FP MCCANN RETAINING FRONT WALL RAIL PLATFORM SYSTEM INSTALLED ON SOUTH BIRMINGHAM STATIONS

Project: Camphill Line Redevelopment South Birmingham – West Midlands Rail Programme (WMRP)

Project Lead: Transport For West Midlands (TfWM)

Main Contractor: VolkerFitzpatrick

Engineering Delivery Partner: SLC-AECOM

Products Supplied: Precast Concrete Platform Front Wall Retaining units

FP McCann has supplied its reinforced precast concrete front wall platform units as part of a three-railway station development programme on the south Birmingham Camphill Line. On completion the scheme will reintroduce passenger train services to Kings Heath, Moseley Village and Pineapple Road. The three original stations closed in
1941.

The project is being lead by Transport for West Midlands (TfWM) as part of the combined West Midlands Rail Programme and once fully operational, the line will significantly reduce journey times into the city centre and provide an environmentally friendly alternative to using a car to commute.

VolkerFitzpatrick one of the UK’s leading rail engineering and construction companies was appointed to deliver the three stations which each have two platforms suitable for six-car trains. A number of platform wall retaining systems were considered at design stage by VolkerFitzpatrick and their engineering delivery partners SLC-AECOM, the final choice being FP McCann’s retaining precast concrete front wall system, with the key determining factors being the speed of installation, consistency and quality of platform front wall build and minimal site disruption.

In total some 450 standard FP McCann 1200mm high, 2240mm long front riser wall units have been supplied and installed by the VolkerFitzpatrick specialist rail engineering team. Each unit weighing 3.73 tonnes is seated on a concrete foundation slab designed to hold the units securely and uniformly in place. The flexibility of FP McCann’s front wall system is particularly suited to curved platforms as is required on this project.

As the scheme progresses offsite manufactured precast products such as stair flights, lift shafts, precast earth retaining walls and platform surface components including copers and tactiles will be installed.

Speaking on behalf of VolkerFitzpatrick, Project Manager Conor Goodwin-Tindall says, “This offsite precast concreteplatform retention wall system compared to a traditional construction method, is a quick and cost-effective means of constructing lengths of new platforms. The units are simple to install, reducing programme times critical to possession working and they present an immediate and structurally sound front wall to allow platform works to be undertaken.”