Media centre

Thursday 21 Apr 2011

WAVERLEY BREAKS THE PANE BARRIER

Region & Route:

Scotland’s Railway: Scotland

First of 28,000 glass panels installed on roof

One year on from the start of the project, Network Rail has installed the first of 28,000 panes of glass into Waverley Station’s new roof.

Part of a £130m project to redevelop Edinburgh's Waverley Station, the new roof will see steelwork restored and replaced and clear glazing installed across the structure’s entire 34,000m² span.

To date, project contractors, led by Balfour Beatty have focussed on creating a safe platform for the workforce to operate from. While over 23 million passengers a year go about their business, a workforce of 130 work above their heads.

The working platform is supported by scaffolding and encapsulated to prevent dust and noise polluting the station environment. From that location, the project team can strip away old glazing, abrasive grit blast the steel work to strip off old layers of paint and install the structure which will support the new glazing.

Ron McAulay, Network Rail Director, Scotland commented:

“Getting the first pane of glass installed is a real landmark moment for this project. Regular users of Waverley will see just how much work has been undertaken already just to enable us to get access to the roof and to create a safe working environment. Ultimately, the goal of this project is to create a brighter, better station for passengers.

“The scale of the job only becomes apparent when you are up on the roof, looking at the familiar valleys and peaks stretch a quarter of a mile into the distance. It’s little wonder that it will take until 2013 to complete.

"To date, these works have not disrupted any train services but we acknowledge that there has been some disruption to passenger movement around the station due to the extensive hoardings and the work we are carrying out at station entrances. We’d like to thank passengers for their patience and we look forward to seeing these improvements completed.”

The project will see all of the old glazing on the roof replaced including a large section made of clear plastic sheeting, the result of a low cost temporary fix made twenty years ago. The last remnants of an old footbridge which once linked Calton Road and Jeffrey Street will also be removed. The structure of the footbridge, which closed in the 1950s, will remain but will be opened up to allow more light into the station below.

Ken Brown, Project Manager, Balfour Beatty said today:

“The project team as a whole is delighted to be upgrading this iconic landmark for Network Rail. It’s a complex process working in Scotland’s largest station while it continues to operate. The team is working almost 24 hours a day to ensure that over 60,000 people can carry on using the station every day. We thank all station users for their patience while we undertake the works and look forward to handing over a much improved station environment when the project is complete.”

Further improvements to Waverley will also result in new fully-accessible entrances from Market Street and from Princes Street. The concourse will be resurfaced, furniture will be cleaned or removed and building exteriors will get a makeover. Work will progress in phases with minimum disruption to train services and the operation of the station.

The project to enhance Waverley Steps began in February 2011 and will be complete by summer 2012. The government-funded scheme will improve accessibility to Princes Street by creating a new covered step and escalator access between Princes Street and the north entrance to Waverley as well as lift access from the station to Princes Street via the roof of Princes Mall.

ENDS