A decade after first working together, rail transport giant Alstom has invited UK rail safety company Zonegreen to provide the latest in depot protection systems at a number of traincare facilities, including Polmadie and Wembley.

Alstom – manufacturers of the AGV, TGV and Eurostar series as well as Citadis trams – first worked with Zonegreen in 2001 on a major programme of depot modernisation in preparation for the arrival of the new Pendolino trains.

Ten years since Zonegreen’s original protection systems and interlocks were installed, the company’s technical director Christian Fletcher said: “We are extremely proud now to be invited back to upgrade these facilities. The technology has moved on in order to meet the exacting demands of an ever-changing and increasingly risk averse industry. We are confident that the new systems will deliver uncompromising levels of staff protection whilst reducing turnaround time and increasing efficiency.”

At the heart of the upgrade will be the SMART depot personnel protection system (DPPS), which addresses a number of difficulties historically associated with traditional methods of depot protection.

Zonegreen’s Christian Fletcher said: “Modern traincare facilities aspire to what is often termed pit-stop-style maintenance with ever-decreasing turnaround times. Time spent moving vehicles into and out of maintenance facilities is obviously extremely costly, and unintentional derailments must not happen.”

“The DPPS uses sensors to reduce the risk of derailment, and because the design focuses on greater simplicity and flexibility, our standardised solution is exceptionally easy to operate.”

“The distributed nature of the technology means that a fault on one road will not affect any other road, and there is no risk of vehicles being locked in or out of the facility.”

Zonegreen’s team of specialist research engineers is dedicated to developing the most cutting-edge rail safety solutions. By developing long-term working relationships with clients such as Alstom, Zonegreen ensures its products consistently meet the demands of a rapidly changing industry.