A 17-year-old engineering student at York College has developed a solution to a railway signalling problem that could help Network Rail avoid costly delays caused by animals damaging cables.
Jackson Hall, who is studying a Design & Development: Manufacturing & Engineering T Level, developed a bespoke component after his work placement provider, AGH Engineering, was approached by Network Rail to investigate rats and other animals gaining access to ageing signal boxes in the Leeds area.
The animals were chewing cables and causing short circuits, with faults capable of bringing services to a halt across miles of railway track.
Following a site visit, Jackson brought an example of the problematic equipment back to AGH’s York city-centre office. Using a 3D scanner and Computer-Aided Design (CAD) software introduced during his first year at college, he designed a component intended to prevent animals from accessing the vulnerable equipment.
His first polycarbonate prototype came close to solving the problem but required further adjustments. Jackson refined the design following another site visit, producing a second version that resolved the issue and has since been installed.
Two units have already been installed in Network Rail signal boxes, with a further 63 locations identified for a potential rollout. Network Rail has asked AGH Engineering to provide a quotation for extending the solution across all 65 locations.
AGH’s investment in the project was around £25,000, and the company believes the design could have applications beyond Leeds, potentially helping to address similar problems elsewhere on the national rail network.
The potential financial impact of preventing signalling and cable faults is significant. AGH cited a recent power failure at Leeds station that cost Network Rail more than £1 million in delays, although this figure relates to that separate incident rather than a confirmed saving already delivered by Jackson’s design.
Career opportunity
Jackson’s work has also strengthened AGH Engineering’s relationship with Network Rail and demonstrated the value of its links with York College.
The company has offered Jackson a job as a Design Technician when he completes his T Level studies next summer. AGH will also fund a Higher National Diploma (HND) qualification as part of his longer-term pathway towards becoming a Chartered Engineer.
Speaking during National T Level Week, AGH Engineering principal Adam Wood praised Jackson’s work and the potential for the design to be used more widely.
Adam Wood, principal of AGH Engineering: There are colleagues in Network Rail in quite influential positions, who are aware of what Jackson has done and it has impressed them. We’ve made it clear to everybody this has come from our links with York College and a student who is on the T Level pathway.
It shows there are good students coming through and it’s clearly a nice thing for them to understand and see. The tweaks that Jackson made to his first prototype meant it could be adapted across all the troublesome locations, with Network Rail then instructing us to provide a quote for rolling it out across all 65 locations.
This issue isn’t just unique to Leeds as well so, ultimately, the solution could be rolled out wherever they are nationwide, which is great. Sometimes, a simple idea can become a very efficient way of saving delay minutes, which is obviously great for Network Rail and cost saving, but there’s also a wider impact to passengers and rail operators and, when you start looking at the knock-on effect, the numbers clearly start to increase exponentially.
Adam said the work had also helped raise the company’s profile within the rail industry and could lead to further opportunities.
Adam Wood: For Jackson to deliver something that has future proofed and negated an issue has enhanced the confidence the client has in our company. Network Rail will also be having wider conversations with other service providers that might be having the same problem.
They’ll be asking who developed the solution and AGH Engineering’s name will crop up, which naturally helps our reputation and our forward work balance.
Jackson, a former pupil of All Saints School, said he was pleased that his work would make a practical difference.
Jackson Hall: I’m proud because there’s been investment into it and it’s going to make a difference.
Before, if just one of the boxes was damaged by a rat, or even an unlucky spider, it was creating a short circuit that would stop trains being able to run on miles and miles of track.
What are T Levels?
T Levels are two-year technical qualifications for school leavers, combining classroom learning with industry placements. They include 315 hours of work placement and are designed to prepare students for skilled employment or further study.
T Levels carry UCAS points for university applications, with a T Level typically equivalent to three A Levels in terms of the points available.