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Friday 13 Sep 2024

Teamwork makes the dream work: Network Rail recognised for Feltham to Wokingham resignalling programme at National Rail Awards

Region & Route:

Southern: Wessex

| Southern: Kent

| Southern

Network Rail, alongside AtkinsRéalis and Global Rail Construction, were honoured at the National Rail Awards last night, winning the Outstanding Teamwork Award for their collaboration on the Feltham to Wokingham Resignalling Programme.

Earlier this year, Network Rail and its partners completed a five-year £375m programme of work to install new state-of-the-art digital signalling technology (the railway’s traffic lights) on the line between Feltham and Wokingham.

The completion of this work saw the previous 1970s signalling equipment brought up to modern standards, 16 level crossings upgraded and 500 pieces of signalling equipment installed which covers 80 miles of railway across Feltham, Hounslow, Shepperton, Twickenham, Windsor & Eton Riverside and Wokingham.

Network Rail also moved control of the signalling equipment between Feltham and Wokingham and transferred it to Basingstoke, into the Rail Operating Centre (ROC). Moving control to the ROC allows signallers to communicate more effectively with each other as they are in the same room rather than remote signal boxes and is more cost efficient to operate.

Now finished, passengers are benefitting from a modern digitalised signalling providing more reliable journeys between Reading, London and Guildford, and safer level crossings.

Elsewhere, Jack Roberts and Wayne Norbury, project managers on the Infrastructure Maintenance Team, also walked away with the award for Outstanding Personal Contribution (Management).

Mark Goodall, Network Rail’s Wessex route director, said: “I’m delighted we have been recognised at the prestigious National Rail Awards for our Feltham to Wokingham Resignalling Programme, alongside our partners AtkinsRéalis and Global Rail Construction.

“This was a significant five-year £375m programme of work that was critical for improving the reliability of the line between Feltham and Wokingham, benefitting passengers travelling between Reading, London and Guildford.

“Now complete, this state-of-the-art digital signalling has improved the reliability of this key stretch of railway and in turn reducing delays for our passengers as well as enhance the safety of the many level crossings along this line. I would like to pay homage to everyone who worked on this scheme and also, once again, thank passengers and local residents for their patience while we upgraded the railway.

"I would also like to congratulate Jack and Wayne for winning the Outstanding Personal Contribution (Management) award.”

Scott Kelley, Managing Director, Signalling, AtkinsRéalis, said: “We’re delighted to have won this award with Network Rail and Global Rail Construction. Creating closely collaborative partnerships that deliver successes like the Feltham & Wokingham Programme is central to the way we approach projects. The complexity of the programme and positive legacy it left is a testament to the strength of the teamwork and relationships built and we look forward to working in this way in future throughout CP7 projects.” 

Marco Lombardelli, Managing Director for Global Rail Construction, said: “We were absolutely delighted to be nominated and for the project to be awarded the outstanding teamwork award. This is fantastic testimony to a project team that worked as a totally unified and collaborative team to ensure this incredibly challenging portfolio of works were delivered safely and successfully.”

A South Western Railway spokesperson said: “The Feltham and Wokingham Resignalling Programme was a large and complex project that required a tremendous amount of effort by our colleagues at Network Rail, together with their partners. We were very pleased to see the project, and all those who took part in it, recognised by our peers at last night’s National Rail Awards.”

Alongside Southeastern, we were also Highly Commended for the Joint Alliance - a fantastic tribute to the 6,000+ team that runs the railway in Kent, East Sussex and south east London every single day. Also Highly Commended was the Network Rail Southern Region in the Safety Achievement of the Year for 'Safer, Faster Isolations'. Margate station was also highly commended in the Medium Sized Stations category.