Media centre

Wednesday 2 Feb 2005

MEDIA INVITATION: IT’S BIG, IT’S YELLOW AND IT’S COMING TO A TRACK NEAR YOU

Region & Route:

National

Date:                           11 February 2005 Time:                          11am Location:                    High Output Operations Base, Old Cattle depot, Reading  (A mini-bus will pick up guests from Reading station at 10.45am.  Directions for those driving themselves are available from the media relations team.) Event:                         Find out more about Network Rail’s brand new high output ballast cleaning system – the longest train in the country Media contact:          Sarah Roberts 020 7557 8840 Journalists and photographers are invited to the launch of Network Rail’s latest high-tech engineering train, the High Output Ballast Cleaning System, which will is revolutionise the way railway maintenance is carried out. Simon Kirby, Director Major Projects and Investment, said:  “We have invested £24m in procuring world-class machinery to meet the maintenance needs of the railway network.  This machine allows us to carry out essential work in a more efficient way, increasing productivity, raising standards and reducing the amount of time the railway needs to be closed.” The 800 metre, 3,200 tonne train has been in the UK for six months.  It underwent extensive testing in South Wales and started work on the Great Western mainline at the end of November 2004, being operated and maintained by First Swietelsky.  Known as the High Output Ballast Cleaning System (HOBCS), the train works on the tracks’ ballast foundation. Ballast is the aggregate, which supports the track, keeping sleepers in position and providing drainage.  Ballast becomes contaminated with stone dust, called ‘fines’, over time and clogs up.  Ballast cleaning is a process to remove the ‘fines’ and add new ballast to the area to increase the performance and life of the track. The huge yellow machine is slashing work times and increasing productivity by more than 50%. Around 600 hundred yards of track can be ballast cleaned in a typical midweek eight-hour night shift and around 1,400 yards in 16 hours at weekends. While working, the High Output Ballast Cleaning System works at around a quarter of a mile an hour, undertaking the following processes continuously:

• Excavating ballast from beneath the track, while holding the track in position
• Passing the excavated material through large vibrating sieves
• Removing ‘fines’ to specialist wagons in the train
• Returning the larger pieces of ballast back to the track
• Adding new ballast from wagons within the train to make up for the ‘fines’ removed

  Mr Kirby continued: “Network Rail is committed to delivering a safe, high performing and efficient railway, this impressive new machine will help us deliver our goal.”