Oxford Sidings are located on the Great Western Main Line just north of Oxford station. In 2019 a major refurbishment of the entire site was carried out which involved new sidings platforms. These platforms allow for maintenance and cleaning of the carriages, usually of an evening. A lighting solution was needed to satisfy the drivers, the maintenance staff and the nearby residential properties – alongside the stringent Network Rail standards. RIDI Group worked together with SYSTRA UK/Network Rail to develop a lighting bollard that would satisfy all those needs and for the right budget.
A scheme evolved based around lighting bollards due to the neighbouring residential properties and the desire to contain light pollution. RIDI Group UK worked with the 900mm EMFA Rambo bollard, that is highly acclaimed to be one of the most vandal resistant products on the market, to produce a variation to meet Network Rail standards. The variation became the TRAXIDE bollard which included enhancements such as enhanced IP65 rating, repositioned terminal blocks nearer to the ground for easier loop in/loop out and enhanced larger terminations to meet the necessary cabling standards. A further development was the projection optics and blanked off element to allow for an efficient east/west spread of light but without any glare to the train drivers.
The project required 5 lux between bollards at the centre point which yielded an 8m spacing. The light was successfully directed downwards with good uniformity and has been deemed successful with local residents. In total over 300 bollards were used, mostly flange mounted to concrete but also with some variations for root mounting. The TRAXIDE bollard is constructed of heavyweight extruded aluminium with integrated control gear and linear LED optics for precise control.
The engineer for SYSTRA UK/Network Rail was Mike Kimmitt who was delighted with the outcome and commented:
“We were extremely pleased that RIDI Group helped us design a brand-new product to suit our specific needs and requirements. We started with basic performance criteria and target illumination levels & worked to achieve those targets within the physical constraints imposed upon us by Network Rail (including gauging clearance limitations to moving trains).
We were able to push the performance to it’s limits and achieve greater spacing distances & reduced luminaire power consumption by use of TRAXIDE’s cleverly designed optical distribution characteristics, directing light to only where it was needed (namely the Driver’s Walkway Routes in this instance) & minimising spill light outside of our task area. This design approach made it possible for us to mitigate any light pollution to neighbouring properties & also significantly reduce the impact of potential glare to train drivers using the adjacent running lines.
In summary, RIDI Group’s expertise helped us to develop a highly successful design solution which was incredibly efficient, easy to install & robust enough to withstand the demands of a challenging and tough environment.”
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Products Used
Traxide
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