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Tuesday 27 Sep 2005

DIDCOT RAILWAY RAT CATCHERS REAP REWARDS!

Region & Route:

| Wales & Western: Western

| Wales & Western

| Southern

A team of Network Rail employees has picked up an award following its efforts to rid the railway of rodents! The Didcot Rodent Action Team (DRAT) picked up the award at Network Rail's third annual ‘You Make The Difference’ awards, which recognise outstanding team and individual contributions to the company. The DRAT team came together last year when a series of severe train delays were caused by weasels and rodents getting into trackside signalling cabinets, causing short-circuits. The team set about devising an affordable, effective solution to render the cabinets ‘rodent-proof’ and identified and modified some 160 signalling cabinets in the Didcot area. Their efforts have eliminated the risk of rodents short-circuiting signalling equipment, potentially preventing thousands of minutes of train delays for passengers. Network Rail’s Territory Maintenance Director, Greg Lunn, said: “The DRAT team’s award is richly deserved and is a testament to the innovative methods our staff are developing to help us run a safe, efficient and reliable railway. All of the team’s efforts have been carried out in addition to their day-to-day duties on the railway, so their hard work and dedication deserves the highest recognition.” The ‘You Make The Difference’ awards took place in London on Wednesday 21 September and the DRAT team were presented with the ‘Best Maintenance Project’ award by British rower and four-time Olympic gold medallist Sir Matthew Pinsent. The DRAT team is now actively promoting its services across the rest of the rail network, helping to ensure the problems caused by our furry friends are a thing of the past!