News

News in brief First tunnel segment contract for Atkins appointed to carry out accessibility audit for all UK HS2’s London tunnels awarded to Pacadar UK rail stations

Atkins – a member of the SNC-Lavalin Group – has been appointed by the Department for Transport (DfT) to carry out an accessibly audit of all UK rail stations as part of a Government programme to boost inclusivity across the transportation network. The audit, originally pledged in the WilliamsShapps Plan for Rail, will help identify improvements and highlights existing areas of excellence. The findings will form a new public database so people can better plan their journeys and, along with input from disabled passengers, will shape future investment in accessible rail travel as part of the Government’s National Disability Strategy.

Researchers develop algorithm to reduce rail delays

The first algorithm to detect delays automatically on the tracks has been developed. The intelligent tool was developed by researchers at the University of Portsmouth in conjunction with First MTR South Western Railway via a two-year knowledge transfer partnership (KTP), funded by Innovate UK. Despite large increases in passenger numbers, trains and crews, rail operators have been using the same systems and technology for decades. University researchers automatically analysed data to determine the point of delay, identify which trains would be affected and select the appropriate contingency plans to get the services back on track. The intelligent tool is designed with machine learning techniques to reduce dramatically the time to analyse and process the data.

HS2’s contractor delivering the London tunnels, Skanska Costain STRABAG Joint Venture (SCS JV), has signed the first of two contracts for the production of concrete precast tunnel segments that will be used to construct HS2’s London tunnels. Pacadar UK will be manufacturing the tunnel lining at their factory in the Isle of Grain, Kent. It will be the largest contract the company has ever delivered in the UK and will support 180 jobs in the UK.

The segments will be used in the first Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) drives in London, when two giant machines will be launched in early 2022. The production will begin in January next year at the factory and the materials will then be delivered to HS2’s TBM launch site in West Ruislip by rail, reducing HGV movements on the road, where the construction of the twin bored, five-mile, Northolt Tunnel West will begin.

Over 160,000m3 of concrete will be used to make the segments which form a 9.5-metre outside diameter tunnel 0.35 metres thick. Each complete ring is made of seven segments and a key. Each segment weighs approximately seven tonnes. They will be fitted to line the tunnel by the first two of six 2,600 tonnes Tunnel boring Machines (TBMs) that are currently under construction by world leading TBM manufacturer, Herrenknecht, in Germany. They will operate for 22 months non-stop, except for Christmas Day and other bank holidays. The first TBM for the London tunnels will be delivered later this year and will be assembled for launch in 2022.

HS2’s London tunnels from West Ruislip to Euston station will have a total length of 26 miles, the same length as Crossrail. The construction of the first tunnel will be completed in 2024.

News in brief HS2 harnessing the power of pioneering 3D concrete printing to help cut carbon on Revised proposals for Forth Bridge Experience project by up to 50 per cent

Network Rail has submitted a pre-application notice to City of Edinburgh Council for revised proposals to install a bridge walk and visitor hub at the iconic Forth Bridge. The revised proposals include a low-level reception hub to the east of the Forth Bridge, further away from neighbouring residential properties, minimising the impact on the surrounding environment. The pre-application process will include online engagement meetings to communicate the revised proposals to the public and gather feedback which will help inform the final designs. A full planning application, including plans, artist impressions and detailed designs will be submitted later this year following the public engagement exercise.

Work begins to link South Wales Metro Control Centre to the rail network

In a UK first, on-site 3D reinforced concrete printing is set to deliver environmental, cost and community benefits for Britain’s new high speed rail network. The cutting-edge technology, called ‘Printfrastructure’, will be deployed by HS2 Ltd’s London tunnels contractor SCS JV (Skanska Costain STRABAG Joint Venture), in a move that represents a major step forward in construction technology. Printing concrete with computer operated robots will enable SCS JV to make structures on site, instead of transporting them as pre-cast slabs by road before being assembled and lowered into place by large cranes.

As flexible mobile technology, 3D concrete printing enables the technique to be deployed in physically-restricted areas – avoiding the need to develop complicated and potentially expensive logistical plans.

And where HS2 construction is happening besides a live railway, it offers an opportunity to deliver works without disrupting the travelling public. This is because a robot will print the reinforced concrete, enabling construction to continue and trains to run at the same time. Previously work would have taken place overnight after trains have stopped running, potentially disturbing the local community, or would have required the suspension of services to ensure safe working.

Using a computer-controlled robot enables the reinforced concrete structures to be printed with a strengthening unique internal lattice structure, which not only significantly reduces the quantity of concrete required but also cuts waste.

But the breakthrough is underlined by technology developed by SCS JV’s Worcestershire-based partner, ChangeMaker 3D. Working with UK advanced materials specialist, Versarien, the high-tech SME’s innovation takes the 3D concrete printing process and combines it with the strongest material ever tested: graphene.

Concrete with microscopic strands of graphene only several atoms thick running through it like stripes in a stick of rock replaces traditional steel to help drive improved site safety, greater construction flexibility, shorter build time and a smaller carbon footprint.

SCS JV estimates that the process it is developing with the Midlands firm could reduce the concrete used and contribute toward reducing carbon by up to 50 per cent. By removing steel and simplifying the construction process, which will no longer require cranes and significantly fewer delivery trucks, the carbon reduction could be even greater.

Proof of concept trials are due to begin in Spring 2022.

Work to link the South Wales Metro Control Centre to the rail network has begun, ready for the arrival of the new £150-million fleet of Metro tram-trains. The scheme includes raising the road bridge and creating a new tunnel to join the £100 million control centre, maintenance facility and depot in Taff’s Well, Cardiff, to the rail network. Phase 1 will involve work to prepare the site for the new tunnel between 23 August and 10 December 2021. Pending planning approval, Phase 2 will involve the build of the new bridge between 10 December 2021 and Autumn 2022. There will also be work to install deep drainage to the area whilst the modification of Taff’s Well station car park is taking place.

Network Rail gets on board for Samaritans’ Small Talk Saves Lives

British reserve may be internationally renowned but a new survey by Samaritans shows how much we rely on small talk as a nation, even with the limiting social restrictions of the pandemic. The findings come as Samaritans launches a new phase of Small Talk Saves Lives this summer, in partnership with Network Rail, British Transport Police and the wider rail industry, to empower the public to act to prevent suicide on the railways and other settings.

Initially launched in 2017, Small Talk Saves Lives was developed after research showed passengers have a key role to play in suicide prevention. The latest phase of Small Talk Saves Lives has the backing from leading suicide prevention expert and psychologist, Associate Professor Lisa Marzano, from Middlesex University. Further new research from Marzano has confirmed that when asked, people with experience of suicidal thoughts said that verbal interventions, including small talk, providing reassurance and listening, are the most helpful things a person can do to respond to someone in a crisis.

The rail industry and British Transport Police (BTP) work in partnership with Samaritans to reduce suicides on the railway and support those affected by them. The suicide prevention programme includes training railway employees and BTP staff to look out for and offer support to people who may be considering suicide and working within the wider community to de-stigmatise suicide and promote help-seeking behaviour. To date almost 23,000 rail staff and BTP officers have received suicide prevention training.