07.10.16
Network Rail begins £1.6m strengthening of Whalley Viaduct
The Whalley Viaduct, a nineteenth-century rail structure in Lancashire, is to be reinforced by Network Rail in a £1.6m investment project lasting five months.
Engineers will fix 2,800 steel brackets and 16,800 anchors to the side of the viaduct to improve its long-term stability. The work will require 1.4km of handrails to be fitted to create safer working conditions.
In addition, they will dig a 400m drainage channel and 16 catch pits, including a flow control chamber, at ground level.
This will hold excess surface water from the track during heavy rainfall and prevent it from discharging into the River Calder, helping to reduce the impact on local flooding. The collected water will then be slowly released into the river when levels have dropped.
Michael Lally, the scheme’s project manager, said: “The work is essential to protect the structure so it can continue to serve important freight and passenger services which are vital for the regional and national economies.”
The North West Junction Railway Company began building the Whalley Viaduct in 1847 and it was completed in 1850. Made of 49 arches, it connects Blackburn and Clitheroe and today carries traffic into Manchester Victoria.
Nigel Evans, MP for Ribble Valley, said: “Whalley Viaduct is a beautiful piece of construction which, for many people, serves as a lasting memory of the Ribble Valley. So the fact that it is being strengthened in order to preserve it for the future is fantastic.”
He added that it was “excellent” that the new construction work “legitimately takes flood risk into account”, following the impact of last winter’s floods in Lancashire.
The Rail Safety and Standards Branch (RSSB) said in a recent two-part report that the rail industry must do more to be ready for the effects of climate change, including increased floods.
Network Rail is investing £1.6m in the project as part of its Rail Upgrade Plan, a £50bn investment in Britain’s rails.
The strengthening work began this week and will take place until 31 March 2017 and involve 24-hour working. Drainage improvements will start later this week and will involve Monday to Friday working, between 7am and 4pm, lasting for five weeks.
(Image c. Network Rail)
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