Business profile
Beating the possession problem T
he Company was formed in 2006 and since inception has maintained steady growth through the provision of a professional service tailored to the specific needs of the railway and its challenging working environment. As all railway project managers will
know the main problem affecting working on the rail is access, access and access. It can be disheartening to wait weeks or months for a possession only to have it cut short or even cancelled on the night. This is usually followed by lengthy delay and escalating costs. Topdrill’s primary focus is on providing
effective solutions that reduce client exposure to these costly delays. The company has built a reputation for offering clients a variety of working methods to alleviate those issues, offering solutions that either reduce the possession times required, or negate the need for them altogether. Portable equipment that does not compromise quality of data is also a Topdrill speciality. The company is constantly refining and researching new methods and technologies, developing strategies to use them to the best advantage for its clients.
A good example of this is the new
dynamic probing system. Topdrill identified the need for a quick cost-
effective solution for lightweight structures such as straight post signal and LOC stagings. Having reviewed the market it identified that without utilising possessions and reverting to night time working, there was currently no single solution widely available that would provide the client with sufficient information to enable design. The brief was to find a solution that would fulfill client specification but also be modular enough to enable the majority of works to be completed under normal working hours. Initial testing took place in August 2012 and once the methodology was fine- tuned it was rolled out for the Poole to Wool Resignalling project late September/ October 2012, with great success. Using this equipment and method, Topdrill has secured many large resignalling projects such as Swindon & Bristol with BCS Design and North Lincs with AECOM, and to date has completed up to 85 per cent of the investigative works within normal working hours, compared with the industry average of roughly 10 per cent for a project of this scope. Where dynamic probing is not suitable
and access is still an issue, Topdrill can offer a modular window sampling rig which breaks down into hand portable
parts. This is carried to site where it is reassembled and the hole drilled. This rig can perform SPT’s, Dynamic Probing Super Heavy and recover good quality samples including U70’s for triaxial testing. Clients agree that the data is of significantly higher quality than other hand-held methods, showing that portability need not be synonymous with compromise. Topdrill also offers a full range of more
traditional site investigative methods, from cable percussive and rotary drilling to trial pitting. The emphasis on staff development enables the company to offer in-house COSS and Look Out services, track trolleys, HSG47 and CAT scanning, and PASMA for tasks such as concrete coring. All site staff either hold or are working towards NVQ level 2 in Land Drilling, and several staff are IOSH-certified. A team of experienced geotechnical engineers follows a project from the initial site walkover to production of full factual or interpretive reports. Topdrill has also worked on National
Grid and London Underground projects, enabling the company to cover any contract that the railway industry has to offer. Further information from Chris Pow, Topdrill. Tel: 01908 666606. E-mail:
info@topdrill.co.uk www.topdrill.co.uk
Page 196 April 2013
Topdrill is a specialist site investigation company working almost exclusively on the railway infrastructure
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