Thorne & Derrick, along with Bombardier Transportation, are supplying the Silver Fox Fox-in-a-Box Cable Label System for use on the London Underground (LUL) SSR Contract – reportedly the largest metro re-signalling contract ever undertaken in the world.

The system, from the leading UK manufacturer of labelling solutions, Silver Fox, is based around the Fox-in-a-Box thermal printer using the Labacus Innovator Professional Software. This printer can provide complex and multiple cable labels; split cable labels; cross-ferruling, and the variable replication of cells.

Fox-in-a-Box.

Thorne & Derrick are national distributors and worldwide exporters of cable installation, cable jointing and electrical equipment for industrial and hazardous areas; while the £354m contract for SSR automatic train control (ATC) signalling upgrade for LUL, was awarded to Bombardier Transportation in June 2011.

At the heart of the new system is Bombardier’s proven CITYFLO 650 ATC system which uses communication-based train control (CBTC) technology. It is similar to the system in operation on Shenzhen Metro Line 3 in China and also the one operating on the Metro de Madrid Lines 1 and 6 in Spain.

The LUL contract is for the signalling renewal and provision of an ATC system for the four sub-surface lines, which carry some 1.3m passengers a day. Together, the lines comprise 40% of the LUL network and carry 25% of the total ridership.

By 2018, Bombardier will equip the 310km of track line (40km in tunnels), 113 stations, 191 trainsets, 49 engineering trains and six heritage trains, followed by a two-year warranty period.

As part of this project, Silver Fox LSZH (low smoke zero halogen) tie on cable labels are being used to label both low and high voltage power cables on the LUL rail network. LUL have adopted a red-on-white cable label for high voltage cables and black-on-white cable label for low voltage cables.

According to Nick Michaelson, CEO of Silver Fox, the Silverfox Tie-On cable marking system is ideal for large cables and cable bundles – including use with nylon or stainless steel cable ties. They are used on LUL compliant cable labels for power, Cat5e, co-axial and fire alarm cables.