South Lakeland rail crossing refurbishment

Our flexible approach and night shift working ensured that the rail line was reopened on time.

The project scope

Resurfacing of new rail crossings as part of the rail crossing replacement project at Sandscale, Barrow in Furness. We removed and reinstated the road after the rail crossing installation, which included:

• Full survey and marking out
• Cold milling of the existing carriageway.
• Carriageway surfacing.
• Installation of white lining
• Installation of carriageway studs.
• Use of Hotbox to maintain asphalt temperature

Key quantities:

• Cold milling: 650 m²
• Surfacing: 650 m²
• Asphalt: 150 t

Challenges & successes

The line had to be closed to carry out the crossing replacement, meaning we had to work flexibly within the line closure / possession schedule. We worked at night within the agreed possession slots whilst always being able to reopen the line at short notice in the event of an emergency. Our working methods were planned so that we always worked from the rail line to the outside of the crossing to allow short notice reopening.

Due to the pre allocated possession slots and the requirement to finish work and reopen the line on time after each possession, we provided standby plant and equipment for use in the event of breakdowns.