Sateba UK (previously SBC Rail) won the £10 million contract to provide concrete sleepers to AMEC SPIE Rail Systems, one of the organisations involved in building the high-speed Channel Tunnel Rail Link through Kent, also known as HS1.

Project

Following the opening of the Channel Tunnel in May 1994, the Channel Tunnel Rail Link (HS1) was commissioned to reduce the journey time from London to the Channel Tunnel portal at Dollands Moor, near Folkestone.

The 109km (68 mile) high-speed line would be built in two sections. Section 1 started in October 1998 and was completed in September 2003. Section 2 started in July 2001 and the complete Channel Tunnel Rail Link was opened in November 2007.

The present journey from London St Pancras to Gard du Nord in Paris now takes an average of 2hrs 22 minutes!

Solution

Following technical consultation SATEBA precast concrete twin block and monoblock sleepers were selected. This was due to the proven effectiveness at reducing noise and vibration in France, where they have been employed extensively by SNCF on the high speed TGV network with trains that cruise at up to 300km/hr. These sleepers are also a commercially competitive component of a successful trackwork system.

This project would be the first in the UK to use twin block sleepers on high speed rail!

Twin block concrete sleepers consist of two reinforced concrete blocks connected by a steel tie bar. The S312 sleeper also includes plastic boots and resilient pads to increase attenuation.

Delivery

Almost 260,000 twin block sleepers were supplied by SATEBA UK and installed on Section 1 (Contract 570) of CTRL, the 46 miles (74 km) between the Fawkham Junction and the Channel Tunnel complex in Kent.

A further 8,000 monoblock sleepers were also supplied mainly for connections to the Network SouthEast. Both types of sleepers have Vossloh fastenings.

SATEBA UK completed production of the twin block sleepers within 13 months to meet the tight project schedule and delivered an average of fifteen 24 tonne loads each day to site, working closely with the CTRL project manager for Rail Link Engineering.

Additional Requirements

CTRL also commissioned the first UK use of SATEBA Perforated Drainage Channels. An innovative trackside drainage channel system, which was extensively employed to more effectively collect storm water and reduce maintenance costs on the line.

Over 21km of covered Perforated Drainage Channels were supplied in various sizes. The main benefit of the drainage channel system is, in the event of siltation, the covers can be lifted and the channels cleaned with rods or pressure jetted. The channels can also be used for track bed sealing applications in environmentally sensitive areas.

Other SATEBA products used on this project included: more than 33km of concrete Cable Troughs; Ballast Guards to contain turnout motors alongside the track and points heating cabinets; Embankment Stairs; Cable Draw Chambers for under track crossing.

SATEBA twin block sleepers have also been successfully used in the UK for light rail systems such as Sheffield, Birmingham, Manchester and Nottingham.