TRACK & WORK SITE TECHNOLOGY
Communications upgrade
and nor could we do it efficiently.” Dealing with OLE skills shortages
In 2010, Nexus awarded framework agreements to Balfour Beatty Rail Limited, BAM Nuttall, May Gurney, Serco and Morgan Sindall for the delivery of the ‘Metro: all change’ programme, with those five contractors conducting mini- competitions for individual packages of work. Volker Rail has also undertaken work on the programme.
Johnstone said: “Like any other relationship with any contractor, you get good ones and you get not-so-good ones. We’ve had a lot a success and a good collaborative relationship with Balfour Beatty Rail, for example, and they’re continuing to do some work with us.
“But now we’re giving serious consideration to [internalising] our overhead line replacement. That’s partly because we’ve got to think about what’s happening outside of the Tyne & Wear Metro. The rail market is quite buoyant right now, and there are a lot of skills shortages. For example, there’s forecast to be an acute shortage of overhead linesmen over the next 10 years. So if you’re a fairly small customer like ourselves, you’re not going to get the big players interested. We’re currently evaluating this, both economically and in terms of whether the market is likely to respond to us for overhead line renewals. We need about 88% of our overhead line equipment renewed in the next decade. We’re currently judging whether it’s sensible to go out to the market – or more sensible to internalise that.
“A lot of our current contracts are naturally coming to their end – though the signalling one wasn’t like that, it was just unaffordable. We did have three signalling framework contractors, all of whom were good, but we just couldn’t afford going down that particular road.”
Metro is usually referred to as a light rail system, though it also has many elements in common with heavy rail. It is currently upgrading its radio system, for example, but will comply with RSSB group standards because DB Regio Tyne & Wear (which operators Metro on behalf of Nexus) also goes onto Network Rail’s infrastructure.
It is replacing its life-expired radio system with a new TETRA system. Johnstone told RTM: “The radio system we have is obsolete. In terms of quality, it still functions reliably, but you’ve always got to keep ahead of the game when it comes to essential kit like radios. We’re currently evaluating the responses the market have given us.”
A contract award decision is expected in March or April, then once the design element of that contract is secured, it will be time to start the design and build phase of the upgrade of Metro’s train control system, PTI (Positive Train Identification), similar to ARS (Automatic Route Setting) as used by Network Rail.
Johnstone said: “Our system is obsolete and cumbersome in terms of being able to change the codes and to use it as flexibly as we’d like, so it’s definitely time for renewal for a whole host of reasons. It does more than ARS; it drives our passenger information systems and our performance management systems, so it’s got a lot of dependencies. We’ve done a feasibility study, and it will physically link into the radio system.
“We envisage going out to the market around January/February 2015.”
Leaves on the line
There will also be a major programme of vegetation clearance, on a bigger scale than previous years following extensive disruption last autumn. Johnstone admitted: “We haven’t yet fully concluded why autumn 2013 was so bad for us. In terms of delay, we saw five times more than ever before, and yet our approach was fairly consistent with previous years.”
Nexus’s approach has been to use a Sand Truck (converted Land Rover) vehicle applying citra gel, a solvent that breaks down leaf mulch on the lines. Metro trains use a track brake system, meaning low rail adhesion isn’t a major safety issue – trains cannot just slide past a signal at danger, for example – but it does affect performance and reliability.
Its vehicle can only currently get out on the tracks during engineering hours, not during passenger traffic, but Nexus is about to take delivery of a new tamper from Plasser &
Renew, refurbish and replace
Other ‘Metro: all change’ works to be carried out during 2014 include:
• Replacement of CCTV cameras and the public address system
• Track and drainage renewal at Shiremoor and Whitley Bay
• Station improvement work at Northumberland Park, Simonside and Pelaw
• Overhead line replacement between Heworth and Hebburn
• Completion of work to install lift at Walkergate to replace the steepest ramp on the system.
• Work starts on refurbishment of Hebburn, Jarrow and Bede stations
• The last two escalators to be replaced at Gateshead Interchange
Theurer without that restriction. Johnstone said: “We’ve got the luxury of having quite a lot of space in that new vehicle because of our axle loading – we’ve got to have an extra axle so it’s longer than what you would normally associate with a tamper of that type. We’re planning to use it as our equivalent of a Network Rail MPV (multi-purpose vehicle), so we’re going to put a water jetting facility on it, and traction gel nozzles.
“We can run that train outwith our four-hour engineering window, and can run it among our early morning trains, like Network Rail does. That affords us the opportunity to make a step change in how we address the problems that come with autumn.
“We needed a new tamper able to do both plain line and S&C, and our new tamper has also got a ballast brush. We’re trying to sweat the asset by putting as much functionality into it as possible.”
Rolling stock
Metro’s rolling stock is undoubtedly ageing, though it is now halfway through a £30m refurbishment programme to extend the trains’ lives as much as possible.
Wabtec is doing the ‘three-quarter-life’ refurbishment work at Doncaster, and has just returned the 43rd Metro car back into service, leaving 43 still to go.
Each car has been stripped down to its frame and built back up again, with improved disabled access, replaced door control systems, Contined overleaf >
rail technology magazine Feb/Mar 14 | 67
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