DLR lift renewals: Smart sequencing to maintain step-free access
About the project Smart sequencing has been the key to success for Octavius’ Docklands Light Railway (DLR) lift renewal programme. Throughout the work the focus has been on passenger experience, ensuring step-free access was always available, on all routes, for the mass transit system’s users. Achieving this required developing a detailed understanding of the network […]
Charfield Station New Build: Enabling an attractive alternative to car travel
About the project Charfield is among a host of new railway stations nationwide being built by local authorities to meet their transformative regional transport needs. With South Gloucestershire Council leading on the scheme, Octavius is working on behalf of Network Rail and alongside Great Western Railway to deliver the project. South Gloucestershire village, Charfield, sits […]
Successful AfA Schemes Help Build Public Trust In Rail
Throughout its history, it’s fair to say that the British public has had a bit of a love-hate relationship with its railways. This reflects the importance that rail transport has in our lives, culture and prosperity – it’s something we care about. Feelings tend to be even more mixed when it comes to the infrastructure […]
Okehampton Interchange: Enabling regional growth, at speed
About the project Okehampton Interchange is a new-build station, necessary to support local authorities’ regional growth strategies. Octavius is the project’s design and build contractor, which was awarded under Network Rail’s Wales and Western Framework. Part of Devon’s Dartmoor Line, in form and function Okehampton typifies a new generation of stations being created across the […]
Access Is About the Experience – Not Just the Engineering
Providing step-free access to platforms in legacy rail stations is often a significant feat of engineering. But these achievements on their own don’t necessarily make train transport accessible for people with reduced mobility. For a start, can they easily get to the station in the first place? Access from the station entrance to the platform […]
Electrification in the age of enterprise delivery
Enterprise delivery, using Project 13 principles, is gaining traction. Richard Jackson, E&P Pre-Delivery Lead, Octavius, and Paige Baker, Development Manager, Octavius, examine the delivery model’s influence on rail renewals electrification Enterprise delivery, embedding Project 13 principles, is becoming an engine of change in the rail infrastructure sector. Project 13 seeks to remove traditional segmented client, […]
AfA: Good For People, Good For The Planet
Transport policy is interwoven with the social and economic fabric of the nation. Making rail transport convenient for more people expands access to training and employment opportunities. As well as bringing inclusion, fairness and economic gains, Access for All (AfA) also delivers many sustainability benefits. More journeys made by rail mean fewer made by road […]
Collaborative working comes to the forefront
With regional devolution on an unprecedented scale collaborative working is increasingly seen as the best way to deliver transport infrastructure As transport enters a new era – with regional devolution on an unprecedented scale, CP7 building momentum, and the dawn of RIS3 – progressive, collaborative procurement is increasingly recognised as the best way to deliver […]
To Deliver AfA For Communities, You Must Deliver With Communities
Judging whether any project is a success depends on your viewpoint. With Access for All (AfA) schemes, you certainly need a wide range of perspectives to determine whether all relevant needs and priorities have been met. We cannot successfully solve access problems without involving people with lived experience. And beyond the functional needs of providing […]
AfA: The Story Behind A Successful Handover
Another new Access for All (AfA) upgraded station opens. But before the ceremonies, ribbon-cutting and public appreciation, there’s a story. It’s one of consultation, attention to detail and applied expertise. While the overall aim of making rail travel easier for all is a constant, the precise means of getting to a successful outcome is always […]
Thinking Ahead: What Does ‘All’ In AfA Really Mean?
We can never have a perfect view of the future. But we can look at trends and make reasonable predictions about who will need to access the future rail network – and how they will access it. This matters because we want to ensure that stations undergoing AfA upgrades are ready to meet future, as […]
AfA on the Ground: A Glimpse into the Day-to-Day
With every Access for All (AfA) scheme being so site-specific – shaped by its unique location, layout, constraints and community, describing a “typical day” on one of these projects is next to impossible. But while the work varies from station to station, certain things never change: the need to adapt quickly, collaborate closely, communicate clearly […]