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Wednesday 12 Oct 2016

Innovative engineering helps save money and provide future-proof service for Merseyside commuters

Region & Route:

| North West & Central

Network Rail is saving £9.5m of taxpayers' money by using an innovative scaffolding method to upgrade the Victorian railway tunnel leading to Liverpool Central station.

By installing an access platform secured to the tunnel walls, 15m above track, engineers are able to apply a number of layers of water-sealing cement onto its curved ceiling while MerseyRail trains continue to run below. The concrete is applied by using a robotic arm which is a much safer approach for the workforce as well as more cost-efficient approach. Once completed the newly sealed tunnel ceiling will not need any further maintenance for more than a century.

Adrian Bullock, Project Manager at AMCO Rail, Network Rail's contractor on this scheme, said: "We are doing 160 linear metres of tunnel line repair, putting a steelwork arch in with 300mm of concrete, which basically will see the roof become maintenance-free for the next 120 years. “Usually this work would cost £14m but doing it with this new system with a live operational rail underneath allows this work to do it for £4.5m. That's a saving of £9.5m for taxpayers - all while allowing trains to keep running into Liverpool Central and avoiding disruption to the travelling public.”

This work on the Liverpool Central tunnel is part of Network Rail's multi-billion pound Railway Upgrade plan to provide a better more reliable railway for Britain. 

It is in addition to Network Rail’s £340m Liverpool City Region railway upgrade plan - 10 major investment schemes set to take place between now and 2019, including a major revamp of Lime Street station, upgrade of Liverpool's underground network and a new station at Maghull North.