A major rail infrastructure owner needed to carry out a literature review and horizon scanning project to improve its readiness for future challenges. RSSB Consultancy was the ideal partners to work with on this because over the past 20 years, its expertise within design, compliance, modifications, and extensions has helped to upgrade and modernise the UK rail network to meet the demands of modern transportation.

Project Overview

The Victorian points technology used in the UK rail network to allow trains to switch between different lines has undergone significant developments and advances since it was installed. However, the basic principles of points have remained largely the same.

Tens of thousands of switches and points are used to safely manage the transportation of goods and passengers across the UK network, using Victorian technology to ‘drag’ the points into place. This ‘dragging’ movement causes wear and tear to the points which needs to be managed through ongoing maintenance costs caused by the ‘dragging’ movement.

RSSB Consultancy experts undertook a literature review and horizon scanning project to understand the current 3D printing and additive manufacturing technologies to build on existing developments in shift technology, while considering the direction of development and applicability of technologies specifically to railway infrastructure. Advancements in technology will replace the dragging movement with a vertical and horizontal movement that locks in the points on track.

After conducting the literature review, RSSB Consultancy organised workshops to discuss these issues with global experts from the rail industry, academia and other industries. As a result, a wide range of expert views and backgrounds contributed to the discussion and informed the shape of the final recommendations.

In addition, the project considered the sustainability and environmental impacts as well as the cost benefits of the developing technology over the next 40 years to the UK rail network. By providing this information, RSSB Consultancy enabled our its infrastructure client to make effective long-term points and switches investment decisions that deliver wide-reaching benefits for decades to come.

Why RSSB?

RSSB Consultancy’s subject-matter experts within the research and development team are already among the most informed in the world. RSSB was therefore approached by the infrastructure owner because of its strong reputation within the global railway industry – including its expertise in delivering highly technical research projects within specialist areas.

Having hands-on experience and whole-system expertise enabled RSSB to accurately define the project’s scope right at the start, minimising wasted effort. This meant that the team of experts, who were already highly experienced in horizon scanning, could hit the ground running.

The project team, including principal track engineers, worked closely with the infrastructure client throughout the project, including discussions with over 20 departments, to shape the highly technical end report.

Given the challenges of maintaining Victorian era points and signalling infrastructure, the report provided detailed guidance for future investment decisions that will lead to a more efficient and reliable UK rail infrastructure.