a short duration, it does impact on the reliability of service. More significantly, poor drainage can have a considerable effect on the stability of earthworks causing land slippage. Ballast life can also be shortened and signalling reliability can be reduced.

For those charged with the management and maintenance of UK rail infrastructure, recent severe weather conditions emphasise the need for improved asset knowledge to define, understand, measure and report on the existing drainage systems, delivering: • A single repository for asset information including geographic and performance data.

• Collation of all key asset and performance information.

• Modelling tools to plan and justify capital investment • Use of predictive tools with meteorological data sets to aid with predictive maintenance and event management.

As experts in the surveying, modelling, data management and optimisation of such assets, MWH Farrer utilises smart technology combined with technical expertise to offer drainage solutions to clients. Richard Leigh, National Business Manager, comments, “The rail sector must manage drainage assets effectively to mitigate risk from severe weather.”

Asset Knowledge The basis for successful asset management is an accurate and robust inventory. For this, existing data needs to be qualified and reliable and accurate new data established.

Historic information is held in many different formats, from paper based records and microfiche through to individual survey books. The collection of this information is imperative in a model that supports business serviceability levels, routine operation and targeted investment. A central repository is required to host the corporate data in the standard geographical information GIS format, which allows data to be easily accessed, updated, extracted and imported.

Verification of key facts from various survey types improves confidence in the data. Collection of historic performance data attributed to each asset permits historic analysis to take place, looking at the deterioration of each asset type and understanding life expectancy. Attribute data can then be linked to other business, financial and performance systems to strengthen investment planning.

Capital investment, maintenance planning, performance management, monitoring and reporting are more reliable and accurate using developed technical applications.

Key Benefits • Standardisation of asset identification, information and processes involved in collection and sustainability of data • Improved ability to meet regulatory requirements • Better design and control over the capital program • Improvement in investment performance • Reduced numbers of maintenance programs through predictive replacement

september 2011 | the rail engineer | 55

drainage

â&#x20AC;˘ Reduction in costs to the business â&#x20AC;˘ Improved service performance and safety.

Asset Analysis Once understanding of asset stock is improved, the analysis of these assets under differing environmental occurrences is foremost in understanding the risk to the service levels subsequently provided to the customer. A dependable system of applying available weather data into Risk Management Alerts offers the ability to manage events in respect of drainage systems. The basis of local prediction enables an appropriate response to be planned and delivered. The UK Meteorological OďŹ&#x192;ce and Environment Agency provide national coverage for severe weather. However this assessment can be too coarse for an effective response as it may

miss local events within the bigger picture. A basis of local prediction relative to particular assets enables an appropriate contingency to be planned and delivered.

Routine monitoring of rainfall relative to local catchments and their drainage gives asset operators the information to support decisions on event severity and optimise the response.

Overall monthly catchment inputs can be reported for the performance of drainage systems and carbon accounting. To provide a tool for weather event monitoring requires a system to be adaptable to assessing different risks within different topography.

This can then be used for both short term and long term climate change issues of asset serviceability.

MWH asset management solutions for Rail provides specialist wet infrastructure engineering, managing risk to network performance from pluvial weather events and ageing assets. We have market leading expertise and innovative solutions to resolve difficult wet infrastructure challenges and strive to deliver efficient and sustainable solutions of benefit to our clients, the environment and local communities.

S T R AT E G I C S E R V I C E S : A S S E T D ATA C O L L E C T I O N S E R V I C E S FLOOD RISK ASSESSMENT PROGRAMME MANAGEMENT

+44 (0) 1706 626 258 mwhglobal.com

Farrer Consulting is now part of MWH Global.

56 | the rail engineer | september 2011

senior appointments

Rail Signalling Recruitment Specialists We are looking for licensed signalling candidates across all disciplines in London and UK wide. !Metro !Overground !Controls

Rail and Information

Rates are competitive and roles are available on a contract, fixed term or permanent basis.

For more details on available roles, please call our rail team today on 01489 898130 or e-mail raildivision@matchtech.com 1450 Parkway, Solent Business Park, Whiteley, Fareham PO15 7AF

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TRANSFORM LONDON’S CONNECTIONS Signalling Engineers. All levels.

This is one of the most ambitious signalling projects of its kind: regenerating the London Underground – an icon to many around the world, and a crucial part of daily life for millions in the Capital. For engineers who thrive on complexity, there’s never been a better time to join us. Because until the !"#$%"&'%$()*)+&'!,-.$,)!"/)0$1!++$#&23$4)-!%")0$#&20$!,")0)%".$5,($&2"$6&0)$ !,7&068"!&,$8,($2'+&8($#&20$9:$8"$";3-&*32<=>&?%$@$4)7A$BBCCDE$

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Transport for London

Be ALERT about interlocking monitoring

A new range of event recording solutions from Balfour Beatty Rail New data loggers now available from Balfour Beatty Rail or from Network Rail as part of their framework supply agreement

Asset VIEW Intelligent signalling event analysis system with instantaneous web-based access to signalling asset information For further information on these and other products including monitoring of points, track circuits, ELD and IBJs please contact us.

Balfour Beatty Rail

Midland House, Nelson Street, Derby DE1 2SA Tel: 01332 262013 Fax: 01332 262027 info@bbrail.com www.bbrail.co.uk