Hitachi Rail’s depot in Doncaster is improving its already excellent safety measures and standards, courtesy of Sheffield-based experts, Zonegreen, to ensure staff enjoy enhanced protection, no matter where they are working.

The rail safety specialists have installed a siding warning system at Hitachi Rail’s Doncaster Carr, to counter the risks posed by work being carried out on the service spine.

The Doncaster facility has serviced Intercity Express Programme (IEP) trainsets since 2017. Tasks such as CET extraction, water tank filling, fuelling, and sanding are undertaken on the service spine.

Zonegreen’s siding warning system alerts personnel to imminent train movements, allowing them to reach a position of safety. Inbound vehicles are detected by a treadle switch that activates beacon sounders, providing audible and visual warnings to staff. Outbound movement alerts can be activated from either a local control panel or remotely from the person in charge office.

Zonegreen technical director Christian Fletcher, said: “Hitachi Rail has asked us to install this standalone system to ensure it can balance operational and personnel obligations, and the result has enhanced the safety mechanisms already in place at Doncaster, where trains move slowly and quietly. Therefore, any solutions than can improve safety in the working environment are always worth installing”

Zonegreen enjoys a longstanding relationship with Hitachi Rail, having installed its flagship depot personnel protection system (DPPS) in the maintenance shed, at Doncaster Carr, in 2016. The siding warnings will compliment existing personnel protection, increasing safety in all areas of the facility.

For more information about Zonegreen’s siding warning system, please follow the links on our profile.