The Transpennine Route Upgrade (TRU) will improve connectivity in the North and support economic growth as works enable faster, more frequent, and more reliable services. The TRU East Alliance team is responsible for delivering essential upgrades between Leeds and York, as part of this transformational railway program.
TRU East needed a compact lighting unit to provide powerful lighting on site. The tower lights also needed to be sustainable and save on costs and carbon emissions.
TRU East found they were having issues regarding spacing on site and needed a compact tower light unit that delivered powerful lighting. Together with this the light needed to save on costs and carbon emissions in comparison to diesel alternative machines which were not suitable. As they weren’t initially certain of the rental or purchase route, they wanted to opt for a trial period allowing them time and data to make a more informed decision.
TRU East contacted Prolectric, as they wanted to initially rent, we provided our ProLight and ProRXM for a 4-week trial period for one of their sites. Following the trial, they purchased 10x ProRXM tower lights for their sites.
This decision was based on the great performance they’d experienced from the trial, the flexibility of the product in other site areas that offered unique challenges and, on the savings information, received from our lighting portal, highlighting the carbon and cost savings generated during the trial period. This further assisted their decision and helped them move away from using diesel tower lights. The team at TRU East also received ProRXM product and lighting portal training, with regular site visits for ongoing support.
The team felt the lighting portal was really user friendly, helpful for fleet management, easy-to-use and allowed flexibility for scheduling changes of lighting, which could be done remotely.
ProRXM Solar Lighting TowerWith the success of the trial and subsequent purchase, our relationship with TRU East is ongoing, looking at future fleet growth and working alongside them to help reduce their carbon footprint through our lighting and power solutions.
The below results were taken from 1 January – 26 June 2024, showing the significant savings made by TRU East across their fleet of tower lights.
36 tons of CO2e
2,845 gallons of fuel
$24,679
A 97% diesel reduction at the first attempt is a great achievement. Saving close to 6,000 litres of diesel is the same as driving a family car at 40 mpg twice around the circumference of the world. It’s also clear where we have learnt the lessons from Llanwern so we can aim to close that small gap. We really want to get to that 100% fuel-free figure by the time of our next challenge, planned for a rail renewal project later in the summer. There’s no doubt these technologies are going to be a complete game-changer and we need to push on to get to a place where using this type of technology is just business as usual.
Ryan BallingerHighways England’s environmental strategy seeks to help protect, manage and enhance the quality of the surrounding environment.
The use of Prolectric solar powered lights on the project is an excellent innovative approach by the A14 Integrated delivery team. The use of renewable power sources on the A14 scheme helps us to work in greater harmony with the environment.
David BrayI was familiar with the off-grid benefits of Prolectric solar lighting from previous trials, so I knew that using the ProTemps at Euston would mean we would get reliable site illumination without having to connect to mains electricity, therefore achieving a welcome saving in utility charges. As the substation site is next to a residential estate, it was also important that we make all reasonable efforts to reduce our impacts, such as noise from generators. My role at Skanska is to encourage environmental improvement and promote the use of equipment powered by renewable sources. It is important for contractors to be aware of solar-powered alternative for temporary lighting where it can reduce any adverse environmental impacts, and it will also help to save on project costs.
Richard Cattan