Track and signalling

Project on track to end lengthy railway closures

Line closures for engineering works will be significantly reduced in the future thanks to pioneering work by Network Rail, which will slash the time it takes for engineers to renew a set of points.

The project team has already halved the time it takes to replace a set of points in trials from the traditional 54 hours to 27 hours.
Within the next few years these techniques will allow engineers to replace complex sets of points - which can currently take up to 54 hours over a weekend - in shorter overnight eight-hour possessions. This will reduce disruption for passengers and drive down the costs of renewals. 

The project will introduce pre-assembled sets of points, complete with point operating equipment and heating systems, which can then be transported to site in large pre-assembled modules and quickly re-assembled on site. The project will be phased in over three stages, each stage making incremental improvements in reducing time and costs.

Network Rail's Chief Engineer, Andrew McNaughton said: "We're always striving for improvement, and this project will play a major part in reducing disruption, especially at weekends, whilst improving quality and reducing costs."

With the signing of a new contract, which takes engineering specialists VCV (Modular) Ltd on board, the programme is integral to Network Rail achieving its objective of reducing costs and reducing disruption to passengers.

Joe Guerin, Chairman of VCV (Modular) Ltd, said: "We are delighted to be collaborating with Network Rail in the development of this innovative approach by providing access to our Pan-European expertise in manufacturing, logistics and installation technologies."

Pre-constructing track panels will also improve track quality and longevity as the points will be assembled and tested under factory controlled conditions making them more resilient and reliable.

The programme will be phased in over three stages. The first 'early deployment' stage - currently underway - focuses on pre-works planning and preparation, combined with improved on-site management of the renewal work to improve productivity.

The second stage introduces some aspects of the full programme, including pre-assembling of points in large panels which are then transported to site using conventional equipment.

Aspects of this technique have already been put into practice in trials in Innerwick on the East Coast Mainline near Dunbar in October 2006 and at Hunterston near Largs in April 2007, with significant time savings.

Andrew McNaughton added: "This is just the beginning. We are now working on developing the final phase of the programme, which should see the time it takes to renew a set of complex points cut down to within eight-hours, enabling us to carry-out such work with minimal disruption to passengers and freight users."

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