|
For Channel Tunnel Rail Link When the Channel Tunnel opened for business, it created a whole new industry for both the rail operators and all other support companies associated with the newly created routes. The Channel Tunnel has proved to be popular with both private and business customers, and with the high speed rail link well on the way to completion, Eurostar (the train operator) are predicting the demand for rail services will increase dramatically.
Journey times for city centre to city centre will be shorter and prices will be comparable with the low cost air operators, making rail a viable choice for large sections of Southern England and the Midlands.
The first section of the new rail link runs between the terminal at Folkstone to a junction near Gravesend in Kent. This section of track was opened by the Prime Minister Mr. Tony Blair on September 16th 2003 and enables trains to reach speeds of up to 299 kilometres per hour on parts of the track. It has cut journey times between London and the Channel Tunnel to around 55 minutes.
In the second phase of the scheme, which is due to be completed in 2007, the line will be extended (mostly underground) to a new terminus at London St. Pancras station. When completed, the rail link will allow journey times of just 2hrs 15 mins for London to Paris and 2hrs for London to Brussels.
Reliable, tested technology: For phase 1, as with any major construction project, there were many factors to be taken into account; planning, logistics, monitoring, management and most important of all, safety. These issues can be difficult to address, even when all of the work is confined to a particular building site or complex. Imagine then, the challenge that faced the major contractor for the project, AMEC Spie, which had to build and control operations over a distance of around 74km.
Central to the successful running and management of the project was the installation and use of a reliable and effective two-way radio communications system, which could keep all key workers in touch and enable the safe movement of locomotives, materials and people throughout the construction area.
After carrying out a survey of the requirements of the project and proposing a solution, the contract was awarded to Kent-based commu-nications specialist Procom. “Our approach was to recommend a solution that we knew would do the job effectively using reliable, tried-and-tested technology and best-of-breed equipment,” says Roy Pierce, Managing Director of Procom.
“We worked in partnership with AMEC Spie, attended project and site safety meetings and produced the necessary documentation to cover the build, system layout and wiring that is necessary for a system of this size.”
Safe train movement control: The equipment specified by Procom was a four channel system which would meet the needs of both general and dedicated communications. An open-channel system covered the entire 74km stretch of track and was used for general communications. A second channel was used by the Yardmaster at Beechbrook Farm, from where movements of trains carry-ing ballast and other materials were coordinated.
In the final stages of the project, up to 40 construction locomotives could be on the tracks any one time, so safe control of their movements was key to the entire project.
Sixteen radio sites: The complete system was controlled from the main operations room at Beechbrook Farm, which is the base for the Yardmaster and two Rail movement Controllers (RMC’s). Coverage was achieved via 16 radio sites which are positioned along the length of the track. Each has a 15 metre mast and antennae and is equipped with two Motorola MTR2000 base stations. All of the sites are connected by fibre-optic cable. Multiplexers at each site allow up to 16 channels of intersite communication.
Construction crews and managers along the track were equipped with either Motorola Professional Series GP340 or GP380 hand portable radios, which were selected for their robustness and durability. Once construction was completed, communications for the East and West construction areas were linked together so that the entire length of track could be monitored and controlled for train testing purposes.
At the heart of the operation in the radio room at Beechbrook Farm are Zetron Model 4010 consoles, which enable the Yardmaster and the RMCs to access and monitor radio traffic on their own or other channels.
This feature gives all of the operators full function-ality across the entire radio network and ensures that everyone can be up-to-speed during normal operating conditions or in the event of an incident. Commenting on the choice of the Zetron 4010 Radio Dispatch Consoles, Roy Pierce said: “As with all of the equipment we specified, we had to be confident that the equipment was up to the job in-hand, had the level of functionality and flexibility we required and most importantly, was highly reliable.
“If any part of the system should fail and communications go down, the trains must stop running and the whole operation comes to a halt. We couldn’t afford to specify any equipment that we didn’t have total confidence in.” Article provided by Zetron |
