LONDON TRANSPORT OVERVIEW
and extends for 50 years after the start of railway operation. The challenge was to design reliable, cost-effective and effi cient systems that would provide traction power to the design quality parameters required throughout HS1 – and deliver these on time and on budget.
Dixon said: “We looked for cost-effective- ness at the outset, so our initial re-design looked for lower overall costs. It signifi cant- ly infl uenced the success of the project.”
The original outline specifi cation had called for four independent feeder stations (four stations plus six connections to the National Grid to supply traction power), yet UK Power Networks Services’ approach to value engineering, plus the subsequent re- design of the power system to include Static Var Compensators (SVCs), allowed a reduc- tion to just three feeder stations and four National Grid connections whilst meeting the required performance and reliability. Indeed, this re-design was one of the fac- tors that enabled the project to proceed, as it assisted in overall and lifetime cost and in programme reduction without compromis- ing either performance or safety.
Crossrail
Crossrail is Europe’s largest engineering project, and Nawaz Ahmad, project director for UK Power Networks Services thinks the partnership approach has paid dividends here too.
He said: “Key to the success of the scheme is minimising the impact on business and the public of the vast task of electrical utility diversions. These have to be swift and co- ordinated and maintain the energy supply our customers depend on. That’s not pos- sible unless we all come together as part- ners.”
Ahmad believes that the transparency that comes from a co-ordinated cross business team, where everyone from the manage-
Aerial view of Blackfriars station
ment team down knows where respon- sibility lies is fundamental as it leads to a problem-solving and knowledge-sharing approach. This in turn means best practice, based on decades of building, managing and operating electrical assets, is shared among the team and helps meet the clients’ prime requirement of a zero-harm culture.
Similarly, it provides clarity and robustness in planning. Major projects often demand an element of fl uidity to manage the unfore- seen, and a mutual appreciation of client and industry processes has allowed many cost effi cient or cost neutral changes to be incorporated into the project.
Such an approach may sound simple, but it can be complex to manage. It is essential for instance that pertinent assurances are clearly communicated to site teams and are planned and monitored to minimise environmental impacts. Then there are settlement impacts – where joint technical working groups review risk and undertake scenario planning to agree innovative pro- tection schemes. These have led to the ex- ploration of the cost benefi ts of diversions versus piling guide walls versus alternative pile cap arrangements.
Alongside its surface rail activities, UK Power Networks Services also develops, maintains and enhances critical electrical networks for the defence sector, for airports including Heathrow and Gatwick, and on underground rail networks.
With contracts that range from three-year
Ludgate Cellars substation sits between commercial buildings and the railway
build projects to programmes of 20 up to 90 years they understand the challenges of the long haul – as Adrian Dixon explains: “The current political landscape is an interesting backdrop to the UK’s infrastructure expan- sion and the critical capital renewal of exist- ing infrastructure on rail systems. The elec- trifi cation programmes needed to produce a clean and effi cient railway for the future are set against the fi nancial constraints of the global economic downturn. The success of Cheung Kong Group – of which UK Power Networks Services is a part – is greatly helped by their careful selection of private funding opportunities for infrastructure de- velopment – a benefi t we bring to our part- ners planning for the future.”
UK Power Networks Services has a wealth of experience gleaned from years in the in- dustry – and an ability to adapt to chang- ing practices and demands from its clients. Now part of the worldwide Cheung Kong Group, it calls on even greater experience as it employs more than 240,000 people and operates in 54 countries.
At the forefront of electrical infrastructure development, UK Power Networks Services brings global learning to the UK market- place - benefi ting all its clients in rail, de- fence, airports and other commercial sec- tors where electricity is crucial, but not core, to their business.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
E:
rail@ukpowernetworks.co.uk W:
www.ukpowernetworks.co.uk/rail
rail technology magazine Apr/May 11 | 49
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