Weld-A-Rail Track-Welding Services

Weld-A-Rail provides a professionally managed and comprehensive track-welding service to the rail industry, earning a reputation for quality by exceeding customer expectations.

Track-welding services and support

It holds an envied position as one of the UK’s leading providers of professional track-welding services, and its permanent workforce of 45 is focused, flexible and able to undertake projects of all sizes.

Records of all completed welds are kept to facilitate complete traceability. Failed welds are identified and analysed, and corrective and preventative action taken to eliminate similar failures.

Subsequent to the work being completed, customers can undertake an independent inspection of the welds and highlight any problems.

Weld-A-Rail provides service support for a period of up to one year, with a response time of eight to 24 hours with no geographical limits.

Alumino thermic and arc-welding services

All staff members associated with the provision of alumino thermic and arc-welding services possess the following qualifications:

• Personal track-safety certification
• TW3 and RT3 welding
• Power-plant proficiency in disc cutters, needleguns, angle grinders, tensors (stressing kits), rail profile grinders, generators and weld shears
• Manual handling
• Fire safety
• First aid at work
• Alignment aids

RT/CE/S/032 alumino thermic welding

The company operates a fleet of 21 fully equipped welding vehicles. Weld-A-Rail operatives undertake a visual inspection of all completed welds, in accordance with RT/CE/S/032 joining of rails by alumino thermic welding, to prevent:

• Gross porosity in the weld collar
• Porosity or surface cavities in the weld collar that penetrate in to the rail section
• Collar distortion
• Evidence of incorrect preheating conditions, e.g. smooth collar surface
• Incomplete collar formation
• Black holes
• Porosity or cracks on the contour of the head of weld

WQF3071 weld installation sheet

A WQF3071 weld installation sheet is maintained and completed for each track-welding project, giving details of:

• Customer
• Date of weld
• Route
• Location
• Mileage
• Line
• Rail
• Welding process
• Rail profile(s)
• Rail grade(s)
• Portion and batch number
• Ignition to tap time
• Weld type (standard, stepped, composite, etc.)
• Welder’s name
• Welder’s stamp number
• Welder report reference (in the case of a defective or suspect weld report)
• Company name

Copies of the weld installation sheet are forwarded to the customer within five working days of the weld being cast.

No track-welding sub-contraction

Weld-A-Rail never uses sub-contractors for the core business of the provision of track welding services to the rail industry.

Track-welding equipment maintenance

To ensure continuing process capability, scheduled programmes of servicing and maintenance of equipment are undertaken by Weld-A-Rail’s sister company Rail Plant.

Rail Plant operates cutting-edge equipment maintenance and servicing, repair and calibration technology. Digital systems have been developed for all associated activities, including gas equipment and straight-edge calibration. All servicing is controlled through a unique servicing database.

RT/LS/P/016-compliant contractor assurance case

Weld-A-Rail is in the process of implementing a contractor assurance case compliant with Network Rail company standard RT/LS/P/016. We are an approved supplier to:

• Network Rail
• Grant Rail
• Jarvis
• Balfour Beatty
• First Engineering
• Gart Renewals

GE/RT8047 accident and incident reporting

All accidents or incidents are reported and investigated in accordance with RIDDOR 95 and railway group standard GE/RT8047.

Emergency and contingency plans

Weld-A-Rail’s emergency and contingency plans ensure it can meet its scope of operations and form part of the risk assessment process.

ISO 9001:2000 quality-management system

Weld-A-Rail currently operates within the controls of a fully documented quality-management system compliant with BS EN ISO 9001:2000 and link-up protocol PP0001 (the audit protocol by which Network Rail measures suppliers working on their controlled infrastructure).

It also complies with link-up product protocols 570702 (track welding contractors – alumino thermic process) and 570705 (track welding contractors – arc welding).

Customer perception surveys

Weld-A-Rail performs customer perception surveys for identifying customers’ needs and expectations. Resulting trends are used for developing action plans aimed at continual improvement of customer service and relationships.

Customer complaints are handled by knowledgeable professionals, with provision for managers to review issues with customers when appropriate. Detailed records are kept, analysed and used for developing action plans.