TRACK TECHNOLOGY
Flood assessment adds value to Oxford to Bicester Rail Project
Paul Blackman, technical director for Wallingford HydroSolutions (WHS), reports on how flood modelling has not only facilitated a robust scheme design that manages flood risk, but has also resulted in significant costs savings for the East West Rail link project.
T
he Oxford to Bicester project will deliver the first new rail route between London and
a major city in over 100 years and also forms part of the western section of the East West Rail scheme to Bedford and Milton Keynes.
The project includes significant works to embankments, new bridges and tunnels, replacement of 37 level crossings, new stations and a new signalling system. Much of this infrastructure development is located within flood prone areas of the River Thames floodplain.
WHS has been working with Network Rail and Chiltern Railways since the early development stages in 2010 to ensure that the project does not worsen existing flood problems and to ensure that new assets are not at risk of failure.
WHS identified a number of locations that would benefit from detailed flood modelling.
This was used to assess the impacts of closure of some redundant crossing structures and the creation of new rail lines and access roads.
The modelling was used to design mitigation measures to control flood risk, such as the provision of compensatory storage areas. In one location this would have been very difficult to achieve due to the topography, archaeological constraints and land availability.
The refined modelling undertaken by WHS demonstrated reduced flood depths and extents when compared to the Environment Agency’s flood mapping, as shown in the figure. This meant that the previous estimate of 5,000m3
of compensatory
storage was not required. Karsten Scholer, bid manager at Network Rail,
said: “On phase 1 of the East West Rail Project, WHS have provided expert advice and also approached issues in a very practical manner. WHS’s advice to remodel the floodplain at relatively little cost has already saved the project circa £100,000.”
FOR MORE INFORMATION
T: 02920 786452 E:
paul.blackman@hydrosolutions.co.uk
No power, no cables, no infrastructure – no problem
Steven Dade of DAC Limited, based in Nelson, Lancashire, describes a safety solution for areas lacking telephone infrastructure.
I
ncreasing level crossing safety is an important objective of rail operators. There are many dangers associated with level crossings, particularly when crossings are located in rural areas. Hearing trains approaching can often be difficult for users of crossings for various reasons; windy weather, MP3 players, vehicle music and mobile telephones will all affect the ability to hear approaching trains.
Weather conditions such as snow, rain and fog may also affect the warning a user receives that a train is on the way. In some places, bridges, buildings and embankments may restrict view. All these parameters, often coupled with user complacency, are potential dangers for a pedestrian, cyclist or driver who needs to cross a railway line.
Every year people are killed and injured in accidents at level crossings and the provision
of a telephone would help to make them safer. Infrastructure restrictions, and difficulties involving the provision of a telephone – for example there being no cable or power, coupled with the high cost of installing and maintaining assets in often remote locations – have prevented rail operators from providing a telephone terminal at these crossings.
Additionally, the technology has not until recently been readily available for
manufacturers to provide a solution. DAC Limited has developed a solution that could be the answer. The Network Rail approved RA708-GSM/GSM-R telephone is a standalone device that can be located anywhere there is sufficient GSM or GSM-R coverage. No power, no cables, no infrastructure, no problem.
Installation is simple, and the telephone is designed to be user-friendly, mimicking existing telephones that are already widely used on crossings. In addition, the RA708- GSM/GSM-R has on-board intelligence, providing internal health status checks to ensure serviceability levels are maintained, and reports via SMS, should there be a problem, before the problem turns into an incident.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
T: 01282 447000 W:
www.daclimited.co.uk
rail technology magazine Apr/May 14 | 173
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