Award for Edgware TBTC train fit-out project

The London Underground Northern Line Transmission Based Train Control (TBTC*) train fit-out project at Edgware has recently won second place at the Tube Lines Projects Safety Awards 2010.

The judges were very impressed by the ongoing safety efforts being made at the depot on a day-to-day basis, where a fully operational work site has been created to very tight timescales whilst maintaining high levels of safety and leading standards of housekeping and efficiency. One of the safety measures introduced at the site has been the development of bespoke steps to make safer the constant access to the train cabs required during the modification works, which is much more frequent than what is required during normal maintenance. A design specifically suited to the project's needs was developed, tested and manufactured in a collaborative effort with Tube Lines.

The Edgware operation has won awards at both of the Tube Lines awards ceremonies held since the train fit-out facility commenced operation in March 2009 and was awarded Beacon Status, Tube Lines flagship award for good working practices in September 2009. The site is now being assessed for Beacon Plus, an elevated award for projects and sites that have already achieved Beacon status, and it is hoped to achieve this standard by the end of October 2010. This follows on from the TBTC project success at Stratford Market depot on the Jubilee Line, which was the first rolling stock project ever to gain Beacon status.

These achievements represent the constant commitment and effort of all staff at Edgware where safety has been integrated into all activities.



* TBTC is a networked system for the operation of metros and commuter trains, one advantage of which is to reduce the train headway enabling more trains to run on the track. The Northern Line project is now on the 87th train out of 106, with fleet completion planned before the end of the year. A final retrofit phase is required to standardise the build configuration due to customer defined design changes and this will see the Edgware site operational until March 2011.