Railway Regeneration - The Waverley Railway Project

Friday 30 April 2010

Projects where disused railway routes are being investigated with a view to re-opening and being utilised as a regeneration mechanism in their own right offer opportunities to revitalise an area's social, economic and environmental well being. Soil Mechanics was appointed by Scottish Borders Council to meet a wide variety of drilling and testing techniques, logistical challenges, land access organisation and logging requirements along a 35 mile stretch of track earmarked for reinstatement by 2011. Under a 32 week contract, Soil Mechanics carried out over 750 exploratory holes along the route to investigate the integrity of both the existing foundations, earthworks and track bed as well as the Victorian structures. The work covered a number of variable terrains including rural and urban challenges that included ground testing for up to seven new proposed stations.

Soil Mechanics' Project Manager of Railways, Julian Lovell, explains that since the abandonment of the railway in 1969, approaches to geotechnical design methods have changed, particularly with respect to ground and track modelling and the assessment of risk. This combined with the added requirements of the client and changes to rail locomotives and freight loadings makes it a necessity to ensure that 'what has stood the test of time will continue to do so in the future'.

Therefore, this type of investigation is considered vital, both from a structural and financial viewpoint. Ground investigation on regeneration sites often means considering foundations, bridges and earthworks for re-use. As a result, it is important to understand the impact these old structures will have on modern geotechnical design. It might be that an existing foundation will perform satisfactorily under the new loads, even though they are decades old. It may be that they don't adhere to current regulations, or that the ground is too congested. The practical implications of good ground condition knowledge should not be underestimated, it can potentially save millions of pounds by informing decisions on remedial or new build works.

Councillor David Parker, Leader of Scottish Borders Council says: "Soil Mechanics was recognised for its ability to offer timely delivery, a solid track record in rail and adherence to environmental issues. Their borehole and testing work to check ground conditions in preparation for the main design will undoubtedly deliver benefits to the progression of the project."

Date: Apr 2007 – Dec 2007

Related information:

Client:
Scottish Borders Council

Services:
Geotechnical testing
Environmental testing
Concrete coring
Dynamic Probing
Materials testing
Trial Pits
Window sampling
Factual Report

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