Five years later: SWR signalling upgrades completed

Network Rail’s (NR) 80-mile resignalling scheme to key areas of the South Western Railway (SWR) network was completed on February 19.

The Feltham Area Signalling Centre and Wokingham Signal Box jointly covered key areas between Reading, London and Guildford such as Feltham, Hounslow, Shepperton, Twickenham, Windsor & Eton Riverside and Wokingham.

NR says the old signalling equipment (around 500 pieces) from 1974 was becoming harder to maintain.

AtkinsRéalis which was contracted by NR to install the new signalling system explained that the upgrade provides ‘advanced fault detection and prediction capabilities’, and 'provides improved levels of reliability and safety'.

Control of the equipment from Feltham and Wokingham now moves into NR’s Wessex Rail Operating Centre (ROC).

NR says the control post move allows signallers to 'better communicate' because they’re in the same room (rather than remote signal boxes), and that it’s operationally more cost-effective.

Image: Network Rail’s Wessex Route is one of the busiest and most congested routes on the rail network. With 1,300 miles of track and over 200 stations, its latest signal upgrades promise better levels of reliability and safety for its customers.