Railtrack plc

West Coast route modernisation

date 27 September 1999   source Railtrack plc   type Press release

First UK Application of High Output Track Relaying Technology

Railtrack has announced the award of a £280 million
Alliance contract with Jarvis Rail involving the use of high
output track renewal techniques for the first time in the UK.
This impressive track relaying train will be used to replace
and upgrade tracks along the West Coast Main Line as part of
Railtrack's £2 billion modernisation. The programme which
includes the total replacement of the high speed lines, some
200 route miles, to be used by Virgin's new 140 mph tilting
trains between London and Manchester.

Jarvis Rail has contracted with Fairmont Tamper in the
USA to supply a UK version of its P811F Track Renewal
Machine. This machine will arrive in the UK later this year
to begin trial running and complete its commissioning, before
going into full operational service in April 2000.

The performance of this new equipment is impressive. It
renews up to 800 metres of track in a typical eight hour
possession and will remove old sleepers and rails and replace
them with new at the rate of 10-15 sleepers per minute - four
times faster than by conventional methods. The machine with
supporting wagons will be over 300 metres long will be manned
by a team of 12 operatives.

The use of this new track technology will result in major
benefits for rail customers. Increased track renewals and
higher quality track will result in greater passenger comfort,
longer lasting track and less maintenance intervention.

The machine occupies only the track that it is renewing,
therefore trains can run on adjacent lines whilst work goes
on. Additionally the machine will enable greater volumes of
track relaying work to be undertaken during mid-week nights,
resulting in less disruption to passengers and greater access
to the network at weekends.

Tony Fletcher, General Manager West Coast Route
Modernisation, said, 'The West Coast Main Line's first major
upgrade for thirty years is Europe's largest railway
construction project. It will restore the West Coast Line's
former title of Britain's premier railway line. The programme
is complex and made even more so by the fact that the line
will continue to operate with over 2000 train movements every
day. The deployment of high output machinery will play a key
part in the delivery of this significant construction
programme and I am delighted to be working in partnership
with Jarvis Rail to bring this impressive revolutionary
equipment in to the UK railway industry'.

Tony Cunningham, MD Jarvis Rail, said, 'We are delighted
to be working in Alliance with Railtrack to deliver the West
Coast Route Modernisation. The application of the high output
track renewal machine to this programme reflects our intention
to achieve customer timescales. We look forward to playing
our role in restoring the West Coast Main Line to its former
status as Britain's premier railway'.

For further information please contact:
Railtrack press office 0171 557 8292/3
Tim Holloway, Jarvis Rail 01904 522300
Keith Lockwood, Jarvis plc 01920 832800

Recent press releases can be found on the Railtrack web
site at the following address:
http://www.railtrack.co.uk/corporate/notice



Notes

The West Coast Main Line is the busiest rail corridor in the
UK and handles over 2000 train movements each day, 5 billion
passenger kilometres and 5.5 billion tonne kilometres each
year.

It connects London with Birmingham, Liverpool, Manchester,
Glasgow and Edinburgh. The West Coast Route Modernisation
project will double total capacity on the line allowing more
trains of all types and higher frequencies on key stages..

Phase One will support 125 mph running by 2002. Phase Two will
raise maximum speeds to 140 mph, allowing journey times to be
reduced to 72 mins between London and Birmingham, 108 mins
between London and Manchester with 111 mins to Liverpool and
240 mins to Glasgow.

Railnews Archive ::: 1999-09-27 RTK-001

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