Westinghouse Awarded UK's First Modular Signalling Contract
27 August 2009
Westinghouse Rail Systems, part of Invensys Rail, has been awarded the first modular signalling contract in the UK by Network Rail. The contract, which runs until May 2010, covers the GRIP4 development stage of the Crewe - Shrewsbury pilot line and a demonstration of the proposed solution.
Commenting on the award Richard Inglis, project manager at Westinghouse, said: "This is a great opportunity for us to work with Network Rail to deliver a completely new approach to signalling design, installation, testing and maintenance. Although we have been developing the modular signalling concept for some time, we're now looking forward to delivering the solution into a fully operational environment.
Our holistic approach means that we will be considering not only new products and systems, but also every process and procedure to develop a completely integrated solution that is installed and tested in a safe, efficient, cost-effective and repeatable manner – requiring significantly less time on site."
Essentially, modular signalling enables any signalling scheme to be implemented from a small range of core components, providing railway operators with the means of achieving cost-effective performance and reducing whole life costs - including both capital and operational expenditure.
The benefits derived from modular signalling will allow operators to improve the cost and efficiency and availability of their baseline signalling solutions in each key area of operational performance, without having to compromise in any area. The approach also provides the flexibility to revisit signalling systems at any time to make minor changes in a more cost effective manner which will be a real benefit for operators and maintenance teams and a major change from conventional methods.
The Westinghouse solution will have WESTRACE interlocking technology at its heart. Once the scheme design is complete, the company will build a working demonstration of the solution at its Chippenham facility, giving both Network Rail and Westinghouse the opportunity to fully evaluate and robustly test the system.
Inglis concluded: "We're delighted to be working with Network Rail on this programme and look forward to delivering a safer, faster and more efficient solution for this line. Modular signalling is a great solution for regional lines, such as Crewe - Shrewsbury, and will provide a wide range of key commercial and operational benefits."
