Media centre

Tuesday 9 Nov 2004

RAILWAYS BOX CLEVER TO REDUCE DISRUPTION

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Workers on a Network Rail project at Thorpes Bridge in Manchester have come up with an innovative way to minimise disruption while they build a new bridge.                                   Using a technique that has only been tried a handful of times in the UK, a steel support system known as a ‘grillage’ has been installed underneath the tracks. This will allow workers to dig a hole under the line and push a giant concrete ‘box’ into it, which will form the entrance road to the new Central Park. When the land under the line is excavated and the box is pushed in, trains will still be able to run – something that would not happen in conventional bridge building. Network Rail scheme project manager Rob Cummings, said: “I am extremely pleased that we will be able to rebuild this vital bridge, with minimum disruption for passengers.  We will also manage to maintain access to First north Western’s depot at Newton Heath and the Corus long welded rail plant at Castleton.” The line over Thorpes Bridge carries a frequent passenger train service from Manchester to Rochdale and the Calder Valley line to Bradford, Leeds and York, as well as the Oldham loop line and a number of freight services. The only disruption to train services is during the installation and removal of the grillage, when trains will be stopped for 36 hours.  Once the box is in place the grillage can be removed. Work to install the grillage has already taken place and the box will be pushed under the line next month. The contractors working on the project, who have developed the technique, are Balfour Beatty/Bilfinger Berger.