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Railtest
Ltd
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RAILWAY BRITAIN |
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The Research Division brought together personnel and expertise from all over the country, including the LMS Scientific Research Laboratory. Their remit was not simply the improvement of existing equipment, or the solution of existing problems, but fundamental research from first principles, into railway operation. The results of its work would go on to inform development by engineers, manufacturers and railways all over the world. The Research Division also developed two test tracks. The first was on the old Great Northern Railway (GNR) line between Egginton Junction and Derby Friargate (later used only as far as Mickleover) and was used by the Train Control Group. When the Advanced Passenger Train was being developed, a second test track was created on the line between Melton Junction and Edwalton (known as the Old Dalby test track), which was acquired specifically to test this revolutionary train. The Mickleover test track was closed and lifted in the early 1990s, and the Old Dalby test track is now owned by Serco Railtest Ltd. In 1986
finance for the division was moved from the board to the operating
divisions. Thus emphasis shifted from pure research to problem solving.
In 1989,
BR Research became a self-contained unit working under contract to
British Rail and other customers, and the way was open for
privatisation. The surviving test track at Old Dalby was separated out
from BR Research Ltd in preparation for privatisation. This become
Railtest. With privatisation Railtest was sold to Serco plc in 1997. Today it is operated as Serco Railtest Ltd. In late 2000 the test track was handed by Serco Railtest to Alstom and became a testing and commissioning base for the new Pendolino trains. Alstom renamed it the Alstom Midlands Test Centre (AMTC), and under their ownership the HQ was moved from the original Old Dalby site to Asfordby, occupying various buildings at the former mine complex. However after completion of the Pendolino testing at the end of 2005, and the demise of Alstom as a train builder in the UK, the line remained little used except for Serco/NR running the odd test train. On 12th February 2007 it was announced that Metronet had taken control of the line for its own future testing requirements with London Underground units thus saving it for further use and the possibility of conventional test trains also having access to what remains the only test track in the UK. On 7th June 2007 Metronet announced that the contract for operating and maintaining the test track had been awarded to Serco Assurance (formerly Serco Railtest) based at the RTC Derby. Thus Serco are back again! Despite the recent problems of Metronet going into receivership it seems that this will not affect the plans formulated for the use of the line for testing underground stock. The line is now leased by Metronet and has
been acquired by them in order to test and commission the next
generation of London Underground trains. Over the next 12 months the
line will be further improved and enhanced by the electrification of
the former Up line, re-introduced by Alstom, with 3rd and 4th rail
systems, and also equipping the former depot and sidings at Old Dalby.
Testing is likely to start towards the end
of 2008 but the line may see other trains before that such as NR/Serco
test trains. It was announced on 7th June 2007 that Serco had been awarded
the contract to manage the whole of the test track of behalf of
Metronet which will give them the opportunity to attract other
interested parties to the line. Serco Railtest undertakes:
Vehicle acceptance & engineering services Materials evaluation Technical development www.serco.com |