The Rail Engineer - Issue 123 - January 2015

JANUARY 2015 - ISSUE 123

this issueq RAIL ENGINEERING AND THE LAWq SIGNALLING ON THE WATERCRESS LINEq LEAVES ON THE LINE q RAIL MAPPING FLYING HIGH

DIGITAL RAILWAYNetwork Rail’s Jerry England explains

LENGTHENING PLATFORMSExtending 31 platforms on 17 stations

LET THERE BE LIGHT!Opening up the centre of Birmingham New Street

A MOST INTERESTING EVENINGRail industry awards with a difference

TECHNOLOGY | DESIGN | M&E | S&T | STATIONS | ENERGY | DEPOTS | PLANT | TRACK | ROLLING STOCK

the railengineerby rail engineers for rail engineers

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to the BordersTracks return

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Tracks return to the Borders 10The track goes down on the new Borders railway.

Assuring safety on Scotland's new railway 12NCB provide assessment services.

Two ways to lay track 14Alternative track-laying methods compared in detail.

Slab track through Bowshank 16The Borders’ tunnel needed a different approach.

Leeds station southern entrance 36Limited access meant materials arriving by river.

Lengthening platforms on the North London line 38Not always as easy as it sounds.

Even more Access for All 44The next 26 stations to get a make-over.

Virtual leaves on the virtual line 48Testing the effects of poor adhesion using computers.

Ongoing rail adhesion measurements 50Using an SWT Class 159 to collect data in service.

It’s that time of year! 52The latest leaf-blasting trains that will keep the tracks clean.

All a question of balance 54Determining the safety justifications for new technology.

Rail Engineering and the Law 56Are lawyers really necessary? Oh yes they are...

Rail mapping flying high 60The latest aerial survey techniques can resolve down to 3cm.

Creating added value through survey innovation 66Today’s surveys are likely to be three-dimensional.

Signalling on the Watercress Line 74Impressive system on the Mid Hants Railway.

Wildlife surveys for strategic rail development proposals 76How to find out what is in the way of a new project.

Contents

18

28

42

68

A Most Interesting eveningThe Most Interesting Awards were – most interesting!

Innovation on trackBuilding platforms from expanded polystyrene.

The Digital Railway

Let there be light!

We’re looking to highlight the latest projects and innovations in

Signalling & Telecommunications Earthworks in the March issue of the rail engineer.

Got a fantastic innovation? Working on a great project? Call Nigel on 01530 816 445 NOW!

the rail engineer • January 2015 3

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Our stations focus this month looks at two major stations and a host of smaller ones. We haven’t been to Birmingham New Street for a while and so now’s the time for an update. Collin Carr confesses to frequent spatial confusion at New Street – or, to put it another way, he gets lost. It’s understandable with the cramped and uninviting layout that has been the blight of the station since the 60s. But all this is changing so there’ll be fewer appeals over the PA for someone to claim a lost engineer.

Leeds station has only one entrance for passengers and this is on the north side of the station. As later additions to the station have been on the viaduct that bisects the city, this has meant that there has been a north/south divide. Opening up an entrance to the south is complex. There’s a river in the way! But at last, thanks to a £17.5 million scheme, the station and its viaduct will no longer form a barrier to development.

It’s not as easy as it sounds. Never a truer word was spoken, and it’s very true of platform extension projects. Platforms are often short for very good reasons – there’s usually something in the way that has been too difficult to get past. On the North London line this was the case in many of the 31 that had to be lengthened to accommodate new five car trains. Just one carriage can make quite a difference as Nigel Wordsworth finds out.

Two articles cover the latest developments in surveying techniques. A few years ago, the idea of surveying Clapham Junction without cross-track measurements at some point would have been unthinkable. Today, you can have it in 3D as well! And up in the sky, aerial surveys have taken on a whole new level of accuracy.

The new Borders railway is really coming on apace with the track finally being laid. David Shirres has been to see how it is being done, and muses on the pros and cons of the various

methods being used on this and the other new-build railways. Ballasted track wasn’t an option in Bowshank tunnel though. The clearances just didn’t add up.

Ever thought that awards events are somehow stuck in a rut? Well, here at The Rail Engineer we’re always looking for different ways of doing things, innovative – and interesting. So, the most interesting awards bash organised by the Rail Exec Club that was held in Leicester well and truly broke the mould. Nigel’s account of what went on belies the fact that he had to take on the role of compere at the very last moment. Heroic ….. and interesting stuff.

There are plenty of urban myths and legends out there concerning environmental legislation and, in particular, the threats of prosecution if a particular species is trodden on or forgotten. Melanie Oxley gives a measured summary of what has to be done for any scale of project.

There’s barely a season that doesn’t cause some sort of grief for the rail industry. This time it’s leaf fall which has been in our writer’s thoughts. Nigel went to ESG’s Derby workshops to witness one computer system being pitted against another. It sounds like Star Wars!

Then there’s a warm welcome to our new writer Polly Rivers who gives us an idea of the tools available to combat leaves and snow, and there’s nothing subtle about any of them at all!

The railway industry is waking

up to the huge opportunities offered by the digital era and the ‘internet of things’. But where to start and how should it all be managed and coordinated? Paul Darlington has been to see Jerry England who is group director, digital railway for Network Rail. Almost counter-intuitively, it seems that what you don’t do is go chasing after new technologies. Instead, look to commercial-off-the-shelf technology and keep a strategic focus.

Perhaps there’s a down side to the term ‘minor railways’. Relatively short, and relatively low speed, but in every other sense they’re major undertakings. And this applies to the signalling that has been installed often from scratch. Make no mistake, there are some major S&T players involved. As Clive Kessell tells us, some of those making the most radical innovations come from outside of the railway industry.

Lawyers. What do you know about them? Hopefully, Clive’s article on the role of lawyers in the railway industry will be helpful. He’s been talking to a company that has considerable experience of our industry. If you think that engineering contracts are tricky, just look at what goes on with rolling stock leasing!

By the time you read this, Christmas will have come and gone. What news then of all the blockades? Can’t tell you this month I’m afraid because this issue went to press just before Christmas Eve. But we will have coverage in our February issue by which time all the dust/frost/snow should have settled.

And here’s a date – or rather, dates - for your diary: Railtex, National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham from 12 to 14 May. See you there!

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Grahame Taylorexhibition on the horizonAction stations!


Nottingham nearly there

Track laying has been completed on a 17.5-kilometre extension of Nottingham’s tram network. More than 3,800 sections of track have been laid using Alstom’s automated Appitrack system, extending Nottingham’s light rail system from the city centre railway station to Chilwell and Clifton.

With track laying now complete on both the Chilwell and Clifton branches, tram operator NET has said testing and commissioning will now “step up a gear”.

Phil Hewitt, chief executive of NET concessionaire Tramlink Nottingham, said: “The work to date – including the diversion and upgrading of buried pipes

and cables – has been difficult and complex but we can now look forward to seeing trams being tested on the new sections of track.

“Before they can carry passengers, the lines have to pass extensive safety and performance tests, and this process includes examining all the signalling

and communications systems as well as the new tracks and infrastructure.”

The expanded network was due to open in December but complications have pushed that date back to early 2015. All 22 of the new Alstom Citadis trams have now been delivered and have begun transporting passengers around the city.

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Edinburgh City Council is to consider the case for extending its tram network to Leith.

Leith had been included in original plans for the light rail system but the length of the line was scaled back after the project ran into funding problems. However, the authority has now asked for a report to be prepared on the proposed extension, which will be presented to the council in spring 2015.

Construction of the new line between Edinburgh Airport and York Place was completed in October 2013, returning trams to the city for the first time in 60 years. Passenger

services began on the 14-kilometre system in May last year. Since its launch, the tram has proved popular and is currently meeting estimated patronage figures.

The council said it retained powers under the Edinburgh Tram (Line One) Act to acquire land on the proposed route between Princes Street, Leith Walk, Leith Docks, Newhaven and Granton. The route then loops back towards the city, in part via a disused railway line between Granton and Roseburn.

NEWS

Leith after all?

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PHOTO: KAREN

BRYAN

the rail engineer • January 20156

NEWS

the construction of a new landmark, two storey station; » The demolition and replacement of four bridges in west London and

Slough and piling work between Hillingdon and Maidenhead ahead of the installation of overhead electric wires for Crossrail;

» Extensive track works across the route and preparations for the installation of two new tracks to link Abbey Wood to the Crossrail tunnels at Plumstead.

Major station improvements will step up in 2015 as part of the upgrade of the existing rail network for Crossrail. A number of stations in outer London will be completely rebuilt, providing passengers with brighter, more spacious ticket halls.

One third down,two thirds to go

Work on Crossrail’s surface section in outer London, Berkshire and Essex is now one third complete. The £2.3 billion upgrade of the existing rail network for Crossrail is being undertaken by Network Rail which has so far invested more than nine million hours in the programme.

Highlights of the work to date include: » The installation of the Stockley

flyover in Hillingdon, which will improve links and increase capacity between Heathrow and

central London from 2018; » Work on a new rail diveunder at

Acton, which will be completed next year;

» The opening of a temporary station at Abbey Wood to allow

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Railtex planning gathers paceWith 2014 safely behind us, planning for this year’s Railtex exhibition in Birmingham has stepped up its tempo. In just five months’ time the show will be welcoming visitors, and while exhibitors make preparations for their own participation, the busy programme of activities planned alongside the exhibition is also taking shape.

Network Rail chairman Richard Parry-Jones will formally open Railtex on Tuesday 12 May, and will deliver a keynote address on the same day. The following day Terence Watson, UK president of Alstom and co-chairman of the Rail Supply Group, will be speaking and on the final day of the show Tim Shoveller, managing director of the South West Trains/Network Rail Alliance, will give his keynote speech.

These presentations by leading industry figures will be hosted by The Rail Engineer, together with a programme of seminars

by representatives of companies taking part in Railtex. They form part of a broader range of events running throughout the show that will include industry seminars, updates on major projects and discussion forums - all aimed at providing valuable insights into industry developments and trends,

and open to everyone attending Railtex.

Railtex 2015 is set to be very busy, with demand for stands remaining strong. By the end of 2014 a total of 310 companies had already confirmed their intention to take part, with floor space sold up by 11% compared with the 2013

exhibition at the same stage - and that event was the biggest since 2007.

This year’s show takes place at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham from 12 to 14 May. For more information and the latest list of exhibitors, go to the show website www.railtex.co.uk.

Iron Bird flies in

Bombardier has launched its new ‘Iron Bird’ integration test facility for the 65 Aventra trains it is manufacturing for London’s Crossrail network.

Mayor of London Boris Johnson opened the new centre, known

internally as ‘Train Zero’, on December 11.

The Iron Bird is one small part of a large investment programme currently underway at Bombardier’s Litchurch Lane site. The manufacturer is close to breaking ground on a separate £12.5 million Aventra testing facility which is needed to house the longer 205-metre trains.

Around £20 million has already been spent on the development of the train itself and a further £142 million is being ploughed into an eight-rail track depot at Old Oak Common in West London.

As well as Crossrail, Bombardier is manufacturing 191 new S Stock Tube trains for the Circle, District, Hammersmith & City and Metropolitan lines, 57 new London Overground cars and new Class 387/1 and 387/2 Electrostar units for Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR).


NEWS

of First Capital Connect, to introduce onto a newly electrified section of railway between Liverpool and Manchester.

On the face of it, this will mean new trains for the North. However, there is also a scheme afoot to refurbish the London Underground’s District line D78 stock, that will be made

redundant by the arrival of Bombardier’s new S-Stock units, and turn them into low-cost trains for the main network. New cab fronts, interiors and underfloor diesel engines will transform the trains which will retain their aluminium bodyshells, bogies and single-element sliding doors.

Pacers on the way out

Northern rail passengers are to finally have their out-dated Pacer trains replaced. In his autumn statement, Chancellor George Osborne said that new franchise agreements would “encourage bidders to replace the outdated pacer trains with modern, better quality trains; bring all the trains that remain up to modern standards”.

In March, the current operator of the Northern franchise, a Serco-Abellio joint venture, was given an extension to keep control

of the route until February 2016. The negotiations also resulted in the DfT agreeing to give the operator 14 Class 319s, formerly

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With track on the Borders project being laid at the rate of 1.3 kilometres a day, it took less than a month from the start of track laying for the new rails to cross into the Scottish Borders on 5 November. This was a newsworthy event as, since losing its

last rail link 46 years ago, this region is the largest in the UK without a railway station.

October’s start of track laying on the UK’s longest new domestic railway for over a hundred years was also particularly newsworthy and so is unlikely to have escaped the attention of our readers. However, little has been said of the actual process for laying these rails and the logistics of supplying the vast quantities of materials required. The Rail Engineer was keen to find out more and so, on 11 November, spent a most interesting few hours with project director Hugh Wark to observe track laying close to Heriot, six kilometres into the Scottish Borders.

Going DutchBorders track-laying uses a technique

developed by BAM Rail of Holland which was used on the construction of the Dutch high speed line. This needs bottom ballast and sleepers to be in place beforehand. The 65 new single-track kilometres of the new Borders railway requires 130,000 tons of bottom ballast delivered to the trackbed by dumpers from local ballast stockpiles. Together with the 93,000 sleepers required, this is being delivered by road in around 7,500 lorry movements.

Once the bottom ballast is placed and compacted, surveyors paint a line on the ballast showing sleeper end position. The sleepers are delivered in bundles of five and are positioned by an excavator with a special grab that picks up five sleepers at a time. Before being placed in position, the grab spreads out to provide the correct sleeper spacing. In this way, one machine can lay around 650 metres of sleepers per day. The sleepers are pre-fitted with Pandrol Fastclips.

Although BAM Rail’s track laying technique is a slick process, it is not automated. Instead, it relies on a squad of about fifteen who work effectively together to operate the bespoke track-laying plant that pulls 108-metre rail lengths off the rail train’s delivery wagons and

fixes them to the sleepers. Once this is done, the train moves over the newly-laid rail to repeat the process.

Switch and crossing units are laid before plain track. When track-laying reaches an S&C unit, rail is pushed off the train to butt up with the unit and is cut to length. In this way it typically takes from 09:30 to 16:00 to lay the twelve pairs of 108-metre rails on the train, although curves can take slightly longer. Hugh commented that this is slightly quicker than in Holland for two reasons. One is the use of class 66 locomotives which has a slow-speed control that can also programme distance to be travelled. This has proved to be a more effective way of positioning the train than the radio-controlled shunters used on the continent.

The other reason is that the Vossloh screw fastenings used on the continent take longer to secure the track than the Pandrol Fastclips.

From Scunthorpe to ScotlandTata Steel in Scunthorpe is supplying 7,000

tonnes of rails to the Borders project. These rails are supplied on special trains of five wagons that carry twenty-four 108-metre rails. There are four such trains, one on site, two travelling to or from Scunthorpe on the National Supply Chain’s trunk route, and one being loaded at Scunthorpe. Crew and traction for these trains is provided by GB Railfreight and DB Schenker Rail, delivery is therefore ‘just in time’. Hugh explained that the provision of a buffer store would have been costly and that, to date, there had only been one day of track laying lost due to problems with train deliveries.

The rail trains have a Class 66 locomotive at each end and arrive at the folding buffer stop (as described in issue 119, September 2014) at the start of the Borders railway in the early hours of the morning. This arrival becomes progressively earlier as journeys to railhead get longer.

They then proceed to the nearest completed dynamic loop to the railhead at a maximum speed of 10 mph. There, the lead locomotive is placed at the rear of the train which is then propelled at 5 mph to the railhead where it is connected to the track laying plant. A train controller is positioned at the front of the train in a secure position with a safety harness, directing the movement with a fail-safe radio.

Scotland’s heaviest train?A week after the rails are laid, the hopper

train arrives with top ballast of which 90,000 tons is required for the project. This is a

30-wagon train with a class 66 locomotive at either end. Freightliner provides the traction and crews for this train.

At 2,900 tons gross, 1,800 tons net, this is considered to be amongst the heaviest trains operated in Scotland. However, as it originates from the Millerhill ballast stockpile, it actually travels for less than a mile on Network Rail’s current network.

With top ballast in place, the 108-metre rails can be welded together using a flash butt welding machine. The finished track is then tamped and the rails stressed after which an automatic finishing machine provides the correct ballast profile.

Each day sees the lengthening Borders railway carrying its rail and hopper trains and various on-track plant, including a machine to collect items left over from the track laying such as rail clamps and wooden sleeper packing. It is starting to become a real railway although, as yet, there is no signalling system. Instead there is a rail logistics coordinator at Millerhill who uses a whiteboard to authorise all movements on laid track and the hand-cranking of points on the dynamic loops.

Rails or sleepers first?Prior to leading the Borders project, Hugh

was the senior project manager of the Airdrie to Bathgate project. These two projects account for 101 new track kilometres, most of the UK’s new domestic railways in recent times.

In 2010, the 46 new track kilometres of the Airdrie to Bathgate project was laid using Balfour Beatty’s track laying train which, in contrast to the BAM Rail process, requires continuous welded rail (CWR) on the new trackbed before track laying. With such different techniques used on the two projects it was interesting to get Hugh’s views on their advantages and disadvantages.

Laying rail by the track in advance of conventional track renewals from a CWR train is relatively straightforward. However, this is not the case for a new railway. Hugh advised that, on the Airdrie to Bathgate project, track renewal was done in six-kilometre stages as this was found to be the maximum practical distance that rails could be dragged along the new formation.

An advantage of the Balfour Beatty train was that it avoids the need to deliver sleepers by road. The train carried sufficient steel sleepers for 1.2 kilometres of track, less if concrete sleepers are used. Laying sleepers in advance would have been problematic on the Airdrie to Bathgate project which, for various good reasons, had separate Civil and Track contractors requiring a formal handover of each section before track laying could start.


to the BordersTracks return

DAVID SHIRRES


In contrast, the Borders project has only one principal contractor, BAM Nuttall. This makes it straightforward to position sleepers close to ongoing civil engineering work.

So which is the best technique? The Rail Engineer saw the BAM Rail team lay a pair of 108-metre rails in 35 minutes, which is comparable with the 200 metres an hour achieved by the Balfour Beatty train. Hugh explained that the track laying technique was the contractor’s choice and that there were only marginal advantages and disadvantages between the two systems.

On track for completionCompletion of Borders track laying,

scheduled for early February, is a major project milestone. At the current rate of progress it is

likely that this date will be achieved. However some risks remain including delays to rail trains and heavy snow, the only type of weather that could be problematic.

At the time of writing there were civil works at the southern end of the line, including Galashiels station. These will no doubt be clear of the trackbed when the rail train arrives.

Sadly a track worker was recently seriously injured as a result of a sleeper breaking free. As a result the project decided to stand down the site for five days to ensure lessons were learnt before work resumed.

As there is contingency for such unforeseen delays, the milestone of 10 May for commissioning, when the line comes under the control of the Edinburgh Signalling Centre, seems to be assured. Shortly afterwards is the

scheduled project handover on 7 June when the line will become part of Network Rail’s system allowing commencement of driver training ahead of the start of service on 6 September.

Then, for the first time in nearly fifty years, the Scottish Borders will have a passenger train service. Much credit is due to those who have worked to make this happen, including the Dutch team which laid the rails for these trains.

An inscription on the track laying plant puts it another way - “For the finishing touch, God created the Dutch”.

Since construction of the new Borders Railway began in 2012, the work has been classified as both Interoperable and Common Safety Methods on Risk Assessment (CSM-RA) significant.

The project team has contracted the Network Certification Body (NCB), an independent subsidiary company of the Network Rail Group, to provide assessment services as a Notified Body (NoBo) and Designated Body (DeBo) under Railway Interoperability Regulations and as an Assessment Body under CSM-RA.

Safety and assessment Involved from an early stage, NCB developed an assessment plan to lead

to full authorisation. Project and programme changes and inputs from the Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) meant that the plan developed through a number of iterations. However, as a result of close working amongst all parties, a significant change to the original plan for one element of the work - assessment of structures - was successfully negotiated.

In total there are 122 structures, both old and new, incorporated into the new railway. With the agreement of the ORR, it was decided that, whilst all the structures were assessed at the ‘approval in principal’ stage, there would be no need to re-assess all these structures at the detailed design stage. Instead there would be a ‘sampling list’, agreed and developed by all parties, taking examples of the varying types of structure only.

This reduced the number of structures to be reassessed at detailed design stage to around 40. A much more efficient process - that would save the project money and time.

Next steps for NCBThere are some major milestones for the project coming up in the months

ahead, including issuing an Intermediate Statement of Verification (ISV) for the elements comprising the Infrastructure Technical Specification for Interoperability (TSI), an Interim Safety Assessment Report and a further ISV for the Control, Command and Signalling TSI.

NCB is looking forward to continuing its work on this exciting project that will bring such benefits to the people in the Scottish Borders and Midlothian.

Assuring safety on Scotland’s new railway


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The Balfour Beatty methodThis Balfour Beatty NTC (New Track Cinstruction) train (above) can lay 200

metres per hour of track in the following stages: » A sleeper gantry runs on rails along the train to transport sleepers onto a

conveyor system; » The conveyor transports sleepers to the head of a truss beam; » Sleeper drop mechanism places sleepers on track bed; » Sleepers are then aligned to the required spacing » New rail, which is already in position, is thimbled through rollers along the

truss beam;A rail-aligner locates the rail on the sleepers and clips them in place.

The BAM wayThe track-laying plant is compact and was designed for use in areas of

restricted clearance such as tunnels. It consists of four units:1. Main roller unit, connected to the rail train by a three metre bar;2. Power unit for the roller units, close coupled between the two;3. Auxillary roller and winch unit;4. Mobile rail positioning unit on caterpillar tracks.

The process to lay each pair of 108-metre length of rail is as follows.1. The auxiliary unit’s winch pulls a pair of 108-metre long rails off the rail

train through the main unit’s rollers. Whilst this is done, both units are clamped to the rail.

2. The main unit’s rollers then pull more rail off the train which is then fed through the auxiliary unit until it extends about 1.5 metres beyond them.

3. The rail train then advances over previously laid track to the rail head at which safety blocks have been put in place to prevent a derailment. If the train does not stop exactly where required, the position of the track-laying units can be adjusted. The precision of the class 66 control is such that this is rarely required.

4. As the train moves off the newly-laid partially-clipped track, the remaining fastenings are clipped up.

5. In preparation for track laying, rollers are placed over sleeper track clips, typically one pair every five metres.

6. The rail positioning unit holds the end of the rail and moves forward to guide it over the rollers as the main unit propels almost the full length of rail off the train.

7. After the rail leaves the main rollers, the auxiliary unit drives it until the end of the rail falls through guides onto the sleepers. At this point there is a gap between new and previously laid rails.

8. The auxiliary unit is clamped to the rail and it’s winch is used to close this gap.

9. The joint between the two rails is then clamped.10. The positioning unit lifts the rail as required to allow all the rollers to be

released and ensure that it rests on the sleeper’s rail pad.11. The other end of the rail is cut as necessary to ensure that the rail joint is

between two sleepers.12. Robel clipping machines are then mounted on each rail to clip up,

typically, every fourth Pandrol Fastclip. As required, these machines will lift sleepers off bottom ballast to do this.

Once sufficient sleepers are clipped up, the clipping machines removed and a new pair of rails have been fed through both sets of rollers, the train can then advance a further 108 metres and repeat the process.

Two waysto lay track

DAVID SHIRRES


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BAM Nuttall’s track laying plant started laying plain track for the Borders Project on the site of Monkton colliery just outside Edinburgh last October. Although this was widely reported as the start of track laying, the first track on the Borders railway was actually the slab track in

Bowshank Tunnel, 24 miles to the south, which has been laid two months previously.

At this point the Borders railway traverses the Gala floodplain and intertwines with the Gala Water and the A7 road. At Bowshank there is a 226 metre tunnel through a hill that forms a promontory around which the river flows. Like much of the railway, the tunnel is on a sharp curve - in this case of around 500 metres radius. Immediately north of the tunnel is a double lattice girder bridge over the river at which a flood mark records that in 1891 the water level was a foot above track level.

Since the original railway was closed in 1969, the tunnel had become a farmer’s store for livestock and machinery for which alternative storage had to be provided. Also requiring relocation were the tunnel’s bats. This required the tunnel to be boarded up and a series of one-way flaps and pipes fitted to prevent bats returning. Bat boxes were also provided in nearby trees to encourage the bats

to roost there. This work was undertaken by IKM Consulting, engaged by BAM Nuttall for environmental support

Once the tunnel was bat free, tunnel repair works could be undertaken. This started in October 2013 and involved masonry and concrete spraying as well as brick repairs with only around 10% of the old brickwork having to be removed or replaced.

Complex requirementTrack design for the tunnel was not

straightforward. Although Borders is a single line railway, Bowshank tunnel has double track as it is on one of the dynamic loops. This, together with the requirement for passive electrification provision, made it difficult to provide the required tunnel clearances. A further factor was the requirement to achieve the required line speed in the sharply curved tunnel.

The solution adopted required the tunnel floor to be lowered by 600mm and the installation of the RHEDA 2000 slab track system. Supplied by RAIL.ONE from Germany, this has a slimmer cross-section depth than conventional ballasted track. It also cannot move out of alignment which ensures that, within tight tolerances, the required tunnel clearances are maintained.

The slab track was specially modified to incorporate the new Pandrol ‘FCA’ rail fastening system based on the standard Fastclip assembly. This system provides for small adjustments in vertical and lateral track alignment without having to cut the concrete slab. The use of the same Pandrol Fastclips on the slab and plain line track allows the same clipping tools to be used throughout the Borders Railway, which reduced maintenance stocks.

The first stage of installation was the pouring of a concrete base slab which was canted to allow for curvature. Thereafter, sleepers were placed on the slab and rails put in position then clipped up. The sleepers were then raised above the slab using jacks and reinforcing rods threaded through the open sleeper lattice mesh. After shuttering had been put in place and protection provided over the rails and track fastenings, concrete was poured to embed the sleepers into the concrete slab.

It took a team of 25 people four weeks to lay the double line slab track in Bowshank tunnel which was announced as complete on August 13. Prior to this, the team was able to practice assembly of the RHEDA 2000 system using a training panel that had been delivered to the site.

Plain and slab tracks will be connected at Bowshank when track laying resumes in mid January, after which the tunnel will see its first train since 1969.

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The Bowshank tunnel is a key part of the Borders Railway reinstatement, and the new PANDROL FCA system was selected for the project. This provides a consistent type of rail clip along the whole length between Edinburgh and Tweedbank.

The FASTCLIP FCA system looks very similar to the familiar FASTCLIP system used on the G44 concrete sleepers for the ballasted track. However, while most of the components are interchangeable and the same installation tools are used, the assembly is adapted to allow it to provide both vertical and lateral adjustment.

The Bowshank tunnel is fi tted with secure slab track to retain long term alignment and allow relatively high line speed on the sharply curved double track.

Low maintenance design and mechanised installation and extraction assist in minimising the long term cost of operation.

A Most Interesting eveningNIGEL WORDSWORTH

Britain’s rail industry gathered in Leicester recently for an Awards evening with a difference. The Most Interesting Awards, organised by the Rail Exec Club, were new for 2014 and were intended to answer all of the complaints that companies level at other

events.

There were none of those time-consuming entries which company marketing departments hate so much. Instead, as Rail Media’s writers for both RailStaff and The Rail Engineer know the industry inside out, they are as qualified as anybody to put together a short list of the Most Interesting projects, products and services. If a company or a team had talked to those writers about something during the year, or even if they hadn’t, and it was known to be interesting, then they were entered.

And as these were the Most Interesting Awards, then the judges were looking for interesting entries. Not the biggest, the most expensive or the best publicised, or even the most useful, but the most interesting. So a small project that was really interesting could win over a large project that was actually quite conventional.

Rail Media may have put the short list together, but it didn’t do the judging. To keep the results fair and independent, a judging panel

made up of the likes of Professor Simon Iwnicki, current chairman of the Railway Division of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, and David Clarke, director of FutureRailway, were asked to put the nominations in order.

An evening with a differenceThe ‘different’ format of the Most Interesting

Awards carried through to the night itself. With the exception of the RailStaff Awards, which are anyway for people rather than companies and were held at Coventry’s Ricoh Arena, almost all of the industry’s awards evenings are held in London. This despite the fact that the majority of the industry doesn’t work there. So Leicester’s Athena, which is


an eight-minute walk from the station and just over an hour from London, was actually more convenient for most attendees.

The dress code wasn’t black tie either, though quite a few came in dinner suits anyway. It wasn’t even just for company nominees, guests were encouraged to bring partners and make a night of it.

On arrival, diners were greeted by a solo clarinet player at the door. Going through to the bar, there were two ‘Coyote Ugly’ dancers performing on small stages for their entertainment - although they were neither ugly nor coyotes!

Going through to the tables, a large stage could be seen with a plain white set - and a few dustbins. They looked interesting.

After a brief welcome from the night’s compere (who modesty prevents me from naming), the stage darkened and all became clear. The dustbins were for beating, and walking on, and using as stilts, by the musical dance troupe ‘Manhattan’.

After an excellent and most entertaining short set it was time for dinner. Again, this was not the usual awards evening fare. “I couldn’t believe that this was a ‘Corporate’ event,” commented Sue Whittall from the Aspin Group afterwards. “It was amazing, hot, edible and delicious - we were even asked if we wanted more bread! I was gobsmacked!!”

With everyone fed and watered (well, not exactly with water…) the Manhattan troupe came back onstage. This was more of an aerial display with some stunning trapeze and rope work.

Then it was time to settle down for the main reason for the evening, the 2014 Most Interesting Awards. Divided into twelve categories, each one had five nominations and would produce one winner.

Safety and sustainabilityThe first award was for the Most Interesting

initiative in safety and sustainability, a very topical subject these days. The Rail Industry’s common purpose is to move people and freight safely and efficiently by rail whilst being careful with the resources used to do it. This cannot be achieved without companies designing products that are sustainable and having policies and procedures in place to ensure that team members return home safely each and every day.

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Nominations were as varied as: Network Rail’s recently-revised lifesaving rules, the Commercial Directors Forum signing a sustainability charter, managing obsolescence and preparing a safety case to run a steam locomotive on London Underground for the first time in a hundred years or so. All very interesting stuff.

But the Most Interesting was judged to be a method for storing energy from braking diesel-powered trains using high-speed rotating flywheels. Spinning at 45,000rpm, this stored energy can then be released back into the drivetrain as the vehicle accelerates.

A team from Artemis Intelligent Power, Bombardier and Ricardo won this award, setting the tone for an evening during which most categories would be won by collaborative teams.

Presenting the award, Allan Spence of Network Rail said: “It’s a great way to recognise things that are new, things that are innovative, things that capture people’s imagination. If we continually do the developments in this industry in a traditional way nobody has the excitement that they really need to break the boundaries.”

New shapes and stylesOriginal design was the subject of the second

award. Cutting-edge designs make a real difference to the way in which the industry works and is perceived by the general public. The Victorians left a legacy of stunning architecture and great designs. Today’s engineers and designers have to do the same for future generations.

Three of the finalists were architectural - West Kowloon terminus, Manchester Victoria and Canary Wharf stations - while Gravesend station’s nomination reflected an innovative

design solution to a capacity problem. However, the winner was a train.

PriestmanGoode’s stunning new take on the iconic London Underground tube train design netted the award for the two companies. The new look will form the basis for all of the tenders to supply new trains, invitations for which will start to go out later this year.

Having introduced the winners, Hitachi Europe’s managing director Keith Jordan commented: “My view is the rail industry needs to move on from what it’s been doing in the last 50, 100 years. So to do something like this, the Most Interesting, is a different way of looking at things but it also allows you to concentrate on the good that has happened that may cross boundaries.

“It’s the small things that can be seen as really having a big impact in 10 years time. It’s about

the future I think. Lots of awards are looking backwards this tries to look forwards and that’s a big thing.”

Support equipmentNo project in the UK can be delivered without

the use of support equipment and, as projects become larger and more complex, the use of innovative support equipment is imperative for the jobs to be finished on time and within budget. In a category that covered everything from systems, widgets and cabling through to plant and road-rail vehicles, there was a wide range of nominations.

Three infrastructure initiatives, modular signalling, modular switches and crossings, and the new high-output plant systems used for electrifying the Great Western main line featured heavily. There was also a new system of

Kirk Taylor of Stobart Rail (left) presented the award for Most Interesting support equipment to the ENIF.


monitoring bearings and wheels which uses the vibration of the trains themselves to generate the electricity used by the instrumentation. Interesting.

But the most interesting was deemed to be the ETCS National Integration Facility (ENIF) - a dedicated ETCS/ERTMS test site has been set up on the Hertford loop. It is initially being used to test the performance and compatibility of four rival systems but will then be utilised in the development of an Automatic Train Operation (ATO) overlay onto ETCS for use on Thameslink. Network Rail is working with four ETCS suppliers, Signalling Solutions, Siemens Rail Automation, Infrasig and Ansaldo, to develop these systems.

Personal developmentAt a time when the railway is addressing a number

of skill shortages, the Most Interesting training and development programme came next.

Up-skilling, cross skilling, recruitment drives and employee development are words heard constantly in this industry. Whether looking to launch new safety initiatives, driving more people into the industry or up-skilling our existing staff, none of this can be achieved without the determination of training and development teams.

As a company, Network Rail has very clear guidelines on safety - ‘Every one home safe every day’. But these cannot be achieved without solid training at all levels. So Ian Pattinson, head of safety and sustainable development for Network Rail, was well qualified to make this award.

Nominations were again varied and reflected current interest in this field. The retraining of ex-servicemen

and women by Linbrooke/NTRS, the opening of an increasing number of railway-supported University Technical Colleges, the IMechE’s Railway Challenge for undergraduates, apprentices and graduates and Network Rail’s own engineering conversion courses were all worthy nominations.

However, the Young Rail Professional’s ambassador programme, through which recent graduates visit schools and colleges to encourage the next generation to enter the rail industry, was the winner of this category.

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Yourn Rail Professionals won the Most Interesting personal development award, presented by Ian Pattinson of Network Rail (left).


Overseas involvementDespite the bad press that the UK rail industry

sometimes receives, it is well respected internationally and many countries look to Britain for expertise in design, engineering and operations.

British teams are working on Riyadh Metro and the North West Rail Link in Australia. A British designer has been appointed as the global creative director to Chinese train builder CSR Sifang, and Britain’s ‘other’ international border, the one in Ireland, is being upgraded.

However, the Most Interesting, and most significant, international event in 2014 was the moving of Hitachi Rail’s global headquarters out of Japan and to the UK.

Tim Fenemore, himself the British managing director of US-owned Progress Rail, was pleased to present the award to Keith Jordan, managing director of Hitachi Rail Europe (pictured above).

Small-scale but highly interestingThe Most Interesting railway infrastructure

development award is for a small-scale railway infrastructure project or development in the UK. The news is always full of the huge projects such as Crossrail or Reading Station, but smaller-scale projects can have a huge impact on the industry. Many of these projects save time and money, and ensure the network keeps running.

Simon Whitehorn, head of national operating strategy for Network Rail, gave us his view on how infrastructure developments are paving the way for a brighter and more efficient network.

There was a good range of developments on the short list too. Linear Asset Decision Support (or LADS) is playing a key role in helping Network Rail improve safety throughout the UK rail network by presenting data from 14 disparate systems in a form engineers can act upon, and thus improving planning of track maintenance and enabling better decisions in the field.

Re-ballasting machines provide a quick and efficient solution for the removal of ballast without the need for expensive, time-consuming track removal. Slab-track trials at Asfordby could decide the shape of main-line track in the future while recent work on Selby Swing Bridge has increased the local speed limit and means that no more work will be required on the structure for decades.

However, the winner was a temporary road bridge installed as part of the Crossrail works over the Great Western main line. Balfour Beatty Rail and Mabey Hire were responsible for this 320-tonne structure which was pushed into place over all five running lines by a bulldozer. Most Interesting!

Outstanding operationsFollowing an award for infrastructure came

one for train operations - the most effective or interesting use of route, rolling stock and crews or the most interesting take on franchising and Train Operating Company management.

The Rolling Stock Companies, or ROSCOs, own the train fleets of the operating companies. For example, Eversholt Rail currently has a

passenger rolling stock portfolio of 19 separate fleets which comprises of around 3,500 passenger vehicles. Zena Dent, head of future programmes at Eversholt Rail Group, therefore knew all about what the judges were looking for in this category.

Nominations included the growth of smart ticketing and Telent’s MICA (Management, Integration and Control of Assets system) which is getting control room staff out from behind closed doors so they can interface with the public. Network Rail planning further ahead means that major blockades are less likely to overrun, so protecting train schedules, and exchanging 30-year-old train transmissions for new ones gives better fuel economy and quicker and more reliable journey times.

However, viewing Stations as a Service (StaaS) can improve security, operations, retail and the passenger experience. Information technology is very much part of this as StaaS will take account of the huge increase in smartphone usage - around 74% of the UK population now has one. A consortium of project partners Cisco, Telent, Network Rail and RSSB is bringing this project to fruition and won the Most Interesting approach to train operations award.

Keeping people informedIn an industry where most things impact on

the local community, it is vital to work with them. Information gathering, forums and public consultation have become the norm for any major project, but how the information is then delivered can have a huge impact on the how the public feels about it.

ACORP (the Association of Community Rail Partnerships) works with decision-makers at a local, regional and national level to ensure that local rail’s important role is fully recognised and Neil Buxton, general manager, was pleased to present the award for the Most Interesting community engagement activity.

Zena Dent of Eversholt Rail (left) and the STAAS team which won the Most Interesting approach to train operations.


www.bbrail.co.uk

Balfour Beatty Rail, in partnership with Network Rail and Mabey Hire, was proud to receive the award for ‘Most Interesting Infrastructure Development’ at The Rail Exec Club’s Most Interesting Awards for the temporary bridge installation at Thorney Lane, Iver.

The 350 tonne, 60 metre span structure was launched over the Great Western Main Line as part of the Crossrail West Outer Track Infrastructure works ahead of the demolition of the existing bridge at Christmas 2014.

Scan the QR code to read The Rail Engineer’s article from the November 2014 issue.

• POWER & ELECTRIFICATION • TRACK • SIGNALLING • ASSET MANAGEMENT • MULTI-DISCIPLINARY PROJECTS •

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Infrastructure Development Award

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The HS2 community forums were one of the nominations, prompting emails of complaint from HS2 activists and NIMBYs. The Borders Railway community funds and the redevelopment of Edinburgh Haymarket station for the benefit of the local community were perhaps less contentious selections. So too was Network Rail listening to passenger comment and rescheduling a prolonged blockade of the West Coast main line at Watford into a number of weekend-only closures.

After winter’s infamous storms, the Devon & Cornwall Rail Partnership (DCRP) harnessed the local feel-good factor around the re-opening of the line through Dawlish by developing TheRivieraLine.com - a new type of community rail website providing concise travel advice delivered in a visual modern style. This, the judges felt, was a Most Interesting development, and worthy of the 2014 award.

A big successTalking of Dawlish, the whole rebuild project

was nominated for the award for a major infrastructure project. So too were the Ipswich Chord, London Gateway and Holme Tunnel. But it was Reading station which scooped the prize.

Used by nearly 20 million passengers a year, Reading station has been transformed over the last five years as part of an £895 million project to rebuild the railway around Reading and remove one of the worst remaining bottlenecks on the network. At the same time, a new depot, a new flyover and provision for electrification has made this a major project, and a major success.

Peter Darling, HM inspector of railways for the ORR, made the presentation to representatives of the firms involved - Network Rail, Bechtel, Carillion, Balfour Beatty Rail, Balfour Beatty Civils, Lundy Projects, DeltaRail and Siemens Rail Automation (above).

It’s new!Two similar yet distinct awards followed. The

first was for a new product in the rail business or railway engineering which has been developed or brought to market and has made a real difference.

A new product can be anything from a widget that saves millions of pounds each year to a new train that drives heightened efficiency. By designing new products, the industry moves forward, continuing to evolve and keeping up with the changing times.

There was a wide range of products represented, from a laser-operated wheel measuring device (NextSense/Mechan) to two trains (Siemens’ Desiro City for Thameslink and Vossloh’s Class 68 for Direct Rail Services) and the new Series 1 OLE designed by Furrer+Frey for Great Western electrification.

But the winner was the continuing development of Class II signalling power systems. This had first removed the need for an earth wire, reducing cabling for three-core to two-core and saving 33% of the copper required, and was now removing the remaining 66% by switching to aluminium. Pioneered by Network Rail’s Signalling Innovation Group, the developments in both areas are being carried through by companies including Cleveland Cable, iLecsys, Henry Williams, FT Transformers and ATL Transformers.

An innovation is similar to a new product, but it involves an idea or best use of an idea, device, method or process rather than a tangible product. It is all about thinking outside of the box rather than just doing things as they have always been done.


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Serco is a company which is involved in many forms of transport, not just rail. It pioneered the ExperienceLab, an experience design research agency. This has been helping the company to drive innovation, shape new products and services, and direct strategic thinking for more than forty years. So, despite his non-rail job title, the presenter of this award was Andrew Hill, managing director of London Cycle Hire for Serco.

Nominations for this award were the most varied of the evening. They included developing a new product (Trackbed Enhanced Axial Micropiles by Aspin Foundations), using an existing one in a new way (Programmable Logic Computers for level crossing control by Pilz and the Signalling Innovations Group), designing a new concept in installation equipment (the high output plant system for electrification as developed by Network Rail, Amey and Windhoff) and using a well-established material for a completely new application (modular platform systems made from expanded polystyrene by Megatech Products).

But the one that was considered to be Most Interesting was Distributed Acoustic Sensing (DAS), a technique developed by OptaSense which uses fibre-optic cable laid beside the railway to detect noise and vibration from both passing trains and cable thieves. Without the use of microphones, the cable itself can listen for wheel flats and degrading bearings and pinpoint them when it finds them.

Most Interesting…And then there was the Most Interesting Thing

that happened in 2014. This could be something that hasn’t fitted neatly into one of the other eleven categories or something so outstanding that it eclipses everything else.

A man who has himself been in charge of a Most Interesting development for the past few years was asked to make this presentation. As chief executive officer of Directly Operated Railways, Michael Holden (right) has had to run

a privatised-yet-nationalised railway company which picked up operation of the East Coast railway when National Express handed it back and has now prepared it for a new franchise holder (Virgin-Stagecoach) to take over.

In a great example of planning for the future, the Canal Tunnels between St Pancras Thameslink and the East Coast main line were built ten years ago as part of the Channel Tunnel Rail Link. They lay dormant until this year when they were fitted out to take Thameslink trains to Peterborough.

Structural works to deepen, strengthen and widen the 550-metre Connaught tunnel, first built in 1878, have now been completed and installation of the track infrastructure and S&T system will begin next year. Around 13 million litres of water had to be drained from the Royal Docks, which sit above the Connaught Tunnel, to allow access from above to repair damage caused over the years by passing ships.

London Underground introduced ICE (Innovative Contractor Engagement) - a new method of competitive tendering in the lead up to the work at Bank station. All bidders were asked to come up with innovative ideas to reduce cost and improve the design and the best ideas were then ‘bought’ off the losing bidders, in effect compensating them for the cost of making their bid.

The 300-metre long immersed tunnel on Stockholm’s City Line was constructed in three sections, each one being about 100 metres long, 20 metres wide and 10 metres high and weighing around 20,000 tonnes. Once the first two were positioned and immersed, to give clearance to install the third, central section the northern one was withdrawn into a special ‘jointhouse’ by one metre and then pushed back into place afterwards.

All of these projects are really interesting in their own right, but the one announced by Michael as being the Most Interesting was the accuracy of the Crossrail Tunnel Boring Machines (TBMs).

With Crossrail’s new tunnels running very close to some existing underground structures, such as London Underground’s tube lines, accuracy was essential to prevent disaster. Horizontal and vertical positioning of the huge TBMs of better than 50mm was regularly achieved using lasers and prisms and a positional data system which updated every 11 seconds.

The award for the Most Interesting thing that occurred in 2014 was therefore presented to Crossrail, Hochtief Murphy Joint Venture (HMJV) and Herrenknecht.

Celebrating successIn just under an hour, twelve awards had

been presented and sixty finalists honoured. Now came the time to celebrate that success. The Manhattan troupe returned to the stage for one last spell-binding combination of music, tumbling and gymnastics and then it was time to network, dance to the music of Fully Funktional, take a chance in the Most Interesting casino, and talk about the night.

“The best awards evening I’ve been to,” was a comment that was repeated several times. The winners were truly pleased with their success and the losers were not too upset. After all, everyone present was a winner in their own way and it had been a Most Interesting evening.


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I have changed trains at Birmingham New Street station more times than I care to remember, moving from one platform to another alongside up to 200,000 other passengers who use this busy station every day, and I have a confession to make.

Usually, I manage to negotiate the platform change without too much difficulty but my confession is that, on arrival at my destination platform, I become totally confused and disorientated. The points of the compass seem to dissolve in my head and I haven’t a clue from which direction my next train will be coming. So, reader, you will appreciate that writing an article about the enormously complex and very impressive changes that are currently taking place within and around the station has been a personal challenge. I even got confused about where the new atrium roof is situated but please do read on.

Unfortunately for Birmingham, its main line station does not have a good reputation with the travelling public. The existing station complex is made up of nine separate buildings including a car park, shopping centre formerly known as the Pallasades and office accommodation. It is dark, overcrowded and no longer fit for purpose with dingy underground platforms overarched by a 1960’s concrete structure that forms the concourse and the extensive shopping centre above. The station complex also acts as a barrier, dissecting the city centre with no recognised routes through, thus creating a north-south divide diametrically opposed to the national picture with the north side of the city being affluent and the south lagging behind. But this is all changing.

Seven-year programmeThe £750 million scheme (around £600 million for

the station build and a further £150 million for the re-branded Grand Central shopping centre and John Lewis above) to transform the station and the surrounding area is a seven year programme that started in 2008. The vision for such radical change was instigated by a collaboration of interested parties. The Birmingham New Street redevelopment project is being delivered by Network Rail and is funded by Network Rail, Birmingham City Council, the Department for Business Innovation and Skills, Centro and the Department for Transport. It is the city council’s view that radical development of the

station complex will revolutionise neglected parts of the city with the potential to generate £2 billion into the local economy.

However, Network Rail is the station operator and so has the responsibility to coordinate the project and act as the developer for the works. At the outset, it was decided to bring in Mace as delivery partner. Chris Montgomery, Network Rail’s project director, explained that Mace brings a level of expertise in disciplines that Network Rail is not so familiar with, such as large-scale cladding and the construction of the atrium structure - skills that are clear to see when considering Mace’s most recent undertaking, the construction of the Shard alongside London Bridge station.

Following two years of design and planning, work started on site at Birmingham New Street in January 2010. The programme of work includes five station entrances and more public space both inside and outside the station. At present there are only two entrances to the station. These new entrances will offer access through the station complex throughout the year, opening up access to all the surrounding areas and significantly reducing the north-south divide that currently exists.

Plastic bubble roofAll twelve station platforms are being de-cluttered

and refurbished with new lifts and escalators. Additional space is being created for a new concourse area which, on completion, will be five times larger than the original station concourse. Much of this work is well under way but probably the most dramatic development to date is the creation of a transparent ethylene tetrafluoroethylene (ETFE) plastic bubble roof supported on curved tubular steel trusses which was completed in September and designed to bring more light to the new concourse area.

ETFE is the material used on the Eden Project in Cornwall, the outside of Bayern Munich’s Allianz Arena, and the Beijing National Aquatics Centre. It is also the material being used for the new station roof at Manchester Victoria station currently under construction.


Higher technical levelCompleting the atrium structure and covering it

in ETFE is the culmination of six years’ work and is without doubt a significant milestone.

To create the space necessary for the construction of the atrium and the concourse, Network Rail purchased two floors of a car park located at the front of the old station main entrance, spanning over the station platforms. One of the floors was demolished and the newly acquired space was used to equip the first part of the new station which opened in April 2013. As Chris pointed out, this was not a simple task and was certainly a challenge for the demolition contractors, Coleman & Company, which, he added, has done an excellent job in taking demolition to a higher technical level and demonstrating the skills necessary for today’s world.

Clearly, Coleman & Company had prepared carefully for the next challenge - demolishing 6,000 tonnes of concrete under the new atrium roof. Working together with JCB, they produced a “Mega Muncher” machine with hydraulic jaws which could reduce large concrete beams into rubble in a quick and effective manner whilst keeping noise levels down to an acceptable level and leaving the surrounding key structural columns in good order.

More than 4,000 tonnes of concrete has been removed so far using the Mega Muncher, with a further 2,000 tonnes to go to create the cathedral-like atrium which will form the centre piece of both the station and Grand Central shopping centre above.

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Demolition facts:The “Mega Muncher”, the primary demolition tool, is the only one of its kind in the world. It has been specifically designed for work on the atrium. » 25 tonnes in weight » Remote control » Infra-red safety zone fencing

for auto cut out » Jet ski style safety pull chord » Rubber tracks » Formula 1 re-fuelling system » Bio oil » LED lighting


Creating spaceDemolishing the inner frame of the 1960’s concrete

structure has created space for the new Atrium Concourse. The engineering challenge throughout this process was to avoid the structure from imploding. This was achieved by developing an understanding of how the building would behave both during and following such drastic surgery and taking the necessary steps to prevent this from happening.

This task fell to Atkins, which provided the structural analysis, led by Stephen Ashton, the engineering director for the project. He explained that the Atkins team developed a global stability model which enabled them to understand how the 1960’s structure would behave under the new loading when the work was completed. They also created a construction sequence analysis that identified five key stages of the construction programme and, with this combined information, they were able to understand exactly how the structure would behave during the various transitional phases of demolition and the changing loading.

As a result of this analysis, the beams are considered adequate for the new loading as are the foundations. However, the calculations indicated that some of the columns would need to be strengthened and so a reinforced concrete jacket was designed and constructed where required.

Flexing roofOnce they knew that the 1960’s structure was now

adequate for its proposed purpose and the necessary space created for the atrium, the most dynamic part of the project - the new tubular steel and ETFE roof - could get underway. This roof is formed from two elongated domes which, in turn, transfer the roof loading onto a steel box girder perimeter beam.

Of course, roof loadings are variable due to rain, snow etc. and the roof structure will flex outward dependent on the loading. To compensate for this potential movement, which Atkins estimated could be up to 180mm, fourteen bearing plates, two of which are fixed while the others allow for some varying movement, were positioned under the perimeter ring beam before both it and the roof structure were lowered, carefully transferring the loading onto the original concrete structure. This work has now been successfully completed and the overall structure is being continually monitored for any unexpected movement.


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To add another degree of complication, the new spherical roof is a different shape to the existing concrete frame. This means that, although the concrete beams that support the slab can be removed, the box girder beam cuts diagonally across the existing roof which leaves two triangular-shaped sections, one at each end of the roof. These will remain in place and their loading will have to be carried by the box-girder perimeter beams.

The solution required the development of a complex process involving a grillage of steel beams supporting temporary stressed hanger bars which were designed

to support a total of eight existing concrete beams. The retained length of beam to be supported whilst they were being cut varied in length and weight from six to 17 metres long and 30 to 60 tonnes in weight. The new atrium box beam now has permanent hangers fixed to the soffit of the existing concrete structure. Once the hangers were in place, a second cut enabled the redundant concrete structure to be removed and for the loads to be effectively transferred to the perimeter ring beam.

Temporary work expertiseThis temporary works solution took more than a year

to plan and was successfully executed without incident. Jacking specialists Hevilifts were employed to carry out the stressing and Tony Gee & Partners undertook the temporary works design alongside the structural engineers, Atkins and AKT11.

Work is now well under way for the demolition of part of the former Pallasades, making way for the construction of the atrium which forms the centre piece of both the station and the new Grand Central shopping centre. The demolition will also enable light to flood the new concourse from above and will eventually enable millions of passengers to appreciate the real benefits resulting from all this work - natural light!

The project delivery director for Mace, the principle contractor for the work, is Martyn Woodhouse and he is responsible for the day to day management of a diverse range of workers. On any one day there can be upward of 900 people working on the project for Watsons on the steelwork or Balfour Beatty on the platforms or Martifer on the cladding, just to name a few. In the New Year this number could extend to 2,000.

Martyn has had to deal with a sub-surface railway station with all the additional fire precautions involved. He has to cope with asbestos, working alongside an operational railway and the removal of more than 20,000 tonnes of materials. The team is very proud that nearly 98% of the materials removed from site are recycled. They are also have an excellent safety record partly, driven by a monthly 8am safety briefing to everyone present.

System commissioningThere is still a fair way to go until September 2015 when

the total benefit of this work is revealed to the public. There are also 187 systems that will have to undergo a commissioning process before operational approval can be granted. However, the people of Birmingham can already appreciate the new stainless steel cladding on the outside of the emerging buildings. This cladding has been carefully angled so that it doesn’t reflect sunlight into the train drivers’ eyes at any time of the year, yet it is also angled so that the public can see the reflection of train and people movement all around them which is the underlying theme and intention devised by Foreign Office Architects.

The part that I am personally looking forward to is sitting in the new large concourse bathed in natural sunlight, waiting for the announcement of my next train which will be waiting for me when I proceed down to the appropriate platform which will be spacious, uncluttered and well lit and not at all disorientating. Now that IS something to look forward to.

London Euston Concourse

The new concourse at Birmingham New Street will, when complete, dwarf that of London Euston.


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Leeds station is one of the busiest in the UK outside of London with more than 27 million people entering or exiting it between April 2013 and March 2014. It is projected that these numbers will continue to rise as Leeds itself grows.

The station is of vital importance to the economic and social development of the city and also to the wider region. All access and egress to this busy station is to the north side of the city. In recent years, however, the area to the south of the station has seen rapid development for both residential and commercial use.

To ensure that the people working or living to the south of the station could enjoy easier access, and encourage further redevelopment of this area, West Yorkshire Combined Authority (formally - Metro) and Network Rail developed a plan for a station entrance to the south. The project is valued at £17.3m and the contract to deliver it was awarded to Carillion which began work in November last year.

Working with the riverThe railway station straddles the River Aire

on a raised brick arch structure that connects to a viaduct which bisects the city centre. The new southern entrance is being built in and across the River Aire and the site is constrained by a number of existing high-rise apartment buildings, the station itself and the river. All of this has presented a number of challenges to the Carillion team which is led by project manager David Carlyle.

Because of the location of the construction site, road access is virtually impossible. It was therefore decided that materials would be

delivered to a ‘holding area’ around 500 metres downstream of the construction site from whence materials are then transported by barge. This has had the added benefit of eliminating the need to have heavy goods vehicles access the site via the city centre.

A 63-metre-high tower crane was erected in March 2014 in an extremely tight yard to the rear of one of the apartment blocks. This allowed the jib of the crane to over sail the building and the station to service the project. Because of the proximity to apartments, residents are kept informed about the work plan and times of activity via regular communications to ensure they understand what is happening and when.

The new entrance itself will sit on the Victorian viaduct which was built in 1869. This mean that two of the viaduct’s existing piers, located within the River Aire, required extending to support the new structure.

Progress so farConstruction began in April 2014 when piling

work commenced installing the twenty-four 10 metre long, 900mm diameter piles from a jack-up barge positioned on the river. Following on from the foundation installation was the requirement for the placing of 36 pre-cast concrete panels which would form the outline of the pier and in effect act as a cofferdam from which the structural pile caps could be constructed. A specialist local dive team was brought in to carry out this work over the summer and the first of the structural pile caps

PETE LAWS

Leeds Station Southern Entrance


was completed in October with the second being completed in early November, effectively lifting the project clear of the river.

One of the more unexpected challenges which the team faced in getting clear of the river was the amount of rubbish which was dumped in it by others on a daily basis - including truck tyres, timber sleepers and even large boulders. This has required a programme to remove and dispose of these unwanted items.

The completion of both pile caps allowed the steelwork, which forms the lower decks, to be floated up the River Aire and lifted into position, triggering the start of the next phase of construction work.

New concourseDuring November and December, and running

in parallel to the work on the River Aire, the site team started work in the station itself - removing a glass façade and preparing the existing structure for a new steel concourse extension due to be constructed in Spring 2015. This will then allow for the new concrete deck running over platforms 15-17 to be constructed during the summer. The final part of the project is the installation of the external glazing which is due for completion in August, ready for an opening in late summer 2015.

The project will involve 19 Saturday night possessions to construct the tie-in of the new structure to the existing station. This will involve

working across existing rail lines. The new entrance will offer a fully-accessible

enclosed pedestrian extension over the River Aire directly south of the station, complementing the existing access to the north side of the city. A combination of lifts, stairs and escalators will be installed to take passengers arriving at the new entrance from the river banks 12 metres up the side of the viaduct onto the widened concourse of the station. Here they will be greeted with a range of new customer information screens, ticket machines and a set of new access barriers allowing quick access to the station platforms.

Site agent Peter Laws described the project as: “A very complex undertaking. A central part of the project is a viaduct that is almost 150 years old so we had to establish what loading that could take and what work we needed to

carry out to strengthen it. The 19 Saturday night possessions give us windows of just 10 hours in which to complete work on the bridge construction, which will be challenging, and there are of course the health and safety issues of working over water and on a railway.”

Once complete, the construction compounds, crane site and barge loading area will be reinstated, leaving no lasting negative impression on the area. It is envisaged that the new entrance, which is seen as being a high-quality, iconic design, will help attract further investment and development to south side of the city. There is also the possibility that the viaduct arches could be transformed into commercial premises. The Carillion team has already developed one of the arches for use as an office space for the project.

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Materials had to come in using the river.


London Overground’s North London line (NLL) runs from Richmond in the west, south of the Thames, over Kew bridge and then in a broad arc around the north of London, through Acton, Camden and Hackey out to Stratford in the east.

The line is fully electrified, and uses third-rail DC from Richmond to Acton Central and then overhead 25kV AC over the rest of the route. Four-car Class 378 Electrostar trains, built by Bombardier, service the route with a minimum of four trains an hour throughout. There are also four London Overground trains an hour on the connecting West London line which gives a total of eight trains an hour on the Willesden to Stratford section.

Drive to increase capacityIn common with most railways, demand on London Overground is rising

and capacity is constrained. The solution, as it was on the network’s East London line (ELL), was to lengthen the trains from four to five cars. However, it wasn’t that simple as thirty-one platforms across 17 stations were too short for the new, longer trains. So Transport for London (TfL) established the London Overground Capacity Improvement Programme (LOCIP) to deliver the infrastructure, stations and rolling stock works to enable five car trains to operate across the network.

The works on the North London line are funded by Transport for London under an asset protection agreement with Network Rail. Once complete, the asset reverts to Network Rail which will undertake routine maintenance. This is a good example of London Overground investing in Network Rail’s infrastructure to the benefit of other rail users as well as TfL. On this route, a lot of freight crosses London using the NLL.

The ELL part of the programme is now substantially complete. New storage sidings at Silwood, a modified depot at New Cross Gate, platform extensions to take five-car units and signalling modifications are all now in service and the longer trains are being introduced.

Work is also progressing on the North London line. London Overground has taken over the ‘C’ sidings at the Wembley Freight Operating Centre. This five-road facility is having two sidings, numbers two and four, removed to leave space between the three remaining roads for concrete walkways and watering and cleaning facilities for the newly-extended passenger trains.

The Willesden Traction Maintenance Depot (TMD) is being partly extended and its sidings reconfigured for the longer trains. New diesel sidings are being built to continue to accommodate the diesel trains that operate the Gospel Oak to Barking line.

Longer stationsSo that leaves the 31 platform extensions. Most of these are fairly

straightforward and principal contractor Dyer and Butler is approaching these in a conventional manner. Some need a little piling to provide a good foundation. Then it is a question of cross-walls and precast concrete slabs or of blockwork walls and beams. Copings and tactile strips go on top with a concrete screed and/or macadam surfacing to finish it all off. Nothing terribly exciting, but good bread-and-butter railway engineering.

In line with the Government’s target of delivering all major projects with Level 2 BIM, the designs were carried out using 3D modelling within the Projectwise collaboration tool.

Lengthening p l a t f o r m s

NIGEL WORDSWORTH

Not always as easy as it sounds

Platform steelwork at Acton Central and (top) the completed Installation.


The works, like most railway schemes, are logistically challenging with the route crossing six London Boroughs and many of the stations being constructed in fully urban environments. This has resulted in many platform extension areas backing onto residential properties and gardens and access being extremely difficult. Stakeholder interface and management of public relations during the logistical planning of the works has taken a high profile on this scheme. Both the methodology and design of the product has been hugely impacted by the community with a big focus on ensuring all stakeholders are fully engaged with the works being undertaken.

The programme is demanding with a construction period of less than 12 months to design, construct and commission the 31 platform extensions. Construction mainly takes place during weekend possessions to ensure minimum disruption to the day-to-day operational railway.

Some were trickyWhile most of the platform extensions were reasonably straightforward,

with the complexities being as much logistical as technical, a few required a bit more engineering.

At Acton Central - one of the first platforms lengthened - the platform had to be extended over an area of poor ground with numerous immovable and ‘irregular’ high-voltage cable runs. Dyer & Butler, assisted by designers Tony Gee & Partners, developed a scheme combining small-diameter grundomat piling with an adjustable steel platform substructure, giving maximum positional flexibility for placing piles within the constricted area.

To extend the platforms at Brondesbury, Dyer & Butler and Tony Gee developed a scheme combining temporary and permanent works to stabilise a historically-unstable embankment and enable heavy piling equipment to work alongside the track.

Celebrating 40 Years

Victoria Station Upgrade

Gospel Oak Platform Extension Dawlish Emergency Works

Piling for the new platform at Kentish Town West. Kentish Town West steelwork erection.


A number of “unknown critical structures” - four large Victorian brick arched voids - were encountered under one of the platforms at Camden Road giving the team two problems to solve - what to do with the voids and how to build the extension over the top of them. Utilising laser-cloud survey techniques, Dyer & Butler established the size and condition of the brickwork structure forming the voids without needing to gain physical entry into the potentially-hazardous confined space (with a long drop). This enabled collation of site survey data of a sufficient quality to enable Tony Gee to develop a simplistic solution.

Gospel Oak probably had the most ‘engineering’ to it. The eastbound platform was long enough for the new trains already. However, the westbound one was not. Already extended in 2010 when the London Overground trains were lengthened from three cars to four, the proximity of Gospel Oak Junction (the connection with the Gospel Oak to Barking line) meant that further extension at the western end of the platform was impossible.

The only solution was to go the other way, over Gordon House Road and the ticket office which was already in the process of being upgraded.

Dyer & Butler and Tony Gee came up with a solution that eliminated loading on the old station ticket hall by developing a ‘drop-in’ steel support for the main bridge section over the road. This transfer loads from high level down to a piled foundation in the ground through a ‘keyhole’ opening in the ticket hall roof. Low-headroom piling rigs were used and steps were taken to limit the inconvenience to users of the booking hall.

More piling took place on the other side of the road and a new two-span composite structure was installed. The spans were lifted in over a weekend using a road crane parked on the closed Gordon House Road with the 10-tonne main span being successfully placed onto the new steel supports which had been threaded into the existing booking hall.

Interestingly, the designs for the prefabricated spans incorporated permanent steel formwork on which the in-situ concrete deck slab could be quickly cast.

“Dyer and Butler did a great job,” commented London Overground’s head of programme delivery Hugh Lawson afterwards. “We only had one opportunity to lift the bridge in. Everything went according to plan and they handed the road back precisely on time. It was nicely done.”

The two platforms at Kentish Town West are on a brick viaduct. The arches underneath are occupied, most of them by Camden Brewery. “They have lots of fork lift truck movements,” Hugh explained. “So we had to make sure that they weren’t inconvenienced too much.”

A simple steel frame solution was proposed by Dyer & Butler’s site team which was developed by Tony Gee and manufactured and installed by Mcnealy Brown. This was erected on both sides of the viaduct on piled foundations, and concrete deck slabs laid on top. Once again, copers, tactiles and a screed layer went on top of that.

Thereafter, the new platforms were finished off as all of the others. Lighting on the existing stations was reasonably new, much of it dating back to the 2010 extension programme, so it was mostly a question of patching into that. Likewise, drainage, CCTV and passenger information were integrated with existing services.

Still more to goWork is well underway at all of the stations. At one stage during October

Dyer and Butler was working on fourteen sites at once, and everything is looking good for the introduction of the new five-car service before the end of 2015.

Mike Stubbs, TfL’s director of London Overground, commented: “The platform extension work and 25 per cent capacity increase the train lengthening programme will bring, is part of a wider expansion plan for London Overground which has become one of the most popular and punctual railways anywhere in the country.

“It has brought previously under-used parts of the urban network back into full use, while services have been radically improved with continuing investment and expansion to parts of the capital once not well served by rail. Stations have been brought up to modern standards, with CCTV, better security, a turn up and go service for disabled Londoners and staff present at every station at all times.

“From 31 May, TfL will look after three quarters of all journeys in and out of Liverpool Street station - having integrated West Anglia and Liverpool Street to Shenfield rail services into the TfL network. The West Anglia services will join the London Overground Network, and the Liverpool Street to Shenfield services will be run by TfL as the first phase of the introduction of TfL-run Crossrail. As has been witnessed in other parts of London, integrating these services will bring new opportunities, support future growth and unlock regeneration.”

What’s happening with Gospel Oak to Barking?The Gospel Oak to Barking line, currently operated by diesel-powered

Class 172/0 trains, has been the subject of several electrification proposals over recent years. In the main, these came to nothing due to a lack of funding. However, it has been confirmed that the line is now to be electrified. Part-funded by TfL and with backing from the Department for Transport, the scheme is being delivered by Network Rail. Currently at Grip 3 (option selection), completion is provisionally set for the end of 2016.

TfL is implementing a scheme which involves extending the platforms on the route for four-car electric multiple-unit trains. In addition, an order will be placed for trains to replace the aging West Anglian fleet, which comes into London Overground from Abellio Greater Anglia on 31 May 2015, with options for additional trains for capacity enhancement and to replace the diesel fleet on the Gospel Oak to Barking route.

Delivery of the new electric sets is not likely to be before 2018, leaving a period where the existing diesels will still operate under the new wires. However, freight operators will benefit from the electrification of this line as soon as it comes into service.

The new platform at Gospel Oak.

Installing the new bridge and platform using a crane on Gordon House Road.

PHOTO: TON

Y GEE


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There’s nothing new under the sun may be an old adage, but in the main it describes the railway industry very well. Derby celebrated 175 years of railway involvement last year while London Underground celebrated 150 and, to a large extent, not much has changed since.

Granted, technology has improved, so today’s steel rails are much better than the old ones, modern earthworks are less likely to collapse, and bridges stay up when they are built and have much higher capacities, but superficially it all looks quite similar.

Steam traction has given way to electric and diesel trains. But even they are not new - the first third-rail electric system was the City & South London Railway (opened 1890). Diesels are newer - the first main line locomotives regularly used on UK railways were introduced in 1948, but that’s 66 years ago now.

Most InterestingSo it’s always refreshing to find something

that is truly new. The recent Most Interesting Awards, organised by the Rail Exec Club, was a good place to do that. Nominees weren’t chosen for any reason other than that they were Interesting. So some little-publicised and new ideas were seen in public - often for the first time.

One of these was the EPS Platform System from MegaTech Projects. EPS stands for expanded polystyrene, which is the stuff that cheap ceiling tiles were made from and is now used as the moulded packaging around televisions and electronic equipment inside the cardboard box.

If you have ever tried to handle a large sheet of this material, outside and in a stiff breeze, you will know how unhandy it can be. So the idea of using it to make railway station platforms is, on the face of it, ‘challenging’. Surely it will just blow away?

Yet that is just what MegaTech Products has done. The system was described in issue 112 (February 2014) and it really is very interesting. A large block of expanded polystyrene is placed on a simple screed-bed foundation, and is then weighed down by a large slab of concrete that forms the platform surface and also solves the ‘blowing away’ problem. Simple - and Interesting.

Now provenThe original report looked at the initial trials at

East Grinstead and the most recent application as part of the major upgrade of Peterborough station. The success of that project allowed Network Rail to analyse the benefits of the MegaTech EPS platform system which include:

» Safety: Stephen Fletcher, Network Rail’s route area manager, confirmed: “As the MegaTech system requires no piling (even on embankments) and only excavates to a depth of 250mm from the top of the sleeper, the likelihood of cable strikes and encountering ‘unknowns’ is greatly reduced. This is a massive benefit when it comes to the safety of the workforce and the public.”

» Quality: As the key platform components are all pre-fabricated in factory conditions there is greater control on the quality of materials and the finished platforms which are all fully compliant with Network Rail and European standards.

» Environmental: The chairman of the EPS Group of the British Plastics Federation, David Emes, also pointed to the environmental advantages. “As well as high impact strength, light weight and design versatility, polystyrene also offers outstanding environmental

Innovation on track

Once the expanded polystyrene blocks are in place, a waterproof membrane is rolled out followed by placing of the concrete surface slabs.


the Network Rail approved

MODULAR POLYSTYRENEPLATFORM SYSTEM

SUPPLIERS AND INSTALLERS OF

MegaTech EPS

t. 01698 263 277e. [email protected]

www.megatechprojects.co.ukCompleted platform

at Peterborough

RAIL EXECMost Interesting

AWARDSF I N A L I S T

credentials. It is 98% air bound in a polymer matrix. It’s recyclable at the end of its life and scores the highest A+ summary rating in the BRE Global Green Guide to Specification. This is supported by at least eight ‘straight As’ in each of the separate impact ratings for each EPS density. The results show that, in every density measured, EPS had a summary result of A+ - the highest BRE rating meaning the lowest environmental impact”.

» Time: Steve Coe was the programme delivery manager for Network Rail at Peterborough and he confirmed: “Using the system meant we went from 20 weeks to 20 days and the overall programme saving was massive.”

» Money: Network Rail’s route managing director Phil Verster confirmed: “The system is at least four-times quicker than traditional build and 2-3 times quicker than using a modular steel solution.”

Looking forwardThroughout 2014, MegaTech Products Ltd

(MPL) has been working with main contractors including Carillion, James Murphy & Sons and C Spencer Ltd to design and install platforms from Kent to London and the East Coast Mainline. Each and every project has its own characteristics and time constraints which vary from only being able to work two hours

each night to only being able to work for six hours on a Saturday night. Collaboration with the contractors and Network Rail ensured the successful design of these stations and, more importantly, that the works were delivered with the minimum inconvenience to the train operating companies (TOCs) and the public.

MPL is continually working to develop the system and, heading into 2015, is already working on the delivery of projects in the all areas of England, Wales and Scotland. The success of the system has also gained

international recognition with MPL developing enquiries from as far afield as Milan in Italy and Auckland in New Zealand.

In recognising the successful delivery of the platform works to date, this would not have been possible without the team that works with MPL. This includes Adams Consulting Engineers, which heads up the design, and installers Rainton Construction and GK Railways.

Together, they have come up with a really Interesting new approach to platform design and construction. Long may they continue.


The Access for All scheme has been a great success. Funded by the department for Transport, the scheme launched in 2006 to deliver accessible, step-free access at railway stations across the country. Passengers have benefited from better access through the provision of new lifts, ramps, raised ‘easier access humps’ on

platforms as well as new accessible toilets.

Around 200 stations have already benefitted from these major improvements, with over 1,000 receiving smaller-scale upgrades.

Now a further 26 will receive a share of £60 million for the next stage of the programme. Chosen according to passenger numbers, the needs of the local area, and proximity to facilities such as hospitals or schools for disabled children, detailed designs and costs will now be drawn up with a view to having all of the upgrades complete by 2019.

The latest list, like the ones before, are all over the country. Half, 13 out of 26, are in London and the South East, with the rest being spread as far afield as Scotland (3), Wales (2), Yorkshire (2) and the South West (2).

Very often, stations selected for these upgrades have received new footbridges with integral lifts on every platform. These have replaced stair-only bridges and, in some cases, even barrow crossings.

Raised sections of platforms, to bring the level up to that of the train doors, are sometimes fitted. Known as ‘Harrington humps’, after the station in Cumbria at which the first example was installed, these give quick and easy access to trains with no vertical step.

Although thought-of as being for disabled access, these benefits are appreciated by other users - those with heavy bags, children in prams and pushchairs, and even those who just find steps difficult.

Access for All programmes have, in the past, been combined with other station improvements funded by the train operator or by local authorities. So new car parks, better passenger information systems and improved lighting have often appeared at the same time as the access upgrades.

Each individual project is not very significant in itself. Costing a maximum of single-figure millions each, they are now almost routine. However, taken together, this is a significant programme. By 2019 it will have cost over £520 million and will have improved, in some way, almost half of Britain’s railway stations.

Even more Access for All

The original hump at Harrington, Cumbria.

The full list of 26 stations:

London and the South East: » Alexandra Palace » Bexley » Brondesbury » Canterbury East » Carshalton » Coulsdon South » Crawley » Ewell West » Palmers Green » Plumstead » Selhurst » Shortlands » Teddington

East of England: » Tring

Midlands: » Stechford

North West: » Meols » Mills Hill

Scotland: » Kilmarnock » Kilwinning » Westerton

South West: » Torquay » Totnes

Wales: » Taffs Well » Treherbert

Yorkshire and the Humber: » Headingley » Scunthorpe

The Completed installation at Hooton, Cheshire. And below a new footbridge being installed.


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The Rail Safety Summit has become THE conference for rail safety executives, infrastructure owners, train operators, rail stakeholders

and training professionals, with leading fi gures from the rail safety, security, risk assessment and training professions all in attendance.

An Advisory Board has been developed for the 2015 Safety Summit. This esteemed group of people come from all areas of the Rail Industry and are best placed to know what the current burning questions in the industry are that need to be answered.

Rail SafetySummit 2015 LONDON

30/04/15 - 01/05/15

KEYNOTE SPEAKER, DAY 1

Mark Carne

Chief Executive

Network Rail

Charles Horton

Chief Executive

Govia Thameslink Railway


Rail Safety Summit A3 RS Nov14.indd 1 26/11/2014 16:05

Day 1: A meeting of rail safety minds How do we continue to make sense of safety?

Day 2: CIRAS - Confi dential Reporting for Safety Are we addressing the concerns of the workforce?

Book your tickets now at www.railsafetysummit.com

Following the success of last year’s Rail Safety Summit, we are delighted to announce that our sixth event is now expanded to two days, and will be held on Thursday 30th April and Friday 1st May at the Royal College of Physicians, London.

The Rail Safety Summit has become THE conference for rail safety executives, infrastructure owners, train operators, rail stakeholders

and training professionals, with leading fi gures from the rail safety, security, risk assessment and training professions all in attendance.

An Advisory Board has been developed for the 2015 Safety Summit. This esteemed group of people come from all areas of the Rail Industry and are best placed to know what the current burning questions in the industry are that need to be answered.

Rail SafetySummit 2015 LONDON

30/04/15 - 01/05/15


Mark Carne

Chief Executive

Network Rail

Charles Horton

Chief Executive

Govia Thameslink Railway


Rail Safety Summit A3 RS Nov14.indd 1 26/11/2014 16:05

Steel wheels running on steel rails define what a railway is all about. As a concept, it has been around since the very first

passenger trains ran back in the 1830s. Technology has improved both elements over the years. The rails are stronger, harder, more consistent and, for the most part, welded together in long lengths.

Wheels are also made from better steels, have optimised profiles machined into them, and are resistant to cracking and other potentially-dangerous problems.

However, the interface is still steel on steel. Unlike the tyre on a road vehicle, a steel wheel hardly compresses at all so the ‘footprint’ of the wheel on the rail is very small. Due to the profile on the wheel, and the curvature of the top of the rail, it doesn’t even stretch the full width of the wheel. In fact, it is typically an ellipse with the same area as a 5p coin.

So the pressures in that contact zone are incredibly high. This produces a high friction force, which is why steel wheels work so efficiently.

When wheels stop turningOf course, that friction can still be overcome. We

have all seen the films where a train (usually an American wood-burning steam locomotive) slams its brakes on to avoid plunging into the gorge

from the broken bridge, or running over the pretty blonde tied across the tracks while the villain twirls his moustaches, or hitting the obstruction/vehicle/child/superhero that’s in the way.

In these cases, the wheels all lock and the train continues to slide forward in a shower of sparks. Will it stop in time? And what damage is it doing to the wheels and the track? The suspense is gripping…

Fortunately, that doesn’t happen often on the UK network. Wheels can still slide if the brakes are applied too abruptly, but with sensible driving it’s not a real problem and the sparks are almost indistinguishable.

Even when it rains, traction is usually still good. The contact pressures are so high that any water gets squeezed out and the wheels are effectively running on a dry track again.

But now let’s add a lubricant. Oils and other contaminants can cause havoc. When The Rail Engineer attended some braking trials for road-rail vehicles at Network Rail’s High Marnham test track a couple of years ago, they had no trouble braking from 15mph in a relatively short distance, even on a cold and snowy day.

However, when the local technicians added washing-up liquid to the already damp track, the result was astonishing. Seeing a 30-tonne excavator lock all four wheels and yet just sail majestically down the track for almost a hundred yards with no sign of stopping was both spectacular and worrying.

Fortunately, there are not many occasions on which someone dives out of the bushes and applies washing-up liquid to the rails just as a laden train is approaching. However, there are

Virtual leaves

NIGEL WORDSWORTH

on the virtual line

Braking performance on all four axles. The dips show where the brakes have locked.


some oils that can get spilled on the track that can have the same effect so vigilance is always needed.

Enter Mother NatureThere is one lubricant, though, that nature

herself spreads on the rails every year - leaves. As deciduous trees lose their leaves in autumn and winter they coat the ground around them - including any railway tracks that happen to be nearby.

In the days of steam, that wasn’t so much of a problem. Embankments were kept clear of foliage otherwise sparks from the fireboxes would set it all alight - which was itself an effective if troublesome method of vegetation control.

Now that the operators run only diesel and electric trains, that is not so important. So, in times of austerity, the vegetation is not cut back as hard as it used to be. It’s all very picturesque, but it has two problems.

The first is that, when a heritage steam train is run on the line working an enthusiast special, there is more vegetation to be set on fire. It happens, and steam locomotives are now banned from portions of the national network for that very reason.

The other is that the leaves from all those pretty trees fall on the track. And that’s a big problem.

When the next train comes through, the leaves aren’t pushed out of the way but are crushed between the wheel and the railhead under very high pressure. The result is nothing like that seen on roads, although squashed wet leaves can be treacherous enough. No, the extreme pressure ‘welds’ a thin film onto the top of the rail - and that layer is extremely slippery.

To put it bluntly, there is no longer friction between the train wheel and the rail. So when the driver applies the brakes - nothing happens. Conversely, when the train is finally brought to rest, it won’t start again but will just spin its wheels on the film.

Those are extreme situations. There is usually some residual friction, but not a lot. So in times of leaf-fall, drivers have to brake earlier and be more cautious when starting off from a station - both of which add time to the journey causing delays to passengers and damaging Network Rail’s performance record.

So three things need to be done. Vegetation needs to be cut back where possible, but that’s time consuming and expensive to do. The film needs to be removed from the rails, which is also expensive and involves everything from high-pressure water jets (see Polly Rivers’ article) to even lasers, and engineers need to understand the mechanisms involved so advanced braking and traction-control systems can take account of the problem.

Trials and simulationsNow to understand something, engineers

need data. But how to obtain it? Do they place calibrated leaves on a calibrated rail and run a calibrated train over it at a precisely-measured speed? That doesn’t sound very practical.

“Actually, we use paper,” explained ESG's Stuart Brown. “It’s a good substitute for leaves, has much the same effect, and is easier to handle.”

British Rail Research generated a lot of data from the actual network, measuring and recording real leaf film around the network using a dedicated measuring train. It is these actual in-service measurements which make WSPER unique.

Since then, that data has been enhanced by additional testing which has taken place at Old Dalby, running trains backwards and forwards over pieces of paper laid on the tracks. These tests have also served to calibrate WSPER against the test results.

Stuart is now principal electrical engineer at ESG Rail in Derby. Working in an office and laboratory in the old Railway Technical Centre (now the RTC Business Park), he is still calculating what happens to braking systems in times of leaf fall, but these days he isn’t running trains on test tracks.

The test rig. Inside the frame is the braking system under test, the yellow boxes are WSPER.


Instead he has a box of tricks known as WSPER - the wheel slide protection evaluation rig. This is a combination of a computer control system, a pneumatic test rig and a complete four-axle braking system, a much-coveted set-up which ESG obtained during 2014. In short, the whole system is designed to fool the brake equipment that it’s actually on a train.

It’s really very sophisticated. Braking systems these days are computer controlled - they react to various inputs, both from the driver’s controls and from sensors measuring wheel speed, train speed, and other variables, and they calculate the pressure that needs to be applied to the brake callipers. Wheel slip is calculated by comparing the wheel speed, the known wheel diameter, and the train speed and, if slip occurs, brake pressure is backed off until the wheel bites and is then reapplied. Comparing the four axles (two bogies) on the same carriage can also detect one that is rotating at a different speed to the other three.

WSPER’s job is to provide all of the external data that the braking system expects to receive. So it supplies the train speed, acting in place of the regular sensor. It also supplies wheel rotation speed, creates variations between the four axles, changes parameters to simulate forward pitch of the vehicle under braking, adjusts the data for empty carriages and for full ones - all at 500 times a second.

That all makes the braking system think it’s on a train running in normal conditions. Simulations are done to represent straight track, so there is no problem with curves. However, the inertia

on each axle can be varied, to represent the difference between a powered axle and a trailing one, and wheel diameter can also be varied to represent wear.

Computer vs computerOnce the system is working well as a train

running on straight dry track, it’s time to make changes. Bring on the leaves!

Now, when brakes are applied, the rotation of the wheels slows down but the train’s forward motion doesn’t. That should make the system reduce the braking pressure, to see if the wheel starts rolling again. It can even start to apply sanding - on one or two of the four axles only - which the system ‘sees’ by differences in friction coefficients and relative velocities.

This is almost science fiction. One computer system is trying to work as it has been programmed to do, while the other is trying to fool it into doing something different - all the while monitoring it to see how it performs.

And that, of course, is the reason for all of this. It’s easy to get caught up in the complexities of the software and the interaction between that provided by the brake manufacturer and ESG’s clever system. But the simulation is not an aim

in itself, the intent is to put the braking system through its paces and see how it preforms in adverse conditions. Braking system designers, and train designers, can then use that information to both specify equipment and to improve it.

Stuart and his team at ESG are continually improving the system. Already they can simulate a four-car system - that’s sixteen axles. And they can alter the performance to replicate the front four cars or the rear four cars of an eight-car train.

The ESG system is one of only three similar rigs that exist. Another is at the company’s parent organisation, DB Systemtechnik in Germany, although it isn’t as sophisticated as the Derby set-up. So there is plenty of work for Stuart’s team to do.

And all of this looks at braking - which is not surprising as most of the work is undertaken on behalf of brake manufacturers. But what about acceleration? Leaf residue can affect that too, and that’s a whole new area that could be examined in the future.

Thanks to Stuart Brown and Dan Holdsworth of ESG and Jeanette Bowden of Network PR for arranging a most interesting visit to ESG’s Derby premises to see WSPER in action.

In another development in the work to understand and control the effects of leaf fall, TRL (Transport Research Laboratory) is working with Balfour Beatty Rail Limited (BBRL) and South West Trains (SWT) to trial an innovative system for measurement of rail adhesion.

Poor adhesion is a significant challenge to the UK: the direct costs associated with vegetation control and rail head treatment programmes, train delays and cancellations are significant both financially and in terms of railway performance. Unpredictable traction and braking behaviour also results in substantial indirect costs as a result of the failure to maximise the capacity of the infrastructure.

Currently, the causes of low-adhesion phenomena are not comprehensively understood and there are no measurement methods that are suitable for widespread and routine monitoring of adhesion conditions. Although traditionally associated with leaf fall, adhesion problems can be experienced throughout the year - anecdotally, they have been associated with the presence of small amounts of moisture in combination with other

railhead contaminants. The development of better measurement technology will enable the phenomenon to be better understood and railhead treatments to be better targeted.

The TRL work builds on the BBRL TrueTrak Geometry measurement system with additional sensors to detect the accelerations of interest. The system was installed on one of SWT’s class 159 diesel multiple units in August 2014 and has been collecting data continuously throughout the autumn and winter period on the West of England routes from Waterloo to Salisbury, Exeter and Bristol, plus services to Southampton and Portsmouth. Typically the instrumented train covers around 1000km per day, during which it generates 3GB of raw data.

The project is part-funded by Innovate UK under the “Accelerating Innovation in Rail” programme. The approach is based on a

programme of RSSB-funded research modelling by Loughborough University which suggests that the accelerations experienced by train wheel sets and bogies are indicative of the local adhesion conditions.

TRL analysts are currently assessing how the relevant features of the data can best be identified and characterised. If successful, the system will eventually provide a real time indication of adhesion conditions to assist train drivers and network operators.

Ongoing rail adhesion measurements

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@StobartRailLtd

PETE DAVIDSON – QUALITY SYSTEMS MANAGER

Pete joined Stobart Rail in 2006 as Quality Systems Manager. He had previously spent several years in a manufacturing environment and over 20 years within the brewing industry. His experience included initiating, producing and maintaining quality systems and successfully gaining ISO9001 and BSI Kitemark certifi cations for products and services. In addition, he has audited for many years and is a qualifi ed Lead Auditor for ISO9001 and OHSAS18001.

Moving to a diff erent industry was a challenge but Pete quickly realised the complexity and nuances of rail. “It was certainly a steep learning curve to understand just how many diff ering compliance requirements were needed to retain our various certifi cations. I was fortunate to be working with a great team of people and, where my knowledge of the industry was lacking, there was a wealth of advice available to me.”

The demands on our systems have continued to grow and the new RISQS protocols, Principal Contractor and Plant Operator requirements this year have presented a signifi cant challenge. “Our integrated HSQE systems have stood up to the challenge well and we were delighted that following our RISQS audit that we have achieved the highest star rating available for the coming year.

“Working for Stobart Rail has certainly expanded my horizons, enabling me to hone not only our systems but to produce processes and provide auditing support to our Group Airports.

“These are exciting times for Stobart Rail as we continue to grow and build upon our success and reputation. I look forward to the next phase of my employment with the Company which, based on the last eight years, will always present new challenges within a very demanding industry.”

Stobart’s dedicated HSQE teamThe Stobart Rail HSQE Department consists of a dedicated team of experienced, trained individuals whose skills complement each other providing compliance assurance for the company. It is responsible for the monitoring and analysis of feedback through satisfaction surveys to determine client perception of the service we provide. This allows the company to develop its strengths and address any weaknesses.

Key to providing compliance assurance is our Integrated Business System which encompasses all aspects of our business operations, core processes and support functions. Our system includes controls for projects from bid to completion, fi nancial and risk management, legislative, certifi cation and client requirements.

Amongst the many certifi cations we hold are ISO9001:2008, OHSAS18001:2007 and ISO14001:2004, Principal Contractor Licence and Plant Operations Scheme Provider. In addition we also hold numerous RISQS (Formerly Link Up) product codes and a licence to operate a mainline railway station at Southend.

The Stobart Rail HSQE Department is the cornerstone of the company’s commitment to providing a professional service to

its customers.

Dave Richardson Plant Managert. 01228 882 300e. [email protected]

Gary Newton Contracts and Estimating Managert. 01228 882 300e. [email protected]

Andrew Sumner Business Development and Stakeholder Managert. 01228 882 300e. [email protected]

stobartrail.com

With crisp air, frosty mornings and the trees proving a riot of colour, autumn and winter are undeniably glorious times of the year. Until you need to travel anywhere on the train, when

everyone has heard the public address announcements signalling delays and seemingly mystery cancellations.

The phrase ‘leaves on the line’ has become a national catchphrase, rolled out by news reporters with a raised eyebrow, and as soon as the first frost hits, battle weary commuters arrive at the station expecting travel misery.

However, few people realise just how much of a challenge our autumn and winter weather actually poses to the rail industry, and how much thought and planning has to go into ensuring that Mother Nature’s more challenging months don’t make for a complete shut-down of the nation’s rail network.

‘Oh, do leaf off!’Leaves on the line may have

become a phrase that many passengers see as a catch-all excuse for any delay during the winter months, but vegetation leaf fall is recognised as a serious issue in the industry - in 2006, it is estimated that fallen leaf management cost Network Rail upwards of £60 million. There are six species of deciduous tree that cause particular problems - ash, sycamore, poplar, lime, sweet chestnut, and horse chestnut -

and they all thrive by the railway. Come autumn, when they drop their leaves, the settled vegetation is compressed on the track by passing trains, coating the rails in a slippery layer, affecting the traction of rolling stock, and having a severe impact on train braking and acceleration.

In order to maintain passenger safety, drivers have to decrease overall speed, and slow earlier for stations and signals, as well as accelerating more slowly to ensure that vehicles wheels maintain traction with the track. Overall, it is obvious that this decreased speed

is going to cause delays, but it is vital to ensure passenger safety.

Some train operating companies (TOCs) have started publishing special timetables to alert passengers of potential changes to services during the autumn/winter periods. However, from a service and safety point of view it is ideal to ensure that the leaves are not on the line at all.

In order to keep the nation’s rail track leaf-free, Network Rail, in partnership with organisations such as GB Railfreight, has a fleet

It’s thattime of year!POLLY RIVERS

STRAIL (UK) Ltd.Richard Whatley / Tannery Lane / Send / Woking / GU23 7EF / Great Britain

phone +44 (14 83) 22 20 90 / fax +44 (14 83) 22 20 95 / [email protected]

STRAIL is a brand of the

group

THE UNIQUE & INNOVATIVE veloSTRAIL INNER PANEL SYSTEM

This ingenious system eliminates the gap, making it safer for light wheels such as cyclists, wheel chairs, prams and skaters...So please DON’T mind the gap...

...because with this new, safer inner panel system there isn’t one!

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of vehicles specially designed to tackle this very specialised problem.

The railhead treatment train is ideally placed to clear even the most compacted leaf mulch from tracks. Hauled by a Class 73 locomotive, the train consists of two KFA wagons which house five water tanks with a cumulative capacity of 85,000 litres and a powerful jetting system with nozzles placed directly above each rail. This capacity is capable of cleaning up to 300 miles of track on one fill and, with a jetting pressure of 1,500 bar, the leaf mulch doesn’t stand a chance. In fact, the jets are so strong that the vehicle has to be shut off whilst stationary - if it didn’t there’s a risk that it would actually cause damage to the railhead.

The jets are operated via a remote control, which can be programmed to any one of GB Railfreight’s jetting vehicles. It is set to the vehicle at the start of the shift, and then operated in the cab by one operative. With a standard speed of 60mph, the vehicle is able to quickly return badly-affected sections of track to perfect working order.

As well as ensuring timetables are maintained, and in addition to keeping tracks leaf-free, one of the key areas to which the rail head treatment train has brought benefits is signalling. There has been a significant reduction in signalling problems because of leaf build-up since the vehicles have been in operation. When there is reduced traction between the vehicle and the track, drivers are not always able to bring the train to a stop, or accelerate quickly enough to pass through signals at the expected times.

Additionally, a build-up of leaf mulch can lead to decreased levels of electrical connectivity, ultimately insulating train wheels from the rails, so signallers have less information regarding where vehicles are and how they are progressing. Incidents such as this in turn lead to increased incidences of Signals Passed at Danger (SPAD), putting passengers and staff at risk, and adding to workloads and additional costs

to both Network Rail and TOCs. Vehicles such as the railhead treatment train can help eliminate issues such as these and ensure a clear path, even on the most autumnal day!

‘Snow joke’As if regular autumnal problems

with leaf fall weren’t enough, as soon as that season is out of the way, along comes winter.

Snow and ice may have proved a hit for Disney, but Network Rail just want to ‘Let it Go!’ When snow settles on a track, the movement of rolling stock helps compact it into a solid sheet of ice, preventing the proper working of vital components such as points, and if the vital electrified rail is coated, the whole network inevitably grinds to a halt.

Drifting snow also causes a multitude of problems, from the short-circuiting of signals to blockages of whole sections of track. Whilst we rarely see snow this bad in the UK, it does happen occasionally (remember the winter of 2010/2011), so it is something for which we must be prepared.

During the winter period, Network Rail receives weather updates twice a day from dedicated forecasters, helping to ensure it can plan effectively

for any adverse conditions and highlighting any locations that may require specialist attention. In order to make sure it is fully prepared for even the most extreme weather that winter can provide, Network Rail has had to consider the ‘worst case scenario’. Alongside GB Railfreight, the infrastructure owner now has the ability to call on a fleet of snowplough attachments for when winter really means business.

The six snowplough attachments, which are propelled by a locomotive such as a Class 73, would be used in really extreme conditions. If settled snow is three to four feet deep, these attachments are designed to plough a path through. The third rail has to be isolated before use, but with potentially four feet of snow to tackle, it is unlikely that this would cause too much upheaval. For less extreme conditions, the rail head treatment train also has a snow plough attachment fitted to the front, which can handle snow up to two feet deep.

Whilst the problems faced by the rail industry over the autumn and winter months are certainly challenging, with the correct equipment and preparation, the impact they have on services can be greatly reduced.

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A pad protects the rail during a stationary demonstration, otherwise the powerful water jet could damage it.


The railway industry has recognised the importance of innovation as a means to deliver imperatives such as improving customer satisfaction, increasing capacity and reducing costs. But it also recognises the importance of maintaining or continuing to improve its already

impressive levels of safety.

Yet, so often, innovation and safety can get in each other’s way. It is all too easy for the drive for one to dominate the other. Where this happens, the innovation does not succeed or safety might be compromised.

Network Rail’s National Electrification Programme has brought a great opportunity for innovation. And Network Rail has risen to this challenge by seeking to adopt new technology as part of this programme. It is leading the application of Integrated Protection and Control (IPC) equipment to help deliver cost savings and improved electrical protection on the railways.

The cost savings come as a consequence of adopting new technology. This includes the ability to reduce the size of electrical substations and improved network reliability through power being removed more rapidly in the event of electrical faults. The use of commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) equipment that is built to the international standard IEC 61850 also contributes to the overall cost savings.

Switch to SCADANetwork Rail is taking advantage of new

Supervisory Control And Data Acquisition (SCADA)-based systems to make the operation

of its electrical control rooms more flexible and so deliver a more reliable railway, help future proof the technology and achieve cost savings in the long term.

The introduction of the SCADA-based systems is being undertaken as part of Network Rail’s supervisory renewals project. Its objective is to replace and upgrade the existing equipment, which includes a mix of electromechanical supervisory and electronic SCADA systems.

The revised SCADA system comprises a Central Master Station that will interface with approximately 1200 outstation Remote Terminal Units (RTU). The works will require the installation of approximately 230 new RTUs and migration of the existing electronic RTUs, including supporting data and voice telecommunications systems, to the newly-upgraded SCADA system. This will be required to serve 14 new Electrical Operational Control Centres operating within the newly built Rail Operating Centres (ROCs).

The significant benefits of introducing the revised SCADA systems include maintainability for the future by using a modern platform; reliability and flexibility in that, if one ROC fails, control can be assumed by another ROC; and operating consistency, with common operating practices across all the ROCs. And as with IPC, the SCADA innovations involve the adoption of COTS equipment.

Demonstrating safetyIn response to introducing this innovative

technology, it is important that electrical protection and control is delivered reliably and effectively. In seeking to introduce these

balanceRICHARD WHELDON

All a question of

VLS trials at Foxfield Railway.

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innovations in electrical protection and control, Network Rail recognised that it needed to get the right balance between innovation and safety.

Frazer-Nash Consultancy is working with Network Rail to help enable these innovations become a reality on the operational railway while ensuring that safety is preserved or improved. The main challenge from a safety perspective is the introduction of new COTS equipment, in some cases in a novel application, onto the existing rail infrastructure. Being able to demonstrate that this new equipment maintains the required levels of safety is essential in fulfilling the legislative requirements set out in the Common Safety Method (CSM) on Risk and Evaluation and Assessment.

By drawing on safety assurance experience from across a number of industry sectors, for example other high-hazard industries such as nuclear and aerospace, Frazer-Nash has been able to supplement its rail safety experience and has been successfully able to apply this within the rail sector. Network Rail’s innovative approach to problem solving has then been harnessed by Frazer-Nash in developing the safety justifications in support of the CSM on risk evaluation and assessment.

The safety justifications written in support of introducing these innovations are being presented using the Goal Structuring Notation (GSN) approach. GSN provides a framework in which to assess the safety implications of introducing new technologies and COTS equipment onto an operational railway.

In addition to competency in safety assurance from Frazer-Nash, the safety justifications being written in support of the innovations for IPC and SCADA also require a high degree of competency in railway electrical practices and operations from Network Rail. This combination of competencies is being provided by the close working relationship between the two organisations and an attitude to succeed by achieving the required balance between innovation and safety.

Lower-cost signallingExamples of getting the right mix of ingredients for innovation and safety

can also be demonstrated in other areas of the railway supply chain. In 2012, Park Signalling and Frazer-Nash jointly won the RSSB and RIA Innovation competition. This project required Park Signalling to demonstrate that its proposed Virtual Lineside Signalling (VLS) system could be shown to be safe. This award demonstrates the importance RSSB and RIA place on achieving the right balance between innovation and safety within the rail sector.

VLS provides lower-cost centralised signalling with affordable operational enhancements primarily suited to, but not exclusively for, secondary and rural lines. This is achieved by an innovative combination of existing techniques such as asset tracking, sensor fusion and image encryption, enabling it to make use of COTS equipment within a safety-related system. Train detection and automatic train protection (ATP) are replaced by radio frequency identification (RFID) tags and readers. Image encryption replaces line-side signals with cab signals based on in-cab displays and COTS mobile devices.

As VLS utilises novel data processing, encryption and exchange methods, it is important to be able to demonstrate that this system is safe for its intended application. This required consideration to be given to the safety and security for the message encryption and transfer on a public network, design options to ensure correct images are safely displayed in the cab and an interlocking interface design that can be shown to be safe.

In undertaking these projects with Network Rail and Park Signalling, Frazer-Nash has been able to identify some of the key features in getting the right balance between innovation and safety. These include experience and a proven track record in safety assurance, the innovative application of safety processes and techniques to achieve compliance with legislation and regulatory requirements, and ensuring the safety of new and novel designs is suitably justified and the ability to work effectively as part of a multi skilled team.

What has been learned is that there are many ways in which innovation

and safety can be combined to achieve the desired outcome. This can involve reconciling new and existing technologies and requires close working relationships between a number of organisations in forming highly skilled and multi disciplined teams.

Achieving the required level of safety does not necessarily mean stifling innovation and, in fact, the changes brought about by innovation can offer opportunities to enhance safety. The rail industry had long built up a reputation as being slow to adopt innovation and averse to change but Frazer-Nash is showing that, by working with enlightened organisations such as Network Rail and Park Signalling, the optimal balance can be achieved.

Richard Wheldon is group leader and a safety and innovation consultant at Frazer-Nash Consultancy.

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Ask the average railway person what he/she thinks about lawyers and the likely answer will be ‘they seem to get involved in everything, don’t add any real value, cause a lot of delay and

submit expensive bills’.

This perception will be held by many rail engineers, particularly technicians and supervisors endeavouring to complete a contract on time and to budget. Any interference is not welcome when deadlines have to be met.

So why are lawyers so prevalent in the rail industry and is all that they purport to do really necessary? The Rail Engineer recently visited international law firm Bird & Bird to probe the many rail activities that require legal advice and to learn how such service is rendered.

Projects and contractsThere are now more contracts in place within the rail industry than at any

time past. This is mainly due to privatisation and the events of subsequent years. Contracts have prevailed in an industry that was firstly broken up but is now increasingly being put back together again.

The recent increase in investment spend has seen a massive rise in the number of projects being undertaken, ranging from mega-schemes such as electrification and major station upgrades to small improvement works for local infrastructure. Every project has to be tendered against some kind of procurement specification detailing requirement, price, timescale and delivery mechanism. All will be driven forward under a set of contract conditions that form the basis of a legal framework. The words on the page have to mean something, not just to ensure that everyone can see what is expected but also to be a means of resolution for when things go wrong.

With billions being spent, bidders need to see that their rights are set down with a desire for certainty. Many contract conditions will come in a standardised form, these often being produced by the big professional

engineering institutions. The Model Form of Contract in use for many years by the Institution of Engineering and Technology (formerly the IEE) and the Institution of Mechanical Engineers provides a generic framework for contract work and sets down the principles for how work will be undertaken.

Earlier ‘legal speak’ has been replaced by simpler language but it is always a temptation for engineers to state ‘standard Conditions of Contract will apply’ without any proper understanding as to whether these are entirely appropriate and the limitations within them.

It is therefore often necessary to obtain legal and commercial advice and the larger firms will have in-house managers with this expertise. In turn, this leads to Special Conditions of Contract being written that appertain to the specialist type of work being undertaken. The wording of these, whilst still in legal phraseology, will hopefully be more meaningful to the project engineers and managers responsible for carrying out the delivery task.

So far so good, but do we need this level of complication? If every project was to be delivered to the precise requirement of the contract, then things could be a lot simpler but we all know the real world is not like that.

Two of the most important areas that need to be covered are change of scope and provision for damages when things go wrong. Unless the legal framework is determined, both customer and supplier can be liable for large sums of money if arrangements for both of these are not robust.

A huge UK engineering company of the twentieth century had an undeclared policy to win contracts at the lowest possible price in the full knowledge that the customer specification was inadequate and that considerable variations would be required. The pricing of these was extortionate to say the least.

Equally, if lateness or wrong provision occurs, the penalties to be paid as ‘liquidated damages’ can mount up to draconian levels. Any resistance to payment would itself result in expensive legal fees. It becomes clear that every detail needs to be regulated and a well-drafted contract will have clauses to protect against such eventualities.

The ‘Railtrack years’ represented the peak of ‘death by contract’, the people concerned believing that contract conditions would be the cornerstone by which the railway was operated. That was nonsense as nothing can detract from plain common sense in managing operational and engineering purpose.

Despite the myriad of players in today’s railways, things have improved and sensible contract structures are emerging all the time. The creation of Rail Alliances is a positive step forward and partnerships between Network Rail, the TOCs (train operating companies) and major suppliers have contributed to a more pragmatic way in ensuring the railway works together.

A classic example has been Reading station remodelling, where all the major players were required to set up office in the same building on Caversham Road. Walking along the corridor to resolve a problem is much easier than involving the legal department.

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Disputes are now no longer at the same level. There are some who put forward a policy of ‘fix first, argue later’, but this has risks and might be a step too far. A contractual structure is still necessary in order to prevent abuse.

Rolling stock and franchisesContract arrangements for the procurement

and provision of Rolling Stock are, by the very nature of current day railway structure, very complex. The main participants are the train builders, the train leasing companies and the train operating companies. Add to this the frequent need for third-party finance and direct governmental steer on what trains go where, and it often becomes a source of public debate and criticism.

Trains are expensive to both build and maintain but are the main image of the railway as presented to the travelling public. The international nature of the business often leads to arguments over the use of local or imported expertise. It is therefore essential that both procurement and operating packages are sensibly constructed with the right legal framework to back them up.

It is not unknown for train companies to directly lease new trains from the manufacturer, often with a maintenance package built in as well, as it cuts out the ‘middle man’. Rolling stock is still an asset that has a 40-year life so

decisions made at the time of procurement will have long consequences.

Add to this the complex and controversial arrangements for franchising train services, and one can appreciate the need for robust legal frameworks to regulate both the short and long term periods of business management. Even where franchises run their contracted course, the subsequent use of the trains into the future requires careful commercial and legal considerations. Companies can be stripped of a franchise or default - it has happened at least twice - and sorting out the consequent operation has significant legal implications.

People and employmentLooking after the interests of rail staff is often

seen as the domain of the Trade Unions but both employers and unions need the assistance of lawyers to sort out contention. Typical examples of situations or problems that occur are: » Managing the impact of company break-ups; » Applying the TUPE (Transfer of Undertakings,

Protection of Employment) regulations to ensure fair play when franchises or companies come to the end of a contract period;

» Interpreting national and international law, e.g. the working time directive;

» Advising on the rights of staff during periods of industrial unrest, e.g. should people working to rule get paid;

» Protecting the rights of individuals not in a trade union;

» Providing an arbitration service to resolve long standing grievances, e.g. claims going back years for holiday pay;

» Representing individuals at industrial tribunals.

In most of these circumstances, lawyers are in the background to give sound impartial advice and must not be seen to be taking sides. Rarely will they be alongside their client in open session. In extreme circumstances such as representing people during accident enquiries, barristers will be engaged to protect a person from unfair questioning and possible impending prosecution.

Technology and engineeringLaw firms can sometimes be pro-active in

steering new technology and its application, with lawyers having a role to play in determining how engineering aspects should be considered and applied. Some examples are: » IPR (Intellectual Property Rights) associated

with standardisation and interoperability of equipment;

» Cross licensing of equipment usage and the creation of partnerships;

» IT and telecommunication system performance and future usage;

» Service Level Agreement advice.PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK.COM


Lawyers may look at new technology emerging from other countries and how this will impact on the domestic market. Radio spectrum allocation and licensing is a hot topic that spans the international divide and needs strong legal advice to ensure fair and effective allocation. Becoming involved in industry bodies such as Trade Associations is something in which Bird & Bird takes a particular interest. Lawyers should facilitate business rather than emphasise legal rights and aim to simplify the issues, not add complexity.

European Union rules on procurement and contract progression often lead to people having an adverse view on the impact for UK business. Admittedly, it can be a turgid process that politicians are happy to make capital out of.

Some Bird & Bird lawyers think that the UK tends to over-complicate much of its public sector purchasing by involving complex structures such as PFI, joint ventures, mutuals and other innovative purchasing arrangements. There is no legal requirement to use such mechanisms. The Swiss (who are not in the EU but are subject to equivalent procurement rules) have a simpler approach. They will generally just purchase and then operate an asset with consequent benefits in time, complexity and cost of procurement thus giving better long-term overall value for money.

HS2 and other high-profile schemesA common view is that the consultation and planning processes

associated with High Speed 2 and projects such as London’s airport capacity are just too prolonged and time consuming. HS2 has been in negotiation for over five years but it will take to the end of this decade before any real work starts. The construction phase will thus have a much shorter timescale than the planning.

Is there just too much democracy and what stance / role do lawyers take? This is not an easy one for the legal profession as protecting local interests and environmental considerations prevents the bigger national interests from being seen.

The consensus view is that, in a UK-style democracy, it would be unfair to ride roughshod over people with genuine concerns about the impact on their daily lives, but there comes a time when for the greater good, a scheme must proceed. Seeking fair and adequate compensation for the disruption and disturbance should be the goal. It appears that road building projects are much better at reaching a consensus in a realistic timescale even though noise and visual impact may be worse than anything resulting from HS2.

Reality and fairnessHopefully these words will help railway staff and engineers

understand much better how the law and lawyers contribute to the effective running of the railway. The legal profession is not an ogre to be hated but is there to facilitate the operational framework of the railway and to ensure fair play.

Are lawyers expensive? Well, they are professional people and have to be paid a professional rate but charging by the hour is no longer in vogue with work increasingly done on a fixed-fee basis. This should lead to an aligning of interest between client and lawyer.

Dispelling misconceptions about the law has been the purpose of this article. If you or your company perceive that your legal advice is not working towards your best interests, then you probably have the wrong lawyer. Don’t be afraid to change, it is a competitive market just like the railway.

Thanks are expressed to John Drake, the chief operating officer of Bird & Bird, and his colleagues who gave me the time to explore these issues.

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The rail corridor is a difficult and potentially dangerous location for engineers and surveyors. Track possessions are usually short, at night, and can take considerable time and effort to arrange. All these factors can lead to delays in upgrade works and increased costs.

Using high-resolution imagery to map the rail network can help mitigate both delays and costs and, thanks to the reduced track access demands, significantly lower the risks to staff from working in these locations.

As a result, the use of high-resolution stereo aerial imagery to map London Underground’s (LU) network is now an established process. Having accurate topographical mapping and high-resolution imagery accessible on every desktop via the intranet gives LU’s designers access to information which would normally need numerous site visits.

Since summer 2012, Transport for London (TfL) has been working with design, engineering and project management consultancy Atkins on a programme of aerial surveys to provide digital mapping and ortho-rectified imagery to inform upgrade works to the above-ground rail network.

The initial works included sections of the Piccadilly, Bakerloo and Central Lines followed by the entire Docklands Light Railway network

in 2013. The latest project, which started in early 2014, includes sections of the Jubilee and Northern Lines and further lengths of the Piccadilly Line. Since August 2012, approximately 169km of route as well as 21 depots and sidings, have now been flown.

Digital imageryAtkins has supplied topographical data and

imagery for a range of significant projects over the last decade. With continuing improvements in large-format digital metric aerial cameras, along with the right aircraft, the consultancy has developed a robust methodology for achieving very high accuracies which can be deployed across projects in the UK and Europe.

Cory Hope, the geomatics capability lead at Atkins, explained: “We developed this highly cost effective and detailed method to provide aerial mapping for rail, highways or other applications. The key benefit to this approach is that the mapping is produced without the need

to enter the rail or highway corridor to undertake the works. Indeed, all projects require far less intervention on the ground and, apart from the health and safety advantages, the method also allows accurate remote mapping of other sensitive areas where access may be difficult or inappropriate.”

In general, the highest resolution imagery available from a fixed wing aircraft has given a GSD (Ground Sampled Distance) of 3cm. However, since 2012 Atkins has been able to employ an even higher resolution of 2cm GSD from the UltraCAM Eagle camera sensor. This camera creates a huge 262 megapixel image with a footprint on the ground of 400 metres x 261metres at 2cm resolution. The imagery is taken from a height of approximately 1200ft (365 metres) with the aircraft flown on a pre-agreed flight plan, with each image taking a massive 700MB of disk space.

To allow stereo use, and therefore viewing in 3D, each forward image overlaps with the previous one by approximately 60%, with lateral overlap of parallel runs reducing to 30%. In addition, in order to ensure the images cover tracks hidden by running trains, the images are examined following the flight, the relevant sections are identified and the obscured sections are re-flown to ensure that comprehensive coverage is achieved.

This improved high-resolution imagery, combined with calibrated GPSINS exterior orientation data (accurate photo centre and aircraft orientation information) and high quality GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) ground control, has enabled the production of aerial topographic mapping with an absolute 3D-accuracy of +/-2 cm RMSE (root mean square error).

Cory continued: “Although this in itself is exceptional, a key benefit to the data users is the considerable enhancement of the quality of the

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ortho-rectified imagery which can be created. In fact, that quality is so good that it’s arguable that staff working on-site during a night possession would be able to gather less visual information than they could while sat at their desk viewing the image mosaics and digitised topographic mapping.”

Ground controlVery rigorous procedures need to be followed in order to achieve these

accuracies. To produce a good photogrammetric model for extracting the data, ground control (points measured on the ground which are visible on the flown images) also needs to be comprehensive and accurate.

Cory commented: “This can be achieved by installing a network of primary control stations - a surveying term used for the most accurate reference points - at regular intervals along the routes with the photo control (secondary control points) installed at approximately 500 metre intervals on both sides of the rail corridor and measured via dual GNSS baselines from two primary points.

“All control during this project was measured using static GNSS baselines in closed and adjusted networks and linked to the London Survey Grid and height datum using the Ordnance Survey Active GNSS Network.”

Data ExtractionThe final stage before data extraction can begin is the aerial triangulation.

This, in effect, pulls all the flight and ground data together to create the working photogrammetric model.

At this stage the original images are first compressed from 700MB down to 70MB each to allow faster visualisation within the photogrammetric software. The ground control is then combined with the calibrated GNSS/INS (Inertial Navigation System) external orientation data from the flight to undertake a 3D ‘triangulation’ of the imagery and produce a set of working stereo models for extracting the 3D topographical data photogrammetrically.

Comprehensive quality checks of these results are carried out and, before any mapping is started, the 3D position of the ground control points is reverse checked using the final model and the differences examined to determine whether the observations meet the required tolerances.

Cory added: “The 3D digitisation of the topographical data is made in accordance with the specification set out by London Underground for both content and structure. Atkins’ mapping team use advanced photogrammetric workstations to digitise the data. This is by no means a simple task and requires considerable concentration to ensure the detail meets the accuracy constraints and that the content is correctly identified and attributed, assisted by a comprehensive pictorial set of different LU asset types. The mapped information then goes through a rigorous three-stage quality assurance process before being cleared for issue or further processing.”

The mapping can be issued in a variety of formats depending on the users’ requirements. For the projects undertaken for TfL, the data is issued in Microstation dgn format and in LU’s ICS format. Atkins worked closely with the London Underground survey team to refine and improve their ICS survey data format providing seamless data input into the track department’s design software, using the in-house software which they developed to manage the conversion.

Ortho-rectified ImageryArguably the most important benefit from the improved image resolution

is the quality and clarity of the orthophotos (ortho-rectified imagery) which are produced to complement the digital mapping data.

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“With the advent of online services like Google or Bing Maps in the last decade, most people now use orthophotos in their everyday lives, but for those unfamiliar with the terminology, an orthophoto is an image which has been ‘draped’ over the ground terrain,” said Cory. “This terrain can be a digital terrain model (DTM) which includes only ground features or a digital surface model (DSM) which includes buildings, foliage canopy etc.”

Using specialised software along with the DTM, a montage of the images is constructed with the scale distortions removed to create a photo-map which can be viewed alone or as an underlay within programmes such as AutoCAD, Microstation, ArcGIS, Geomedia or other GIS (geographical information system) software.

The orthophotos for these projects are developed to extend 100 metres either side of the routes to give additional context to the specific area of interest and they provide an invaluable tool for the London Underground upgrades. The DTM is generated photogrammetrically during the mapping phase and involves a careful mapping of the heights and break lines (change of surface shape) of the ground.

Adrian Lintott at London Underground explained: “The photography and mapping was originally commissioned to meet the requirements of a single project and was chosen as a cost effective way of gathering whole line data sets without the need for physically accessing the railway. However, it has now become a ‘must have’ for many engineers and planners across TfL.

“Having the data available at a 2cm resolution gives greater confidence, which in turn allows for the feasibility stage of projects to be

accelerated. This enables London Underground to deliver upgrade works, such as new rolling stock design and track configuration changes, in shorter timeframes and with less risk when moving from feasibility to design. The data is available to all staff in TfL as both mapping and ortho-rectified images and is used on a daily basis.”

While there are several methods to capture the data required to deliver the new TfL works, this high-resolution imagery provides a level of confidence in the identification and digitisation of features and assets not previously possible with lower-resolution imagery or aerial LiDAR.

The futureThe last decades have seen significant changes

in the way topographical and asset information is captured. As remote sensing technology continues to advance, increasing amounts of data can be collected to the exacting standards required without the inherent risks of design and maintenance staff accessing dangerous locations directly.

With the successful conclusion of these projects, it is evident that the accurate topographical mapping and very high resolution imagery produced by these methods have brought welcome time and cost savings for the Underground network upgrade. Having subscribed to these methods and with the digital infrastructure in place to realise the benefits they bring, TfL and London Underground are well placed to exploit future improvements in imaging technology and high accuracy digital mapping products.

With the rate of advancement witnessed over the last ten years, there is little doubt that camera sensors will continue to improve and 2cm resolution will ultimately be surpassed, providing even higher accuracy mapping products. As a result the opportunities for utilising this technology to improve site safety and reduce cost throughout rail and other industries are only set to grow.

Don Martindale MRICS MInstCES is a chartered land surveyor and a resource group manager of Atkins’ Geomatics team.

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Increasingly projects require survey data that is more detailed and accurate than ever before to be delivered with reduced budgets

and in challenging timescales. This is driving the use of more advanced techniques and technologies by surveying contractors.

One of the leading players in this market is AECOM, which has reacted to these latest demands by investing in technological innovation to offer the most advanced equipment in the marketplace. This allows the company the ability to offer its clients the most adaptive and accurate survey possible regardless of budget or programme constraints.

This ability was demonstrated in a recent survey of Clapham Junction station, completed using high-definition scanning (HDS) techniques.

Innovation through technology Network Rail needed an accurate two-

dimensional, engineering and measured building survey to enable pedestrian flow modelling. However, due to the long-term aspiration to increase station capacity facilitated by significant infrastructure changes, the AECOM team proposed a full three-dimensional model be created in order to facilitate the later design work. By value engineering the survey, a robust survey model was created not only reducing the long-term costs to the client but also minimising impact to the station users.

The survey was completed installing a control network of 63 permanent ground markers (PGMs) traversed using a Leica TS15 robotic total station then double levelled using an optical level to ensure no errors. Detail observations were undertaken by means of a Leica C10 high definition scanner.

Where possible, scan locations were limited to every 50 metres but, with over 430,000 passengers using the station on any average weekday, this was not always feasible. The solution was to take additional scans to ensure sufficient detail was collected to create a densely populated point cloud. All surveys were completed in line with Network Rail standards.

The proposal to utilise HDS techniques, as opposed to traditional topographic survey methods, resulted in time on site being reduced by 50% whilst generating a survey model with a greater level of detail. All works were completed in eight 8-hour midweek night shifts with the team installing control, levelling, traverse and scanning. The HDS survey reduced the time needed on site, minimising the exposure of survey staff to the high risks of working in the rail environment.

Innovation through collaboration The best way in which organisations can

deliver on objectives to drive technical, commercial and process innovation is through collaboration. This also allows them to integrate better with those they work alongside. By embracing the push towards collaboration and alliance-delivery models, an organisation can learn to appreciate how the practice can facilitate a cultural change that offers mutual benefit and promotes added value to all parties. AECOM was successfully certified to BS 11000, the British standard for collaborative working in June 2014.

This quality is reflected in the company’s role on Network Rail’s National Intrusive & Non-Intrusive Survey Framework (NINIS). Working primarily for the Civils and Building Design Groups, this framework delivers in excess of £2 million of survey work per annum requiring skills in thirteen survey methods from traditional topographical, gauging and OHLE surveys to ground penetrating radar, CCTV drainage and asbestos testing. These are specialist services for which Network Rail has to rely upon its supply chain to deliver.

In turn, collaborative relationships are developed to offer complementary skill sets - this is critical to satisfy the requirements of the framework successfully. Recently delivered works include CCTV drainage surveys across the full station asset for seventeen locations in support of the station operator’s BS14001 environmental management system and topographic and ground investigation works at 60 locations for a comprehensive resignalling scheme. Each was delivered by bringing together the collaborative skills of multiple organisations.

Innovation through sustainability The continuing rise in passenger numbers

is placing ever-increasing demands on the rail infrastructure. To compensate, new stock is

Creating added value through survey innovation

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Aberdeen station.


being introduced to offer more seats and greater reliability as part of the Northern Electrification Stock programme.

In support of this work, Network Rail sought the assistance of AECOM to undertake gauge clearance analyses for new stock on all routes between Glasgow Central and Manchester Airport. Using the National Gauging Database, in excess of 1,000 locations were identified with gauge infringements. To develop a manageable workbank to take forward to design, the project team worked with the Network Rail gauging engineers to shortlist locations prioritised by route and stock.

GRIP 3 topographic, gauging and OHLE surveys followed at seventy priority locations to enable the introduction of Class 350 rolling stock across the North West. These survey works were complemented by GRIP 4/5 civils and permanent-way designs for select sites undertaken by the AECOM design team. Following the initial tranche of works, the project is now undertaking GRIP 3 survey works at over one hundred and eighty locations for all routes and all stock with in excess of ninety requiring GRIP 4/5 civil and permanent way design solutions.

An integrated management team between surveyor, designer, client and contractor has enabled a joined-up approach and efficient delivery of a pressured programme.

Helping clients to see further, go further AECOM is a global consultancy of nearly

100,000 people with clients in 150 countries on all seven continents. Offering design and engineering functions across all sectors, it has a long history of rail surveying in the UK. Working in both heavy and light rail environments, the team helps to design, construct, operate and maintain the networks of the UK’s rail operators. Having been active in the sector for over twenty years the company is able to offer any project a wealth of experience and understanding ensuring it delivers to exceed the project objectives.

In the UK, a national team of fifty trained and experienced surveyors are supported by a dedicated group of possession and Sentinel-

qualified safe system of work planners; project and programme managers; commercial and risk managers; and health and safety advisors to deliver projects in all sectors.

Following AECOM’s recent acquisition of URS, the integration of the survey and geomatic functions of each business has delivered natural synergies to enable the team to offer a greater breadth of services and to reach more clients and more end markets than ever before. The company believes in an active engagement with the client from the outset to ensure a sound understanding of their requirements to deliver the project objectives on time and on budget.

The ability to join dots, think new and do right enables AECOM to help clients see further and go further.

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The UK has the fastest growing rail network in Europe and this trend is set to continue. New and innovative ways are needed to meet this growth and Network Rail has launched its digital railway programme to use technology and the digital revolution to transform the industry.

Other industries have delivered spectacular improvements for their customers using digital technology and Jerry England, group director, digital railway for Network Rail, intends to do the same. The Rail Engineer recently met up with Jerry to hear his vision and plans.

Most of the projects and sub programmes involved with the digital railway have been underway for some time. However, the digital railway programme has arisen from a challenge set by new chief executive Mark Carne for the rail industry, and Network Rail, to embrace the digital revolution that has brought such an improvement to other industries.

The current plan for the roll out of ETCS (European Train Control System) is to complete in 2062. However, there is a pressing need to improve capacity and a growing demand that cannot be met with the traditional way the railway is controlled and managed.

Managing growthPassenger kilometres travelled have increased

50% since 2004 and are forecast to increase again by a further 50% by the mid-2030s. Rail freight is forecast to undergo similar levels of growth. Building 50% additional line capacity is not an option and so it will require the industry to introduce more innovative ways of working to achieve growth forecasts without undue impact

on capital and other resources, as well as local communities and the environment.

Building new railways in some situations is still the right thing to do with the best known example being HS2. However, around some of the largest cities and conurbations, the work and analysis done to date demonstrates that capacity can be increased by the way trains are controlled, and by going over to digital control systems such as ETCS. So there is a need and an opportunity as all the technology is pretty much already available.

The challenge, therefore, is to accelerate the ETCS programme and deliver it over the whole rail network by 2029. At the same time, the rail journey experience will be improved by introducing smarter ticketing and better information systems - not just train information, but end to end journey information direct to passengers. Maintenance, reliability, efficiency and asset information will also be improved with more centralised and intelligent control.

The teamJerry explained that his Digital Railway

Directorate is now responsible for the existing technology groups within Network Rail -

The Digital Railway PAUL DARLINGTON

Jerry England (left).


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NRT (telecommunications), energy services, asset information, the ORBIS programme (Offering Rail Better Information Services) and the new digital railway programme.

The digital railway element is to be managed in two parts. The first is headed by Patrick Bossert and called the transformation team, and the second is the development team headed by Martin Arter.

In simple terms, Patrick’s accountabilities are around the vision, business case and stakeholder engagement, both internally and externally, and to get everyone on board with the programme. The first challenge during the next eighteen months to two years is the need to put a complete business case together and to demonstrate that the Network Rail vision for the digital railway is the right thing to do.

Martin and his development team are accountable for a series of projects and sub-programmes, most of which are inherited from other parts of the business - traffic management, ETCS development and driver advisory systems. They are also responsible for looking at what the rest of the industry is doing with respect to the digital revolution, such as smart ticketing, customer information systems and intelligent trains. The intention is to make sure that everything going on with digital railway, both within and external to Network Rail, is complementary and joined up.

Network Rail will not be involved in managing the day-to-day delivery of the external sub programmes, but ensuring that it looks and feels like an integrated industry programme and that everyone knows how it all joins together, that the interfaces are understood and to manage any gaps and overlaps. The teams have only been in place a number of weeks so this is very much the start of the journey.

Railtrack had a vision for a network of Network Management Centres (NMC) and ETCS-controlled trains along the West Coast Mail Line at 140mph, but it didn’t happen. So what has changed to say it will happen now? The answer is that technology has moved on and an example being the ‘internet of everything’ that has revolutionised other industries.

Both the rail industry and technology has matured since the early Railtack plans for ETCS and NMCs, and the ability to implement change is a lot better than it was. However, Jerry accepts that it’s still a big challenge and one not to be underestimated. The key is to be clear on the requirements that need to be met and satisfied, and not to introduce technology for technology sake. There will still be a need for some technology development, but its development with a small ‘d’ and, while there is always a risk, it is at a level that is acceptable and manageable.

Looking to other industries, there was a capacity problem at Heathrow, but the introduction of a digital airline control system has increased capacity by 61%. It’s this type of change that the digital railway programme will bring to rail. Jerry stressed that this is a change programme, not a technology programme, as the technology already exists. It is not intending to introduce anything that has not already been done elsewhere, for instance in the airline industry and, more recently, the automotive industry with autonomous cars.

The other thing to learn from other industries is to build in redundancy and resilience to failure, as demonstrated by the low-probability high-impact failure of the air traffic control system recently experienced.

Key messages Jerry’s message to the rail community is that there is an opportunity, one

of those once in a lifetime opportunities, to make a real difference to the way the railway operates and to the experience provided to customers. This will enable the industry to satisfy customers’ demands in a number of ways, such as their demand for capacity and for the journey experience. This could be mapping out their journey from wherever they start, in the home or in the office, right through to wherever they want to go.

The technology exists to provide all the information customers need to know to get them from A to B and, if anything happens on the way, to be able to tell them what has happened, what the consequences are and what choices they have. Jerry believes that this is what people want, expect and demand from rail travel. The digital railway programme will impact the entire rail industry and it will need everyone’s support for it to succeed.

The supply chain is absolutely critical to the success of the digital railway and it will need to bring tried and tested, commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) technology into the railway, and not to reinvent the wheel every time. Railway-specific technology should not be required and Jerry wants the supply chain to work with Network Rail and help to bring standard systems, processes, techniques and products used elsewhere to the railway.

In the past, some railway engineers have sometimes been too risk-averse and have stuck with obsolete old technology or, when this was no longer possible, have started to invent something from first principles and a clean sheet of paper.

The introduction of ETCS (seen here under test) will be accepted.

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M A N A G E M E N T D E S I G N I N S TA L L AT I O N T E S T C O M M I S S I O N

This can no longer be allowed to continue and all the control system technology required is already in use in other industries that very often have just the same, if not greater, safety critical and environmental requirements as railways. Suppliers also need to work together to make sure their products interface and work together. The telecoms industry is extremely commercially competitive, but most manufacturers’ products will work with other manufacturer’s products. This needs to be the same for all the systems used in the Digital Railway.

Risk and opportunitiesThe risks to the digital railway programme will be many and varied. It’s

very important that the programme is supported by the whole industry. Jerry stressed that this will be an industry programme that Network Rail happens to be leading, rather than just a Network Rail programme.

As well as the vision, which is largely in place, it’s important that a robust plan with substance, supported by a business case, is put in place to support the vision. The programme must not lose sight of why it’s trying to deliver the objective; it must understand the requirements it has to satisfy and must not get distracted by interesting technology challenges. The technology is important and must support the programme, but it’s dangerous if this becomes a technology programme.

Resource and the right skill set is a risk and this must and will be addressed in the plan. There will need to be a lot of support from the supply chain and Network Rail must help suppliers to get geared up with the appropriate skills. The heart of the control system will be moving from the ground to the train so there are many changes required right through the industry and not just Network Rail, and there are a whole new set of skills that the people supporting trains will have to learn.

Similar skill set changes will be required for the army of orange dressed Network Rail maintenance technicians, as on many routes it will be a case of moving from mechanical signalling to ETCS in one go. This must all be addressed by the change programme and plan.

HS2 is another programme that will need similar skills and resource and is seen as a ‘game changer’. However, the digital railway programme will be just as huge and exciting, with the same opportunity to make a difference. It will bring just as much improvement, if not more so, to the UK economy and journey experience. It will also happen across the whole network.

The challenge for the country is to attract the best people into engineering and both HS2 and the digital railway programme (and other rail projects) are great opportunities to attract people with new skills, expertise and ideas into the rail industry.

Interface with the routesNetwork Rail is now a devolved organisation with local empowerment in

the routes. The route managing directors have their own renewal budgets and are able to react quicker to customer requirements. This has been a success, but how will this work with a centralised programme to change the railway industry? Jerry has spoken to most of the routes and there is already a good understanding of what Digital Railway will deliver, and there is no shortage of routes wishing to be the first and to implement the change tomorrow.

There may be a danger of ‘planning blight’, with schemes being deferred until the digital railway is approved as a plan. Until then, there needs to be a middle ground found with sensible analysis of which schemes can be re-phased and which must still go ahead as originally planned by the resignalling work bank in order to maintain safety and performance.

Another aspect that is important is that stopping everything until the digital railway is ready is not the right thing to do for the supply chain, otherwise they will go and find something else to do and will not be there when needed.

Telecoms requirements Network Rail already has a significant telecommunications fibre network

in place which was provided for the fixed telecommunications network (FTN). This has already been expanded with an Optical Transport Network (OTN) and optical channels using wavelength-division multiplexing (WDM) together with a network of core routers using internet protocol. This is known as FTNx and the core is already installed and ready to carry traffic.

This will be the heart of the Digital Railway and ETCS. It has a capacity of eight terabits, which is more than adequate for all the envisaged applications for the digital railway and there is spare bandwidth to sell commercially. The reclassification of Network Rail as a public company has made this more difficult, but it has not been totally ruled out and there may be an opportunity to carry government telecommunication traffic.

The important point that Jerry made, though, is that, first and foremost, the telecoms network is there to support the operational railway and the digital railway programme. Selling spare capacity is a bonus and not essential to the business case.

ETCS control screens.


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The heritage sector never ceases to amaze, with its capacity for enthusiasm, dedication and engineering expertise. A recent visit to the Mid Hants Railway (otherwise known as the Watercress Line) by the IRSE Minor Railways Section, itself formed a few years ago to

promote and publicise the signalling and telecom exploits of the preserved railways, revealed some interesting developments and novel signalling.

The line running from Alton to Alresford, in deepest Hampshire, originally extended to Winchester but was closed by BR in 1973. A preservation society was soon formed but raising finance and negotiating purchase and lease deals with a generally unsympathetic BR was in those days a much harder task. By the time that an agreement was reached to commence services in 1977, only the Alresford to Ropley section still had track. The route westwards had to be abandoned for good as the M3 crossed its trackbed near to Winchester.

From these slow beginnings, the rest, as they say, is history and the Watercress is in the big league of heritage lines. Relaying track firstly to Medstead and Four Marks, then on to Alton where the South West Trains line from Aldershot and Farnham terminates, the line has a mainline connection so can accommodate excursion trains from the national network.

The line’s impressive collection of steam and diesel locomotives, plus a wealth of carriage rolling stock, is well known and a busy service is operated during the summer months to cater for the ever-growing leisure market.

Signalling the lineBut what of the signalling, so long a less-

publicised technology on heritage lines? The work achieved has followed a similar pattern to many preserved lines. Traditional-style signalboxes and signals, procured from a variety of sources, have been installed and commissioned at the station sites and aim to give a taste of what signalling was like in olden days.

At Alresford, the signalbox was still in position, albeit in a somewhat decrepit state, but it was restored to a workable condition with lower quadrant signal arms re-attached to the remaining signal structures. One-train working was instigated to Ropley where the newly created run-round loop was controlled by ground frames, to be succeeded shortly after by train staff and ticket block working.

Down the years, enhancements at Alresford, including the erection of the former footbridge from Uckfield and attachment of semaphore signals, have enabled the complete layout to be controlled from the box including all siding connections and shunt movements.

the Watercress LineCLIVE KESSELL

Signalling on

The frame at Alresford signal box.


Extending the line to Medstead meant provision at Ropley of, firstly, an extended ground frame to control the passing loop and, in due course, a ‘new’ box. This came in bits from a number of sources but mainly from Netley near to Southampton when that box closed.

The temporary terminus at Medstead with ‘one train working’ did not last long as the line soon reached Alton where the spare number 3 platform was available. This meant that a box to control the loop at Medstead was required - it came from Wilton South just to the west of Salisbury, and was commissioned in 1985. For the next 25 years the section onwards to Alton was operated under ‘one train working’ arrangements with ground frames at the station for the run round loop and connection to Network Rail.

Signal equipmentThese three boxes all have Stevens & Sons

frames - at Alresford 18 levers, Ropley 30 levers and Medstead 21 levers. Locking is achieved by mechanical trays and electric locks, many of which have been overhauled or renewed over time as the signalling facilities expanded.

Westwards of Ropley box, signals are all lower quadrant LSWR pattern and eastwards, they are upper quadrant SR type. Single-line control is achieved by Tyer’s electric key token instruments (EKT) and none of the three boxes can be switched out to facilitate any long section working.

One oddity at Alresford is lever number 5 which is ‘push pull’ to control two separate shunt signals with its normal position being half way in the frame.

Points are mechanical rod-operated and most signals are wire worked, a current problem being obtaining replacement signal wire thus demonstrating the reduced demand for such wire on Network Rail. Control relays are a mixture of shelf and plug-in types located in adjacent trackside apparatus cases. Communication between boxes is in buried or surface laid cable.

The Alton challengeWith growing traffic levels, one-train working

between Medstead and Alton was becoming a serious restriction. Space prevented any additional platforms but it was possible to provide a loop just outside the station where the Meon Valley line once ran. This loop was duly provided but needed to have proper signalled movement control.

The answer has been to build a new box. The superstructure may have once been a box but had been used as a platform office for many years and is now on a new brick base. The original intention of having a lever frame with mechanically-controlled points and signals

was abandoned as the loop signalling was too far away. Thus a panel with individual function switches, originally used at Chichester signal box, has been installed. This controls 1.8 miles of track towards Medstead including the Meon loop plus the station run round and berthing sidings. There is an adjacent relay room and all points are motor operated, signals are coloured lights and the entire layout is fully track circuited.

The clever bit comes with the desire not to have to staff yet another box during lighter periods of traffic, so the Watercress signalling experts devised a method of intelligent signal and point control such that operations can continue with the box closed and reversion to one-train working. In these circumstances, a train leaving Medstead with the Alton token will, with suitable approach control, automatically clear the signals into Platform 3.

Timings are set so that, once the train has slowed to the correct speed, a mid-platform signal will clear - allowing the train to stop fully in the platform where passengers then get off and board. The run round points will have been set to let the locomotive draw clear and proceed into the head shunt, whence the points will automatically change to allow the loco to run round and proceed back to the station loop entry signal. There the engine crew push a plunger to either set back into the platform or return to the berthing sidings. Electric ground signals change automatically according to point operation and detection.

To return to Medstead, the crew insert the token into a special machine that permits signals and points to be set for the return journey. When the box is closed, the automatic working does not allow the Meon loop to be used. This sequence of events has taken some innovative thinking for relay-based logic and is a tribute to the Mid Hants Railway staff involved and the design team.

Access to and from the mainline Platform 2 is by a ground frame with firstly verbal communication to the Network Rail controlling box at Woking and then a series of mutual ‘slottings’ such that both the Network Rail and Watercress signallers are confident that the movement can be made safely.

The signal controlling the entry to Platform 3 is equipped with a route indicator that clears once the mainline movement is authorised and the points reversed.

Eventually the Network Rail control point will be Basingstoke ROC, when the very latest signalling technology will still interface with the ‘old school’ systems on the Watercress Line.

Thanks are extended to the staff of the Watercress Line for allowing and assisting with this visit. Many of the signal engineers are professionals on the ‘big railway’ but others come from a number of professions with a variety of skills on offer. Long may this type of dedication exist in the heritage sector.

Signalling panel at Alton.

Alton signal box.


Wildlife and habitat surveys are an established part of the pre-planning submission stage of a development and they can take one or more forms. In general, a site is first assessed through a Preliminary Ecological Appraisal (PEA), which incorporates a data search

for existing information and a Phase 1 Habitat Survey. It also identifies the sites’ likely value for protected species.

Such surveys become a legal requirement if a PEA suggests that any of the species listed in Article 12 of the Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations 2010 (Habitats Regulations 2010) and the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 (as amended) are present. These include all 18 bat species resident in the UK, great crested newt, otter, dormouse, all raptors, many invertebrates and most endemic plant species.

Required surveysFor large developments, it is a condition of

the National Planning Policy Framework that proposals must be supported by the findings of adequate ecological surveys. As a result, surveys for European protected species as well as protected habitats are becoming part and parcel of planning applications for most large developments, including rail infrastructure.

Certain development projects, depending on the scale or sensitivity of the sites affected and the nature of the proposal require an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA). EIA is a formal process requiring the input of a number of specialists and covers a range of environmental factors including transport, water quality, noise and landscape considerations. It is often underpinned by habitat, vegetation and protected species surveys. The process requires effective consultation with statutory nature conservation bodies and other stakeholder agencies.

Either as part of an EIA or for large developments, an Ecological Impact Assessment (EcIA) may be required following the initial PEA. The EcIA evaluates the potential effects of defined actions on ecosystems, or their components, through habitat surveys and analysis of receptor sites. EcIA can either form a stand-alone report or a chapter within an EIA.

Multi-disciplined approachIn areas of particular sensitivity, such as

fenland, moorland and ancient woodland, Phase 2 Vegetation surveys, that use a variety of methodologies including the National Vegetation Classification (NVC), are now accepted as a core standard. Further techniques to analyse vegetation features include hedgerow surveys, river habitat surveys, aquatic macrophyte surveys and lower plant surveys. Following this work, a proposal may, or may not, receive the go-ahead.

As an example, prior to the publication of the EIA for the planned High Speed 2 (HS2), hundreds of habitat and wildlife surveys were synchronised with state-of-the-art mapping procedures. The work involved extensive use of Geographical Information System (GIS) techniques to carry out proximity analysis of features of international, national and regional importance, including Natura 2000 Sites, Sites of Special Scientific Interest, and habitats of principal importance. The analysis involved a review of the citations and conservation objectives of such areas in order to assess the potential for impacts from the construction and operation of HS2.

Over a period of four years, the process necessitated multi-disciplinary workshops with engineers and other environmental specialists to provide an Appraisal of Sustainability report on environmental impacts of the various route options. This work went hand in hand with a Habitat Regulations Screening Report that examined the impact on the integrity of sites along the proposed routes.

Airtrack as an exampleAlso, in 2007, ecologists helped prepare the

Environmental Statement (ES) for the British Airport Authority’s proposed Airtrack scheme that would have provided a direct train link

from London Waterloo to Heathrow Terminal 5, passing through the suburbs of southwest London.

Ecologists found that the proposed route north of Staines would impact on Staines Moor Site of Special Scientific Interest, particularly on the populations of wintering wildfowl for which the nearby South West London Waterbodies Special Protection Area (SPA) has been designated. In addition, the scheme could potentially affect a healthy population of watervoles for which adequate mitigation had to be secured. Ecologists carried out surveys for terrestrial and aquatic invertebrates and breeding and wintering birds, as well as undertaking River Corridor Surveys and Phase 2 Vegetation surveys.

Following the findings, specialist ecologists were called in to provide evidence of the potential effects on two particularly at-risk duck species - gadwall and shoveler. They had to identify, from further data, the areas that might provide significant supporting habitat outside the SPA. Night-time bird surveys were required by Natural England which involved using infrared night vision equipment and a 1 million candlepower torch with a red filter. The numbers and locations of the duck species were mapped on each occasion and, once again, GIS services provided an efficient method, bringing together all the environmental factors and considerations.

The purpose of all this work is to minimise the impact on sensitive areas and identify opportunities for mitigation. In the end, Airtrack was never built and the proposal was abandoned in 2011. As well as notable impacts on wildlife and habitats, the effect of the proposal on local road traffic, necessitating many level crossings, and the unwillingness of the Government to support the scheme, led to its demise.

Melanie Oxley is a freelance writer for The Ecology Consultancy.

Wildlife surveys for strategic rail development proposalsPH

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ECO

LOGY

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MELANIE OXLEY


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Documents

The Rail Engineer - Issue 123 - January 2015