A 16-month programme of works to transfer control of the Wolverhampton-Madeley line to a WESTCAD workstation at the West Midlands Signalling Control Centre (WMSCC) has been completed. In total, 12 miles of main line and loops were resignalled, as well as the 25-siding depot at Oxley where hand points were motorised and track remodelled at the depot’s entrance to ease a sharp curve.
The project’s scope encompassed 81 Signal Equivalent Units and was the first scheme to see the introduction of Invensys Rail’s computer-based interlocking, WESTLOCK, with two trackside interfaces at the WMSCC controlled over the Fibre Transmission Network (FTN). Invensys was responsible for all the civils work as well as managing the telecoms and E&P subcontractors.
The total cost of the work was almost £25 million and it culminated in a nine-day blockade of the route for commissioning purposes.
