Tandem lift by two self-propelled rail cranes of a heavy prefabricated track panel during a major railway upgrading programme.


A tandem lift involving simultaneous use of two rail cranes to move heavy track panels into position on a crowded worksite requires considerable expertise and stringent safety systems put into place if the operation is to be handled successfully. An efficient and integrated transportation system is essential for any developed or developing country. Transport drives productivity, improves the quality of life and, carefully planned, is good for the environment. An affordable, sustainable passenger and freight railway service is a vital component of a nation’s economic success. Railways are the safest form of mass transportation. Each day, the UK rail network carries around 22,000 trains, many are full to capacity and the demand is predicted to grow by 30% in the next decade. It is essential to get more passengers onto an already crowded railway. The system receives a daily pounding from an ever-increasing number of faster and heavier trains and it's no surprise that a huge amount of the rail system needs to be upgraded or replaced to ensure a reliable, efficient and safe system. Unfortunately, for reasons of safety, major works must take place during prolonged 'possessions' or ‘blockades’ when the trains are stopped and the contractors can carry out their essential replacement programmes unimpeded. Skilled rail contractors using sophisticated machinery are utilised to speed the upgrade programme as much as possible.


Size: 3310px × 3310px
Location: Kent, England, UK.
Photo credit: © qaphotos.com / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: -, -vi, 25000, 25kv, block, blockage, building, business, cancel, cancellation, carry, caternary, certificate, certification, change, circuit, civil, commuter, construction, consultant, contractor, control, controller, corridor, crane, critical, current, damage, danger, defect, delay, disruption, electric, electrical, electricity, elevate, employee, engineer, engineering, examination, examine, exchange, fail, failure, freight, hard, hat, hazard, health, helmet, high, hoist, industrial, industry, infrastructure, install, installation, instruction, insulator, integrity, jeopardy, journey, junction, lift, line, live, management, manager, mass, move, movement, operate, operator, overhead, overrun, panel, pantograph, passage, passenger, peril, permanent, personal, points, position, possession, power, propelled, pts, public, rail, railroad, railway, recondition, renew, renewal, repair, replace, risk, risk-based, risky, running, safe, safety, site, speed, staff, supervision, supervisor, surveyor, switch, system, tandem, test, testing, tourist, track, trackside, trackwork, traction, training, transformer, transit, transport, transportation, travel, travelling, trip, turnout, upgrade, visibility, volts, wait, waiting, wire, worker, workforce, worn-