Transport services (excl. Waste transport)

Tender description

Bearers are the equivalent for Switches and Crossings (S&C) to sleepers for plain line track. S&C installations can be complex undertakings that place access challenges on what are typically busy parts of the network. Therefore, modular S&C installations, where much of the work can be completed in factory conditions prior to moving to site, offer potential improvements for quality and time, and therefore costs. Network Rail is seeking resilient joints and a new design rigid joint, therefore this opportunity has been split into 2 lots. The vision for this project is to provide a layout which can be installed in modular forms, which is fit for purpose and does not come with the burden of additional maintenance. Design for Reliability is at the heart of what this project must provide. The vision statement stems from the following dilemma faced by the routes, they either: (a) Reject the current modular bearer designs – making the work less efficient to deliver to install a bearer that will last (b) Accept the current modular bearer designs – which are efficient to install but come with known asset sustainability issues. Is it the intention of Network Rail to make available Resilient Joints to purchase and have these installed and maintained across the network Currently Network Rail use a rigid joint design for both the 4 foot and 6 foot locations. Due to the nature of modular S&C design, there are tight locations where the joint length is restricted to 430 mm, where not restricted the length is currently 500 mm. There are two deliverables for this specification: • a new joint, unconstrained by the current joint design; • a retrospective joint that can be used to replace the current joint.