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An example of how we are realising the market opportunities OCU Digital Infrastructure
Case study | Digital Infrastructure Maintenance and Upgrade of Fibre within Rail Network
UK-wide | COLT
Framework project overview OCU delivers 24/7 national maintenance and fault response for COLT’s 9,000km fibre and copper network across UK rail infrastructure, including Network Rail, TfL, DLR, and Merseyrail. Services range
Challenge Delivering national coverage across a legacy fibre network poses unique technical and logistical demands. Safe rail access is tightly regulated and varies by region, often limiting working hours. Outdoor environments, from exposed coastal lines to urban tunnels, mean work must continue through all seasons and frequently without shelter. Maintaining asset integrity while co-ordinating with third-party works on complex, live infrastructure requires high standards of communication, safety, and planning.
Solution OCU meticulously and successfully TUPE-transferred a specialist team that had operated the contract for over 15 years, instantly boosting the strength and reach of our Digital Infrastructure rail division. With experienced, geographically dispersed engineers in place from day one, OCU enhanced its fibre capability and deployed integrated systems for SSOWs (Safe System of Work packs), Task Briefing Sheets (TBS), and accredited documentation. The team delivers planned and reactive services under tight timeframes and varying access conditions, to protect COLT’s infrastructure throughout complex upgrades. OCU provides a robust and responsive mechanism for managing fibre outages through its National Operations Centre (NOC), located in Leeds and operating 24/7. This centre is designed to respond swiftly and effectively to incidents of all sizes, from customer queries to Priority One fibre network outages. The Leeds NOC is underpinned by a resilient secondary site in Preston, ensuring continuity of service in any circumstance.
Outcome Works are sequenced and delivered with agility and technical rigour to uphold fibre continuity and minimise service disruption. Mobilisation was completed within a month of contract award. OCU’s team was immediately operational, responding to 14 faults and completing two full fibre cutovers within the first 60 days. Multiple lift-and-shift packages are already underway, with further cutovers planned. The framework fulfilment demonstrates our ability to integrate experienced personnel, uphold strict safety and access protocols, and deliver critical fibre and digital infrastructure resilience at scale. All major fibre incidents are logged in OCU One, our proprietary incident management platform. This system tracks the incident lifecycle, provides real-time updates, and ensures SLA adherence throughout. Response Coordinators act independently of operational delivery teams to oversee progress, enabling swift mobilisation of resources, tight co-ordination across functions, and consistent communication with all stakeholders.
from emergency repairs to planned diversions during infrastructure works, with full turnkey delivery including civils, cabling, splicing and testing. Operating as COLT’s trusted delivery partner, OCU brings accredited, safety-critical expertise and a collaborative approach to protect and maintain assets across complex, regulated environments. • Providing UK-wide coverage • 9,000km+ of rail-deployed fibre maintained • Multi-client coverage including Network Rail, TfL, DLR and Merseyrail • 24/7 national service availability • 30+ accredited engineers Key facts
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