Saxmundham Vital Track Renewal
At TES 2000, our expertise lies in navigating the complexities of rail infrastructure to deliver projects safely, efficiently, and with uncompromising quality. The Saxmundham track renewal project stands as a prime example, demonstrating our capacity to manage significant logistical challenges, adapt plans under pressure, and collaborate seamlessly with industry partners to achieve outstanding results.
The Challenge: Upgrading Critical Track Assets
TES 2000 was commissioned as Principal Contractor by Network Rail Works Delivery Anglia for a crucial renewal at Saxmundham. The project involved a comprehensive upgrade of the existing 95lb B switch, B trap, and associated sidings. The scope included:
Installation of a new 113lb CV Turnout and 113lb BV Trap.
Renewal of sidings plain line with new 113lb panels.
A 50mm skim dig to prepare the formation.
Replacement of 95lb AS1 chairs with M-AS1P baseplates.
Replacement of 5 hardwood sleepers.
Installation of 2 x twist rails and 4 x 113lb rails off the fronts.
Renewal of groundframe components, including the lock, channel rodding, stools, and cranks.
Installation of a new back drive.
Tamping of the renewed sections.
18 x cold welds and 2 x stress welds, plus 1 x stress weld off the rear of the crossing.
Installation of critical geometry and datum plates.
Adapting Under Pressure: A Major Planning Pivot
Mid-project, with less than two weeks until work commenced, TES 2000 faced a significant logistical hurdle: unforeseen access point issues meant the new layout, originally destined for a compound near Saxmundham on tilting lorries, could no longer be delivered as planned.
This necessitated a complete re-planning of the entire job across both scheduled renewal weekends. Our teams quickly identified an alternative: the panels would now be delivered to Whitemoor Depot and loaded onto an engineering train. A critical decision was made to replace the longer bearers on the large CV and BV switch panels with temporary "slave timbers" at 2600mm. This ingenious solution ensured both oversized panels could be safely loaded onto salmon wagons, significantly speeding up the unloading process on site.
The re-planning involved a meticulous rewrite of all documentation for Weekend 3, followed by a series of de-confliction meetings with SRSA (our partner on this shared possession) to ensure both parties' revised plans were perfectly aligned and operational. This rapid and effective re-planning was essential, particularly as our annual PCL (Principal Contractor's Licence) audit was scheduled to take place on site during Weekend 3. We are proud to report that the PCL audit proceeded as planned, and we passed with no advisories – a testament to our robust planning and unwavering commitment to safety and compliance.
Mastering Logistics: Shared Possessions and Coordinated Movements
Weekends 3 and 4 saw TES 2000 and SRSA sharing a complex possession, including the same engineering train and the same RRV (Road Rail Vehicle) access point at Beversham, located four miles from Saxmundham station. With the TES worksite positioned further country-end, our RRVs from Story Plant were granted priority access both weekends. Careful and constant communication was maintained throughout around all RRV and engineering train movements.
Weekend 3: Laying the Groundwork The engineering train, carrying materials for both TES and SRSA, initially stopped at the TES worksite. Our Story Plant RRVs efficiently unloaded all six of our panels, along with loose timbers, ironwork, and smalls. Once unloaded, the train moved down to the SRSA worksite. Crucially, TES and SRSA site managers maintained constant communication via back-to-back radios.
Our Story Plant RRVs then tandem-lifted the panels onto the end of the siding and carefully stacked them. Loose panels were meticulously rebuilt in line with 1:50 drawings before being stacked. Our S&T subcontractor, Technotrack Engineering, simultaneously began disconnecting POE equipment, gaining release for the groundframe from the signaller, and prepping the channel rodding, stools, and rollers. Our track team replaced five sleepers and installed six rails, dropping four welds and forming four temporary joints secured with Robel10 clamps. The worksite was tidied, RRVs returned to the access point, and a 50mph pre-planned TSR (Temporary Speed Restriction) was erected before the track was handed back.
Weekend 4: Core Renewal and Final Handover With possession granted for Weekend 4, both track and S&T teams immediately commenced disconnecting track circuits, existing track components, and Points Operating Equipment. Story Plant RRVs accessed the site via Beversham and efficiently navigated to the worksite via send-and-receive procedures. This weekend, the engineering train for both TES and SRSA was split, giving each party independent control of their respective locomotives, with continued communication via back-to-back radios.
Our RRVs began loading all old components onto falcons, preparing them for removal. The skim dig then commenced, with our technical team meticulously checking levels throughout the dig and basestone stages. The new formation was consolidated with three compaction cycles.
Our technical team then precisely set up the Trimble equipment to land the first panel – the 2A switch panel – achieving a remarkable accuracy of within 2mm of the design at the toes. Each subsequent panel, including the Up Main panels, the 2B traps, and the sidings panels, was landed, plated, and clamped, ready for welding. The toe-to-nose measurement after the Up Main panels were in showed only a 3mm deviance from design, a testament to our precision.
This phase required critical timing: SRSA began tamping the Up Main, stopping just short of the tie-in location. Our welders then rapidly dropped 14 welds, ensuring they were ready for SRSA to stress up to the front of the 2A toes by morning. While SRSA stressed, TES began top-stoning the layout in preparation for the tamper, which entered the worksite at 11:00 hours. The engineering train was reformed and moved out of the worksite. SRSA completed their stressing prior to our tamper's entry, allowing seamless coordination.
Our TES technical team had the as-builts ready for the tamper crew, inputting the precise figures for the S&C and subsequent sidings tamp. The TES tamper was then handed over to SRSA to complete their final 50m of tamping up to the tie-in point on the London side of the underbridge. RRVs efficiently crossed to the down road and returned to Beversham, passing through the SRSA worksite.
S&T teams worked tirelessly, installing new groundframe points equipment, including a new back drive, rodding, stretcher bars, lock bars, and cranks, culminating in the precise cutting of the new lock. Track teams cleared the site, snagged any minor issues, and continued ballast works until S&T completion. Finally, track circuits, interrupters, and points were all thoroughly tested, with documentation completed.
Success Through Collaboration and Expertise
The site was meticulously walked on all three roads (and A-G lines), with CRT (Controlled Resting Temperature) and all other necessary paperwork completed. The site was successfully handed back, fit for traffic, at the 55mph line speed.
The Saxmundham project stands as a powerful demonstration of TES 2000's commitment to excellence: our ability to adapt to complex logistical changes, maintain rigorous safety standards (validated by our PCL audit success), leverage advanced technical capabilities like Trimble for precision, and foster effective collaboration with all partners. We are proud to contribute to a safer, more efficient rail network.