NETWORK RAIL, GYPSY PATCH LANE

REDUCING RISKS AND POSSESSION TIMES

We’re well-prepared to handle any challenges that might arise during a project. Working for Alun Griffiths (Contractors) Ltd, we used a 144-axle line self-propelled modular transport (SPMT) unit with 576 wheels, a brilliant team and an innovative arrangement of hydraulic jacks and longitudinal beams to overcome the challenges of moving this superstructure carefully into place.

Every installation is different. We prioritise safety – for upgrades to rail network infrastructure, we’re focused on finding ways to help our clients reduce possession times and disruption to local communities.

Our heavy lift team has undertaken rail installations for a wide variety of clients, including Alun Griffiths, J. Murphy & Sons, Dyer and Butler, and BAM Nuttall. This is a brief synopsis of our work at Gypsy Patch Lane, Bristol, in November 2020.

GYPSY PATCH LANE

• As part of the £57m investment into Cribbs Patchway MetroBus Extension scheme, the new concrete portal at Gypsy Patch Lane and its associated equipment weighed over 5,200 tonnes. It’s one of the UK’s heaviest single-span bridges.
• Dean Graham, our QHSE Director: “Our approach to installing fixtures on rail infrastructure at ground level, before moving the asset anywhere, really has set the standard for this kind of project now. We reduce the risks of working at height instantly, and the installation can happen in parallel – there’s no need to factor extra time into the project plan now.”

The Network Rail installation at Gipsy Lane Lane should last for at least the next 125 years. This portal is ‘local’ for many of our team, so it was rewarding to work on something that will have such a long-term impact in the area.