Chloe Doyle

Said the following about Renewals Team:

“Alan Barnes’s renewal team ran the Central Rail Systems Alliance’s (CRSA) Newark project just a few weeks into the Alliance being formed, a brand-new business made up of lots of different companies with some people that had never worked together before.

Hundreds of people in the previous organisation had to be transferred over to the CRSA which meant everyone having to use a number of unfamiliar and different systems and processes making their first job even more challenging.

Alan leads the renewals team in the Eastern region which has an exceptional and consistent track record of quality, right time delivery, no loss of volume and Track Renewals up and down the country on the eastern route such as Ambergate Junction remodelling, Holloway Jn, Bowes Park Jn and Dock Jn renewals being instrumental in delivering them to budget, back to the customer to the highest quality, on time and safely.

The team constantly collaborate with other teams, companies and suppliers building relationships to get the most out of their project team and to ensure their projects are completed successfully, which consists of getting the resources, planning and delivery right in almost usually a very short amount of time.

This is because of Alan’s dedication and passion for the job. He is thorough and wants his team to excel in meticulous working methodologies and conditions and is constantly getting great feedback from the customer.

Alan and his team have worked on many challenging jobs this year, but the Newark Flat Crossing renewal project stands out as a particularly difficult job.

On the August bank holiday weekend of 2019, the team successfully completed the replacement of the flat crossing at Newark, where the ECML crosses the Nottingham to Lincoln line. Works were undertaken across the three days.

The old and crumbling Newark Flat Crossing was replaced on a similar footprint but instead of using the traditional greenheart timber support bearers, synthetic FFU bearers were used on the UK rail network on a project of this type for the first time.

This innovative product widely used in Japan required product acceptance before it could be installed in the UK network. The core work was completed to plan with the new 60T crossing panel being lifted into place using two Kirow 1200 Rail cranes working in tandem. The team handed back on time as planned with a line speed of 50mph. No accidents or incidents were encountered.

The follow up work was completed also in a timely manner and the project ended on time and in budget. Alan and his team did an exceptional job as always, Alan is always the first one on site and the last one to leave. He leads his team through thick and thin, always goes over and above his everyday duties by staying late or ensuring exceptional quality.“