EMCOR Rail Go Underground
06 Jan 2005
Tube Lines Limited, the company modernising and maintaining the Jubilee, Northern and Piccadilly lines, has awarded EMCOR Rail a £3.4 million contract to stabilise voltage distribution in a number of stations on London’s underground network. The contract will run until June 2005. Voltage stabilisation equipment will be installed in stations that will experience unacceptably low voltage levels associated with the fitting of new communications systems on the underground.
Under the terms of the contract, EMCOR Rail will install new main trunk switches, complete with automatic changeover switches and voltage stabilisers to automatically regulate the voltage to acceptable levels. New switchrooms will also be designed and built in ten stations: On the Jubilee line (Swiss Cottage, St. John’s Wood), Northern Line (Archway, Tufnell Park, Goodge Street, Kennington) and Piccadilly Line (Turnpike Lane, Finsbury Park, Arsenal, Heathrow T4).
In addition to these works, the lighting mains feeder at Colliers Wood station will be replaced.
As the principal contractor on a project that will see voltage stabilisers used for the first time on the underground network, EMCOR Rail will work closely with Tube Lines and LUL to define, design, agree and carry out type tests and functional tests for the new equipment.
The installation and jointing of main LV feeder cables within the platform inverts will see EMCOR Rail teams operating within confined spaces and within 3.5 - 4 hour timeframes to fit in with the underground’s operating hours.
Says Ivor Goldsmith, Managing Director of EMCOR Rail, ’As the first company to install voltage stabilisers on the underground network, this is a very exciting project for EMCOR Rail. As well as showcasing our specialist expertise in the rail sector, we are also looking forward to rising to challenges presented by working within tight timeframes dictated by the Tube’s operating hours.’
Says James Read, Tube Lines, Project Manager, ’This is the latest in a series of tube modernisation projects. As a specialist contractor with extensive rail experience, we are delighted to have EMCOR Rail on board.’
London-based EMCOR is a wholly owned subsidiary of US Fortune 500 company, EMCOR Group Inc, a global leader in mechanical and electrical construction, energy infrastructure and facilities services.