Westinghouse Celebrates Completion of £184m WARM Project
02 December 2003
Westinghouse celebrates completion of £184m WARM project
Westinghouse Rail Systems Limited (WRSL) has completed the final stage of Network Rail's West Anglia Route Modernisation (WARM) project – marking the culmination of one of the most successful resignalling schemes ever undertaken in the UK.
The £184m project saw WRSL collaborating with Network Rail and various Alliance partners in a four-year project to modernise 202kms of signalling systems between London's Liverpool Street Station and Stansted Airport. WRSL have been responsible for the design, installation, testing and commissioning of new signalling equipment on this line, which is used by up to 30 million passengers each year.
Godfrey Dance, senior project manager at WRSL, said: "During a period when the entire railway industry is under pressure from all quarters, Network Rail can rest assured that WRSL is truly playing its part in delivering signalling fit for a 21st Century railway."
The final stage of WARM saw resignalling extended to the area between Roydon and Elsenham, including Stansted Airport. Signal boxes at Harlow Mill, Spellbrook and Bishop Stortford were decommissioned, with control of the local trackside signalling equipment transferred to Liverpool Street's Integrated Electronic Control Centre (IECC) in London. Signalling in the area was previously controlled from mechanically operated signal boxes, but is now undertaken from a VDU-based system provided by WRSL (and subcontractors) during this and earlier phases of the project.
The following equipment was introduced during this final stage of the project:
120 signals - most with Automatic Warning System (AWS)
68 Train Protection Warning Systems (TPWS)
191 Track circuits
64 Point ends
2 Manually Controlled Barriers, controlled by CCTV (MCB-CCTV) level crossings
3 Miniature Stop Light (MSL) level crossings
125 location areas
4 REBs
Alterations were also carried out to the Driver Only Operation (DOO), Cab Secure Radio (CSR) systems and the optical fibre cable network, which was extended to provide SSI transmission, CCTV pictures and new operational telephones back to Liverpool Street.
"The completion of this project has reinforced WRSL's reputation as the major signalling contractor in the UK and adds to a proven track record of successful delivery, cost reductions and process improvements," continued Godfrey.
Mark Phillips, Network Rail's Regional Director, said: "This was a challenging upgrade as the line is a busy commuter and airport express route. But this massive investment has meant that performance and reliability are already showing signs of improvement."
Following the successes of WARM, Network Rail has also awarded WRSL the Glen Parva to Nuneaton resignalling project in the Midlands Region, which began earlier this month. (03 October)
