Littlehampton ARCO Type 1 System Installation Project

The three months between March and June 2022 saw Amaro on track on the south coast of England, supporting Network Rail by replacing end-of-life troughing and signalling assets between Ford Substation and Littlehampton Substation.

  • All works delivered to programme and budget
  • Project delivered with zero accidents or incidents
  • All planning works were carried out by Amaro’s in house planning team

The challenge

With age and the elements having taken their toll upon the local infrastructure, over a kilometre of deteriorated troughing route near the seaside town of Littlehampton required replacement.

And, with the end-of-life 440v signalling power distribution also warranting an upgrade, Amaro was contracted to carry out the necessary installation works in order to support the safe and reliable running of the railway into the future.

The solution

Stretching between Ford and Littlehampton Substations, an in-house Amaro team (supported by third party labour) supplied and installed 750 metres of ARCO Type 1 GRP elevated troughing, specified due to the topographically difficult terrain alongside the track. An additional 250 metres of more conventional C1/9 concrete troughing was also installed, along with 14 no. FSP pre-cast concrete troughing bases.

Tasked with upgrading the area’s signalling power distribution, the existing 440v system was swapped out for a state-of-the-art 650v Class II equivalent, with all the associated E&P and signalling assets (including cables, location cabinets, and associated troughing interface sections) also being replaced.

From the Construction Phase Plan, and Waste Management Plan, to the Environmental Plan, Quality Plan, and Work Package Plans, all necessary documentation was produced in-house with the appointment of our CEM and CREs being conducted in line with NR/L2/INI/02009.

The outcome

All works were completed on time, with zero lost time incidents, and in line with the client’s expectations.

Thanks in part to the works carried out by Amaro, rail workers traversing the site will be safer, Network Rail’s maintenance burden will be reduced, and reliability will be improved for rail users.

Wandsworth Road Signalling Upgrades

Wandsworth Road Signalling Upgrades

Advancements in technology, reliability, and energy efficiency – not to mention the need to reduce Network Rail’s maintenance burden – necessitated the upgrade of three filament-type signalling heads in and around the Wandsworth area. Linked to London’s wider multi-million-pound Victoria Resignalling Programme, these works saw the outdated units swapped out for cutting-edge LED replacements.

Wessex Signal Post Renewals

Wessex Signal Post Renewals

April 2024 saw Amaro instructed to replace two signals on the Wessex Route, both of which posed a safety risk due to significant levels of deterioration.

Victoria Cable Pulling

Cable Pulling – Phases 4 and 5, Victoria Area Re-Signalling Programme

First hitting site in August of 2022, Amaro was instructed to carry out all of the cable pulling associated with phases 4 and 5 of Network Rail’s Victoria Area Resignalling Programme (VARP) as part of a drive to boost asset reliability, improve passenger experiences and journey times, and reduce the ongoing maintenance burden upon the end client.