RAILduct™ cable trough system meets with the approval of Network Rail

Pontypridd station in South Wales is part of a £24m re-development scheme funded by the European Regional Development Fund, Welsh Government, Department for Transport, Network Rail and Arriva Trains Wales.

The transformation of the Grade 2 listed station will see the introduction of a new footbridge, bay platform and access from street level to the station. RAILduct was specified for the cable trough to assess the product in situ in order to gain network Rail PADS certification. Network Rail need to ensure that the RAILduct™ would conform to the required standard and was able to cope with any installation problems that may arise.

Cubis RAILduct™ is light and very easy to manhandle, meaning it is very cost effective compared to concrete when moving and installing the product as it takes fewer men. The RAILduct™ is very strong and durable with the potential to have security bolts to give extra levels of security. The RAILduct™ is a least 33% cheaper than concrete when installed due to the reduction in on-site labour.

By Frank Camilleri – Site Manager

Cubis supplied 100m of RAILduct™ that consisted of standard 1m units, T-Section Units, mitre 22 degrees (right and left handed) units and all covered with lockable hinged lids. Trial results have been extremely positive. The mitre units proved to be essential in navigating an extreme bend around a signalling pole. The RAILduct™ twist and lock connection contains three degrees of flexibility in each unit, which meant that the trough route was able to follow the angle of the track.

“When compared to concrete, the ducting is lighter, easier to manoeuvre and is a lot safer for the cables with the use of locking bolts in the lid of the duct. It also enables us to tie down and secure the cables. With the lids being lightweight it makes it a lot easier to access the cables than traditional concrete products. With the RAILduct™ having a larger capacity for cables it reduces the need for two routes of ducting to one.”

By Steve Davies - Site Installation Team Leader