Walton on Thames Track Drainage Renewal Project

THE CUSTOMER
Pro Rail Services Ltd. is a Railway civil engineering contractor who execute maintenance contracts on Network Rail infrastructure. This project took place on the Wessex Route.

THE CHALLENGE
The track drainage system in the area had a history of partial collapses, which lead to numerous track flooding events.

Network Rail was keen for this to be addressed as part of its planned maintenance programme. Pro Rail Services Ltd. was commissioned to replace track drainage, by installing 145 metres of new track drainage to cover both the Up and Down CESS during a 27-hour weekend daytime possession.

Timescales were tight. The project was tendered five weeks before possession. Pro Rail Services Ltd. was awarded the contract with three weeks to plan the works and mobilise its teams.

THE SOLUTION
The Pro Rail Services Ltd. planning team quickly put together a project plan that would ensure the works could be completed safely and effectively within the 27-hour limit.

The track drainage renewal teams consisted of four site managers, six engineers and 55 skilled rail maintenance operatives working across both locations.

Four road rail excavators, with trained RRV operators, and a team of crane and machine controllers were also brought in.

Materials, including 600 tonnes of ballast, were transported to the site by engineering trains.

THE IMPLEMENTATION
Over the 27-hour possession, the Pro Rail Services Ltd. teams installed 145 metres of new track drainage pipe at Walton-on-Thames Station.

First, the old pipework had to be excavated and removed. The new pipework was 450-millimetre diameter half-perforated plastic (HDPE). Ballast was laid within trench liner membrane to prevent root ingress.

Five new catchpits, made from glass-reinforced plastic (GRP) were also installed. The new track drainage lines were then jetted clean and surveyed by one of Pro Rail Services Ltd.’s CCTV camera teams, to show the pipework was fit-for-purpose and fully-operational.

The amount of new track drainage pipes

THE RESULTS

145m of new track drainage installed within the 27-hour possession

All works carried out safely, with no incidents reported, precisely to Network Rail’s specification

Potential risk to passenger services from track flooding greatly reduced by installation of an optimum track drainage solution

Network Rail is fully-appraised of scope of phase 2 works to replace remaining track drainage at the Station