Contract Award Notice- Remote Condition Monitoring for Track Buckle Risk and Detection

A Design Contest was completed under regulations 94-97 of the Utilities Contract Regulations 2016 (UCR 2016). Following the completion of this Design Contest, a phase of negotiations was completed with the Design Contest winners in line with regulation 50 (J) of the UCR 2016, allowing the direct award of the proposed contracts within this procurement.

The Track Buckle Risk and Detection Design Contest was completed via BravoNR between 18th November 2022 and 5th January 2023. The outcome of this Design Contest was that 6 participants were selected as Design Contest Winners in line with the Design Contest Criteria and Scoring.

Solutions will be tested on a test-rig and if successful will then go onto be trialled on a piece of live railway. These trials will help improve safety on the railway alongside preventing train delay situations caused by the track buckles which have not been identified earlier. The desired solution associated with this trial is part of a safety critical inspection to prevent the occurrence of a track buckle. Wrong-side failure of the associated system may lead to unsafe track geometry and impaired track performance, with the risk of disruption of the train service, collision, derailment and potential injury or loss of life.