National Railway Case Study
by: Source One Environmental
In June 2016, a national railway in Canada partnered with Source One Environmental (S1E) and a railway-certified contractor to repair two culverts with PipePatch, a trenchless point repair system. The culverts were badly damaged and could have resulted in the train derailing.
- Repaired two badly damaged culverts in one day
- Saved railway more than $100,000 dollars
- Implemented annual maintenance railway program with PipePatch
The Challenge
Maintenance and repair discussions began with the railway a year ago at their headquarters in Montreal, Quebec. After a demonstration with bridge and culvert supervisors, S1E was given approval to begin training railway-certified contractors at railway yards in Ontario.
Because everyone involved in the repair needed to be eRailSafe compliant, testing and training was completed before the official repair. Both the contractor and railway crew was trained on a 36-in steel culvert under tracks in a railway yard. This training was completed by Brad Miller of Source One Environmental, along with four railway supervisors and four members of the contracting crew.
The damaged area was two 36-in concrete culverts. The first culvert had a 10-in separation at the top which was causing rocks and debris to fall into the pipe. This was a major concern because the ground was beginning to cave, causing the track to sag and could eventually lead to a train derailing. The other culvert was beginning to experience the same problem.
The Solution
A traditional excavation was not an option for repairing the culverts. Shutting down the tracks for a day could have cost more than $100,000, along with environmental and traffic disruption.
The focus product was the PipePatch Pillow System, a system engineered for large diameter pipes. Being flexible, the Pillow System can complete repairs in various applications and conditions through manholes and/or right through the culvert on most pipes up to 48-in or 1200 mm.
The system would restore structural integrity to the damaged culverts and exceed specification ASTM F1216 for CIPP. By utilizing the Pillow System, the culvert would be guaranteed a minimum service life of 50 years.
The Results
The repair was ready to be completed at the end of June, 2016. Because all PipePatch systems can cure in the presence of water, the repair was done with over 1-ft. of water in the pipe. Both of the repairs were completed in one day. After the training was complete over two days, the certified Contractors completed two more repairs with the help and supervision of the railway .
The Pillow System completely restored the culverts, repairing the separation and eliminating the derailing issue. As a trenchless product, any kind of digging or excavation was not necessary—allowing both the culvert and train to function as normal. Repairing the culverts with PipePatch resulted in S1E saving the railway more than $100,000 in costs and future damages.
Since the repair, the contracting company was able to repair four more damaged areas that week. S1E is now moving forward with a training program for the railway’s personnel to complete repairs on their own as well. This will help the railway save valuable costs and time.
Moving forward, S1E is continuing to partner with the national railway company to establish an annual maintenance and emergency repair program.
About S1E: Source One Environmental (S1E) was established in 2009 to provide innovative solutions for municipalities, contractors and plumbers in the water management and infrastructure rehabilitation markets. S1E manufacturers trenchless repair products that provide customers with an environmentally-friendly and cost-effective solution while offering on-site training and consultations.