Project Fortwilliam, Cubis’ Innovative Trackside Solutions

Case Study

Working collaboratively with NI Railways, Cubis Systems have been supporting the ongoing infrastructure upgrade of the rail network across Northern Ireland. This has seen major investment from the Department for Infrastructure with the aim of achieving the highest standards of both passenger safety and operational performance throughout the entirety of Northern Ireland’s railway network.

Since the beginning of 2020, Cubis has been delivering a range of STAKKAbox™ access chambers and cable protection products (MULTIduct™ and PROtrough) to the Dark Arches and Fortwilliam to Whiteabbey Track Renewal scheme.

The scenic route of the track, which runs from the Shore Road to Whiteabbey will see the renewal of approximately 840m of rail line, including new track drainage, cable routes and signalling upgrades.

Running under a series of bridges and archways, the rail track will require both day and night track possession closures to allow the upgrade to take place and to ensure minimum disruption to passengers and noise impact to local residents.

With time being a critical factor for the project, Cubis’ products provided the ideal solution due to being lightweight, easy to transport and fast to install within the remote location. Installation was easily achieved off the flatbed into the required location along the track with the removal of heavy lifting equipment. The STAKKAbox ™ ULTIMA access chamber system was utilised for the Fixed Telecom Network requirement and the MULTIduct™ and PROtrough cable protection systems provided seamless integration between the two products, offering a modern alternative to traditional methods for burying trackside cabling.

The trackside cable troughing ‘PROtrough’ offered a lightweight, secure and fire-retardant product comprising of 1-meter long units that interlock whilst allowing for gentle rotations between units to follow curves along the track. Being made from GRP provided significant health and safety advantages due to its lightweight properties with no parts being over 12kg in weight, as opposed to the traditional concrete alternatives that require heavy plant to manoeuvre them into position.

To learn more about this ongoing rail infrastructure project, keep up to date with the project on our website or directly contact Danielle Devlin, Area Manager for Ireland to learn more about how Cubis can support your infrastructure projects.