£69 million Victoria signal contract goes to Alstom

Alstom has been awarded a £69 million contract to resignal lines from London Victoria.

The work encompasses lines south of Victoria covering Brixton, Sydenham Hill, and Ravensbourne on the Catford Loop.

It represents the latest step under the Southern Region Major Signalling Framework Agreement signed in 2020. The announcement for the delivery stages (GRIP 5-8) of Victoria Phase 5 follows the award of the £37m Phase 4 in March 2021.

Jason Baldock, Alstom’s Managing Director, Digital & Integrated Solutions, said that passengers “can look forward to a more reliable railway across the

South London area”.

Network Rail’s Three Bridges Rail Operating Centre (ROC) will control 302 new signal equivalent units (SEUs), 494 new axle counters, and 82 new Train Protection Warning System units linked by 86,500 metres of signalling cable. ‘Victoria 5’ is to go live in December 2024.

NR Senior Programme Manager Jamie Foster said: “The award of this GRIP 5-8 contract for Victoria Phase 5, the next major phase of the wider Victoria Area Resignalling Programme, marks both end and beginning chapters of an enormous effort by the joint Network Rail and Alstom teams.

“Since the teams formed for the delivery of the GRIP 4 contract, they have been on a collective journey of discovery.

“I look forward to continuing to be a part of these shared successes and to further witness the teams’ continual growth and development, with the ultimate goal of celebrating the benefits the passengers will see upon completion of the scheme early in 2025.”

Under the wider Southern resignalling scheme, part of the Portsmouth Main Line closed for nine days in February as work started on a £95m phase that will include replacing three signal boxes (RAIL 951).