Cardiff Bay November 2023

Over the past 16 Days working for our valued client Balfour Beatty Rail, our Treforest ‘Welsh’ Office have been delivering the next phase of works on Cardiff Bay ‘Track Doubling’ Scheme. Supported by teams from both our London & Birmingham offices, the teams have worked tirelessly around the clock to successfully deliver this programme critical enabling stage.

Logistically it was a very challenging and complex site (with no trains & haulage available), detailed collaboration and integration with Transport For Wales (TFW) Civils Engineering contractor (Amco-Giffen) was essential. Amco-Giffen were building new platforms for a new station at Bute St and a Platform Overlay at Cardiff Bay (Platform 1).

All materials for the blockade had to be bought in & taken out by road adding to the already very complex logistics.
Collaborative working has been key to project success as demonstrated by Gareth Griffiths (Amco Giffen CRE – Construction Civil Engineering) and the Amco-Giffen teams. Daily integration was imperative and managed to support and deliver programme surety.

During the blockade ASH/Balfour Beatty have completed the following track renewals with support from Balfour Beatty S&T Teams;
- Platform 1 in Cardiff Bay. Renewal of a single line - platform of circa 190m (Including installation of new Buffer Stop) and integrating with new Platform overlay system to support intermediate gauging compliance.
- Installed 170m of new track on a temporary an alignment to tie into existing alignments.
- 130m renewal & realignment of the existing track through challenging structures; @ Herbert St through Sophia St
- 110m Formation renewal for the new S&C footprint - being installed around the new Bute St station (8008a/b 8009a/b)

Continued the construction of the new line north of Herbert St circa 80m ready tie-in to existing 9454pts.
Installation of a temporary breather switch until the planned week 49 S&C renewal of 9454points, with other associated stressing and CRT management.

All planned works were completed ahead of time to exceptional quality alignment - even though during the blockade the teams battled through the challenging; ‘3 named’ storms with appalling weather conditions at times.