New Measurement Train maintenance contract awarded by Network Rail

Copyright: Network Rail

Network Rail has awarded the maintenance contract for its New Measurement Train to Loram UK following a competitive tender undertaken in 2019. 

Supply chain services director at Network Rail, Mike Black, said: “This contract simplifies the maintenance of the New Measurement Train. It will not only deliver savings to Network Rail and ultimately the taxpayer, but also ensure that the train is maintained to a high standard so it can continue to work for the safety of passengers and other railway users.”

Converted from an Intercity High Speed Train that has been travelling around Britain’s railway network for 15 years, the New Measurement Train is equipped with high-tech measurement systems, track scanners and high-resolution cameras. It is the fastest train in Network Rail’s infrastructure monitoring fleet – which identifies faults on the railway before they become a safety issue or begin to affect performance – and monitors and records track condition information at speeds of up to 125mph.

The train’s speed means it can measure large distances in a single operating shift, covering 115,000 miles in a year and capturing approximately 10TB of image data every 440 miles. The data collected is then used by engineers to make repairs and plan maintenance throughout the network.

Maintenance will be undertaken at Loram UK’s Derby facility, just as Network Rail’s other infrastructure monitoring trains have been maintained since 2010. The contract will span five years and is expected to cost approximately £8 million.

As part of the infrastructure monitoring fleet operations contract, Loram UK completed a three-month overhaul of the New Measurement Train coaches in December 2019. Completed every four years, the overhaul process involves taking apart the train completely, testing all of its parts, making any improvements or fixes and then rebuilding the train.