Accelerated Rail Network Renewal Through Embedded Client-Side Expertise
This case study highlights how a strong and dedicated client-led renewal management team is best placed to manage the critical planning, access, stakeholder, scope and funding risks of major network-wide renewals.
It also underscores that major renewal activities should be treated and managed as a major project.
The consequences of not making this shift can stretch the programme over multiple decades, resulting in continuous service disruptions, increase renewal and network safety risks and result in a network that remains vulnerable and lacking resilience.
A mixed metropolitan rail network, heavily relied upon by both passenger and freight services, was experiencing widespread operational degradation. Decades of deferred renewals led to speed restrictions on the network. Many assets – particularly track formation and ballast – dated back to the 1900’s and had not been renewed.
Routine maintenance practices kept the network safe and marginally functional, but the lack of structured renewals programmes, sustained funding and productive access windows undermined efforts to maintain a reliable network and resilient timetable.
Historical deferred renewals and limited maintenance access resulting in poor operational performance
The network required urgent renewal but when funding was available the scale of work, political sensitivity and the need to keep train services operating posed significant challenges. Also, traditional maintenance approaches proved ineffective and unsustainable as the organisation lacked the awareness, skills and people to approach renewals as a coordinated project. The organisation lacked a dedicated team, effective programme strategy and integrated planning capabilities.
Failure to recognise that the level of renewal required a project-based approach
Usually, network managers adopt a hands-off approach by contracting out renewals. However, in this case, it became clear that external parties would struggle to manage the full complexity of the task - balancing cost, delivery effectiveness, quality, programme risk, customer disruption and stakeholder engagement – without the necessary authority and levers needed. To address this, a dedicated client-side team was established from the outset to navigate these challenges and empower the network manager to lead and own the renewal programme.
The network manager is best placed to manage the network risks
A wide range of data inputs were needed to guide strategy and transparent governance, including
- Organisational structure and network knowledge
- Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) being validated by test pits
- Construction methodologies and associated productivities
- Operational and network timetabling assessments
- Disruption management scenarios and mitigations
- Stakeholder sentiments and political sensitivity
This diverse suite of data enabled the development of comprehensive, multi-scenario programme options. Ultimately, it supported the conclusion that short sectional closures for focused renewal works would deliver better value, reduced risk, and earlier benefits than a traditional approach that would stretch the programme over multiple decades with higher cumulative disruption and cost.
Data-driven governance enabled both smarter and faster decisions
Extensive benchmarking was conducted across multiple contractors, sites and network section. The comparison between construction-led, project-based methodologies and traditional maintenance approaches revealed a striking difference in performance – productivity increased by 300%, and costs were reduced by approximately 50%.
Construction and project methods tripled output and halved costs
This case study shows the transformation possible when a network manager takes proactive ownership of its renewal programme, supported by embedded expertise and informed by robust verified data. The shift from reactive maintenance to a project-led renewal model was not simply a change in delivery method – it was a cultural and strategic shift in how the organisation viewed its infrastructure, its responsibilities, and its delivery approach.
Critically, the client-side team brought strategic programme thinking, integrated data, construction methodologies, sound risk management, and hands-on leadership to the organisation, allowing it to make confident decisions about trade-offs, access and risk. The principle that risk should sit with those best placed to manage it became operational.
Benchmarking demonstrated the value of the alternative methods and proactive management over traditional approaches. These findings directly influenced procurement, delivery strategy, and organisational design.
The lessons are clear: with the right data, expertise, governance, and mindset, complex renewals can be delivered faster, smarter, safer, more sustainably, and with better outcomes for the network and users. Organisations facing similar renewal challenges should assess their capability, establish a client-side management team early, and adopt a project-led approach supported by data-driven approach.
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