Zonegreen has an array of talented engineers and a track record of excellent project management, successfully delivering projects across the UK and around the world.
The case studies below provide an example of the multitude of projects that Zonegreen have completed:
A Scottish East Coast Trains depot has become one of the first in the UK to improve driver and shunter safety by investing in the latest innovation from Sheffield-based Zonegreen. The depot safety specialist has installed it’s Points Converter system at Edinburgh’s Craigentinny maintenance facility to prevent injuries occurring when operators use manual points levers. Four Zonegreen Points Converters have been attached to the most frequently used manual hand points at the depot to automate the switches. They are operated by a computerised control system, which provides a visualisation of the routes and can be set to allow vehicles to reach their destination without any physical intervention. Network Rail’s newly upgraded Newton Heath maintenance depot, has become the most recent facility to benefit from installing the Zonegreen Depot Personnel Protection System (DPPSTM). Working with Amalgamated Construction (AMCO), Zonegreen has provided its DPPSTM and interlocking solutions to protect staff working on the 10 road shed and on the 2 fuelling roads. The system comprising of the firm’s Network Rail approved derailers, control panels and warning beacons, also contains interlocks with the depots 2 cranes and the engine drop system. Zonegreen were commissioned by Laing O’Rourke to install their Depot Personnel Protection System (DPPSTM) during the upgrade of Willesden TMD as part of TFL’s £320m capacity improvement programme for London Overground. Staff working within the six through road shed will be protected by Zonegreen’s marketing leading DPPSTM, allowing them to work safe in the knowledge that they are fully protected from any unexpected vehicle movements. Further personnel protection is provided by Zonegreen’s interlocking system, which sees the operation of the jacks, the train wash and access to high level gantries prohibited until the OLE is isolated and it is safe to do so. Zonegreen have installed their Points Converter System on both the Bogie Drop and the Wheel Lathe roads at Wimbledon TDM. The Points Converter system provides a means of operating manual hand points remotely through the use of a hydraulic actuator. Allowing remote, automated operation of the hand points mitigates the risk posed to staff of operating heavy points leavers, and also negates the need to walk out to the points, removing the risk of slips, trips & falls as well as the threat of electrocution from the third rail. The benefits of Zonegreen’s Depot Personnel Protection System (DPPSTM) are now being experienced by staff at the new $190 million Wulkaraka depot in Australia. Working with Australian partners, Andrew Engineering, Zonegreen are ensuring that the 500-strong workforce are now kept safe in their working environment. The safety system combines intuitive functionality and road end control panels with graphical interfaces with powered derailers, train detection equipment and warning beacons, all operated via intelligent datakeys. Workers at London’s new Thameslink rail depots will be protected by the very latest intuitive technology, thanks to Zonegreen’s Depot Personnel Protection System (DPPS™), which has been installed at both the Hornsey and Three Bridges facilities. In both locations Zonegreen’s technology was specified by Siemens, who is a keen advocate of DPPS™ and installs it in the majority of its depots. The system is an easy to use, cost effective method of protecting staff and infrastructure; allowing personnel to work safely whilst improving the operations of the depots. Staff working at the new maintenance depots being built for the governments flagship intercity Express Programme (IEP), are among the first to be protected by the Zonegreen New Generation Depot Personnel Protection System (DPPS). The maintenance facilities at North Pole, Stoke Gifford, Swansea and Doncaster are all being protected by DPPS that has been configured to each depots unique layout, combining powered derailers, road end control panels, train detection equipment and warning signals, as well as interlocking with the overhead lines. The first installation of the new Zonegreen Point Converter has been completed at Associate British Ports (ABP) Hull site. The 11 Point Converters have been installed at the Port to help the staff manage the increase in cargo generated by their new Biomass Silo. The Point Converters will not only improve the safety of the train drivers by minimising their exposure to manual handling injuries and slips trips and falls; but will also increase the efficiency of the cargo trains by allowing routes through multiple hand points to be set at the push of a button, removing the need for the driver to manually manoeuvre them. Zonegreen designed and manufactured the Depot Personnel Protection System DPPS for the new Eurostar depot at Temple Mills, East London, which opened in November 2007. The company believes this to be the most advanced DPPS system installed in the UK. “It was an essential requirement for this international project that the DPPS for Temple Mills would comply with EU safety standard SIL1 (Safety Integrity Level)” Zonegreen engineer Richard Eason points out. “The Depot Personnel Protection System was independently assessed and approved for this purpose by Lloyd’s Register Rail. We also designed the DPPS to integrate successfully with the refined signalling system at Temple Mills.” The Sheffield-based team of research engineers and scientists was contracted to install its SMART™ Depot Personnel Protection System on a total of 14 roads at both the Red Line’s two prestigious traincare depots, Rashidiya and Jebel Ali. Zonegreen’s Managing Director Tony Hague said: “The network that is being developed in Dubai involves the most leading-edge technology and engineering. The fact that Zonegreen’s expertise in intelligent rail safety technology has been sought out is testimony to the quality of our products. Workers at a new £150 million train depot in Reading are among the safest in the world, thanks to innovative technology supplied by Sheffield’s Zonegreen. The rail safety specialist has installed its SMART Depot Personnel Protection System (DPPS™) at the Berkshire facility to control the movement of trains and safeguard staff. The new maintenance depot is part of an £895 million redevelopment programme at Reading station, which is expected to be complete by 2015. The old depot is being demolished to make way for a flyover that will carry Southampton bound freight trains across the Great Western Mainline. Zonegreen has fitted its SMART Depot Personnel Protection System (DPPS™) at the $100 million Wiri depot, to provide a safe working environment for the maintenance engineers servicing Auckland’s new fleet of electric trains.The firm’s standard DPPS™ was adapted to suit New Zealand’s signalling requirements and installed by a local contractor, under the supervision of Zonegreen engineer, Wilder Pong, who commissioned the system and provided staff training. He said: “It has been a pleasure to work with such a professional and technical team. The country boasts great engineering talent and we have no doubt our technology will further enhance their depot maintenance operations.” Alstom has installed the South Yorkshire rail safety specialist’s Operator Planning Suite (OPS) to oversee all of the daily functions in its maintenance centre near Nola. The web-based planning application replaces traditional whiteboards, which are still used in many depot control rooms across Europe. It has been implemented at the new Nola facility to manage the maintenance of high speed trains on the Turin-Salerno and Rome-Venice lines.
