Working on projects in the rail industry often brings it challenges with congested infrastructure, old and new technologies meeting or ground conditions proving difficult. Projects often need special attention to get done right. When railway engineering contractors Haigh Rail Ltd asked us to work on one such project with them at Greenbank Station, Northwich we were only too happy to help.
The solution was innovatively designed by our Design Team utilising standard Arco type 2 trunking supported by bespoke brackets – which combined, produced a cable management solution that could be installed trackside by mounting the route on top of the viaduct wall while allowing the safe refuges and provided an asset that was easily accessible to the maintainer. Scott Parnell was significant in the success of the project and our first point of call as the supplier to help achieve what we needed to build on site. Not only were they able to suggest Arco type 2 to our designers, which provide a Network Rail approved product that reduces the requirement between fixing points, they also manufactured our designed galvanised bespoke brackets that allowed the standard Arco type 2 to be installed while maintaining as much track access as possible, decongesting the area as per the remit.
The challenges faced throughout the project were tight timescales; we only had 6 weeks from contract award through to design, procure & build and then finally commission. This included the importing of the German built bespoke brackets. We even faced issues here due to the borders closing as works coincided with Brexit. We also had to carry out all design and build of the bespoke brackets through key engineering meetings managed over MS Teams between the German manufacturers and the PACE design and delivery team during the global pandemic. The result was a 3-day blockage and 7 back to back shifts over the 2020/21 New Year’s Eve period that resulted in the successful commissioning of the new cable management system ready for the future planned cable change over.
The verdict
“After many years in the rail industry, I find that Scott Parnell are one of the most competitive and reliable suppliers and the first point of call whenever we pick up a new project. Within their team are experienced technical experts that can support with any procurement requirement and the first point of call for my delivery teams. A well recommended supplier for all your construction needs.”
Damien Kilcoyne, Operations Director, PACE Infrastructure Solutions Limited
