At 03:00 hours on Tuesday 31 May 2011, Invensys Rail successfully commissioned the resignalled areas of Hickleton, Moorthorpe Station and South Kirby, effectively completing the Moorthorpe resignalling programme.
This Type B Network Rail scheme covered 52 Signalling Equivalent Units and saw the transfer of both the Moorthorpe and Hickleton signalling control areas to a new WESTLOCK computer-based interlocking at York IECC, with transmission provided by WESTRONIC 1024 over the Fixed Telecoms Network (FTN).
Work also included lineside renewals and the installation of a number of new Relocatable Equipment Buildings and Location Cases.
Commenting on the project, Rob Cairns, Invensys Rail’s Delivery Director (South) said:
“We’re delighted to have successfully commissioned the Moorthorpe programme, which was delivered within the Network Rail SEU efficiency range and without any accidents – following around 80,000 man hours’ work.
“Throughout the project, we worked extremely closely with our Network Rail colleagues to identify efficiency improvements within the delivery phase.
“Most notably, this included migrating from conventional LED signals to lightweight VMS products, as well as the joint development of the new transmission solution based on the FTN.”
With a much smaller post and foundation, the introduction of the lightweight VMS signals not only delivered significantly reduced implementation costs, but also whole life benefits due to their vastly reduced maintenance requirements.
Rob Cairns concluded: “The Moorthorpe programme is the latest example of the York team’s excellent contribution to our mainline delivery record, reflecting its proven application engineering skills and an enviable brownfield project delivery record.
“The project is also a great example of our ability to pilot and introduce alternative technologies which help to drive efficiency throughout the programme”.
