Lanes team surveys nearly 2km of railway track in 10 hours

Lanes Group has carried out a CCTV survey of two kilometres of track drainage on the Brighton Main Line in support of work to improve drainage in a nearby tunnel.

A team of 16 drainage engineers carried out the work in 10 hours on a stretch of line north of Haywards Heath Station. Bam Nuttall, working on behalf of Network Rail, commissioned the survey as part of a project to replace track drainage in the nearby Haywards Heath tunnel.

Matthew Todd, Commercial Director of Lanes Group’s Rail Division, said: “This project went smoothly, and the targets set by Bam Nuttall were met. It shows how we have the expertise, capacity and technology to carry out highly productive projects within challenging timescales like this.”

Bam Nuttall Site Agent Allan Roberts said: “We are replacing defective track drainage in Haywards Heath Tunnel, and needed to assess the impact of this work on adjacent sections drainage.

“Lanes Group did a good job. Their detailed report will allow us to assess the condition of the wider track drainage system, and its ability to handle changes in flow rates expected as a result of the tunnel improvement work.

“The drainage survey will also be used by Network Rail to plan ongoing track maintenance.”

The clay drainage pipes being surveyed were 200mm and 450mm in diameter, and located in the cess either side of the track, along a one kilometre section of the line.

Lanes Rail Division Site Supervisor John Wright said: “We deployed four mainline CCTV camera teams to carry out the survey.

“Two worked their way down the track and the other two worked up it, so they met in the middle. It was the quickest and most effective way to cover that amount of track drainage in the allotted time.

“The drainage lines had been cleaned over the Christmas period and were still largely clear, so we could obtain survey images and data of a substantial proportion of the system.”

Lanes Group Rail Division, based in Rainham, Essex, has many years’ experience providing drainage and maintenance services for London Underground. It is now carrying out an increasing volume of specialist drainage work for tier one contractors on Network Rail assets.