The Central Rivers depot, near Burton-upon-Trent, is the latest to benefit from the Zonegreen Depot Personnel Protection System (DPPS), which protects staff from vehicle movements.
DPPS has been installed on all nine roads at Central Rivers, where class 220 and 221 CrossCountry and Avanti West Coast trains are serviced and maintained. It creates protected zones for staff working in hazardous areas, by automating safety procedures to mitigate human error and allow the safe and efficient control of vehicles within the facility.
Working with client, CBRE, Zonegreen has integrated a wheel lathe and road crossing barriers into DPPS. The barriers can only be raised to allow vehicle movements once the road is protected. A crane and lifting jacks on the UFC have also been interlocked with the system.
Christian Fletcher, Zonegreen’s head of engineering, said: “We have an excellent relationship with CBRE and it has been a pleasure to work with its team again to add Central Rivers to the growing list of UK facilities currently using DPPS. The depot is hugely significant to the reliability of the CrossCountry and Avanti West Coast network and our intuitive technology will not only benefit staff, but also improve the efficiency of operations, allowing trains to return to service faster.”
DPPS uses Network Rail-approved derailers to provide physical protection to depot workers, plus audible and visual warnings of train movements. It is controlled via road end panels, using personalised RFID cards enabling staff to apply the protection and control vehicles moving in/out of the maintenance shed. Zonegreen’s Depot Manager software provides a full graphical overview of the system and complete traceability, whilst its innovative design and flexibility make it easy to modify and expand if future upgrades are required.