Tim Witcomb

Said the following about Thameslink Route Access Team:

“Thameslink Route Access Team provides a ‘1 stop shop’ for engineering access, possession and worksite planning and on site delivery. Combining AC and DC isolation planning and engineering train path validation they consistently deliver across 4 Operational Routes and provide major planning support for the Kent Route and specifically London Bridge Delivery Unit as well as the huge Thameslink project demands in its own right.

An innovative approach to how the possessions are planned to ensure maximum work time on site has been adopted, applying multi part possessions in midweek nights to gain access at location extremities. Pushing the possession times to the full by deploying delivery teams primed and ready to undertake their specific task ultimately enables more time on tools for all involved.

The team have the capability to react to delivery unit maintenance defects, whilst minimising the effects on the planned project work and facilitating changes in a controlled way. Structured process for managing the changes calls on the experience and skills of each of the different members of the team to verify the different elements so any and all changes are implemented safely.

There is a strong service provision team ethic and a drive from the individuals to keep challenging the way possessions are planned and managed to be creative and effective. This challenge is expressed within the team to encourage learning, and within the project teams to give them options to consider.

The team delivers approx. 20-30 possessions per week, utilising an average of 350 shifts with approx. 50 possession diagrams, 40 PICOP and ES packs, 250 Blocking and Strapping packs and 40+ SSWOPs. They have delivered faultlessly several major blockades including Christmas 2014 which included 19 parts to the possession across 16 days.

An example of the attention to detail, the drive to be successful and high level of personal/team integrity was borne out in a recent possession in week 17.

It was identified in the weekend possession of 17/18 July that one of the engineering trains entering the London Bridge 27 hr possession would in fact potentially cause a performance issue to SE Route. The train was planned to transit from Eastleigh to the possession entry point at Spa Road during the day time and therefore effect passenger services as it waited entry ‘sideways’ into the possession. The issue was highlighted via the train validation process, discussed with the planners, Ops Delivery Managers and possession delivery teams so that all were on board with the plan to egress into the worksite as promptly as possible. The train took an extremely swift 7 minutes to enter the possession and worksite and caused no delay as each member of the team knew exactly what needed to be done to ensure its successful path.“