Sheffield-based Zonegreen has returned to a rail depot in Nottingham to replace an existing safety system, installed more than a decade ago, enhancing the protection offered to staff.
Working with principal contractor, RTS Infrastructure, the rail safety specialist – part of the Sentric Safety Group – has installed its Depot Personnel Protection System (DPPS) on two roads at East Midland Railway’s Eastcroft facility, as part of a £2 million overhaul.
DPPS provides physical protection from the dangers encountered in a rail depot, enabling staff to create safe zones in which to work through the use of powered derailers and warnings of vehicle movements. It is now protecting double-ended roads four and six in Eastcroft’s maintenance shed and has been linked to Zonegreen’s Depot Manager SCADA software, which provides a graphical overview of the entire system’s status and full traceability.
Zonegreen has also installed a protection system on the fuel road. It uses shunt signals to prevent vehicle movements if anyone is working in the vicinity, whilst treadle switches detect a signal passed at danger and activate visual and audible warnings. In addition, two manual gates have been added to a level crossing to ensure they are locked against road traffic and can only be opened when a train is authorised.
Christian Fletcher, Zonegreen’s head of engineering, said: “We are really pleased East Midlands Railway has chosen to invest in staff safety as part of the major upgrades at its flagship Eastcroft depot. The fact it has commissioned us to provide the equipment demonstrates its ongoing faith in our technology and the service we provide.
“Working with RTS, UK specialists who are delivering change for customers and the railway, on this installation is the perfect example of how our dynamic systems can be adapted to the changing needs of depots and tailored to their individual layouts.”
Eastcroft is at the heart of EMR’s regional operations and is responsible for maintaining trains that provide services across the country. The £2 million upgrade is being carried out to increase capacity, whilst ensuring the continued safety of workers. Zonegreen installed the depot’s existing protection system in 2010 and added its Points Converter technology in 2021 to automate three hand points, reducing the risk of injury from manual operation.
For more information about the company’s work at Eastcroft, or its suite of rail safety technology, telephone (0114) 230 0822, visit www.sentricsafetygroup.com/sector/railway-safety-solutions/ or follow the company on LinkedIn: Zonegreen Ltd.
Image credit: Zonegreen
