July News!

The SVM office is a bustling place in July.  As well as lots of exciting new projects, we have also undertaken our annual RISQS audit, which was successfully passed and ensures that we will continue to service the Railway in the best and safest way possible.  It certainly makes this year’s staff holidays, which include locations such as Budapest, Gran Canaria and The Alps, feel very well deserved! 

July has seen many new projects in the SVM arrival lounge, including load monitoring at a Railway Depot in Aberdeen; temporary works for the AFA project at Uddingston Station; a new facet of design at one of the Etches Park Depot roads; and projects related to the water tanks at Dumfries and Glasgow Central.  After having undertaken successful projects in the past, we have also been asked to return to Prestwick Railway Station for provision of further design and Craigentinny Depot for a new phase of works associated with the CET 

Our biggest ongoing projects this July are led by Transpennine Express works in Newcastle and York; wheel lathe design in Clacton; retail refurbishment at Caledonia Chambers; East Kilbride electrification works; and replacement of copper medium telecomms to fibre on Railway SCADA sites.  We have many continuing projects covering whole routes of the Railway including accelerated network design; surveys on the Aberdeen to Central Belt route; GRIP 4 and 5 design works at Levenmouth and Portobello; and design for Blair Atholl to Dalwhinnie. There is a lot going on at Scottish Stations this month with Waverley housing projects covering concourse lighting, calorifier design; digital advertising boards; distribution design and the signalling centre; while, across the country, Glasgow Central is home to electrical surveys and design for junction lighting.  Ayr Station has ongoing works concerning the booking office; platform water heating and re-energisation; and Troon station approaches the end of its construction phase.  Inverness is hosting works associated with the panel scope design and train crew accommodation, while Glasgow Queen St ticket office is still underway.  AFA works are ongoing at Anniesland and Balgray; while containment works at Singer are making good progress as are those for Yoker Bridge deck and Clydebank remedials.  Scottish depots are also busy, with feeder protection upgrades; design for fuel control panels; a new drying room serving a Glasgow City Centre location; and works getting underway at Shields Depot.  Heating, air-con and boiler replacement works are ongoing at Motherwell; as are water pipe diversion works in Dundee, while DPS works at Broomloan are about to get underway.  However, we never forget our more niche jobs like those for level crossings at Aldclune and Banavie; Kirkconnel life extension works; LEV design for engineering; CET/water facilities at multiple sites; and design for vending machines at various ScotRail locations.  England has seen almost as much action as Scotland in July with works at depots in Eastcroft, Etches Park and Tysley; Goole Swing Bridge; and tunnel works in West Yorkshire.  Additional works for the Rugeley to Colwich and Welwyn to Hitchin routes continue this month; while reactive assistance on projects at Birmingham and Euston Stations continues to be provided.  Works in Selhurst for both an REB and wheel lathe are ongoing; and we continue to edge closer to the completion of works for the Ferrybridge to Goole route; and Bangor to Colwyn Bay. 

We remain involved in the commercial sector this month with survey and reporting works for a power station site in Dounreay, Building Control acceptance for a commercial unit in Dumfries, and design support for works at an ophthalmic day theatre in Cambridge.  We continue to provide design advice for an office refurbishment in Kilsyth; works at a roundabout in the North of Glasgow which are nearing completion; and we are just getting started on extensive works associated with the expansion of Stranraer marina.   

Following last month’s increase in the capacity of our office, we are delighted to welcome another new member to SVM as Gary Douglas joins us in the position of Assistant Electrical Engineer.  We look forward to watching him develop as an important part of SVM’s growing team and wish him luck in his new role.  As we look set to enjoy a productive summer, we would like to wish all of our colleagues, clients and collaborators a safe and enjoyable time over the holiday period.