Overhead Line Electrification (OLE) — Technical Overview

SmartTrax Rail provides end-to-end, technically driven Overhead Line Electrification (OLE) delivery across the UK rail network. Our capability covers feasibility and engineering design through to installation, commissioning, asset renewal and lifecycle maintenance. Work is carried out by OLEC-qualified teams under formal project governance, with digital traceability of progress and QA deliverables.

Key Principles

First-time-right delivery: engineering verification and hold-points to prevent rework.
Standards & compliance: works executed to Network Rail requirements and project specifications, supported by BS EN fabrication standards and recognised OLE competencies.
Safety-led execution: site-specific method statements, hot-work management and controlled systems for burner / cutting activities.
Traceability: full digital QA dossiers, test records and as-installed asset data for handback and maintenance.

Technical Capabilities (Summary)

Site survey, topographical & 3D modelling, clearance and clash analysis.
Foundation design, piling, pile cap installation and pile remediation.
Main and small-part steel fabrication/installation to BS EN 1090.
Contact, catenary and registration wire system installation, phased tensioning and thermal compensation.
Earthing, bonding and electrical interfacing with SPS/substations.

HV & LV testing, dynamic gauging and operational handback.

Controlled burner and cutting services for strip-out and decommissioning.

SmartTrax digital logging for time, location, QA and asset records.

Detailed Scope — OLE Elements (3.1 → 3.6)

3.1 Install Main Steel (Primary Structural Installation)

Work includes: procurement, off-site / on-site inspection, temporary works, foundation interface checks, lifting plans and installation of masts, portals, headspans and primary booms.

Controls & deliverables: structural survey (plumb, level, alignment), torque verification, non-destructive testing (where specified), bolted/welded connection records, and photographic as-built pack. Main steel is accepted against design drawings and structural hold-points prior to wiring.

3.2 Install Small-Part Steel (Secondary & Registration Fixings)

Work includes: supply and installation of brackets, cantilever arms, droppers frames, registration brackets, stillages and fastenings. Site-level fabrication/fit-off and finish to specified tolerances.

Controls & deliverables: dimensional checks, torque and clamp verification, mark-up against registration drawings and small-parts traceability logs.

3.3 Install Wire (Contact, Catenary & Registration)

Work includes: controlled stringing using winches and blocks, splice management, droppers, stagger setting and staged tensioning to achieve specified sag/tension profiles. Thermal expansion planning and compensation for operational temperature windows.

Controls & deliverables: sag/tension calculation sheets, pulling and tensioning certificates, splice records, conductor serialisation, and installation logs for commissioning.

3.4 Install In-Span Registration of Component Parts

Work includes: placement, levelling and alignment of in-span registration units, insulators and in-span droppers to achieve pantograph interface requirements and contact geometry.

Controls & deliverables: in-span measurement reports, registration tolerance checks, pantograph profile verification (static/dynamic gauging where required), and adjustment records.

3.5 Install Earthing & Bonding

Work includes: track bonding, structure earthing, substation bonding interfaces, earth mats and provision of certified test points. Interfaces with signalling/electrical earthing requirements are controlled.

Controls & deliverables: continuity tests, earth resistance readings, torque records for clamps, bonding certificates and wiring diagrams for handback.

3.6 Testing & Gauging (Pre- and Post-Installation Verification)

Work includes: tension verification, sag checks, high-voltage (Hi-Pot) and insulation resistance testing, continuity and bonding checks, pantograph/dynamic gauging, and operational acceptance testing under project criteria.

Controls & deliverables: test procedures, calibrated instrument certificates, test sheets, non-conformance records and a signed QA dossier for operational handback.

Burner Services & OLE Pile Correction — Technical Methodology

Burner / Controlled Cutting Services

Application: removal of redundant steelwork, controlled strip-out in constrained areas and decommissioning where mechanical removal is impractical.
Methodology: hot-work permits, fume extraction, fire-watch protocols, respirable monitoring and environmental controls. Works follow site-specific method statements and include segregation, ash/slag management and post-work inspection.
Outputs: burner method statement, hot-work permits, burn logs and safe-to-enter sign-off.

OLE Pile Correction (Cut-and-Drill / Flexi-Pile Cap)

Problem set: refused, misaligned, partially driven or incorrectly positioned piles.
Solution: cut-and-drill flexi-pile cap systems that avoid on-site boss fabrication and limit hot-works. Where welding is required by design, controlled re-welding is performed with appropriate testing and painting.
Benefits: reduced programme risk, no requirement for on-site boss welding in most cases, rapid reinstatement to design tolerances and minimised possession exposure.
Controls & deliverables: geotechnical verification (where required), pile alignment reports, foundation load checks (if specified), and pile cap certification.

Engineering, Planning & Execution Controls

Design verification: interface checks for P-Way, signalling and civils; 3D clash detection and registration analysis.
Programme & logistics: component WBS, shift-level briefing sheets, daily reporting, and master workbank re-sequencing for missed items.
Plant & tooling: RRV, MEWP, telehandlers, AC cranes, tensioning winches and calibrated test equipment. Fabrication to BS EN 1090 with TIG/MIG capabilities.
Quality assurance: documented hold points, calibrated instrumentation, traceable test records, and a packaged handback dossier containing drawings, certificates and maintenance recommendations.
Health, safety & environment: site health surveillance, asbestos / confined space controls (where applicable), emergency arrangements and continual HSQE oversight.

Acceptance & Handover

SmartTrax delivers a fully populated handback package containing:

As-installed drawings and registration geometry.
Complete test and commissioning records (HV, tension, earth/bonding).
Fabrication and inspection certificates.
Method statements, RAMS and site-specific certificates.

Recommendations for maintenance regimes and asset lifecycle data.

Operational acceptance is completed in accordance with project or Network Rail acceptance criteria and signed off by the responsible engineer.

Selected OLE Deliverables (for Tender Pack)

Method statements for main steel, wireworks, earthing, burner operations and pile correction.
Detailed WBS and programme logic with lookahead schedules.
Test procedures and calibration certificates.
Resource plan (OLEC competencies, plant and tooling).
Risk register with mitigations and hold-points.

Contact — Technical & Tender Enquiries

For technical clarifications, to request method statements or capability packs, contact:

nick.kilner@smarttraxrail.co.uk
07834 036243