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Hitachi Depot Maintenance

Railway Electrification

AUGUST 2015 - AUGUST 2019

£550k

DONCASTER, LONDON, BRISTOL

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Key Information

Completed over four years

24/7 Emergency Cover

Completed in Doncaster, London and Bristol

To support their Intercity Express Programme, Hitachi Rail Europe constructed new depots at Doncaster and Stoke Gifford in Bristol along with significant upgrade and rebuilding at the North Pole Depot in West London.

Our work helps Hitachi Rail Europe to continue with their rolling stock programme – which has grown to the point where their depots have been at full capacity in the UK.

Pod-Trak carries out a low-level inspection of the Overhead Line Equipment (OLE) on a quarterly basis with a high-level maintenance inspection carried out annually.

A low-level inspection includes a visual inspection from the ground of the entire OLE system across each depot. This consists of checking for any possible damage, switch and section insulator setup, switching feeds, bonding and Designated Earth Points (DEPs).

The annual high-level inspection includes:

  • Maintenance of switches
  • Cleaning section insulators
  • Bond continuity testing
  • Wire wear checks
  • Full height and stagger survey

A 10% intrusive inspection is carried out to check and validate the security of fixings by applying a mechanical torque check in line with design specifications.

Doncaster and Stoke Gifford consist of a Mark 3B Trolley Wire System while North Pole is a Mark 3B Catenary System.

All data from routine inspections and any follow up activities is captured and analysed for trends which is used to inform future maintenance inspections. All the data is captured in a report which is issued to Hitachi Rail Europe following each inspection. It is through this that we maintain regular communications with the client to ensure they are aware of the data.

Emergency cover – we’re available at all times

Along with the planned maintenance, Pod-Trak provides 24/7 emergency cover to react to incidents involving the OLE at each depot. This service involves making the area safe as a priority and working with Hitachi depot staff to ensure the depot can return to normal operational capacity as soon as possible.

Our knowledge in this area ensures that we can help the depots to return to normal quickly and efficiently.

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