VIC 3 Cable Renewals

The challenge

With much of the signalling infrastructure surrounding Victoria having been installed over 40 years ago, a rise in the number of faults reported had led to an unacceptable increase in delays for passengers travelling on lines in the area, not to mention creating a significant maintenance burden for the client.

Following an in-depth review by Network Rail, the decision was taken to instigate a major package of upgrades to modernise the 1980s infrastructure serving the lines into Victoria station, replacing substantial amounts of signalling equipment and cabling, relocating signalling control to a state-of-the-art ROC (Rail Operating Centre) at Three Bridges, and upgrading track at key rail junctions with new, more reliable equipment.

The solution

Awarded under Network Rail’s ongoing CP6 Minor Signalling Framework – and forming part of the London Victoria Resignalling Project – Amaro was tasked with replacing 13 end-of-life signalling power cables on a like-for-like basis.

Phase one of the operations saw all cables being run out, tucked away in existing troughing routes, and prepared ready for changeover, with a number of intensive possessions seeing up to 6 of Amaro’s core operatives – with additional support from our trusted partners – pulling significant amounts of both 48c and 37c cable into place.

No easy task due to the ageing infrastructure, much of this work was completed thanks to a combination of specialist labour and RRVs, with the condition of many of the area’s UTXs (some more than 70 years old) adding an additional layer of complexity to the scheme.

A challenging project

Working in such close proximity to the UK’s second busiest station poses its own unique set of challenges, with its location and significance resulting in strict limitations – not to mention a staggered delivery programme – being implemented to prevent all of the lines running in and out of the station from being impacted at once. What’s more, with a large number of unrelated contractors also working in the area, significant attention has had to be paid to on-site deconfliction, with a commitment to collaborative working being essential to ensure the safe, smooth delivery of all parties’ works, not to mention the continuing operation of this critical rail terminus.

Week 28 of 2024 saw the final changeover and commissioning process begin, with testing being carried out under SMTH (Signalling Maintenance Testing Handbook) guidelines. Due to each cable potentially impacting a range of signalling assets across multiple lines and ELRs, Amaro’s project management team sat on a panel with the client, agreeing to implement a temporary variation against their standard (NR/SMTH/PART04/CA02 – Renewing of Multi-Core Cable) with a view to carrying out a partial changeover of each cable in order to minimise disruption.

With works being access driven and progress limited as a result, throughout the partial changeover (and following each shift) all cables are left correctly labelled, with signage being installed at the location to let maintenance teams know what has been done, and why the cable is only partially connected. Again, following each shift, spare cores are bombed off, insulation sleeves are fitted and bagged up, and a temporary and up-to-date copy of all necessary diagrams is left on site.

Following the final commissioning of all sections, the process of cable recovery will commence, with a substantial quantity of end-of-life signalling power cable (some up to 300-400m in length) being pulled, removed and disposed of responsibly and in line with best practice.

The outcome

A particularly challenging project due to the density, complexity, and importance of the infrastructure, our time at Victoria is expected to conclude in March 2025.

And, whilst works are still very much ongoing, our involvement in the Vic 3 project will contribute towards:

• Improving reliability and performance of trains in South London and the wider region
• Fewer faults and delays for passengers travelling on lines in South London
• The relocation of the area’s signallers to a centralised Rail Operating Centre
• Providing greater resilience in the event of an incident
• Reducing the maintenance burden upon the client