Drainage Engineers Network at NetworkRail
Project duration: September 2008
The aims of the Drainage engineers’ network are the implementation of an integrated approach for drainage management focusing on an improved asset management, improved technical support and better knowledge transfer.
The Drainage Engineers’ Network was established in September 2008. It is a national forum for discussion and knowledge exchange with cross company participation from Track, Civils, Investment and Maintenance.
Meetings are held on a regular basis and are focusing on six themes:
Strategy
Environment
Design
First results - early successes
As one of a series of documents on drainage the first national standard on managing drainage assets has been developed. Furthermore, the first ever national guide to drainage survey has been compiled and an electronic data gathering system for drainage assets has been developed. The project was recognised as best practice by UK Water Industry.
IDP - Integrated Drainage Policy at NetworkRail
Project duration: since 2010
The aim of the integrated drainage policy (IDP) is to improve the resilience of the drainage system, to cut costs and to tackle all drainage related problems with a systemic approach.
The implementation of IDP will help to overcome the following shortcomings of the current drainage practice
Ø Incomplete asset knowledge
Ø Lack of ownership (assets owned by 2 groups)
Ø No integrated standards, mainly manual methods
Ø Poor maintenance since 1980s
Ø Drainage activity has mostly been reactive
Ø No output measures
Ø Poor ‘specification’
Ø Different delivery routes for drainage work
Integrated Drainage Policy work will:
1) Coordinate and accelerate the drainage work related to track, civils and maintenance (early spend of 25% in 2010-2011 with excellent payback in CP4
2) Improve drainage asset knowledge by launching a priority survey followed by a compete survey of all drainage to be finalised by 2014
3) Accelerate standards development in order to provide the guidance needed for ‘Steady State’
Steps:
- Gap analysis
- Identification of hot spots: priorities 1 (immediate work) and 2 (survey) sites
- Revision of standards
- Training
- Improved asset status and knowledge
