The South West is once again “open for business” with the re-opening of Dawlish station on Friday 4th April – just in time for the Easter holidays!
In total, approximately 500 meters of seawall suffered damage in the recent violent storms, with a significant stretch of the railway collapsing into the sea and the station also sustaining considerable damage.
Despite facing on-going challenges with coastal conditions, Network Rail teams – dubbed “the Orange Army” – worked around the clock to complete the extensive repairs, ahead of schedule, in just 8 weeks, and we are extremely proud to have been part of the remarkable team who made the reopening of this vital rail link into the South West possible.
One of the most important aspects of any renovation to this historic section of rail track is aesthetic appearance, and the sea wall reconstruction was no exception.
Our flexible approach to manufacturing ensured that the demanding timescale for this project did not pose a problem and this vital work was prioritised immediately. Two specialist fabrications teams were mobilised to site at extremely short notice and by working in shifts for 24 hours a day over 10 consecutive days – the Fiber Glass Systems teams were able to create 36 No. FRP Shuttering moulds for the casting of a new concrete sea wall whilst retaining the appearance of the remaining structure. Our client commented as follows;
“Very efficient response to initial enquiry, rapid mobilisation and delivered a quality product exactly to programme. We and our client were very pleased with the service provided” Project Manager, Bam Nuttall
Dawlish station is no stranger to the advantages of our FRP…
In 2012 we fabricated and supplied a 5 tonne, 18M bespoke Fibre Reinforced Polymer (FRP) footbridge to replace the previous 15 tonne steel bridge which had suffered severe damage and corrosion.
Not only were we able to replicate the appearance of the Brunel Grade II listed structure, the lightweight properties of our FRP enabled fast track installation in just one night! A design life of 120+ years ensures that this highly corrosion resistance structure will continue to withstand the harsh marine environment with virtually no maintenance for many years to come.
Click the below link to read more about the amazing work by Network Rail on this project together with a fascinating time lapse video…
For more information on how YOUR projects could benefit from the use of our FRP Products and related specialist engineering services, please contact a member of our team on 01752 581200 or via email at [email protected] – But remember…All FRP is not the same – beware of the variances!
