Feltham and Wokingham Area Re-Signalling Programme

MARKETS: Transportation

LOCATION: Feltham and Wokingham, UK

CLIENT: Network Rail

COMPLETION DATE: February 2024

The Feltham and Wokingham control area incorporates one of the major rail commuter networks in Southwest London which, feeding into London Waterloo station, carries approximately 10% of London’s rail traffic and 3% of the UK’s passenger journeys. The signalling system and trackside infrastructure including numerous level crossings, which together safely control the flow of trains, was life expired, operating on old signalling equipment and out-of-date technology dating back to the 1970s. These were increasingly impacting the reliability and performance of the network.

Industry-Leading Project Delivery

AtkinsRéalis was commissioned by Network Rail as the principal contractor to design and build the complex £375m multi-year programme to re-signal and upgrade the entire Feltham and Wokingham area utilising modern, digital rail ready, computer-based signalling systems.

The largest re-signalling scheme in the UK, the Feltham and Wokingham programme involved the development, testing and approval of new technology and implementation techniques to achieve deployment into service over six phases (0-5) across a five-year period from 2019 to 2024. The programme extended across 80 miles of high-volume track and involved the re-control of the signalling from existing legacy systems to a new the state-of-the-art Basingstoke Rail Operating Centre (BROC), as well as the upgrade of 21 signalling interlockings, 16 level crossings and 275 signals.

AtkinsRéalis worked in collaboration with Network Rail and our strategic delivery partners commissioning the first phase in 2019 with the largest, Phase 3&4, completing in 2023 which concluded the re-control of the Feltham area signalling. Phase 3&4 alone covered 30 miles of track and signalling in the Feltham area and comprised the installation and re-control of 144 LED signals, renewal of seven level crossings, installation of 260 miles of cabling, and 234 axle counters, along with all other 4-foot signalling infrastructure and platform furniture, to support the new signalling technology.

The delivery of Phase 5 in February 2024 marked the completion of the entire scheme and re-controlled the Wokingham area signalling to the new BROC facility and included three level crossing upgrades, 112 miles of new cabling and 43 new LED signals commissions.

Industry-Leading Technology Innovations

The programme was delivered by AtkinsRéalis through its innovative Advanced Signalling Method (ASM), the company’s unique end-to-end signalling delivery approach that is the only solution in the UK product approved by Network Rail to deliver a ‘system of systems’ signalling solution. ASM integrates multiple signalling sub-systems to unlock additional functionality such as axle counter speed sensing for SPAD prediction and mitigation and featuring advanced diagnostics to reduce site maintenance. Full product approval by Network Rail means it can be deployed efficiently anywhere in the UK making it one of the most cost-effective and reliable rail signalling systems on the market.

The later phases of the project also delivered significant advancements in technology including a new innovation developed by AtkinsRéalis that enables the automated development and testing of signalling software. This is the first time this has been achieved in the industry and is dramatically improving the quality, integrity and efficiency of application software which runs the railway signalling, realising the holy grail of ‘right first time’ application software.

Step-change in Performance

The delivery of the five-year project fully modernises the signalling systems and significantly improves the reliability and performance of the railway network to ensure efficient passenger and freight services are supported far into the future. Performance improvements are already being demonstrated in a 37.5% reliability performance improvement of the railway (exceeding the original 25% target) and a 675% level crossing reliability improvement.

The Feltham and Wokingham programme is an important demonstration of the capabilities and performance of AtkinsRéalis’ Advanced Signalling Method. This will now be deployed extensively across the UK rail network as part of Control Period 7 (CP7) framework contract awards including the Train Control Systems Framework (TCSF), Southern Integrated Delivery (SID) Framework, Eastern Route Partnership (ERP) and Translink Framework in Northern Ireland. ASM continues to be developed with its scope of application and integrations being constantly expanded to deliver ever-more reliable, efficient, and cost-effective signalling solutions for the UK’s railways.