Electrification of the Great Western Railway Line Summary:

As part of the electrification of the great western line from London to Swansea Severn Partnership were instructed by ABC Electrification Ltd to commission a train borne survey of the main line from Patchway Station to Swansea Station. The project was born out of deficiencies and inconsistences in the GWRM RS8/9 survey data which led to a deluge of requests for additional topographical, track alignment and gauging information in both complex and noncomplex areas. To accomplish these surveys within tight project timescales Severn Partnership were approached to provide a solution.

The solution proposed was for Severn Partnership to commission a Rila 360 survey.

Project Overview:

Severn Partnership provided consultancy to the client prior to contract award and implementation of Rila 360, with over 30 years of experience working on railway infrastructure projects and a proven track record for delivering and managing large scale railway projects the client was confident in that the new survey techniques put forward would meet the required project and NR survey accuracy bands, quality data would be delivered by way of Severn Partnership’s internal Integrated Management System (IMS) and that delivery deadlines would be achieved.

Rila 360 Surveys are provided by Fugro RailData of the Netherlands, Severn Partnership has a close working relationship with Fugro RailData through its partnership in delivering data to the Network Rail High Output Team (Scotland Track Surveys & OHLE Surveys and Design 2016/2017).

All data was collected in 5 days with no track access and zero disruption to passenger and freight services. The point cloud model and rail alignment was available 4 weeks after data collection with topographical detail and sc0 files delivered in stages over the next 4-5 weeks giving an end to end time of just over 2 months. This represents a significant time saving when compared to even recent developments in railway surveying.

The use of Rila 360 has allowed a complete record of the infrastructure to be collected quickly and efficiently. Comparisons to traditional methods on previous projects have shown that the data collected by these two systems is consistent with traditional / conventional survey practices. This has in part helped the Rila 360 to be incorporated into the latest revision of the Network Rail standards, with a Band 1A accuracy designation.

The visual record of the infrastructure created by the scan data and video imagery allows not only people to visit the track time and time again whenever they like or need without putting boots on the ground, but also allows data to be extracted beyond the original scope without the need for revisits. On large and complicated infrastructure both of these benefits are invaluable.

This method of mass data capture for this project removes significant risks associated with railway surveying:

• A total reduction in staff on and around live railway infrastructure.
• A total removal of cable strikes risks as there is no requirement for the installation of survey ground markers.
• A total removal of track access planning costs.
• A total removal of additional survey related site visits.

For more information please email us at info@severnpartnership.com or speak to us on  01952 676 775.