UKDN Waterflow (LG) Ltd has won the 2017 UKSTT small renovation award for a project to rehabilitate the largest culvert in the Network Rail South East region.
The company’s specialist rail division was presented with the trophy by former England goalkeeper Peter Shilton at the annual dinner and awards ceremony of the UK Society for Trenchless Technology (UKSTT), held in Leeds..
UKDN Waterflow (LG), part of Lanes Group plc, installed a liner in the 35-metre-long Culvert 799 to increase the structure’s strength and weight-bearing capability.
In the longer term, strengthening the culvert will allow the line to accommodate faster trains and greater passenger capacity, to help reduce congestion on the busiest rail route in the country.
The liner used in the 1200mm-diameter culvert was 25 per cent thicker than normal, in line with a 100-year life span for the strengthening work required by Network Rail — double that usually required for utility assets.
The ultra violet (UV) light cure in place pipelining (CIPP) method selected for the project is faster and requires far less heavy-duty equipment than hot water CIPP, so UKDN Waterflow (LG) could quickly reinstate the culvert on a busy commuter route.
Since the culvert was difficult to access, all-terrain vehicles carried materials and equipment to the site, whilst the six-tonne liner was winched from a HIAB truck and crane into position, via a slide constructed of felt sheeting and glide foil.
Finally, a ProKASRO dual-core light rig, with eight 1,000-watt UV bulbs instead of the four 600-watt bulbs on a standard unit, cured the extra-thick liner in just 89 minutes.
Sîan Jones, Business Development Manager at UKDN Waterflow (LG), said: “The renovation was completed on time and on budget. Although putting in 300-metres of overpumping needed track possession for one night, all other works were carried out without interference to the train service — a big plus for Network Rail.”
“Culvert 799 was just one of 20 culverts on this route that we have renovated using UV light CIPP, but it was the most challenging, so we’re delighted to have been recognised by UKSTT for our success.”