This approach has now been embraced by two Route Directors as an innovative approach to reducing the risk of delays to the traveling public, brought about by ill–planned, overrunning engineering works.
Typically, disruptive access to the infrastructure is agreed up to two years in advance of the works, and is generally requested either as a ‘maintainer’ or ‘project’ possession of the railway over a weekend.
Decision making both before and during the disruptive access is streamlined, and it is known who the owns and controls the access.
Because the individual(s) have been involved with the planning, the consequences of changes to the plan are well understood, and informed decisions about changes that may occur during the delivery of works within the access are better considered.
The Controlling Mind also enables the following: better planning of works, planning of activities can be commenced earlier, encourages ‘Buy In’ by stakeholders, allows for better integration and deconfliction of activities resulting in more economic and efficient delivery.