£12m Network Rail Challenge In Salford

The mammoth £12m upgrade of Salford Crescent Railway station presented HBPW with one of its more challenging ‘temporary works’ jobs to date.

The project, which is being coordinated and constructed by Buckingham Group Contracting Ltd, is aimed at easing congestion at the small station, used by 1.5 million passengers a year and a key interchange point for trains entering Manchester.

HBPW was tasked with reviewing and value engineering the new proposed station design and feeding back with guidance to the Engineer implementing those designs.

“We also carried out design of piling for the new canopies,” said Partner, Emyr Parry, “and Category Three checking of piling as well as designing the extensive and complicated temporary works.”

As part of the scheme a new ticket office is being built at road level on University Road West, and a new footbridge will link the ticket office with platforms, with a new lift and steps to be installed from the footbridge. The existing waiting room will also be removed to provide more space, and a new platform canopy and seating will be installed as part of the initiative.

Emyr added: “The temporary works were particularly challenging with piling rigs supported on a virtual precipice and the ground retained by sheet piled walls tied with Platipus anchors. However, in the final event we were able to value engineer the design and optimise the scheme for Buckingham Group and Network Rail.”