SIGNALLING - THE WAY FORWARD

This article shows how Railtrack is planning the application of a new signalling strategy for British railways, which was developed with the help of the McKinsey consultancy. It reports an interview with the Head of Railtrack's Signals Assets Group. Railtrack's policy will be mostly targeted renewals of signalling systems, supplemented by complete area renewals where appropriate. Railtrack is devoting much effort to assessing the state of its assets; without this information, its new policy would not work. WS Atkins has been working with Railtrack on a signalling asset plan, which outlines what must be spent to maintain mean equivalent asset value (MEAV). This predicts the total spending requirement, but does not identify which schemes to pursue or consider any need to enhance assets. Railtrack has also selected four sites where overseas technology will be applied, to supplement the extensive work that will be done by British companies. A chart in the article lists the signalling technology options for freight routes, rural routes, suburban routes, secondary main lines, and high-speed lines. For each type of line, the table lists the existing technologies and the options for short-term, medium-term, and long-term renewals.