Banbury Rail Depot Control System Project – Grip 4

Over the last year and a half, the Fenix Team – led by Managing Director Craig Purcell – has developed a successful relationship with its suppliers, who provide depot control systems.

Engineers from Fenix’s Warwickshire base received specialist training in the application of depot control system products. Since then, Fenix has applied this technology in projects such as Banbury light maintenance depot. The project required an innovative and cost-effective solution to control the safety and automate the track system in guided traffic. Fenix delivered the GRIP 4-8 works at Banbury, starting in August 2016 and commissioned in late April 2017. Due to a compressed time schedule, the team worked under pressure throughout and the success of the project is testament both to the great team working and the preparatory work with supply chain partners.

The project at Banbury incudes an industry first – the first time a technical interface to the main line signalling system has been provided, which is done via volts-free relay contacts. It has the potential to be a standard interface between electronic (SSI) depot and mainline signalling systems. This has paved the way for more collaborative projects between Fenix Signalling and its partners. They have since worked together on a project for Taylor Woodrow, the civil engineering division of VINCI Construction UK, at Manningtree in Essex.