Moorethorpe Commissioning
05 Oct 2011
At 03:00 hours on Tuesday 31 May 2011, Invensys Rail successfully commissioned the resignalled areas of Hickleton, Moorthorpe Station and South Kirby, effectively completing the Moorthorpe resignalling programme with around eleven and a half miles of track (a large proportion of it bi-directional) resignalled.
This Type B, multi-million pound Network Rail project covered 52 Signalling Equivalent Units and saw the transfer of both the Moorthorpe and Hickleton signalling control areas to a new WESTLOCK computer-based interlocking at York IECC, with transmission provided by WESTRONIC 1024 over the Fixed Telecoms Network (FTN). Work also included lineside renewals and the installation of a number of new Relocatable Equipment Buildings (REBs) and Location Cases.
Whilst Moorthorpe represents the most recent project commissioning, the WESTLOCK computer based interlocking is now in successful operation across the UK. A powerful, safety critical, modern interlocking solution with advanced functionality, WESTLOCK is capable of controlling an area of railway many times greater than that of a traditional SSI - as well as a significantly larger number of trackside objects. The system not only delivers greater capacity than conventional interlockings, but also significant savings and headroom for future expansion; it is also fully compatible with Invensys Rail’s ETCS (European Train Control System) solutions and so offers forward compatibility with ERTMS (European Rail Traffic Management System). In addition to Moorthorpe, other UK WESTLOCK applications include Reading, Glasgow Central, Wolverhampton Oxley, Scunthorpe, Newport and Durham Coast Line.
For this particular programme, Invensys Rail was the principal contractor and as such was responsible for all elements of design, installation, testing and commissioning. In line with other recent projects (such as the Durham Coast resignalling programme) one of the features of the Moorthorpe project was the extremely close collaboration between Invensys Rail and Network Rail with the two project teams sharing office space and storage facilities and effectively operating as a single, integrated team.
Commenting on the works, Rob Cairns, Invensys Rail’s Delivery Director (South) said: “We’re delighted to have successfully commissioned the Moorthorpe programme, which was delivered within the Network Rail SEU efficiency range and without any accidents - following around 80,000 man hours’ work.
“Throughout the project, we worked extremely closely with our Network Rail colleagues to identify efficiency improvements within the delivery phase. Most notably, this included migrating from conventional LED signals to lightweight VMS products, as well as the joint development of the new transmission solution based on the FTN”.
The initial design specification called for a substantial signal gantry to be installed, however with a much smaller post and foundation, the introduction of the lightweight, four aspect VMS signals not only delivered significantly reduced implementation costs, but also whole life benefits due to their vastly reduced maintenance requirements.
One slightly unusual feature of the signal works came to light when members of the project team were recovering a redundant signal head and discovered a bird nesting in the signal post. As a general rule, nesting birds are protected by law (and various offences exists for noncompliance) and so a a contingency plan was agreed in advance with Network Rail as a precaution and the situation was closely monitored.
Whilst a tremendously successful project in every respect, it was unfortunately characterised by a high security risk, with the area notorious for cable theft and acts of vandalism. As a consequence, from the very start of the programme the whole project team worked extremely closely to combat this threat, with a security team working closely alongside Invensys Rail’s construction and testing managers as well as Network Rail staff.
To help combat cable theft, all of the new lineside cabling was buried in a deep ducting cable management system – 1 metre underground, with some of the 200mm diameter pipes capped with concrete. All the tail cables were also buried as were the maintenance inspection chambers (under 200mm of ballast) with GPS co-ordinates taken to allow them to be located in the future. In all some 14 km of cable route was buried. The existing REBs were also refurbished, with two new, high security buildings installed, each surrounded by palisade fencing for added security.
In order to protect the infrastructure and ensure the safety of staff during the installation of valuable assets, it was also necessary to devise a security strategy which had the buy-in of the British Transport Police and local stakeholders. The work in this area though reaped its rewards as there were remarkably few incidents of theft or vandalism.
Reviewing the overall project, Rob Cairns said: “The Moorthorpe programme is the latest example of the York team’s excellent contribution to our mainline delivery record, reflecting its proven application engineering skills and an enviable brownfield project delivery record. The project is also a great example of our ability to pilot and introduce alternative technologies which help to drive efficiency throughout the programme.
“Moorthorpe resignalling was a great success from an engineering and delivery perspective, but it also demonstrated the benefits of both true collaboration and innovative thinking. These elements can no longer be seen as ‘nice to have’ but are essential to the successful implementation of projects such as these. Our ability and willingness to develop and pilot alternative technologies and processes will be a defining feature of our business over the coming years, allowing us to continue to deliver projects to consistently high standards”.