SHEPPERTON WORK MARKS FELTHAM FIRST STAGE

COMMISSIONING WORK on signals on the Shepperton branch over the weekend of 21-23 June marked the first stage of the long-delayed Feltham resignalling project. This is Phase 0, the pilot phase, of a six to eight-year £300 million project with five main stages. Atkins holds the contract for the work and is using Alstom ElectroLogIXS technology under licence; this is the second Network Rail application for ElectroLogIXS after the Wherry lines in Norfolk.

The Shepperton branch will initially be controlled from a slave desk at Feltham power signal box but eventually the whole of the Feltham control area will move to the Rail Operating Centre in Basingstoke.

The Norwich – Yarmouth/ Lowestoft Wherry lines project is set to be completed in a 23-day blockade in February 2020, after which the Berney Arms route, closed for the works, will reopen.

Commissioning of the Seaford branch resignalling, delayed from March, is now scheduled for October.