An agreement – similar to the “seepage protocol” between Thames Water and London Underground – has been reached whereby any signs of water leakage onto the rail network is immediately highlighted and investigated.
It is hoped this agreement will prevent a repeat of the flooded tunnel near Farringdon station at the end of January which saw trains cancelled and left Thames Water facing a “multi-million pound bill“.
Speaking to the Greater London Authority (GLA) Environment Committee, Thames Water’s external affairs and sustainability director Richard Aylard said the agreement was reached at the Network Rail headquarters in Derby on Tuesday.
He said: “We are going to have a seepage protocol, or something using the same principle, with Network Rail as we clearly need it.
“We do good work with London underground and we need to mirror this with equally good work with Network Rail.”
Aylard added that during operation incidents, such as the flooded tracks that occurred at the end of January, Thames Water and Network Rail would work closer together to avoid delays in finding the causes to the problem.
He said that it was only when Thames Water got their engineers on site, that they were able to identify and clear a blocked drainage system, and clear the water.
Aylard added: “During an operational incident we’re going to have Thames people in the Network Rail control room, and they will have operational people in our control room.”
A spokesperson from Network Rail told Utility Week: “This is part of our work with Thames Water to find a resolution.”
“We need to be able to work together in an effective way without causing the disruption to customers.”