London & South East

Neasden Depot Upgrade remains on track

An extensive programme of upgrade works at London Underground’s busy Neasden Depot continues to remain on schedule.

The Neasden Depot Upgrade project is a five-year programme of works that will upgrade and improve services at the North West London facility. Once the programme is completed, the improved depot will fully accommodate the new generation ‘S’ stock trains that are currently in use on parts of the London Underground. This will include almost all of the S7 and S8 rolling stock trains, alongside any existing C and D stock trains that are still in use.

The upgrade project is just one of the many renewal programmes that are being implemented by Transport for London (TfL) in order to meet the capital’s growing transport requirements.

Overall improvements to the depot include the construction of a new train maintenance shed with upgraded lifting equipment, the construction of three overtrack cable crossing bridges and the relocation of a training centre to the northern end of the site. The depot will also benefit from improved wheel inspection and repair facilities and additional berthing capacity. During the upgrade operation, the depot’s entire DC traction system will also receive an overhaul and an existing maintenance shed will be demolished.

In 2009 BAM Nuttall signed a £51.5 million contract to deliver the project through six phases, with the first phase largely focused on improving access to the site. As the original layout of the depot dates back to the 1930s, access to the site is incapable of coping with the requirements of a lengthy upgrade operation. In order to combat this problem, a heavy duty tarmac road was constructed to facilitate the transport of construction materials to and from the site.

Another challenge for main contractor BAM Nuttall is the ongoing predicament of keeping the site fully operational whilst complex engineering works are underway. Neasden Depot has remained open throughout the course of the upgrade works, therefore night work is being carried out in order to keep work on programme.

In order to accommodate the nocturnal working hours, temporary living quarters have been installed onsite to offer much needed rest facilities for site staff. A pair of ArcGen Hilta 200kVA Denyo generators have been installed at the depot to provide up to 16 hours of continuous energy for the staff quarters. These particular generators have been chosen because they are cost effect and can reduce fuel consumption by 25%.

Neasden Depot is the largest depot on the London Underground and is responsible for servicing, maintaining and storing all of the train stock on the Metropolitan Line. The Neasden Depot Upgrade project is due to be completed in 2015.

REHAU Ltd

Established in 1948, REHAU is a global polymer manufacturer and supplies products to the construction, automotive and industrial sectors. What sets REHAU apart from other suppliers is their ability to utilise polymer in ways that derive real benefits for their customers.

On the Neasden Depot Upgrade project, REHAU Ltd partnered with main contractor BAM Nuttall to supply a variety of polymer products as an alternative solution to the traditional ceramic and timber materials.

The products supplied were REHAU’s Patented GRP Height adjustable insulators PVC Guard boarding. Both products offer an innovative solution to the railway sector as they ensure reduced installation time, ease ongoing maintenance and offer a life cost-benefit.

REHAU Ltd Marketing Coordinator, Anthonia Ifeanyi-Okoro, said:

“At REHAU Ltd our company strap-line is ‘challenge us today’ and that’s exactly what we ask our customers to do.

“Our work in the industrial solutions division means that we are able to develop products that provide our customers with unique solutions to meet their requirements and we are always looking for the next challenge.”

REHAU invites you to discuss specific new and existing product development opportunities and trade extrusion requirements. For further information, contact REHAU’s product development team on: 01989 762655 or visit the website at: www.rehau.co.uk

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Roma Publications