MANCHESTER METROLINK
Manchester Metrolink is a 37km urban light rail transit system serving the city of Manchester and its surrounding conurbation. Phase 1 opened in 1992 as the UK’s first modern street tramway with major sections taken over from existing ac and 1912-vintage dc heavy rail lines; Phase 2 followed in 1999. A third phase expansion to take the system to over 100 km is under development. The system interfaces with main line ac and diesel served railways with a continuing challenge in stray current design coming from the need to minimize interference with other railway signaling systems and complex urban utility infrastructure.
CAPCIS have acted as prime consultant for corrosion and stray current control to the Metrolink system owner from 1988 providing engineering services from specification to Contractor review and Operator support. This included a 10-year stray current performance audit, including design, management and execution of comprehensive surveys across utility services and railway infrastructures. Many of the methods and processes pioneered on Metrolink have subsequently been applied to systems across the UK .
For the Phase 3 development work CAPCIS seconded principal staff into the owner’s multi-disciplinary project team to develop tender specifications, evaluate bids and work through technical negotiation and Chair the multi-party stray current co-ordinating group. Support was provided to delivery of advance works contracts for bridge and tunnel structures and to preliminary engineering to mitigate stray current interference with other systems across multiple interfaces. The most recent project has been the provision of stray current design guidelines for two linked bridge structures for the Central Park entrance Gateway.
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