RedR responds to Covid-19 in the UK p18 Nightingale role for engineers p38
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08535_002_WAV_QBP 2020_Press Ads_Ad F_NCE_265x210_AW.indd 1 24/02/2020 11:43 New Civil Engineer CHANGE HAS COME: NOW WE MUST ADAPT
PAUL SHEFFIELD ICE PRESIDENT
uring my presidential address, I quoted the Greek philosopher Heraclitus in saying that change is the only Productivity should be a word constant in life. I had no idea what radical change lay in that is embedded in everyone’s D store for us in 2020. The scale with which all our lives has changed in the DNA as we move into this new world past six months has been enormous and we have had to adapt with great speed. It remains uncertain what the next six months will bring or what the “new normal” will be as lockdowns around the world begin to lift. We do know, however, that things will be different and that some of the changes that have happened so rapidly will be with us for a long time. They are the Institution’s attempt to keep up with the pace of change So, how will we ensure that we hold on to the changes we are and“ keep hold of the positive gains we can all make. embracing right now that will allow us to be better than we were We’ve heard from the Get It Right Initiative, underlining the importance of previously? The ICE is working hard to produce policy that will help reducing error as much as possible, while ensuring that new technology inform this new world. and new ways of working help us to further reduce them. We are working with the Infrastructure Client Group (ICG) and Mark Enzer, the ICG’s digital transformation group chair, highlighted Construction Leadership Council to help the government understand the importance of focusing on people as the start and end points of what this future may look like. I’m convinced that we will travel less and our efforts in infrastructure, and that infrastructure systems must be work remotely more often – we have to make the most of the savings in sustained in order continue to support society. time and reduced congestion that will result. We are also continuing our institutional efforts to tackle the increasing Coronavirus has forced us to act fast, but we all know that there pressures of climate change and setting a clear path to help our industry were significant issues that needed to be addressed even prior to the achieve the net zero carbon target that we have been set. outbreak. We know that our industry was struggling with issues of On 1 July, the ICE will launch the State of the Nation report on this productivity and efficiency. very issue and it will be covered in depth in the August issue of NCE. It Technological developments were accelerating at a pace few could will look at what policy changes are required for the UK’s infrastructure have anticipated, but implementation of that technology was sporadic. sector to play its role in achieving net zero emissions by 2050. Covid-19 We were also trying our best to address the growing climate crisis. offers us a chance to rethink what we want our future to look like. Post-Covid-19, we can be sure that the availability of the funding It is an opportunity to build a net zero future in a way we did not needed for the delivery of infrastructure – whether economic or social necessarily have before – creating a sustainable future is everyone’s goal, – will be constrained and we therefore will have to really focus on and as civil engineers, we have a huge part to play. efficiency and effectiveness to reduce cost by finding better ways to do When I spoke to you all in November as I took office, I had no idea things. Productivity should be a word that is embedded in everyone’s that 2020 would be a year of such upheaval, but if we accept that change DNA as we move into this new world. is inevitable and we can adapt and develop along with it, we can be The ICE’s Strategy Sessions have been tackling these issues head on assured that the infrastructure we create for future generations will be fit and will continue to do so with more online webinars addressing major for purpose. issues affecting the profession, the industry and the global population. l Paul Sheffield is ICE President
JULY 2020 | NEW CIVIL ENGINEER 3 Contents NEW CIVIL ENGINEER JULY 2020 MAGAZINE OF THE INSTITUTION OF CIVIL ENGINEERS
08 News, Comment 25 Future & Analysis of Rail
08 The Edit: HS2 project ‘lacks transparency’ says MPs’ report
08 The Edit: Crossrail contractors start demobilising as project nears end
11 Inside Track: Heathrow Expansion ruling could hit other projects
14 Inside Track: Covid-19 to impact infrastructure designs in future
15 Inside Track: TfL slashes spending
16 Inside Track: River Severn fl ood defence barrage proposed
18 Big Interview: Jo DeSerrano, RedR
20 Your View: Governance; fi xed link to Northern Ireland; dam inspections
50 ICE Record As engineers seek new and better ways to deliver major railway projects, new technology is helping to reduce the need for maintenance and hyperloop aims to boost the speed of railway services
26 How can engineers improve the 34 Poland pioneers magnet driven delivery of major rail projects? railway as gateway to introducing hyperloop 30 Geotechnical innovation for 50 Council elections and bylaw vote; railway embankment Engineering Ambassador of the strengthening Year; online professional reviews
4 NEW CIVIL ENGINEER JULY 2020 For instant updates follow us: Twitter: @ncedigital LinkedIn: new civil engineer Facebook: ncedigital
Instagram Email: newcivilengineer.com/newsletters
37 Innovative Live! EDITORIAL TEAM Thinking EDITORIAL ENQUIRIES Email: [email protected]
Editor Claire Smith (020) 3953 2818 claire.smith
Features Editor Nadine Buddoo (020) 3953 2819 nadine.buddoo
News Editor Rob Horgan (020) 3953 2087 rob.horgan
LISTEN: THE ENGINEERS COLLECTIVE Features Reporter NCE has released two new podcast episodes this Catherine Kennedy 38 Military engineering expertise (020) 3953 2095 catherine.kennedy helped construct Birmingham’s month. Go to newcivilengineer.com/podcast to listen Nightingale hospital in record time to the latest episodes and The Engineers Collective News Reporter Joshua Stein back catalogue (020) 3953 2088 joshua.stein 42 Innovative engineering is delivering a polyhalite mine in the Chief Sub Editor Andy Bolton environmentally sensitive North (020) 3953 2823 | andy.bolton Yorkshire Designer 48 Innovation showcase James McCarthy [email protected]
Graphic Artist 46 Innovative Anthea Carter Thinker [email protected]
BOOK NOW CUSTOMER SERVICES New Civil Engineer’s Future of Roads conference (020) 3953 2152 [email protected] is back on 12 November 2020. Visit roads. newcivilengineer.com to see the speaker line up DISPLAY ADVERTISING Francis Barham (020) 953 2912 francis.barham COMING SOON
Future of Airports https://airports.newcivilengineer.com Future of Rail 46 Nick Tune of Atkins on how to https://rail.newcivilengineer.com ensure that digital twins are more than just another gimmick
JULY 2020 NEW CIVIL ENGINEER 5 Lighthouse ICE VIEWPOINT
Covid-19 and the future of our railways
recurring focus of As the nation emerges from Modern the Covid-19 news lockdown, in the weeks and months coverage has been on ahead, the challenge for policymakers working life A the unprecedented and the rail industry will be to deliver impact that the a service that meets the needs of has been organised pandemic has had on our railways. businesses and a society still living in So much so that rarely has a day the shadow of Covid-19. around working gone by during lockdown without Recent opinion polls conducted by some small mention of the alarming BY ART WE YouGov, on behalf of the ICE, examining Monday to Friday rate at which passenger numbers have MASTER attitudes towards future public life “from 9am to 5pm, fallen away. WHAT WOULD make for interesting reading in this The government’s official statistics MASTER US context. but could this become highlight that during April and May, They found that following the lifting railway use was down by roughly 95% of Covid-19 lockdown measures: a thing of the past? throughout. l 61% of UK adults support increasing This is simply unheard of, but the frequency of remote working perhaps unsurprising given the many l 46% of UK adults are likely to avoid ways in which the pandemic has turned using trains passengers from the packed train public life upside down. The poll also found that 48% of UK services that feed into the UK’s major adults think social distancing measures cities every day, it is still hard to should continue on all public transport imagine how those that are left could even after the pandemic is over. possibly socially distance from one In the weeks Now of course, these numbers are another. Not by 2m in any case. only a reflection of current public Spreading the peak is one option to and months sentiment and the likelihood that mitigate this so that commuters travel opinion will shift as the pandemic in and out of work at different times. ahead, the challenge begins to ease is probably quite high. Modern working life has been organised Equally, it is hard to envisage a future around working Monday to Friday from for policymakers and where there is no large demand for 9am to 5pm, but could this become a the rail industry will freight and passenger rail services. Both thing of the past? are critical for the economy. The ICE has examined what the “be to deliver a service Nevertheless, if the results captured future shape of infrastructure planning in these opinion polls turn out to be and delivery might need to look like that meets the needs even vaguely right in the short to after the Covid-19 pandemic, including medium-term, the implications for the railways, in a series of discussion of businesses and the UK’s railways will certainly be papers published throughout May. significant. This work will culminate in July with a society still living Let’s take the morning rush hour by the publication of a white paper. in the shadow of way of example. l If you would like to learn more While an increase in remote working about this work please contact Covid-19 could remove a large number of [email protected]
6 NEW CIVIL ENGINEER | JULY 2020 LIVE CPD Webinars
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WE KEEP YOUR WORLD RUNNING MORE NEWS CROSSRAIL MAIN CROSSRAIL More CONTRACTORS START The Edit coverage TO DEMOBILISE AS ESSENTIAL NEWS & INFORMATION online at PROJECT NEARS END FROM NEWCIVILENGINEER.COM newcivil Crossrail tier one contractors engineer.com are starting to leave site after completing their work, it has been revealed. In the latest written update to the London Assembly, Crossrail chief executive Mark Wild said that “many Crossrail tier one contractors have started to demobilise their site teams”. He said: “everyone working on the Crossrail project […] is doing everything they can to deliver the railway in summer 2021”. The update adds: “Good progress is being made across the programme to support our ambitions. Handover of the shafts and portals to Transport for London (TfL) is underway, with North Woolwich Portal the latest to be handed over to TfL. With much of the central section infrastructure now substantially complete, many Crossrail tier one contractors have started to demobilise their site teams.”
HS2 lacks transparency and STRUCTURES KEY STAT HAMMERSMITH ‘badly off course’ say MPs on RESIDENTS £46,000 QUESTION Public Accounts Committee Value of HS2 TEMPORARY BRIDGE Ltd chief Lawyers representing “concerned” HIGH SPEED 2 project governance issues. The report executive residents living either side of Lack of transparency and issues also suggests that Kelly could have Mark Hammersmith Bridge in west with skills and capacity have been breached the Civil Service Code and, London have urged communities identified as key High Speed 2 (HS2) in a statement, DfT said it “absolutely Thurston’s secretary Robert Jenrick to order failings in a report published by the rejects” this. According to the report, annual bonus further environmental studies of Commons Public Accounts Committee. evidence given for the spring 2020 the proposed temporary cycling It says the scheme is “badly off update shows that the DfT and HS2 and pedestrian crossing between course” and calls for more regular, Ltd were aware of cost and schedule Hammersmith and Barnes. Locals accurate and open updates. The High overruns as early as October 2018. have raised concerns about the Speed 2: Spring 2020 update report is The committee also criticised HS2 environmental impact of diverting based on evidence from Department Ltd’s annual report and accounts for vehicles away from Hammersmith for Transport (DfT) permanent the year ending 31 March 2019 for Bridge which is being repaired. It secretary Bernadette Kelly and HS2 failing to “give an accurate account normally takes 22,000 vehicles and Ltd executives. The cross party of the programme’s problems”. The 1,800 buses per day. Richard Buxton committee of MPs said the evidence committee said that DfT and HS2 Ltd Solicitors has submitted a formal raised questions about the earlier used commercial sensitivity as an request that Transport for London accounts of the project’s health, excuse for failing to disclose risks and be ordered to justify choosing a provided by the witnesses. HS2 Ltd uncertainties facing the project. temporary bridge which excludes has declined to comment on the Similarly the scheme’s budget was cars under the Environmental Impact report, but the DfT has rejected questioned as was the £46,000 bonus Assessment Regulations 2017. claims that lessons have not been paid to HS2 Ltd chief executive Mark Consultant Beckett Rankine had learned from the earlier delivery and Thurston, on top of his £605,350 salary. proposed a temporary road bridge.
8 NEW CIVIL ENGINEER | JULY 2020 ENERGY HINKLEY HITS TARGET
The 49,000t base for the second reactor at Hinkley Point C nuclear power station has been completed on schedule, meeting a target date set over four years ago. The final continuous 8,991m3 concrete pour set a new UK record, beating that set at Hinkley’s Unit 1 reactor in June 2019 by 37m3. The power station will produce reliable low carbon electricity when operational. Hinkley Point C managing director Stuart Crooks thanked workers for their “extraordinary efforts”.
RAIL RAIL AIRPORTS NORTHERN EAST CROYDON KEY STAT COVID-19 HALTS POWERHOUSE RAIL STATION TO MOVE £500M BIRMINGHAM PLANS TO SPEED UP 100M TO REMOVE £500M AIRPORT EXPANSION CONSTRUCTION BOTTLENECK Value of PROGRAMME Transport for the North (TfN) is East Croydon station in south London shelved The £500M expansion of Birmingham working up a “phasing strategy” for will be moved 100m north as part of a Birmingham Airport has been shelved. Birmingham the Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR) wider scheme to remove the UK’s Airport said it stopped the project due project, board meeting agenda papers “most challenging” bottleneck on the Airport to growing fears that the Covid-19 reveal. By splitting construction into a Brighton Main Line, consultation expansion pandemic will hit the air travel sector number of “defined projects”, TfN documents reveal. The plans were for years to come. Mace, Atkins and bosses believe the £39bn scheme can revealed as part of the second round Careys are all working on the project be accelerated. Four phasing of public consultation on the East and the £30M terminal extension scenarios will be developed including Croydon to Selhurst Junction capacity started on site earlier this year. A a preferred option for the delivery of enhancement scheme. Network Rail Birmingham Airport spokesperson said: the line connecting Manchester, had previously planned to expand “Due to the impact of Covid-19, all Leeds, Liverpool, Hull, Sheffield and East Croydon station to include two non-essential work has currently been Newcastle. TfN’s board will vote on new platforms at its current site. But delayed or deferred, including the the options in November this year designs have now been changed due terminal extension. We will review our before the strategic outline case is to location constraints. The documents capital investment plan once we have submitted to the Department for state: “Our design development has a clearer picture of what the recovery Transport in March. “The approach of identified that it is not possible to just looks like for our industry. Our focus splitting delivery into a number of add two additional platforms into the at this time is to maintain a safe and defined projects provides options for tight railway corridor, which is secure airport.” Mace said: “We are NPR to accelerate delivery where constrained by high-rise buildings on disappointed that Birmingham Airport possible, taking account of different both sides. Instead it is proposed that has been forced to make the difficult levels of consents which may be the redeveloped station will move decision to delay the expansion of its required for different elements of north by approximately 100m and be terminal, but it is clear it faced no individual corridors,” the papers say. fully reconstructed.” choice given the current circumstances.”
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PRODUCTS FOR THE PROTECTION OF BUILDINGS FROM THE EFFECTS OF EXPANSIVE SOIL Inside Track THE BIGGEST ISSUES OF THE MONTH EXPLORED
same legal team that won the Heathrow Projects like the Stonehenge case in the Court of Appeal; solicitors Tunnel could be under threat as Leigh Day and barristers David Wolfe and a result of the Heathrow ruling Peter Lockley. The RIS2 claim states: “Given that obligation [from the Heathrow ruling] , the logic of the Court of Appeal’s decision relating to Heathrow applies here: the objectives of the Paris Agreement were obviously relevant to a plan or programme that committed £14bn to enhancing road capacity, and thus, on the face of it, enabling a significant increase in [carbon] emissions. “Alternatively, the Paris Agreement objectives were part of government policy on climate change, and given the scale and urgency of the climate change challenge, it was obviously material to consider the interplay between RIS2 and those areas of government policy that were aimed at tackling climate change. “If RIS2 was found to be incompatible with or a hindrance to the achievement of those policies, then there was an obligation to give reasons why RIS2 was nonetheless published.” ROADS It adds: “However, RIS2 makes no mention at all of the Paris Agreement. Heathrow expansion ruling sparks roads challenge Moreover, it sets out policies that are fundamentally at odds with the objectives of the Paris Agreement. [...] In relation to Fears that decision on Heathrow could scupper more infrastructure plans carbon budgets, the effect of RIS2 is to allow emissions to increase in the near to medium term, on the assumption that BY ROB HORGAN this will become immaterial (but only later) when the UK fleet transitions to n official legal challenge has been between 2020 and 2025. They include electric vehicles. Such a strategy takes no lodged against the government’s the Lower Thames Crossing and the account of important aspects of the UK’s £27.4bn road investment plan, controversial Stonehenge Tunnel. commitments under the Paris Agreement.” withA the Court of Appeal’s decision to In particular, the High Court claim The DfT now has 21 days from 4 June to block Heathrow expansion held up as a states that there was a failure to take submit its official response. As revealed by precedent. into account the UK’s net zero carbon NCE in May, the DfT refused to back down Lawyers for the Transport Action emissions target as well as the Paris after the Transport Action Network raised Network have begun proceedings against Climate Agreement. its concerns outside court. the Department for Transport (DfT), naming It adds that the government “failed In a letter sent to the Transport Action Highways England as a party of interest. to carry out strategic environmental Network, the DfT said that RIS2 plans were In a claim submitted to the High Court, assessment of RIS2”. “consistent with our ambitions to improve they say that the government’s approval The claim also uses the Friends of air quality and decarbonise transport”. of the £27.4bn Road Investment Strategy the Earth Ltd v Secretary of State for Transport Action Network director 2 (RIS2) is unlawful on environmental Transport [2020] ruling as a precedent Chris Todd said: “Air pollution has breached grounds. They claim that transport for blocking RIS2. In that case, the Court legal limits for over a decade while secretary Grant Shapps “unlawfully of Appeal overturned the government’s greenhouse gas emissions from transport failed to take account of the impact Airports National Policy Statement have barely changed since 1990. With 2020 of RIS2 on achieving specific climate (ANPS), ruling that it had failed to set to be the hottest year on record, we change objectives”, when he gave the consider the Paris Climate Agreement. cannot put off urgent action any longer. plan the go-ahead. This effectively halted Heathrow’s “Even when all the evidence points to RIS2, approved in March, includes expansion plans. In fact, the Transport a need to change direction, the DfT has £14.7bn worth of road route upgrades Action Network is represented by the been unable to kick its addiction to road-
JULY 2020 | NEW CIVIL ENGINEER 11 Inside Track Xxxxx xxxx xxxxx
building. Only a resounding defeat in the RAIL courts can shake it out of its stupor.” The legal challenge has triggered fears HS2 tunnel ruled safe within the construction industry that more infrastructure projects could face Heathrow-style legal challenges, ultimately Resident’s claim design is deterring investment in the sector. Former deputy chair of Transport dangerous dismissed by judge for London and former Crossrail non- executive director Daniel Moylan warned BY CATHERINE KENNEDY that the Court of Appeal’s decision to AND ROB HORGAN block Heathrow expansion has “severely damaged the prospects of future private High Court judge has dismissed a sector investment in infrastructure”. north London resident’s application He told NCE that the ruling illustrates for a judicial review of High Speed that the current planning system is unfit for 2’sA (HS2’s) Euston approach tunnel design, purpose. His criticism comes even though known as the Three Tunnels design. he has actively and openly campaigned Mr Justice Jay ruled that the scheme against a third runway at Heathrow. could be constructed safely and that the “I have campaigned against Heathrow “Three Tunnels design would not impose expansion since 2003. But it is possible a ‘disproportionate or excessive burden’ to welcome the effect of the judgment on the claimant” and therefore concluded while recognising its wide and damaging that the application must be dismissed. implications for our country’s future,” Camden resident Hero Granger-Taylor Moylan said. brought the application to court, citing “[The court’s ruling] severely damaged concerns about the stability of a retaining the prospects of future private sector wall above the planned tunnels. investment in infrastructure; rendered the However, in his ruling Mr Justice Jay Planning Act 2008 a highly risky, possibly said that the scheme has “a number of unusable, route to obtaining development clear environmental and operational phase. In its official defence, HS2 Ltd consent; and most importantly, illustrated advantages” and added that it was tunnel discipline lead Eddie Woods why our current system of judicial review “impossible to accept that [HS2 Ltd] is so identified additional ways to reinforce the is unfit for purpose and needs to be put on reckless and so willful that it is dogmatically tunnel lining, with a steel lattice and rods, a statutory basis so that the judicial lucky persevering with a concept that it does not and by reinforcing the tunnel crown. dip faced by promoters is brought within believe can be delivered safely”. Mr Justice Jay’s ruling concluded rational bounds. Granger-Taylor raised the complaint that Granger-Taylor’s lawyers had failed “And they [the courts] did all this after a report by civil engineer Colin to convince him that the project was while po-facedly boasting that the real- Elliff concluded that the Three Tunnels “unattainable”. world consequences of their decision design could cause the 10m high wall in “The claimant has failed to persuade were beneath their consideration. This her neighbourhood at Park Village East me on the basis of Elliff’s reports that is the dire state to which public policy to collapse into the new tunnels below or the Three Tunnels design is unattainable. making has fallen in the UK, all because onto the existing West Coast main line. […] I cannot conclude on all the evidence of a system of law that has sprung up The report claims that the retaining wall is that the Three Tunnels design is so from almost nowhere in the last half- unstable and will put downward pressure inherently flawed in the vicinity of the century and which has flourished beyond on the tunnel, 1.5m below. Key among the retaining wall that no engineering solution statutory control.” report’s concerns is the potential for the could be found to construct it safely,” the Moylan said that Heathrow Airport Ltd tunnel excavation to destabilise ground ruling states. and other investors will be reluctant to below the wall. According to Elliff’s “Despite the evident engineering spend more time and money lobbying the analysis, the 1.5m distance between the challenges, the Three Tunnels design government for its backing. wall’s foundations and tunnel does not has a number of clear environmental and “It took three years to designate the leave adequate “compact soil” to support operational advantages. […] It would ANPS and nearly two more for it to fall the wall. minimise physical interaction with the over in the Court of Appeal. Precisely During the two-day High Court hearing, conventional rail network and thereby nothing has been achieved in those five Granger-Taylor’s counsel Christopher reduce disruption to existing rail services, years,” Moylan said. “Why would you, or Jacobs described the proposal as it would obviate the need to remove any other private business, be willing to “fundamentally unsafe” with “no railway bridges etc., and it would reduce go through that again, even if your project engineering solution” to safety concerns construction impacts on local residents.” has been recognised as one of national that have been raised. It adds: “In my judgement, […] the significance by the government?” HS2 Ltd has always argued that the Three Tunnels design would not impose l Read the full interview with tunnels can be constructed safely, adding a ‘disproportionate or excessive burden’ Daniel Moylan at that specific engineering solutions will on the Claimant; and […] it strikes a fair www.bit.ly/MoylanHeathrow be drawn up during the detailed design balance between her private interests and
12 NEW CIVIL ENGINEER | JULY 2020 MORE NEWS NEWCIVILENGINEER.COM
DAMS system in the US had made “thousands” The Three Tunnels is of inadequate dams across the country on the approach to Michigan dams collapse “accidents waiting to happen”. Euston station Having recently submitted evidence to the investigation of UK dam safety Similar failures ‘unlikely’ in the following the partial collapse of the UK says British engineer Toddbrook Reservoir dam last year, Mason said that an incident like the one in Michigan “would never be allowed to BY ROB HORGAN happen” in the UK. “In the UK all our dams are regulated he failures of two dams in Michigan, by the 1975 Reservoirs Act and they are United States, have been labelled as inspected on a regular basis with stringent an “accident waiting to happen” by a safety requirement carried out by Tleading British dam safety engineer. inspecting engineers. That is the case for About 10,000 residents were evacuated all the UK’s dams regardless of who they from nearby towns after water breached are owned by. It is a very tightly controlled one dam and overtopped a second system, with very minor margin for error,” after several days of heavy rain. The Mason told NCE. Edenville Dam collapsed in May, causing “The issue in the US is that dam owners the downstream Sanford Dam on the and individual states all have different Tittabawassee River to overtop, leading to ways of regulating their dams. The ones in major flooding. Michigan which have failed were regulated Collapse of the Edenville Dam came by FERC. despite years of warnings about its “And while FERC removed the licence “inadequate” condition. In fact, the from the dam owner to operate, that Federal Energy Regulatory Commission didn’t solve the issue of the dam’s safety. (FERC), which oversees hydroelectric So while the owner was punished, the dam dams in the US, revoked the Edenville Dam itself was still sitting there like an accident the wider public interest in implementing owner’s operating licence in 2018 because waiting to happen.” an important infrastructure project in of a “longstanding failure to increase the He added: “In the UK this would not line with primary legislation.” project’s spillway capacity to safely pass have been able to happen, as gladly there An HS2 Ltd spokesperson said: “As flood flows,” among other issues. are systems in place to ensure work we build Britain’s new low carbon, high The Edenville dam’s owner Boyce Hydro is carried out quickly if there is a fault speed railway, safety is always our top Power – which also owns the Sanford Dam noted. In the UK if a dam is inspected priority. At Euston, we are currently – had repeatedly been told to upgrade it and is found to have inadequate spillway working through a rigorous design and after a 2004 report concluded that it would capacity then the owner is legally required independent checking process, including not survive a “probable maximum flood to carry out work within a certain time geological and structural testing, before event”. To comply, the dam needed either frame or they face legal proceedings. we begin construction of the Euston a bigger spillway or better protection “The Environment Agency then has the approach tunnels. We are confident that against damage from overtopping, the power to step in if there isn’t an owner or our work, in whatever form it ultimately inspection report said. if a dam owner fails to carry out repairs.” takes, will be delivered safely. The Edenville Dam, built in 1924, The UK’s dam maintenance regime “We are pleased that this matter comprised a set of earth embankments is currently being updated to become has now concluded and we can move about 2km long and up to 17m high, even more stringent so that it includes forward with the further detailed design across two rivers, the Tittabawassee recommendations made following for this section of the railway.” and the Tobacco. The reservoir behind the partial collapse of the Toddbrook Granger-Taylor’s lawyers said they the dam known as Wixom Lake has a Reservoir dam in August 2019. would seeking to appeal the decision. maximum capacity of 81M.m3. Such scenes had not been seen in the Granger-Taylor said: “I remain The American Society of Civil Engineers UK for more than a decade. The incident convinced that the flaws in HS2 Ltd’s said in a 2018 report that two thirds of was the first major threat to a dam’s Three Tunnels design are so great it Michigan’s 2,600 dams were older than stability in the UK since the Ulley dam can never be made safe. Having lived their typical design lives of 50 years. suffered severe scour amid the floods of in my house all my life (66 years), I am The report concludes that many 2007. The last time a dam failure in the UK fully aware of its structural frailty, as were abandoned, poorly maintained or resulted in fatalities was in 1925, when two well as that of the 120-year-old railway “inadequate to resist severe floods”. dams collapsed, killing 16 people in the retaining wall only 17m away. I continue In total 140 “high hazard” dams were north Wales village of Dolgarrog. to be dismayed that HS2 Ltd and their identified, with the potential to cause The final report into the Toddbrook contractors can show so little regard for significant loss of life if they failed. Reservoir dam collapse concludes that the stability of mine and my neighbours’ Damsolve director Peter Mason – one poor design, maintenance failings and houses, and of the retaining wall, that of 31 All Reservoirs Panel engineers in inspection oversights all contributed to its our lives may be at risk.” the UK – said that the dam regulatory partial collapse.
JULY 2020 | NEW CIVIL ENGINEER 13 Inside Track Xxxxx xxxx xxxxx
INFRASTRUCTURE The need to maintain social Post-Covid designs distancing creates challenges for pedestrian flow and capacity ‘New normal’ poses questions for engineers in all disciplines
BY ROB HORGAN AND CLAIRE SMITH
he appropriateness of investments in major infrastructure projects such as High Speed 2 (HS2), Highways TEngland’s £27.4bn RIS2 investment plan, and Heathrow expansion has been thrown into question, a recently published ICE Insights Report concludes. The ICE has published The use of infrastructure systems – Insights into the new normal with a Green Paper consultation document exploring the public’s desire for major infrastructure projects in a post-Covid world. The consultation aims to understand spending time in large towns and cities. safer and more reliable, while reducing changes to society caused by the In addition, there is demand for transport the environmental impacts for local pandemic. These include implications provision that continues social distancing communities.” for infrastructure priorities and how the measures and is designed specifically to An HS2 Ltd spokesperson added: “It is infrastructure sector will meet the nation’s prevent the spread of disease.” still too early to be able to fully judge the priorities differently in the future. It will ICE policy director Chris Richards added: impact of Covid-19 on how we live and work, be feed into the Construction Leadership “It’s important we listen to the public and but the recent relaxation of rules on using Council’s industry recovery plan which adapt our infrastructure systems to support public transport saw a huge spike in demand aims to reinvent infrastructure delivery in society’s efforts to achieve post-Covid for train travel, which shows the continuing the UK following Covid-19. outcomes. This initial evidence from the attraction of rail as a method of transport.” The Insights Report states that changes public warrants a rapid review of transport Despite HS2 Ltd’s certainty about the to work and travel habits put “question programmes to see what, if anything, may future of rail travel, the organisation has marks […] over the appropriateness of need re-prioritising to meet the needs of been looking at what alterations may investments” in several major schemes. the post-lockdown, pre-vaccine phase of have to be made to its designs for a post- “The implications for transport could recovery. Covid-19 world. HS2 Ltd chief executive be most severe if there is a significant “Infrastructure professionals have an Mark Thurston told a Railway Industry reduction in journeys across all major opportunity to outline how we can alter Association webinar in May, that a dedicated modes when the lockdown measures are our infrastructure delivery, which is team has been set up to assess the need to lifted. More decentralised working and why we urge our membership, industry adjust station and train designs. living is also likely to affect the supply of professionals and other stakeholders to “We’ve clearly got designs thus far that key utilities like electricity and water,” make their voices heard in our consultation are based on pre-coronavirus norms. How says the report. process over the coming weeks.” we adjust those over time, in fact if we “Question marks therefore exist over But project promoters and transport need to adjust them, only time will tell. the appropriateness of investments bodies remain adamant that major projects The likelihood is that the world will never detailed in the National Infrastructure and will still be needed. be the same again and we have to figure out Construction Pipeline to meet the short-, A Department for Transport what we want to leave behind,” he said. medium- and longer-term challenges posed spokesperson said: “The government’s “We need to look at what people’s by Covid-19.” top priority is rightly to slow the spread habits and preferences to travel will be in It adds: “Major infrastructure projects of coronavirus and protect our NHS; the future – from a design point of view we and programmes coming down the however we must also look to the future as need to look at what that means in terms of pipeline include: the High Speed 2 (HS2) we continue to improve and level up our density of people as well, both on trains and rail project, the second road investment transport network. High Speed 2 will be the in stations. I think that is a real challenge strategy (RIS2) and expansion at Heathrow, spine of the country’s transport network, for us and we will not know the absolute to list just a few. […] Yet public attitudes boosting capacity and connectivity while answer until we observe people’s travel describe a future picture of working and rebalancing opportunity fairly across habits for the next six, 12 or 18 months, and engaging in social activities more remotely, our towns and cities. Our approach to then we adjust our designs to those habits.” with reduced appetite for travel and road investment will help make journeys HS2 Ltd has in fact been exploring ways
14 NEW CIVIL ENGINEER | JULY 2020 MORE NEWS NEWCIVILENGINEER.COM
of creating a more “hygienic” railway TRANSPORT cost savings, or where pausing will cost for years. Documents seen by NCE show more than it saves that HS2 Ltd’s Independent Design Panel TfL slashes spending l Projects that support social distancing. first urged it to “innovate” to “prevent The Healthy Streets funding has been germs from circulating” in January 2017. refocused on measures to support social Recommendations submitted to HS2 Ltd Cuts follow government bailout distancing l included upgrading air conditioning on as Covid-19 hits revenues Projects that support the economy trains and investigating “hygienic nano- l Third party funded projects, including coatings on surfaces”. the majority of air quality programmes Creating space for pedestrians to allow BY ROB HORGAN Under terms released as part of the for social distancing will also be vital as emergency budget, £55M will be allocated shops and offices start to reopen. There ransport for London (TfL) is to to “promote cycling and walking, including will also be new engineering challenges to cut £525M from its 2020/21 capital new segregated cycle lanes, closures of adapt existing public spaces, and design spending programme under roads to through traffic, and pavement new, ones. Temergency budget proposals. extensions”. “As the country continues to respond Annual spending on new capital The funding package agreed with the to Covid-19 it’s vital that there is space investments will be reduced from £1.3bn government is made up of a £505M loan available to socially distance as more to £808M. Spending on its renewals from the Public Works Loan Board and people return to work and footfall increases programme has also been slashed by £1.095bn in the form of an “extraordinary in public places,” said Atkins UK and £201M, from £531M to £331M. support grant”. The terms of the agreement Europe chief executive Richard Robinson. But the transport body is restarting state that the amount could be increased to Atkins has established a task force to work on major infrastructure projects, £1.9bn in total depending on whether TfL’s focus on public spaces. It will help identify including the £655M upgrade at Bank finances recover. issues, interventions and processes to station and the £1.1bn Northern Line Transport secretary Grant Shapps said enable safe social distancing within areas Extension which had halted during there would be an immediate government- which are likely to have high footfall. lockdown. led review of TfL’s finances and structure The task force will bring together urban TfL applied a “safe stop” to its major as a result of the bailout. London mayor designers, transport planners, landscape project activities at over 300 construction Sadiq Khan had warned that without the architects and highways engineers. It will projects in March. funding package, Tube and bus services advise on the funding options available The lockdown had a major impact on would have had to be cut as TfL ran out to make changes which could include TfL revenue, but it said work will restart of cash. footway widening, pop-up cycle lanes, on ongoing projects after agreeing a £1.6bn Shapps said: “To help avoid such social distancing signage, increased funding package with the government. drastic action in the future there will be an cleaning regimes and the implementation Major projects set for a “phased restart” immediate and broad ranging government- of vehicle speed restrictions. last month include the 4LM project to led review of TfL’s future financial position At the same time Bentley Systems has upgrade the Circle, District, Hammersmith and structure. announced that it will make its Legion & City and Metropolitan lines, the “The decision to offer support was not Simulator and OpenBuildings Station Northern Line Extension, the Bank Station taken lightly, but reflects the exceptional Designer free for use until the end of upgrade and the Silvertown & Barking circumstances the country finds itself in. September to help firms understand the Riverside project. “I consider it vital to keep services implications of social distancing. Atkins Enhancement projects at stations in London running to the maximum already uses the Bentley software for including Knightsbridge, Paddington and levels possible to allow safe transport of modelling pedestrian flows and Atkins Tottenham Hale will also go ahead under passengers.” technical director Cameron MacDonald the emergency budget proposal, as will says that the firm is already using it to the programme to deliver a temporary simulate social distancing challenges for Hammersmith Bridge while repairs are metro clients in Hong Kong, Singapore, carried out to the existing structure. Dubai, and Saudi Arabia. Funding allocated for Crossrail remains the Bentley Systems vice president for same. design integration Ken Adamson added: Under the emergency budget TfL says it “We are going through extraordinary will continue: times and change will be a constant l Substantially complete and contractually reality in the months and years ahead. committed projects – ensuring projects Bentley’s OpenBuildings Station Designer that are on-site but subject to the “safe- and Legion Simulator enable planners, stop” where TfL’s contractual obligations architects, engineers, and operators outweigh the benefit of pausing apply digital twin approaches to help l Safety and operationally critical solve today’s design and operation renewals, including most surface asset challenges more quickly, efficiently, and renewals which are critical following a two safely across rail and metro stations, year pause on proactive renewals airports, and other public buildings and l Financially positive projects: either amenities.” through revenue generation or operating Lockdown has hit Tube revenues
JULY 2020 | NEW CIVIL ENGINEER 15 Inside Track
per minute – which Hopkins said would be slow enough for fish to pass unhindered. 20mm plate 15mm plate Drum used for buoyancy “The sections could be taken out and during float-out floated to land for maintenance,” he explained. “The design uses 30% less steel than conventional water wheels and no concrete, which make it an environmentally sound solution.” Hopkins estimates that the project would cost £100M to £200M to build and using the wheels to generate electricity when pumping out floodwater would produce enough revenue to enable it to pay for itself in three to five years. He estimates that the 30m project could be built within a year. “We believe that the barrage would need to pump out flood water for 36 days a year,” said Hopkins. “Currently, flooding issues affect towns upstream for up to six months because the water simply can’t get away.” Hopkins said that details of the concept 50m have been sent to the Environment Agency, local authorities and MPs in affected areas and is hopeful that they will help drive the project forward. He described the solution as a “no brainer” and said the reception to the innovation had been positive so far. “The beauty of this design over a conventional barrage is that it can pump FLOODING out, as well as hold back water,” he said. “I think this is a game changer.” Water wheel barrage concept could address Hopkins said, a similar system could be used in other tidal rivers such as the River River Severn flood defence challenge Parratt to protect the town of Bridgwater and the Somerset levels, and could also be 800m long barrage to tackle flooding proposed scaled up to provide a replacement for the Thames Barrier. The idea came about following heavy BY CLAIRE SMITH rainfall in February this year, after Storm Dennis left swathes of the country under water. Record river levels in the Colne, onstruction of a water wheel barrage can be used to generate electricity and Ribble, Calder, Aire, Trent, Severn, Wye, to manage tidal flow and flood water pump flood water away,” said Hopkins. Lugg, and Derwent were set that month, on the River Severn has been put “On the River Severn the tide pushes water with many bursting their banks. Cforward to resolve ongoing flooding issues upstream which does not have time to Speaking to NCE in Tewkesbury at the in towns like Tewkesbury, Upton on Severn return before the next incoming tide. This height of the floods, Environment Agency and Bewdley. is repeated with rising tide cycles and flood risk manager Anthony Perry said The proposal involves building an prevents floodwater from dissipating. questions had emerged about emergency 800m long barrage across the Severn at “There is a 38km long channel in the flood defences currently in place in the Sharpness – the ideal location, according river between Gloucester and Sharpness, area. “When we built the demountable to the project’s inventors. It is hoped this so what if that area, which covers 26km2 defences in 2003 and 2004 [...] we were will prevent tidal flow upstream and allow was empty of water ahead of a flood event? looking at rainfall events which occurred flood water time to dissipate. The concept Our analysis shows that that capacity locally and what the rate of rise [of the is the brainchild of former Atkins head would allow flood flows to dissipate three Severn] would be,” he said. of technology for floating structures Rod times faster and would break the cycle of “At the time, looking at those rainfall Rainey and Severn River flood expert Simon economic damage from flooding upstream.” events it was thought that we would Hopkins. They say using the barrage to The steel water wheels would be 30m in always have plenty of time to erect them generate electricity could make it self- diameter and built in 50m wide sections [defences] but […] we will have to review funding. on land. They would be floated out into those models and assumptions and “The End to Higher Flooding scheme is position and rock anchored into place. The deployment plans and see how we need to a modern version of a water wheel which wheels would rotate slowly – one revolution rethink them.”
16 NEW CIVIL ENGINEER | JULY 2020
Jo de Serrano CHIEF EXECUTIVE REDR BY NADINE BUDDOO Engineering a local disaster response
o far, Jo de Serrano’s of humanitarian organisations and first year as chief ensure there are less gaps and executive of RedR overlaps in the response to a crisis. S (Registered Engineers “We’ll know what is needed and for Disaster Relief) how to build that local capacity, has been shaped by the global which could include training impact of Covid-19. through RedR or guidance and RedR is traditionally tasked support from other organisations,”
The Interview The with responding to humanitarian de Serrano explains. crises overseas, but it is now Despite decades of experience also supporting UK communities supporting communities overseas, affected by the pandemic. the coronavirus pandemic has This geographical shift is presented fresh challenges for characteristic of the way the the organisation as it provides a organisation’s approach to major humanitarian response in the UK for disasters has evolved since it was humanitarian responses are more the first time. founded in 1980. predictable in the future. “We’re known as an international “Back then, it was about RedR sits within a “global charity, so it’s been quite seconding or sending people cluster” – a group of humanitarian interesting trying to operate in overseas to directly input into organisations in one of the main the UK environment because we humanitarian response, including sectors of humanitarian action, don’t know what that architecture providing water sanitation skills and for example water. These form is. So initially, the challenge was working on shelter, for example,” a recognised humanitarian working out how we could reach says de Serrano. “Now we do fewer architecture to aid the coordination communities as much as we do deployments, which recognises that overseas,” explains de Serrano. it’s less appropriate to always deploy “Crucially, our work is about the white Westerner overseas.” protecting vulnerable and weak Currently, most of RedR’s work healthcare systems overseas. We is focused on building up local We realised very realised very quickly that a lot of capacity within communities. De quickly that a the work that we would normally do Serrano describes this shift as in an international context could be more sustainable over time and lot of the work that used here in the UK,” she adds. more contextually and culturally The team has been working appropriate. we would normally closely with organisations like As part of this objective, the the Muslim Charities Foundation organisation is working on a five- do in an international and the Uprising charity to year roadmap to build capacity “context could be used provide support for underserved in water, sanitation and hygiene communities in the UK. Much of (Wash). The goal is to ensure that here in the UK the community engagement that
18 NEW CIVIL ENGINEER | JULY 2020 RedR offers practical training courses on areas such as developing groundwater
RedR has traditionally undertaken Unless you concept of what it’s like to work overseas is now relevant in the UK, in humanitarian response or even particularly for groups where the KEY FACTS know what an understanding of ‘do no harm’ official messaging and language is not principles. readily accessible. 1980 you’re doing, you could “For individual engineers, it’s about “Our UK response is similar to knowing before you take the leap that what we do overseas, but for the RedR harm communities you have the appropriate skills and UK context. All the work we do with founded experience,” explains de Serrano. clients is contextualised to their rather than help them “It’s not enough to just want to be particular situation. So, for example, if “ part of the response effort. It’s about we’re working with Unicef we’ll tailor 2020 being appropriate and being the right our training to the organisation’s RedR’s first utilise those skills in low resource person at the right time.” needs,” says de Serrano. environments is also vital. Engineering organisations also have “We’ve applied this same response to Refugee camp coordination and a crucial role to play. With the world’s thinking to our response in the UK UK-based management on the ground is population increasingly living in and contextualising our working, still required within humanitarian urban environments, civil engineering whether that’s with the youth, challenges response – where appropriate – but skills are integral to increasing capacity diaspora communities or refugee the organisation is also concerned in disaster prevention, response and communities.” with what de Serrano calls a “different recovery in these communities. As well as responding to the kind of engineering”. RedR’s Ready to Respond challenges the UK is facing in light “It’s not about thousands of pounds programme, for example, is of the pandemic, RedR is looking worth of equipment and resources, focused on helping individuals and at establishing a knowledge library it’s often taking it back to basics with organisations to be better equipped of infrastructure to help facilitate a piece of duct tape and some blue to respond in urban environments. maintenance and the remote tac,” she quips. “RedR engineers need Engineering firms with offices assessment of infrastructure. to have that kind of mindset.” overseas are well placed to support “We’re also looking at knowledge De Serrano stresses that the the growth of local capacity and management and creating a organisation is not opposed to help the transition away from community practice where people deploying engineers but insists it internationals being deployed in the can ask engineers and humanitarian is vital to ensure deployments are event of a humanitarian crisis. specialists questions relevant to their within the right context. Emphasising But de Serrano urges engineering context, such as key infrastructure this point, she references the 1984 organisations to operate in a issues,” adds de Serrano. famine that gave birth to Band Aid responsible way that aligns with With the transition away from and Live Aid. the humanitarian system and its deploying people overseas, for RedR “When you listen to the words of overarching principles. “It’s a really engineers the focus is increasingly ‘Do they know it’s Christmas?’, quite complex environment out there, and on the “art of the possible”, says de frankly it’s embarrassing,” she says. unless you know what you’re doing, Serrano. While traditional engineering “Back then, you had people going you could harm communities rather skills are important, the ability to out to Ethiopia who had very little than help them,” she warns. N
JULY 2020 | NEW CIVIL ENGINEER 19 of Liverpool, and the subsequent impounding of a vessel, shows the precarious situation of the ferry companies. A fixed link such as a tunnel – feasible in terms of air quality in the era of electric road transport Your View – should be considered for strategic connectivity and access reasons. It LETTERS TO THE EDITOR is essential that Northern Ireland’s AND COMMENTS ONLINE connectivity with the rest of the
FLOODING as to prevent/reduce upstream flooding, is a good economic choice, FRESH THINKING especially as it could generate ABOUT FLOODS @ hundreds of carbon-free megawatt hours of electricity per day. The suggestion that a barrage on Ross Carruthers (F), the Severn Estuary should be valued [email protected]. for its flood protection role, and not merely for its ability to generate TRANSPORT electricity, is a breath of fresh air (see Inside Track, and online). I IRISH FIXED LINK IS would, however, recommend the KEY TO CONNECTIVITY spending of at least 1% of the anticipated overall £2M cost on I have watched and read with evaluating alternatives, for example interest the media coverage and Does Northern Ireland need fixed link? type of barrage, precise location, political reaction to the prime type of water wheel, provision for minister’s proposal for a fixed link UK is ensured and free from market fish passage, etcetera. between Great Britain and Northern economics such as the collapse of With reference to the type of Ireland. This is fraught with a airlines and ferry companies. water wheel to be used, there is the number of issues. For the moment There is only one real reason possibility to generate hundreds of let us put to the side the geological/ why the UK should not consider megawatt hours per day in excess physical issues facing such a building a fixed link to join one of that required for any necessary project. While these are technical of the major constituents of this pumping. I am making specific challenges, they are not the most country to the other three. If the reference to the water wheel difficult. people of Northern Ireland vote to because the drawing of the wheel When one looks at infrastructure leave the UK and join the Republic shown in the article is clearly not successes such as Hong Kong of Ireland then there is no reason for aimed at maximising fish friendliness International Airport, the Channel the UK to consider such a proposal or electricity production. Tunnel and High Speed 1 and the unilaterally. The Irish Government It should be noted that “fish Denmark-Sweden fixed link, one can has said it will not consider funding friendliness” of water wheels of see the attractions of the proposal the construction of a fixed link. With this type is not solely dependent with increased connectivity. With political parties raising the debate on the speed of the wheel, or so much of the wealth generation over reunification post-Brexit, even the number of blades. It is and economic activity focused and opinion polls suggesting that more dependent on the amount in the south east of England, reunification is not a question of if of turbulence in the water. Water implementing projects to boost the but when, then that should be the should be “smooth”, that is within economies of Northern Ireland and main reason why Whitehall keeps its the transition zone from laminar Scotland should not be dismissed money in its pocket. to turbulent. The picture of the out of hand. The rejection by the Philip Griffiths (F), wheel in the article includes what infrastructure ministers in Northern [email protected] looks like corrugations to stiffen the Ireland and Scotland does smack thin steel paddles where they span of sour grapes, a sad fact of today’s DAMS between the supports. To prevent The Editor, politics where you reject, with INDEPENDENCE excessive flexing, these corrugations New Civil disdain, any idea put forward by will be between 500mm and 400mm your opponents. Engineer, CRITICAL TO DAM deep. Obstructions of this size will However, matters which have Telephone INSPECTIONS significantly increase turbulence arisen in the last couple of months, and thereby reduce electricity House, make such a project more critical. Having had some time to ponder generation, while making the wheels 69-77 Paul The collapse of Flybe demonstrates Basil Tinkler’s letter about less than fish friendly on their Street, London, how vulnerable Northern Ireland’s Toddbrook (NCE, last month) we downstream journey. EC2A 4NQ transports links are with Great think that we should point out This said, a barrage that can Email: nceedit@ Britain. The recent difficulties that the absurdity of his statement be closed before high tide, so emap.com P&O has encountered with the Port (Continued on p22)
20 NEW CIVIL ENGINEER | JULY 2020 MAIN POINT MAKE YOUR GOVERNANCEYOUR VIEWS AND OPINIONS VOTE COUNT
Thank you to our ICE President Paul Sheffield for explaining supporting the changes. the new ICE Council and Trustee Board arrangements It’s very different to 2018, when the ICE balloted its proposed by past president David Orr’s committee to be voted members to seek approval to transfer governance of the on shortly by members (NCE, last month). ICE from a Council elected by the membership at large to Thank you too to past president Paul Jowitt and others an Executive Council/Trustee Board appointed from within. who organised the Special General Meeting which There had been no consultation or discussion with the wider successfully argued for a re-think of the earlier membership prior to the ballot. arrangements, which seemed to many of This failure of process prompted some ICE us to have been hastily put forward members, myself included, to call for a for reasons other than the prosaic Special General Meeting (SGM). We business ones now explained by also set up an open access website – Sheffield. It was particularly www.CivilsMatters.org – to enable crass to have landed this free discussion and to call for crisis on us when we were a return of direct democratic celebrating the 200th accountability of ICE’s anniversary of the governance to its members. founding of the ICE, The numbers required under the distinguished to call an SGM were easily leadership of Lord met from across the ICE’s Mair as President. UK and international The new membership. The arrangements include timings were such that some puzzles: why are the 2018 ballot had to non-members allowed go ahead as scheduled. to speak at Special The ballot turnout was General Meetings disappointingly low – and why are not all 9% – and support for the ballots electronic? proposed changes only Also, it would be helpful exceeded the threshold by a to transparency to have few votes. a non-binding members’ The SGM called for the ICE opinion-poll ballot on the Council to undertake extensive members of the Trustee Board, and effective consultation on ICE’s some of whom will be future governance with the membership at presidents, put forward by the large, formulate new proposals for ICE Nominations Committee. governance and then hold a fresh ballot of Finally, I would like to propose that the membership on those proposals. President Paul Sheffield be invited to spend another Following the SGM, the ICE Council established a year in office, to make up in part for the interruptions of Presidential Commission to undertake a Governance Review, Covid-19, but more because he is a great civil engineer, with chaired by Past President David Orr. They have done an a distinguished career of achievement in the practice and excellent job. the business of being a contractor in civil engineering and In contrast to 2018, the whole process has been open. A public works. He is an inspiration to all, young and old alike, breath of and would be the ideal leader to take us into a post-Covid fresh air. era of infrastructure engineered to sustain humanity and the The ICE is a membership organisation. It belongs to the environment through the impacts of climate change. members, not to the hierarchy, not to the bureaucracy Rodney Bridle (F), [email protected] and administration. Of course, that brings responsibility. Responsibility for the ICE to communicate much better with its ICE President Paul Sheffield gave a very open account in members. And a responsibility for the members to be involved June’s issue of NCE of the background and reasons for the and engaged. Use it or lose it. upcoming membership ballot on the ICE’s governance that I’ll be supporting a return to ICE governance through opened on 1 June. The governance ballot comes only two accountability to the members. I hope others will do so too. But years after the last one. one way or the other, vote! This time, they’ve got the process right. And I’ll be Paul Jowitt (ICE president 2009/10), [email protected]
JULY 2020 | NEW CIVIL ENGINEER 21 Your View
(Continued from p20) the gap, particularly with respect to Boris Island: almost entirely integrated into one that “the inspecting engineer is the structural integrity of spillways Back on the of the world’s biggest cities. dependent on the owner for his which has proved a problem in UK agenda? I propose a two-stage solution, position. In these circumstances at Ulley, Boltby, Toddbrook and namely that Heathrow be allowed there must be a tendency to not overseas at Oroville, Swa Chaung to build a third runway only as a wish to upset the owner and lose a and Glashütte. stop-gap measure – shorter than the remunerative appointment by being Jonathan Hinks (F), past chairman, existing two and reserved strictly too aggressive about what needs to British Dam Society (2007-2009), for smaller and short-haul aircraft, be done”. [email protected] thus avoiding the necessity for Each of us having been on the All Peter Mason (F), past chairman, demolishing two complete villages Reservoirs Panel for over 25 years British Dam Society (2009-2011), and diverting the M25 – twice – with this is not a temptation with which [email protected] all the disruption that will cause. we have ever been faced. It is simply Simultaneously, the planning for a not worth risking your professional AIRPORTS completely new hub airport should reputation and panel membership be implemented for construction to secure a commission before SHORT HAUL SOLUTION in the Thames estuary, sometimes even inspecting the reservoir. The FOR HEATHROW known as Boris Island. experience of engineers varies and My experience on Hong Kong so owners generally select panel It is difficult to understand the International airport at Chek Lap engineers with the appropriate dichotomy surrounding the Kok in the 1990s suggests that a new specialist skills. controversy of a third runway at hub airport will take many years to Where we think there may be a Heathrow airport, when a simple plan and many more to construct, problem is in inspecting engineers solution seems obvious. Assuming so that process needs to start now. putting in very low quotations for the airline industry has a viable Locating a large new airport east the inspections themselves. In Hong future – hard to envisage in today’s of London would also cut air and Kong, for example, each inspection Covid climate – we should surely noise pollution to a minimum for the tends to cost many times the going be thinking longer-term than a mere majority of Londoners. rate in the UK. We believe that David extra runway at one of the world’s Mike Franklin (F), Balmforth’s report will help to close busiest international airports, [email protected]
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Investment in the rail network is a key factor in decarbonising transport and improving connectivity for passengers and freight. But how can delivery of major projects be improved, and how can maintenance on existing networks be minimised?
IMPROVING MEGA-PROJECT DELIVERY / PAGE 26 INNOVATIVE TRACK STABILISATION FOR IRISH RAIL / PAGE 30 HYPERLOOP CONCEPT TRIALLED BY TECH START-UP / PAGE 34
JULY 2020 NEW CIVIL ENGINEER 25 BIG MUST GET BETTER From High Speed 2 to Northern Powerhouse Rail, the pressure is on to deliver the next generation of rail schemes better. But how can the industry ensure it has learned from the highs and lows of recent projects?
Future “I do believe that Crossrail was a fantastic scheme and we should not KEY FACTS of Rail forget what has been done on the civil works aspects,” he says. 100km “Crossrail demands a very specific he UK rail industry has a skill set and one lesson, which ties long history of delivering Length of into an issue across the industry, is major projects, but what Crossrail’s the need to attract new generations of lessons are being learned skilled professionals into the sector. from the design and Elizabeth line “I think that Crossrail did well in construction of the most this aspect and we have a few people recent schemes? 552km working with us on Tideway who NCE recently teamed up with Vinci gained the skills they are now using T Length of full to debate the challenges and hurdles from Crossrail. It is a huge benefit.” facing the rail industry, and to explore High Speed 2 However, Pogu acknowledges that how project knowledge can be design and delivery of the scheme shared to help drive efficiencies and network should have been better addressed, innovation. Because of the Covid-19 with the interfaces better managed. restrictions, the debate did not take “One of the problems for Crossrail place face to face. Instead those who is that it was split into too many would have attended shared their small projects,” he says. “It may have views remotely with the NCE team. helped in terms of cost to sell it to When considering the UK’s the contractors, but it created too megaprojects, Crossrail is one of many interfaces and I hope to see the first schemes to come to mind. some learning from this experience in While public perception has varied over the course of construction – with concerns raised about cost increases and delays – there are many Crossrail was lessons from the scheme that would undoubtedly benefit current and a fantastic future rail projects. Vinci Construction Grands Projets scheme and we should UK managing director François Pogu believes Crossrail should be viewed not forget what has as a success, despite some of the been done on the civil “unfortunate” issues towards the end of the project. “ works aspects
26 NEW CIVIL ENGINEER JULY 2020 future projects.” You shouldn’t Focusing contractors on just the construction aspect of the project have to reinvent £88bn and not involving them in the design process also created challenges, the wheel when each Estimated value of UK’s rail Pogu believes. This lack of early infrastructure involvement meant that making new megaproject changes to the design was complex and time consuming. begins. It’s just not Early involvement from smaller “ engineering consultants could also value for money £35bn have benefi ted the delivery of the Amount rail operators are project, according to Hewson director expected to invest in new Andrew Hodgkinson. “There seems to be a belief in this services and equipment over country that major rail infrastructure the next 15 years projects can only ever be designed and only ever have input from large scale consultants,” he says. “As a business, we’re a smaller consultant, but we’ve been involved in the big infrastructure projects overseas. And I think there’s a huge benefi t to that.” Hewson’s international experience includes major mass rapid transit capture innovation across the project projects in Dubai, Jakarta and (see box). Malaysia’s Klang Valley. For each of “It was a really good trial, doing these schemes, the fi rm was involved something which hadn’t been done with signifi cant civils design. on a megaproject before,” says RIA “We learn things as we do things senior technical and innovation overseas, and I think we feel we don’t manager Richard Jones. get much of a look in at some of these “It has been carried forward, big rail projects in the UK. It’s all very mostly onto the Thames Tideway late in the day, and probably too late project. But that’s not surprising for us to really add a huge amount of because most of the work in value,” he says. Innovate18 was around the tunnelling However, Hodgkinson does not and, of course, Thames Tideway xxxxxx believe lack of early contractor has taken over as the UK’s major involvement in Crossrail has had an tunnelling project.” irreparable impact on the resulting Jones hopes that a lot of the rail system. Innovate18 work will also be carried “Specifi cally on Crossrail, it’s very forward to High Speed 2 (HS2), easy to wave your hand and criticise which also involves a signifi cant people,” he says. “I think, actually, amount of tunnelling. they’re going to end up with a pretty But how effective is the rail good system overall.” industry when it comes to Railway Industry Association consistently sharing best practice, (RIA) technical director David Clarke lessons learned and innovation agrees that the fi nal Crossrail system across different projects? will quell many concerns raised i3P knowledge transfer manager during the project. Mike Moseley, is not convinced “I think once Crossrail has been that all of the lessons learned from open for a year, everybody will Crossrail have been captured and are forget about any previous issues being addressed on other projects. and it will just be such a fantastic “There was a lot of information in railway,” he says. the Crossrail project and lots of new “I don’t think we should be beating things, lots of interesting ways of ourselves up about major projects doing things,” he says. in the UK because actually we’ve “There is a sense that the been extremely ambitious and we’re knowledge of that has been shared… delivering results.” but [in reality] it often ends up in a sort of database.” IDENTIFYING BEST PRACTICE Moseley insists a lot more work Despite the challenges of Crossrail, has to be done before the industry there is an array of best of practice can really maximise the benefi ts of examples that can be drawn from the sharing knowledge and learning from project. An example is the Innovate18 previous projects. programme, designed to explore and Transport for the North’s Northern
JULY 2020 NEW CIVIL ENGINEER 27 Future of Rail Overview
We learn from the car industry with supply chain management. “How much more opportunity is there out there?
Powerhouse Rail director Tim Wood agrees that effectively capturing knowledge from projects is vital. “That’s really important because you shouldn’t have to reinvent the wheel when each new megaproject begins. It’s just not value for money,” he says. Wood suggests the industry should create a repository of carefully considered and well executed ideas, as well as examples of problems on projects. “All those lessons learned – the good, the bad and the ugly – need to be shared,” he says. Wood adds that programme directors should meet on a quarterly basis to share some of this learning. “I don’t see that happening currently, it’s a waste of great knowledge,” he says. “With these megaprojects, we’re spending taxpayers’ money so we need to demonstrate value for money. Despite forward with more organisations innovation or the implementation of Far too often when a project is delays and looking at how knowledge can innovation,” he says. finished, the lessons learned are put cost overruns, be effectively shared and utilised Fletcher believes the industry into a difficult to access repository the work on between different sectors. must look to see how each discipline and then never see the light of day.” Crossrail should “We learn from the car industry is better able to risk assess and As well as the need for increased be viewed as with supply chain management. How measure at a very early stage and sharing of ideas and innovation a success. But much more opportunity is there out through all stages. But effective across projects, there are also it is essential there? It must be infinite,” he says. risk assessment and adoption of significant opportunities for the to share the But the willingness to drive innovation must align with the typical UK rail industry to learn from lessons learned innovation and collaboration is often constraints facing rail projects. other sectors and international blocked by the conservatism and “Innovation is something that megaprojects. risk-aversion traditionally associated should be embraced. We do have Skanska UK sector commercial with the rail industry. Office of Rail to move forward, but there is never director Eamonn Costello points and Road (ORR) deputy director any one golden ticket that’s going to the recent work from Formula engineering and asset management to resolve the fact that, unless it’s 1 teams to produce ventilators for Steve Fletcher sees this as a major a greenfield site we’re not free to coronavirus sufferers. challenge for the industry. build and deliver wherever we wish, The impact of the global pandemic “There are risk assessment without being overly concerned has inspired many companies to techniques and there are methods about integrating into an existing apply their technology or skills to available that people can adopt aged network,” Fletcher says. help ease the crisis. because it is that risk aversion “It’s great having innovation and it’s Costello is keen to see this carried that is probably holding up great to adopt that innovation, but it
28 NEW CIVIL ENGINEER JULY 2020 CONTRIBUTING TO THE DEBATE
This report is based on discussions in April 2020. manager, Railway Industry Association The discussion was organised in association with Mike Moseley, knowledge transfer manager, i3P Vinci. Contributing to the debate were: François Pogu, UK managing director, Vinci Construction Grands Projets David Clarke, technical director, Tim Wood, Northern Powerhouse Rail director, Railway Industry Association Transport for the North Eamonn Costello, sector commercial director, Skanska UK Sponsored by Steven Fletcher, deputy director, engineering and asset management, Office of Rail & Road Andrew Hodgkinson, director, Hewson Richard Jones, senior technical and innovation
INNOVATE 18
Innovate18 is widely acknowledged to be the first sustainable energy source. strategy and process for managing innovation in The innovation programme ran from September UK megaprojects. 2012 to December 2016 and was funded by all Crossrail tier 1 contractors. It has now been Thousands of ideas were submitted to the expanded into an industry-wide model called i3P. Innovate18 scheme, and over 60 trials were Building on the success of the Innovate18 funded. Each idea was conceived to improve safety programme, i3P has been developed by Crossrail, and efficiency. They range from using drones for the Knowledge Transfer Network and Tideway. site surveys to new sensors to keep people and The platform aims to strategically address machinery separate. the major challenges facing the delivery of The programme also explored things such infrastructure, by connecting industry partners as the use of thermal imaging to monitor and enabling collaboration on innovation to sprayed concrete lining works and looked at continue. As well as supporting innovation, the the feasibility of reusing tubes à manchette and i3P programme will also represent a library of best the possibility of using grout shafts to create a practice across the industry. needs to be suitable and capable of a more effi cient supply chain, that Northern Powerhouse Rail, Network enabling integration with what we’ve means giving us work at a rate that Rail’s Railway Upgrade Plan and already got.” we can digest. Then we can invest in Transport for London’s upgrade Another key to unlocking long-term research and development to make programme, anticipating the peaks innovation and driving effi ciency is ourselves more effi cient.” and troughs across the industry will ensuring the industry can invest in As well as impacting investment be crucial. research and development. in innovation, perpetuating a boom Looking ahead, the RIA expects that As the industry prepares for post- and bust cycle also has resource over the next fi ve years, resources Covid recovery and the looming implications in areas such as skills. will increasingly be stretched as work threat of an economic recession, With major projects like HS2, ramps up on these projects. securing a steady pipeline of “However, nobody will recruit contracts will be crucial to ensure people before they’ve got a contract. investment is available. Nobody will train people before “When we have these large projects they’ve got a contract. Nobody can which are one offs, people have a lot It’s great having invest in people and plan processes, of learning to do across the project. etcetera,” explains Clarke. “Unless If we’re going to have this boom innovation and we start to behave differently, there and bust approach to delivering is a risk that when we get to 2025, infrastructure, it’s going to be less it’s great to adopt that when there’ll hopefully be a raft of effi cient than if it were dealt with in a innovation, but it contracts for various programmes, more planned way,” says Jones. we’ll have to go through all those “If the government is going to have “needs to be suitable learning curves again.” N JULY 2020 NEW CIVIL ENGINEER 29 Future of Rail Innovation PILED PREVENTION Getting people out of their cars and onto the railways depends on journey time reliability. In Ireland an innovative maintenance solution was needed to increase line speeds across a peat bog. Claire Smith reports.
inimising Load PPLoad maintenance and INNOVATIVE PILING boosting line speed Sleepers is the Holy Grail for Ballast layer rail operators, but 100m Rail line stabilised it is not always an easy balance to achieve. Irish Rail 146 recently undertook a trial that could Piles installed M %P (frictional solve one of the ongoing challenges resistance) that hampers its efforts to achieve 7m %P (bearing Maximum depth that equilibrium – peat bogs. Soft subgrade resistance) of piles Part of the Dublin to Galway rail route through Corracullin Bog on the border of County Westmeath and County Offaly in central Ireland has Competent ground been stabilised using an innovative piled solution. Just over 4km of the rail line runs across the bog and it is one of several on the line that require regular maintenance to keep track geometry within tolerance. “Stabilisation of the trackbed means there is a lower deterioration rate in track geometry so less corrective maintenance is needed,” explains Irish Rail senior track and structures engineer Colin Hedderly. Belfast “It also opens up the potential to ULSTER increase line speed. Weak subgrade at Corracullin Bog means trains have to CCONNAGHONNAGHTT
Westmeath Conservation O aly Dublin is key as bogs CORRACULLIN BOG LEINSTER are protected in Steel screw pile (350mm Ø flight, MUNSTER Ireland, so we need to 89mm Ø shaft) 600mm avoid contamination centres “ CORRACULLIN BOG 30 NEW CIVIL ENGINEER | JULY 2020 Project: Royal Mint Gardens, London Encapsulation of DLR railway with precast beam to beam connections, which provides a solid foundation for residential development above.
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maintenance can be carried out with The piled no special attention to the piles. With no lateral load to support the solution pushes piles, Van Elle carried out buckling the load deeper into analysis to prove the performance. Van Elle uses a bespoke mast to the sounder layers and install the piles that have a 350mm diameter flight and an 89mm diameter bypasses the peat layer shaft. They are inserted between the sleepers to tight tolerances. “ “There are two flights at the run at 70mph although the trains and bottom and then we use spacers to signalling are good for 100mph.” extend the pile to the depth needed,” According to Hedderly, Ireland says Allsop. “The smart cap has two contains more bogs than any country further flights to help mobilise more in Europe other than Finland. As load into the pile. The special mast part of his work he has investigated helps us to control the torque and how Finnish Rail manages the issue verticality.” although the soil mixing and sheet In total 146 piles were installed to piled solutions employed there mean depths of up to 7m at 600mm centres that the track has to be removed for concrete,” says Allsop. at Corracullin Bog. work to take place. The steel screw pile solution has Monitoring was installed as part of The steel pile solution Irish Rail now been used on a number of UK KEY FACT the trial and Hedderly reports that trialled with Van Elle means no sites, but the work with Irish Rail was there is already a 50% reduction in track has to be removed. Hedderly the first time it had been used on the track deflection and the data suggests describes that as the clever bit and thickness of peat at Corracullin. 146 that this is a long-term trend too. says it has piqued the interest of The embankment at Corracullin is Number of Irish Rail hopes to use the Finnish rail engineers too. around 4m high and the trial looked to piles inserted technique on the rest of the “Conservation is key as bogs are stabilise a 100m section to scope out Corracullin Bog soon but further protected in Ireland, so we need to potential for the system to be used along 100m development of Van Elle’s system avoid contamination, and a steel pile on the rest of the site, as well as other section of is already planned. Allsop says that is a brilliant solution,” he says. locations on the Irish Rail network. a Knowledge Transfer Partnership The track at Corracullin is currently The piles are designed to be end track between the company, Nottingham tamped once a year whereas other bearing and feature a pile cap that Trent University and Innovate UK track on the Irish Rail network is is installed 500mm to 800mm below is set to start in August. It will look tamped every five to six years. the sleepers. According to Allsop, the at the potential to optimise the pile “There is no other option than to gap between the pile head and the design and deliver more detailed tamp which means dropping more sleeper means that future tamping monitoring. N stone in and effectively loading the area so a balance is needed as the more you load it, the more you need to tamp it,” says Hedderly. BUILDING ACROSS THE BOGS Hedderly describes the trial Irish Rail undertook with Van Elle as having the potential to break the Most of Ireland’s rail routes skirt peat bogs but been profiled to raise it by 450mm in the centre of maintenance cycle. where this was impossible, track was effectively the ground surface. “The piled solution pushes the load floated across. The rails were bolted onto longitudinal timbers, deeper into the sounder layers and which in turn formed part of a 7.5m wide lattice bypasses the peat layer,” he says. “The rail routes constructed through Ireland’s framework bearing onto the prepared bog surface. According to Van Elle engineering central plain involved construction across many “The result was that no part of the track could director for rail John Allsop, the miles of bogs,” says Irish Rail senior track and deflect suddenly without fracturing and both sides problem of weak sublayers is structures engineer Colin Hedderly. were supported and counterbalanced each other,” common on the networks. “Technical papers from the 1840s and 1850s explains Hedderly. He says Van Elle first developed give us real insight into the techniques that were According to Hedderly, the track had to be lifted its trackbed stabilisation solution used to ‘float’ these routes across.” by 20mm to 30mm every day during construction five years ago in response to a Construction involved dewatering the top layers for a number of weeks to overcome the initial challenge from the Network Rail of the bogs by excavating systems of horizontal and settlement. innovation team. lateral drains. “That consolidation is still continuing and calls “They wanted a solution that Two courses of heather sods were laid to a width for specialist maintenance to maintain track didn’t need to remove the track of 9m on the consolidated bog surface, which had geometry,” he says. and avoided the use of grout and
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Coastal Defence Units Ramps and Slipways ECOncrete Ecological Concrete Cill and Ballast Units Deck Slabs Railway Platforms Asset BEBO Arches Retaining Wall Solutions Box Culverts Attenuation Tanks Portal Frames Ducts and Trenches Innovative Thinking Magrail
HYPER THREE STEPS TO POLAND SUPER-FAST TRANSPORT FASTER STEP 1 - MAGRAIL: 300-415KM/H
Linear motor used for propulsion and braking
Passive magnetic leviatation train
Existing railway infrastructure & FASTER • Modernised railway infrastructure Could a hyperloop-inspired railway be on the Magnetic track • Track sharing with conventional rail cards in the near future? Catherine Kennedy reports on Hyper Poland’s three steps to STEP 2 - HYPERRAIL: super-fast transport. 600-1,000KM/H • Conventional rail tra c excluded
s innovators develop With the Vacuum tunnels SpaceX founder Elon (the vacuum increases the speed) KEY FACT Musk’s hyperloop magrail system, concept, a Polish start-up is proposing 1,200km/h we can also go into the a three-stage Maximum approach to getting a prototype city centre and use operationalA within the next decade. hyperloop STEP 3 - HYPERLOOP: The hyperloop system consists of speed existing train stations a vacuum tunnel in which pods travel “ KM/H using magnetic levitation. The pods 1,200 hover above the track on a magnetic “Other companies are mostly • New transport corridors field and so have no contact with the focusing on building the hyperloop • Isolated transport route ground enabling them to carry people system itself, but we are the only and goods at high speeds. company trying to do it in three Railway technology firm Hyper steps,” explains Hyper Poland Vacuum tube Poland has broken the journey to this co-founder and chief brand officer The curves on the railway hyperloop goal into three parts. Kasia Foljanty. can be specifically designed “It means we can introduce so as not to slow down the trains significantly New dedicated infrastructure MAGRAIL the system much earlier. The The first step is to develop a system magrail system could be known as magrail – a passive implemented on commercial magnetic levitation pod to operate on routes within five to eight years. 5 YEAR: 10 YEAR: 20 YEAR: existing railway routes at speeds of We can’t say that about hyperloop – • End of magrail system pilot • Magrail system works comm- • Magrail as standard when upgrading up to 415km/h. This hybrid solution it would take much longer.” implementations ercially on selected routes existing rail infrastructure allows conventional trains and The idea is that magrail technology • Patented and certified magrail • More than 100km of routes • First implementation of hyperrail magnetic trains to operate on the could be deployed on any existing technology and hyperloop systems same track. railway infrastructure capable of
34 NEW CIVIL ENGINEER | JULY 2020 operating at 160km/h – infrastructure Passive limited to lower speeds would need HYPER THREE STEPS TO to be upgraded. magnetic This would involve installing a linear motor between the existing levitation doesn’t POLAND SUPER-FAST TRANSPORT rails and mounting levitation plates at the sides of the track. use as much energy The linear motor would take the STEP 1 - MAGRAIL: form of a third rail mounted on because we are already the track axis. It would be used for “levitating when we 300-415KM/H propelling and braking the pods, while the levitation plates lift them reach the speed Linear motor used for above the track and provide lateral propulsion and braking stabilisation. “With the magrail system, we can Passive magnetic leviatation train also go into the city centre and use existing railway stations but then the physical contact between the pods and Existing railway infrastructure speed has to be lower,” Foljanty adds. the track and the fewer moving parts. “If we are lowering the speed, we In addition to this, magrail travel • Modernised railway infrastructure move on the wheels. So the magrail times will be 20% to 70% shorter Magnetic track • Track sharing with conventional rail vehicle is not levitating all the time – than in conventional rail, and Hyper we can adapt to the conditions given Poland estimates that the unit costs to us.” of energy consumption will be at least 13% lower than for electric train STEP 2 - HYPERRAIL: MAGRAIL ADVANTAGES sets. The carbon footprint will also Two other magnetic rail systems exist be lower, with the magrail power KM/H – the German-developed Transrapid system designed to use renewable 600-1,000 and the Shanghai Maglev Train. Unlike wind and solar energy from trackside • Conventional rail tra c excluded Hyper Poland’s passive levitation generators or from renewable system, both use active levitation. energy supplied by the national grid. This means that to achieve levitation, electricity must be supplied to HYPERRAIL TO HYPERLOOP electromagnets in the pods and on In the future, it is claimed that the Vacuum tunnels the track. magrail system can be transformed (the vacuum increases the speed) In contrast, Hyper Poland’s passive into a vacuum version – hyperrail – system means the levitation is the with a top speed of 1,000km/h. This result of vehicle movement – when requires the construction of vacuum a train reaches 50km/h, it will tunnels around the infrastructure. automatically start pushing itself “We enclose the existing railway away from the track. track (with the magrail system add- STEP 3 - HYPERLOOP: “Passive magnetic levitation ons) within the vacuum tube. Then doesn’t use as much energy because the vacuum increases the speed,” KM/H we are already levitating when we Foljanty explains. 1,200 reach the speed,” Foljanty says. “With hyperrail, the conventional • New transport corridors The Transrapid and Maglev trains cannot use the infrastructure • Isolated transport route solutions also involve a long anymore. If we close the process of building new, expensive infrastructure and say we want to infrastructure – a challenge have a higher speed with the vacuum Vacuum tube eliminated, at least in the initial stages, system, then the conventional The curves on the railway by magrail’s use of existing rail routes. track cannot move there. It is only can be specifically designed Current cost estimates put magrail dedicated to the hyperrail system.” so as not to slow down the implementation at 6M to 8M (£5.3M The magrail and hyperrail solutions trains significantly New dedicated infrastructure € € to £7.1M) per kilometre, excluding provide an opportunity to test the additional infrastructure such as subsystem which could later be used bridges. This is comparable to the for a hyperloop network. 5 YEAR: 10 YEAR: 20 YEAR: costs of highway construction and up This third and final hyperloop • End of magrail system pilot • Magrail system works comm- • Magrail as standard when upgrading to 60% to 70% lower than the average stage requires new dedicated implementations ercially on selected routes existing rail infrastructure cost of building a new high-speed infrastructure, again enclosed in railway in Europe. Maintenance and vacuum tubes where vehicles will • Patented and certified magrail • More than 100km of routes • First implementation of hyperrail costs will be significantly lower than for accelerate to 1,200km/h. technology and hyperloop systems high-speed railways, due to the lack of A key difference with hyperloop is
JULY 2020 | NEW CIVIL ENGINEER 35 Innovative Thinking Magrail
More efficient use of existing rail infrastructure is key to bringing the global economy to the “next level
found in the curves of the railway. With the existing infrastructure used for magrail, the curves slow the vehicles down. However, in a hyperloop system, the curves can be specifically designed. This means the vehicle can travel faster in a hyperloop system than it can when using the existing curves of the normal railway.
COLLABORATION While potentially accelerating the transition to hyperloop technology, the magrail project has highlighted the importance of collaboration before every company has their own Hyper Poland out more widely after the pilot, its between different countries. A joint technical solution done and patented. plans to use potential is wide-ranging. technical committee (JTC20) of Because then it will take years to go a three stage The increased speed of freight European Union member states was back to think about systems and how approach transport, for example, would mean launched in February 2020, with to combine them together.” to achieve goods could be delivered between the goal of creating a homogenous a hyperloop distribution points on the same day. system of ultra-high-speed NEXT STEPS system Such fast transport could contribute transportation throughout Europe. Last year, Hyper Poland secured a positively to economic growth and As the hyperloop industry €3.8M (£3.3M) European grant. Along social development. continues to grow and more players with money raised from the second “Transportation infrastructure is a enter the market, there are likely round of its equity crowdfunding vital part of all economic and social to be different approaches to campaign, this will enable the ecosystems,” says Foljanty. standards and operating principles. construction of a 500m-long magrail “People and businesses will always The establishment of the JTC20 will test track in Poland. need it. Developing more efficient use enable development of common Previously, a small 1:5 scale of existing rail infrastructure is key to standards to mitigate these technology demonstrator – consisting bringing the global economy to the challenges. of a 48m-long test track and vehicle next level after the Covid-19 crisis.” Foljanty says: “If we look back at – was unveiled in October 2019. Currently, road transport accounts the situation 150 years ago, when This was able to show that the for 75% of the freight transport there were different track widths magrail vehicle can levitate – a “big market. Modernising existing rail between, let’s say, Spain, Russia, milestone” Foljanty says. infrastructure to the high-speed Central and Western Europe, it was The design process for the 500m standard could be a catalyst for a extremely difficult because then the test track is underway, and the firm long-term change from road and air trains had to stop on the border. hopes to start construction in the to rail. “This is something we can’t have second half of this year. The Covid-19 pandemic has made because then it doesn’t make sense In two to three years, when an interesting time for transport even to have hyperloop. You’re going so tests on the track are finished, the more complex. It could also shed new fast from one city to another but on magrail pilot project on existing rail light on these long-standing debates. the border between the countries infrastructure will begin. The exact Once the test track is complete, where the system changes, you’re location of the track has yet to be and testing is finished, it could be just stopped. confirmed. full speed ahead for Europe’s “We have to think about this now If the magrail system is rolled future railway. N
36 NEW CIVIL ENGINEER | JULY 2020 Innovative Thinking NEW DESIGN CONCEPTS, INVENTIVE CONSTRUCTION METHODS AND FRESH IDEAS
Innovation and fast thinking has been brought to the fore by the call for civil engineering skills to respond to the Covid-19 pandemic, while a variety of techniques is delivering a fertiliser to meet future demand for more e cient agricultural practices
MILITARY PRECISION FOR COVID-19 RESPONSE / PAGE 38 MINING FOR FUTURE FOOD DEMAND/ PAGE42 INNOVATIVE THINKER: NICK TUNE / PAGE 46
JULY 2020 NEW CIVIL ENGINEER 37 Innovative Thinking Military Response to Covid-19
edical staff have 20,000 soldiers – mostly from the required to assist with flooding or been described British Army – were stood up for what snow clearance. Often it works for the as being on the KEY FACTS was named Operation Rescript. Department for Food and Rural Affairs front line of the On a normal working day Urch says (Defra) or the Environment Agency, but UK’s response 20,000 that JSC has a permanently established when it comes to counter terrorism to Covid-19 but Number headquarters in Aldershot with about tasks it is the Home Office which calls standing alongside them are many 30 men and women from the Royal on JSC. Mthousands of military personnel. As of soldiers Navy, British Army and the Royal Air The highest profile recent civil well as offering support in clinical deployed to Force. engineering task that JSC led on was roles, this military aid has brought “Our job is resilience operations the Toddbrook reservoir response in civil engineering skills that have been Operation for the UK Government,” he explains. August last year where Urch was the a key factor in ensuring the National Rescript “We don’t do anything for ourselves or commander. JSC designed and planned Health Service (NHS) has not, so far, by ourselves – all of our work is for a the work but brought in troops from the been overwhelmed. specific government department.” specialist areas needed to deal with the “Eight months ago no one had ever 4,000 In the summer Urch says JSC emergency. heard of Covid-19 and we certainly Number of typically gets called in to deal with “We have three regiments with didn’t have a contingency plan for wild fires and in winter it might be permanent notice to move around the it,” says joint commander for the UK beds at the country – two in the South and one general Tyrone Urch of Joint Standing Nightingale in the North – ready to deploy for the Command (JSC), who is a civil engineer hospital and government and deal with whatever it by training and the chief Royal Engineer. might need,” says Urch. “What we did have was a London’s Excel The NHS – “On 28 February I had no idea what contingency plan for a flu pandemic exhibition 20,000 troops would be needed to and a good proportion of that plan through no do and, in truth, we haven’t needed turned out to be what we needed to do centre anything near 20,000 as there have not in response to Covid-19.” fault of its own – really been mass deployments of soldiers.” JSC received its first order from the JSC’s work started with support government to support the Covid-19 struggled to bring for the NHS and the Department of response on 28 February – what planning, operations Health and Social Care, including the is known as an Activation Order. temporary Nightingale Hospital at the Following that order, Urch says that “and logistics all together Excel exhibition centre in east London. RAPID RESPONSE The Covid-19 pandemic has triggered one of the biggest national military responses – and an accompanying need for civil engineering skills. In the first of two features, Claire Smith reports on how the military swung into action.
38 NEW CIVIL ENGINEER | JULY 2020 READ MORE BUSINESS ARTICLES AT NEWCIVILENGINEER.COM/INNOVATIVE-THINKING
“The NHS – through no fault of The British Army planning and deploying troops to South On the medical its own – really struggled to bring has played a key Sudan where he says the model used planning, operations and logistics all role in ramping up there was like a milking parlour stool. side, Urch together to deliver the requirement testing capabilities The seat is command and control – needed for the Nightingale facilities,” essentially the leadership – and the offered staff but it says Urch. three legs are engineers, general duties “We have a process called Maca staff, plus clinicians and medical staff. turned out the NHS – military aid to the civil authorities “Using that model, we could meet – and if the government wants our whatever the NHS needed,” says Urch. needed this support help it must meet a number of criteria In 72 hours, Urch’s troops had built “less than it needed the set out under Maca in order for us to 4,000 beds by working around the clock deploy troops. It has to be within the in three shifts. On the medical side, interest of the nation, there has to Urch offered staff but it turned out the engineering skills be a cost capture – we don’t do it for NHS needed this support less than it free – and plan to hand over to civilian needed the engineering skills. The NHS “The NHS learned the lessons and organisation in due course as we don’t also called on JSC to build the wards, was able to manage the work itself,” do it forever.” deliver the oxygen and plumb in toilets. says Urch. The first Maca request was for the Within 10 days the London Nightingale The next challenge was to help the Nightingale Hospital at Excel. was built through the efforts of JSC, the government meet the target of carrying “We sat down with the NHS NHS and civilian contractors. out 100,000 coronavirus tests a day by managers and asked them what they According to Urch, military support the end of April. wanted,” explains Urch. “They said was key as few contractors were able Over the Easter weekend a team of they didn’t know and asked what we to work at the start of the Covid-19 engineers from the JSC came up with could do.” pandemic in the UK as they were the concept of mobile testing units. As a Fellow of the ICE and a unable to get tested and lacked safe It designed, built and commissioned chartered engineer, Urch believes that working methods. As time went by 96 teams to operate the testing units his skills and military experience meant contractors came online and were within three weeks to do mobile testing he was well placed to understand the available to support the work to build in the community. challenges the NHS faced and had good the later Nightingale Hospitals – there Urch expects more mobile testing insight into what was needed. are now 11 around the country – and units to be built too. Urch drew on his experience of the need for JSC support has waned. Skills called on so far in Operation Rescript range from engineering planners, designers and logisticians and artisan trades right through to menial tasks such as loading lorries where sheer manpower was needed. “We cover design, resources and construction plus we have reservists to bring in subject matter experts too,” explains Urch. Reservists with engineering skills were key to the Covid-19 response. “We don’t have the complete range of skills to deploy at the drop of a hat so we hope that the civilian employers of our reservists are flexible enough to sign up to the Armed Forces Covenant to allow them to serve when needed,” he says. “They will return to their companies with a whole range of new skills. “We also had support from a great reservist organisation called the Engineering & Logistics Staff Corp who are all captains of industry, and their ability to think through problems outside of the box and connect us with industry to deliver, design and get help has been second to none.” Urch describes work on Operation Rescript as a success so far with the NHS not being overwhelmed. N
JULY 2020 | NEW CIVIL ENGINEER 39 Innovative Thinking Nightingale Hospital, Birmingham ECONOMIES OF SCALE Rapid deployment of military engineering and logistics skills helped convert Birmingham’s National Exhibition Centre into a Nightingale Hospital in just eight days. Claire Smith reports in the second of two articles on the military response to the Covid-19 crisis.
mages of Italy’s hospitals “Initially the MAT was requested The scale of the hospital would place struggling to cope with the to attend a site scoping visit with the a huge electrical load on the existing peak in Covid-19 infections led KEY FACTS NHS regional director on 23 March,” infrastructure and early identification the UK to add capacity to avoid says Laycock. “This visit with key NEC of constraints was vital to ensure that the National Health Service 500 Group technical event management the number of bed spaces was not (NHS) beaming swamped. In Current bed personnel enabled the NHS to look at over-predicted. major cities throughout the country the size and the scale of the venue and Detailed site visits took place on Ithe drive for more beds resulted in capacity in the what facilities were available. 25 March and just two days after that facilities more commonly used for Birmingham “The bed space analysis required a the NHS Clinical Team and military conferences and sporting events bit of engineering judgement. We knew liaison officers from the Royal College converted in a matter of days. Nightingale that the ideal Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of Defence Medicine invited the original The adaptation was no simple task Hospital bed space would have 16m2, whereas MAT leader to the Queen Elizabeth and the British Army was asked to high dependency beds with medical Hospital Birmingham, to develop the support the NHS by tasking Military gases would require 13m2 and low concept design. Assessment Teams (MATs) made up 4,000 dependency ward beds 10m2. “Armed with a design draughtsman of infrastructure experts from 170 Potential bed However, we didn’t know which and an AutoCAD laptop, the weekend (Infrastructure Support) Engineer type of bed was needed nor what was spent drawing up designs for each Group. These teams conducted capacity at other space was required for of the halls,” explains Laycock. technical assessments of proposed Birmingham corridors, stores, other medical “The clinical staff explained what sites and coordinated work to deliver equipment, etcetera.” additional equipment was required the Nightingale Hospitals within a such as wash stations, sluices, short time scale. macerators and storage areas and Civil engineer major Angela Laycock these were located around the halls led the work on Birmingham’s 500 bed The bed and beds which were laid out along the capacity Nightingale Hospital where rows of underfloor ducting. the National Exhibition Centre (NEC) space analysis “Another site visit was hastily was repurposed in just eight days, required a bit of organised which allowed the infection building on experience gained from control lead and head of nursing to see converting London’s Excel Centre. engineering judgement the site and agree the plan for locations 40 NEW CIVIL ENGINEER | JULY 2020 “ The scalable modular design had proven to be a success since every row was almost identical “making the parts easy to prefabricate and install
of facilities. All of the the Excel build and to also feedback supporting training and staffing; “The halls were of different sizes but equipment was best practice to the other Nightingale logisticians aiding the receipt and most either accommodated 125 or 250 tested before Hospital designs which were emerging accounting of equipment; and beds, this was like the modular tented installation in Harrogate, Manchester, Bristol and Engineering and Logistic Staff Corps camp designs that the British Army use Exeter,” adds Laycock. personnel providing advice in their on operations. Construction on site – with social areas of expertise of engineering and The scalable and modular camps are distancing in place – started on 2 April procurement. 125, 250 and 500 person camps that with people working round the clock. “With everyone working together, by just need to be fitted into the space According to Laycock, by 6 April the afternoon on 9 April it was starting available. the exhibition halls were almost to look like a hospital and the goal of a This idea of having scalable wards of unrecognisable. 10 April completion date was looking around 25 beds per ward was used to “The vinyl flooring had been laid, possible.” design one of the smaller halls and the partitions were in and stores, ablutions, The early hours of 10 April saw the requirement could then just be scaled nursing stations and other additional electrical and mechanical members up into the larger halls.” facilities were being added,” she says. of the infrastructure team test the Interserve was appointed as the “The scalable modular design had power outage and black start capability main contractor on 30 March and proven to be a success since every row should there be a power cut across the medical gas installers Air Products was almost identical making the parts site. All was successful and cleared the and Midlands Medical Services were easy to prefabricate and install. way for the final “go live” checks for the already on site to start the detailed “The military assisted with a section new hospital. design of the medical gas system which of Royal Engineer heating and plumbing The build was completed on 10 April would be a critical path activity. tradesmen and around 60 Royal Gurkha – just eight days after construction “Over the next few days a KPMG Signals soldiers providing support to started. While the UK appears to be project management team and the logistics hub by unloading and past the peak of Covid-19 infections mechanical and electrical services moving the hospital equipment. – and the Birmingham Nightingale from Hoare Lea took on the project Additional military personnel Hospital only called into light action – it management and detailed design tasks were supporting the NHS with is likely that the facilities will remain in allowing the military liaison officers military planning officers helping place ready should there be a second to pass on any lessons identified from work strand leads; medical officers peak to the pandemic. N
JULY 2020 | NEW CIVIL ENGINEER 41 Innovative Thinking Woodsmith Polyhalite Mine DELVING DEEP
Innovative engineering is enabling a new mine to be developed in the environmentally sensitive North Yorkshire Moors. Claire Smith reports.
ndustrial heritage from mineral and it took five years to quantify Tunnelling work Polyhalite is a and metal extraction is common the resource. Through that work from Wilton in national parks, and work is a polyhalite seam was discovered has reached the new concept underway near Scarborough to below the potash. 5km mark bring a new generation of mining “The polyhalite was formed in an but one that could to North Yorkshire. evaporating marine environment The work is shielded by trees around 260M years ago,” says a significantly help Iand designed to minimise the visual spokesman for the Woodsmith Mine. impact of the mining work which will “Potash has long been used agriculture meet the extract material to provide an efficient as a fertiliser but polyhalite is a “demand to grow more fertiliser for the agriculture sector. new concept and one that could Anglo American’s Woodsmith Mine significantly help agriculture meet is in the North York Moors National the demand to grow more food from food from less land Park. It will access 290Mt of polyhalite less land. Crops essentially need reserves it is permitted to extract. six different macro-nutrients added This will be processed to create a during growth and polyhalite has facilities at Wilton on Teesside. Then fertiliser that has been described as four of those essential ingredients – owner Sirius Minerals worked closely the most complete multi-nutrient. potassium, sulphur, magnesium and with local communities to explain Despite the huge potential, the calcium, so it means fewer products its efforts to minimise the impact. It project has faced funding challenges, are needed.” made firm commitments to ensure not least because of the phenomenal Gaining consent for a new mine in that a significant proportion of the scale of the engineering involved. the North York Moors National Park workforce is drawn from the area These challenges led the project’s was not simple. Planning permission during construction and production. initial developer Sirius Minerals to hinged on a low impact mine with The polyhalite seam has an average sell it to Anglo American (see box). two large chambers to house the thickness of 25m, but is up to 70m at Exploration for the project initially headgear for the production and its thickest point. for potash, that is extensively service shafts and a 37km long tunnel It is at its maximum thickness – used for fertiliser, started in 2010 to take the material directly to port below Woodsmith – where the main
42 NEW CIVIL ENGINEER | JULY 2020 READ MORE INNOVATIVE THINKING ARTICLES AT NEWCIVILENGINEER.COM/INNOVATIVE-THINKING
MINING FOR POLYHALITE It is at its maximum Lockwood Beck shaft Harbour facility thickness – below
Woodsmith Mine Mineral handling facility Woodsmith – where the Teesside main mine workings are Average depth 250m “being developed Redcar mudstone
Mine site 37KM LONG MINERAL development TRANSPORT SYSTEM well as the 120m deep section of the
1500m central 9m diameter shaft on the Bunter sandstone production shaft. The 9m diameter section of the Product Mining conveyor service shaft was extended to 120m Sylvinite depth by Careys using conventional Salt Safe sinking segmental lining with a haven slipform secondary lining. DMC will take the production and Polyhalite Up to 70m thick Maintenance vehicle service shafts to their full 1.5km depths using a Herrenknecht Shaft Boring Roadheader, which is on site and expected to be launched towards 25-70m 290Mt 37km the end of the year. Thick seam Polyhalite permitted Material Transport Careys used the VSM to extend the reserves System MTS to 120m depth. DMC will use a NoNlt to scale Galloway frame to sink the shaft to its full 360m depth using drill and blast techniques. mine workings are being developed. diameter shafts near surface to house The Lockwood Beck intermediate The area currently consented winding gear and equipment. From shaft is around 32km from the for extraction has a 50 to 100 these shafts the production, services KEY FACT Woodsmith site and was constructed year lifespan but the resource and MTS shafts extend to full depth at within a secant piled wall to 20m is much larger. a narrower diameter from within the 37km depth followed by a grout curtain to The development involves sinking surface shaft structure. Length 160m installed by Bachy Soletanche. three shafts at Woodsmith – one for The production shaft and the The shaft will be extended to its full production, another for services service shaft extend from ground of tunnel 260m depth by DMC which will use and the other for launching the surface level to 60m depth as 36m between the another Galloway frame to undertake tunnel boring machines (TBMs) diameter chambers before a central drill and blast. that will drive one section of the 9m diameter shaft extends down from mine and port 37km material transport system the base of each one to the polyhalite at Wilton TUNNELLED CONNECTION (MTS). There is an intermediate seam 1.5km below ground. The MTS The tunnel boring machine (TBM) shaft at Lockwood Beck from which shaft will extend to 360m and connect being used by Strabag to drive the the tunnel will be driven towards to the production and service shafts first section of the MTS tunnel was Woodsmith. Work on the section of at depth. launched in April last year from the tunnel to connect the processing The project is using a variety Teesside end of the project. plant at Wilton on Teesside to the of methods to drive the shafts. A 270m long, 7m wide launch ramp shaft at Lockwood Beck is already These have resulted in the deepest formed from contiguous piled walls underway. Construction of the others diaphragm walls ever constructed was used to take the 6m diameter will follow later. in the UK – 120m for the production Herrenknecht TBM to 8m below shaft. This shaft is the first in the UK ground level before it was driven DEEP SHAFT DESIGN to use a Herrenknecht vertical shaft through a 125m spray concrete lined The design of the Woodsmith shafts sinking machine (VSM). (SCL) section of tunnel. was key to the project gaining Bauer undertook the diaphragm The piled ramp and SCL section planning consent as it enables most walling work in 2018 when it took the tunnel down to a level where of the mine’s operations to take completed the near surface sections the boulder clay no longer outcrops place underground. It features a large of all three Woodsmith shafts, as in the tunnel invert and allowed
JULY 2020 | NEW CIVIL ENGINEER 43 Innovative Thinking Woodsmith Polyhalite Mine
In total, Strabag expects to remove 400,000m3 of material from the first “12km tunnel drive the tunnel drive to start in more competent ground. In total, Strabag expects to remove 400,000m3 of material from the first 12km tunnel drive alone, and around 1M.m3 of material from all three tunnel drives. The alignment has been selected to ensure the tunnel stays within competent rock and that appears to have paid off as the project team has reported advance rates 40% ahead of expectations. Better than expected ground conditions have led project leaders and tunnelling contractor Strabag to consider refurbishing the TBM currently driving the first section of the tunnel from Wilton to Lockwood Beck and reusing it to complete the second 12km drive. Sirius says capacity one for the operational The Galloway Anglo American has not yet been this approach would save US$100M phase. It estimated that this approach frame at the announced but it is likely that when (£77.8M) of the project’s overall could save a further £77.8M. Woodsmith the Covid-19 restrictions start to be £3.05bn cost by reducing the size of Latest figures from the site show site has been relaxed, the project will be in a good the cavern needed at Lockwood Beck tunnelling on the first drive to have installed position to progress rapidly. Given and continuing to use infrastructure reached 5km, while the shafts at the challenges the food industry already installed at Wilton. Woodsmith are completed to 120m has faced during the pandemic, the In November last year Sirius depth and work on extending them potential increase in crop yield that said that it was looking at using will re-start later this year. the polyhalite fertiliser offers will alternative technology for the final Which of the solutions proposed surely add to the demand to get the third tunnel drive from Lockwood by Sirius is taken forward by new product into market. N Beck to Woodsmith by using a gripper TBM or a mining system with rock bolting. Either option reduces the size of SECURING THE FUTURE the TBM launch cavern needed at Lockwood Beck, adding further cost savings of between £97M for the The Woodsmith Mine hit the headlines last year associated employment and economic stimulus for gripper solution and £167M for the because of funding concerns. The pace of work the local area.” mining approach and confidence slowed while a review was undertaken, before the In the lead up to the shareholder vote on the in this option is based on the project was sold by Sirus Minerals to mining giant takeover, Sirus Minerals warned that it could run competence of the rock encountered Anglo American. out of cash and that the 5.5p per share offer from in the initial tunnel drive. The Anglo American was the project’s only lifeline. alternative solutions could also cut Speaking ahead of the takeover, Anglo American The decision to sell came despite the fact that three months off the build time. chief executive Mark Cutifani said: “We intend to the review led to an estimated £322M in savings Sirius considered the cost benefits bring Anglo American’s financial, technical and on the build cost of £3.05bn by considering of installing temporary conveyor product marketing resources and capabilities to the alternative solutions and maximising the benefits infrastructure in the tunnel by development of the project, which of course would of better than expected ground conditions for the upgrading the construction conveyor be expected to unlock a significant and sustained tunnelling work. instead of replacing it with a larger
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NCE Subs - Half Page Advert - 186mmw x 110mmh.indd 1 14/02/2020 11:58 Innovative Thinker Nick Tune PARALLEL UNIVERSE Digital twins could transform project delivery – but how do you ensure the concept is not dismissed as just another gimmick? Nadine Buddoo reports.
igital twins are digital solution,” he says. “The reality is that Tune: Ironing out the costs associated with the new replicas of physical you need to do the boring stuff first. the digital twins method,” admits Tune. assets, processes or You need to make sure you’ve got concept Some work remains to be done to systems which can be solid information management. You ensure the industry’s definition and used to help tackle a need to build the models and get the approach to digital twins is consistent, range of challenges data. The hardest part is getting that but Tune insists that digital delivery within the built environment. data in the first place.” has never been so important. DDespite the engineering industry As well as the need for asset data “Covid-19 has boosted people in increasingly acknowledging their and good information management, wanting and needing this like nothing value, the adoption and development securing buy-in from clients is vital has ever boosted them before,” of digital twins is hampered by to the success of digital twins. It is he says. “If we could operate and inconsistent interpretations of what crucial that the economic value of the optimise our assets remotely or they are. concept is clearly conveyed to clients. even provide artificial intelligence, “There’s been a lot of debate about “[As engineers] we do these things then there’s less reliance on human digital twins and what they are and because we know it’s the right thing to interaction and less need for humans what they aren’t,” says Atkins digital do. But we don’t always communicate to be in specific locations to do a engineering director Nick Tune. what the costs were when using specific job.” To provide some clarity for the conventional methods, compared to The focus for the civil engineering industry, Atkins and the Institution industry is now on how assets can of Engineering & Technology (IET) be operated more efficiently with live published a report last year looking at models and live data feeds, as well the opportunities, benefits, challenges as utilising machine learning and and risks associated with digital twins. Far too often artificial intelligence to optimise or Tune is now calling for the wider automate asset management with the industry to help demystify the we jump straight use of actuators. concept which can be complex and “It’s about working towards taking multifaceted. Making it easier to to the sexy solution. that leap of faith with clients and understand will undoubtedly drive buy- operators,” says Tune. “We’re already in from clients and operators. But the The reality is that you making so much ground in the design first step is capturing the right data. and construction phase. I think the “You need the building blocks – far need to do the boring digital twin is just the next step in that too often we jump straight to the sexy “ evolution.” N stuff first
46 JULY 2020 | NEW CIVIL ENGINEER IN PARTNERSHIP Innovation Showcase WITH ANCHOR SYSTEMS NETWORK SUPPORT Innovative cable supports are being installed across the Tube network in London.
ondon Underground has an ongoing programme to update parts of its existing cable carrying system which have reached the end of their service life and begun to fail. There are many areas on the network that Lhave failing concrete cable posts, that form part of the overall cable carrying system and these have been identified as requiring replacement as they are beyond economical repair. Anchor Systems (International) was asked to create a solution with due consideration to the associated risks and costs of such a large scale project. The introduction of the patented Anchor Post into the design was the most beneficial and innovative solution to use as it eradicates the need for RRVs or road rail vehicles, excavations, concrete, wet trades and drying times thus reducing risk and programme time. Anchor Systems (International) developed the Anchor Post further to its original form and created it as a two-part foundation solution, for this particular job, as it could be rapidly and easily installed while reducing the overall risk to the installation team as well as the existing cables and infrastructure. The Multi-Piece Anchor Post formed an essential part of this solution due to the unique design that allowed it to be retrofitted in between existing, heavily loaded cable runs using The supports with a design life of at least 50 years, introduced into its network in 2014 and lightweight and portable equipment. include a unique which met with London Underground’s continues to be implemented into a works The overall solution includes a Multi- foundation which requirements. Multiple systems can be programme that is replacing all failing Piece Anchor Post as the foundation, can be driven into installed in a single visit allowing the failed concrete cable posts. a cable post as the main supporting place between concrete posts to be removed, now that To date over 5,000 Multi-Piece structure which combines with back existing posts the cables are being supported by the new Anchor Posts have been successfully plates and J-hangers to directly support system. put in, and a further 45,000 units have the existing cables. All parts were Although, London Underground has been installed for new cable routes on the designed to be retrofitted with ease been using the original Anchor Post network as well as other projects including and speed while providing a system since 2007, this particular solution was signage and signal posts.
NEW CIVIL ENGINEER | JULY 2020 47 Innovation News NEW INNOVATIONS THAT WILL TRANSFORM YOUR PROJECTS NEWCIVILENGINEER.COM/INNOVATIVE THINKING
STRUCTURES LIGHTER, LONGER SPAN BRIDGES NOW POSSIBLE SAY DANES
Research by the Technical University of Denmark and consultant Cowi could result in lighter and longer span bridges than was previously possible. Researchers looked at the possibility of altering structural designs by using topology optimisation. This is more commonly used in the car and aircraft industries, and has not previously been used in the design of large-scale structures. The team analysed a 30m by 5m by 75m bridge element and computer calculations showed that curving part of the currently straight transverse diaphragms of a bridge deck would making it possible to shave off 28% of the material needed.
LOW CARBON TRANSPORT EQUIPMENT HYDROGEN SPANISH ATKINS DRONES TRACK PROGRESS GENERATOR TO HYPERLOOP OF HINKLEY POINT C PROJECT CUT CARBON BUSINESS PASSES EMISSIONS FUNDING TARGET
Acciona is to start using a Spanish hyperloop fi rm hydrogen generator on a Zeleros has raised over €7M Spanish construction site next (£6.2M) to develop its version year as part of its drive towards of hyperloop technology, carbon free construction. The passing a funding milestone. contractor has signed a deal with The funding will drive further hydrogen power technology development of the company’s business AFC Energy to install a hyperloop vehicle. Hyperloop is zero emission H-Power generator a series of magnetic pods which on one of its projects. The hover above track in a vacuum Atkins is carrying out monthly conduct localised surveys. With containerised 160kW system will tube and travel at high speed. drone fl ights across Hinkley extended visual line of sight be deployed alongside a battery The idea was suggested in 2013 Point C to provide survey data permission granted by the Civil energy storage system and an by entrepreneur Elon Musk, during construction of the Aviation Authority earlier this ammonia cracker from which who highlighted its low energy nuclear power station. Atkins is month, Atkins can conduct hydrogen fuel will be derived. use. Advantages of Zeleros’ using its fi xed-wing Wingtra surveys from up to 200m above AFC has said the system is hyperloop approach include drone to survey the 180ha site ground level, within a range of scaleable to 400kW. lower infrastructure costs. and multi-rotor drones to 1.5km from the drone pilot.
48 NEW CIVIL ENGINEER JULY 2020 28 October 2020 Grosvenor House Hotel, London
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ICE Littler: Enthusiasm and pragmatism STEM Ambassador of the Year named WSP senior engineer Helen Littler won this year’s prize for enthusing school children about civil engineering careers
WSP senior engineer Helen Littler has worked on a huge Littler from the ICE’s South East range of activities to promote region has been named the ICE’s civil engineering and STEM 2020 UK science, technology, subjects to young people over engineering and maths (STEM) the last 12 years. Ambassador of the Year. These included mentoring The prize recognises the pupils and organising group volunteer work done to inspire events for schools, attending young people to consider a education events and getting career in civil engineering. colleagues into the STEM turning her hand to stand-up a safer, fairer and better place Littler said: “Winning STEM Ambassador scheme. comedy,” they said. to live. Ambassador of the Year was a The judges said the quality of ICE membership director “Helen delivers her message wonderful surprise during the entrants was exceptional this Séan Harris added: “Our through a mixture of real-life current crisis. year and all were winners. STEM Ambassadors inspire observations, humour, and at “Being a STEM Ambassador “It was a difficult decision to young people to transform times a welcome irreverence reminds me how great a career make, but Helen stood out for lives by building a sustainable – she also offers rock solid as a civil engineer is, as the her passion and commitment, as world. They all demonstrate pragmatic solutions that enthusiasm I’ve seen from well as the breadth of activities commitment, selflessness and resonate with her audience – pupils has been infectious.” she has undertaken, even a passion for making the world thank goodness civil engineering
PROFESSION WATER SMEATON LECTURE FUTURE LEADERS Email updates to Strategy Session to Ferguson to outline Deadline for Future aid professional address post Covid-19 the story of British Leader applications is development innovation in water consulting engineers 24 July
As the civil engineering Could disruption caused by Leading industry expert and Technician and graduate ICE sector adjusts to the fact that Covid-19 create opportunities author Hugh Ferguson is to members have until 24 July physical learning events are for technological innovation in detail the story of British to apply to become one of not taking place amid the the water industry? This is the consulting engineers and their incoming ICE President Rachel current Covid-19 pandemic, the key question to be discussed role in building the industrial Skinner’s Future Leaders. The Institution is emailing members on 23 June at the upcoming world at the upcoming Smeaton Future Leaders scheme offers fresh content designed to ICE Strategy Session entitled Lecture on 21 July. The lecture up and coming engineers the keep them informed about, “Covid-19 – A catalyst for will be held virtually and chance to work on strategic ICE and engaged with, the latest innovation in the water sector?” Ferguson will cover British projects and receive valuable industry discussions. Each Speakers will assess whether engineering’s history from mentoring from the President. fortnight, members will receive the traditionally innovative water early beginnings through to Skinner is looking to use her a specially curated and themed sector will be a key source of professional establishment, term as President to ensure the e-newsletter offering a range breakthroughs. They will also the railway age, the post- ICE supports society’s target of of content which will enable discuss research which suggests Second World War international achieving net zero carbon by them to continue professional sewer systems could provide early boom and recent industry 2050 or earlier. development. warnings of local virus outbreaks. commercialisation. The lecture l Further details about the l Sign up for the newsletter at l Sign up for the session at will run from 6.45pm until 8pm. scheme, including how to apply, [email protected] www.ice.org.uk/events l Register at www.ice.org.uk can be found at www.ice.org.uk
50 NEW CIVIL ENGINEER | JULY 2020 LONDON VIEW LONDON INFRASTRUCTURE BEYOND COVID -19
For decades, we have Lessons from the past strived to build London’s infrastructure to cope with tell us that responding more: more traffic, more people, more growth. How do to the effects of epidemics has has a voice like hers. we now adjust to dealing with shaped our cities for the better Congratulations Helen.” Steven less? With social distancing Read about all the regional set to be part of everybody’s STEM Ambassador winners on Lee lives for the foreseeable the ICE community blog. future, what does living with “been primarily focused on the outputs from an l Find out more about the coronavirus mean for economic analysis, prescribed in HM Treasury’s becoming an ICE STEM London’s infrastructure? Green Book. Civil engineers need to seize the Ambassador and other ICE Lessons from the past tell us that responding opportunity to be at the forefront of creating a new volunteer roles at to the effects of epidemics has shaped our cities framework for investment with social value, health www.ice.org.uk/volunteer for the better. In the mid-19th century, disease and and the environment at its heart. death were commonly thought to spread via the During lockdown we have appreciated our stench from overcrowded and impoverished areas. garden or a local park: there are recognised mental EQUALITY In response to the Great Stink in 1858, Joseph health benefits. ICE backs this year’s Bazalgette, chief engineer of the Metropolitan The Greater London Authority’s Draft London Board of Works, delivered a sewer system that, Plan already includes an “urban greening factor” International Women in while designed to clean the Thames, also ended in assessing new developments. Much greater the outbreaks of cholera that had cost tens of prominence of the need for outdoor space in Engineering Day thousands of lives. developments will be necessary. So beyond Covid-19, what opportunities are Responding to the social changes required ICE will again be supporting there for the city’s infrastructure that we, as civil presents an opportunity for civil engineers to International Women in engineers, should consider? consider how to redefine our relationships with Engineering Day (INWED) when it Firstly, London’s public transport use will our cities. takes place this year on 23 June. change. A greater reliance on working from home Bazalgette’s proposals did not secure funding Encouraging more women into is likely, resulting in a reduction in the number until the politicians of the time had been engineering has the dual benefits of passenger journeys and revenue available for personally affected. His foresight in designing for of creating both a more diverse maintenance and capital projects. greater capacity, brought long-term health benefits industry and bigger pool of talent Social distancing measures will mean we need to that allowed London to prosper. from which to recruit. The ICE has rethink how we approach design and investment Adjusting to “less” to accommodate social spoken with its women members in infrastructure projects; providing increased distancing could also bring unanticipated health, about their experiences and why capacity for health reasons, rather than solely for social and environmental benefits. There is the this is a career which can make growth. opportunity to accelerate measures to help a difference. The ICE will share Forecast growth in passenger numbers is a decarbonise London. This pandemic can be a content from videos to blogs during standard part of the justification for undertaking catalyst for changing the ways we live in, work in the week that INWED takes place. major transport projects. The approach to and use our cities. l Join the conversation future investment decisions will need to change. l Steven Lee is senior vice chair of the ICE London online using #INWED20 and Business cases for infrastructure projects have committee #ShapeTheWorld
JULY 2020 | NEW CIVIL ENGINEER 51 Institution of Civil Engineers Record
PROFESSION ICE Council election closes on 14 July Professional reviews are taking place remotely
In response to the Covid-19 pandemic, the ICE has moved to hosting professional reviews remotely. The Institution normally conducts reviews in person at different venues around the world, but this format had to be changed as a result of travel restrictions now in place. In line with Trustee Board requirements, the ICE has rewritten procedures and training materials to facilitate remote reviews, a move which began in April. This means the ICE was rapidly able to limit disruption to the professional review process. As many as ICE 1,400 professional reviews will eventually take place, despite the difficult circumstances brought about by the pandemic. ICE Council elections and bylaw The ICE said review centres will be reintroduced once travel restrictions are lifted and ballot have opened for votes review sessions held at smaller centres in company offices will be considered if numbers and The 2020 ICE Council elections and engineering knowledge of vote on resolutions about: the space make that feasible. and bylaw ballot are now open, the Institution. Those elected balance of the Trustee Board It is hoped that major review giving members the opportunity to the Council represent and and the method of appointing sessions will recommence in the to have their say on the future of make heard the views of the and electing its members; UK and Hong Kong towards the the Institution. membership and ensure that the provision for the Trustee end of the year. Dates will be Eleven Council vacancies those issues that are important Board to dismiss a Trustee for confirmed once the challenges are to be filled: four general and relevant to civil engineering justifiable reasons; and changes and travel restrictions facing members, three regional remain at the forefront of the to the rules for attendance both regions are better members – one each for Hong Institution’s future plans. I and voting at a Special General understood. Kong, North East of England encourage all members to use Meeting. and Wales, three international their vote and be involved.” Voting is now open and will members – one each for the Alongside the election, close on 14 July. The results Americas, Asia Pacific (non- members are also being will be announced at the ICE Hong Kong) and Middle East and asked to vote on a number of annual general meeting on 21 Africa, as well as one graduate changes to the ICE’s bylaws. July. Elected candidates will member. The changes are proposed by take office from 3 November. All Paul Sheffield, ICE President, the Trustee Board and are all members eligible to vote should said: “Council elections are a in line with the findings of the have received their voting chance for the membership Presidential Commission (NCE papers at the start of June. to have their say in shaping last month). l Candidate details can Reviews will be held online the strategic lifelong learning Members will be asked to be found at www.ice.org.uk
52 NEW CIVIL ENGINEER | JULY 2020 FUTURE LEADER’S VIEW New Civil Engineer 4th Floor, Telephone House 69-77 Paul Street, London EC2A 4NQ
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The sustainability Magazine of the Institution of Civil Engineers agenda has been We all have a role to 1 Great George Street, London SW1P 3AA spoken about for 020 7222 7722 | www.ice.org.uk many years, well play in increasing before I started ICE MEMBERS’ ADDRESS considering engineering the percentage of women CHANGES/ SUBSCRIPTIONS as an option. Yet we’re in engineering, which sits QUERIES Louise still talking about it www.ice.org.uk/myice to update your Hetherington now – although some address quickly online. For subscription stubbornly at around 12% queries, please phone 020 7665 steps have been taken, 2227, or email [email protected] the great bounds “ forward which are needed have not happened. around the time they start having families, so it SUBSCRIPTIONS Sustainability should be at the forefront of is important that we fi nd ways to ensure policies For subscription queries contact; civil engineers’ minds, as we can drive serious around fl exible working or part-time working are Esco 020 3953 2152 change within the UK and further afi eld. promoted – and that employers recognise the All rights reserved © 2020 New It is our industry that builds, creates and benefi t this more diverse workforce can bring. Civil Engineer. Published by EMAP manages infrastructure, so it is our industry We need to invest in the development of a member of the Metropolis Group. that should also drive green initiatives into all female talent, not to the detriment of male Metropolis Group respects the privacy these areas – especially considering the vast engineers, but to ensure levelling up of the of every person for whom we have proportion of carbon emissions in the UK come whole workforce. personal data. We comply with data from the construction and use of infrastructure. This is not about ticking a diversity box – it is protection legislation such as the Data It’s appropriate then that this year’s about recognising the different world views that Protection Act 1998 and the General International Women in Engineering Day is everyone brings to the table. Data Protection Regulations which themed around “shaping the world”. This annual Those differing views come because we have regulates the processing of data and day of celebration aims to create more diversity inherently different experiences – and we can ensures that your data is processed fairly and lawfully, is kept secure and only that in the engineering sector. use those to build infrastructure that works for data necessary for any processing is kept. We all have a role to play in increasing the the whole of society. You can see our privacy policy at www. percentage of women in engineering, which sits If we continue to recognise the importance of metropolis.co.uk/privacy stubbornly at around 12%. looking at things from different viewpoints and To achieve these new, greener initiatives, we perspectives, we can create infrastructure that Printed by Precision Colour Printing Ltd, need more diverse and new ways of thinking better benefi ts the communities we all live in. Telford. Registered as a newspaper with – and one of the groups we should be better I’m proud to be a civil engineer – and enjoy the Post Offi ce ISSN 0307-7683; Issue attracting and retaining is women engineers. constantly challenging the traditional stereotype No: 2088. Statements made or opinions It has been shown through studies that girls of hard hats and high-vis. The views I bring, as expressed in New Civil Engineer do not necessarily refl ect the views of relate more to the environmental side of the a woman, as a recent graduate, as a President’s ICE Council or ICE committees industry. The 2050 target of net zero carbon Future Leader help me make a positive emissions offers another opportunity to contribution to society. encourage young women into engineering. I look forward to celebrating other incredible Of course, encouraging them is only the fi rst engineers, who also happen to be women, on 23 step – once we have attracted women into the June to #ShapeTheWorld industry, we need to work on retaining them. l Louise Hetherington is one of the We know that many women leave their careers ICE President’s Future Leaders
JULY 2020 | NEW CIVIL ENGINEER 53 Careers CONTACT MITCHELL ROBINSON 020 3953 2993 [email protected]
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