Dual Inventive
Switched On
How embracing technology created a safer environment for colleagues – and saved nearly half a million pounds in the process.
At the flick of a switch, London North Eastern and East Midlands’ (LNE & EM) Works Delivery off-track team were able to solve a trio of problems linked to their need to install cable routes at Hebden Bridge, West Yorkshire. The project, part of the Huddersfield to Bradford re-signalling scheme, required troughing to be replaced and upgraded. Track access, efficiency and safety were top of the agenda.
The Complications
“The Hebden Bridge work was a 12-week programme that required the up and down lines to be blocked individually and, at times, simultaneously. But a possession on the line can only be granted once every six weeks. Line blockages were used to allow these works to be carried out on mid-week nights. To complicate matters further, a third converging branch line had to be blocked at times, which required extra protection arrangements.
“The movement of the troughing from the site access point to the worksite requires the use of a track trolley, and therefore additional protection. Track access was at a premium and there were three major projects taking place at the same time, all competing to be on track.
“We wanted to remove the risk to our people. Historically, additional protection involves an individual positioned at a signal, placing a red flag or red light and detonators on the railway. So we embraced technology to get past these issues.”
