Haigh Rail Limited were tasked with concrete remedial works, baseplate re-alignment, re-railing, crossing replacements, block paving replacement and re-gauging of all four corners into the stops at two locations, Dudley Street and Dartmouth Street tram stops.

Single line closure over two consecutive weekends allowed the infrastructure to operate bi-directional on a single line and to remain open to the public whist allowing for the continuation of works.

Haigh Rail Limited developed an adjustable base plate design allowing for the increase/decrease of track level ensuring the correct geometry when entering/stopping at/leaving the tram stop.

The programme for core works was built so resource, materials, plant and equipment could be distributed at the same time, working at and completing the sites in unison.

Block paving, concrete edge beams, rail and ballast were all excavated/cut-out/removed allowing for the removal of unstable base-plates and the installation of the adjustable base plates and new rail.

Welding and stress restoration took place before the reinstatement of temporary walkways, concrete edge-beams and block paving.

All works were completed and handed back within the granted possession.

Haigh Rail Limited was commissioned to undertake the renewal of the track and heavy duty road crossing at New Swan Lane. To minimise public disruption the project was planned to be completed within a 60 hour period.

Following a pre-isolated rail delivery shift a temporary compound was established at Black Lake car park, inclusive of welfare, site office, materials and plant.

Haigh Rail Limited commissioned Traffic Management, which allowed for complete access to the site.

Utilising on and off track plant, Haigh Rail Limited successfully removed the aged heavy duty road crossing, floor cutting along pedestrian and road tarmac and associated rail, contaminated ballast and slab.

Once removed and to coincide with the required track geometry, Haigh Rail Limited placed 300mm of hardcore base, installed outer and inner concrete stabilisation beams. Twin block concrete sleepers were laid in accordance to accept the new road crossing, guaranteeing all original geometry. New rails were set in place, welded and stressed and completed re-ballasting throughout the site.

Installation of new road crossing panels prior to tarmac works and hot line markings completed.

Stability testing of the road crossing was performed prior to removal of all Traffic Management.

Hand-back along with dilapidation survey and compound clearance were all completed within the allocated timeframe.

Haigh Rail Limited completed a survey following the discovery of a cracked/defect rail within an embedded road section of the rail infrastructure.

It was ascertained that the affected rail could not be plated, so an urgent submission was approved to replace a 5m section.

Inclusive of Traffic Management, Haigh Rail Limited jointly planned a 40-hour possession to complete works and re-open to the public.

Once the possession was attained, Haigh Rail Limited proceeded with road cutting parallel to either side of the defected rail, removed the existing ALH and broke out the surrounding concrete utilising plant with a slew restrictor and hand tools to expose the rail and fixings.

The damaged rail was cut and removed from site allowing for the installation of a new section.

The new rail was installed to gauge and track geometry, welded and ground to specification.

Rapid set concrete was installed within the exposed area to generate the required space for the inclusion of ALH.

Shuttering was placed between the rail and straight cut concrete to create a void for the pouring of the on-site mixed ALH.

All materials, plant, tools and barriers were removed before the re-opening of the Traffic Management, which was staged throughout the works, allowing for extended use of the busy roundabout, minimising disruption to the public.

Haigh Rail has completed an intensive railway design and build contract to extend the Road 5 reinforced concrete track slab to allow the train operator sufficient space to install temporary buildings for ongoing rolling stock repair and maintenance works.

The slab extension covered an area of 40m x 12m (480m2) and involved the removal and reinstatement of track and components, to facilitate the excavation and formation of the new concrete pad. The new slab was also required to tie into the existing plinth, which was completed by drilling and fixing steel dowels, which were secured into existing slab structure with a two-pack epoxy resin. Like any extensive concrete extension, the slab was poured in sections to suit expansion requirements.

Haigh Rail acted as the Principal Contractor throughout the works and appointed a civils designer from its supply chain. Integrating Design and Construction was fundamental to this project with track and civils elements working in harmony through Haigh Rail’s multi-disciplinary engineering and delivery team. This single, combined approach enabled the full D&B process to be managed and all build challenges to be closed out through close co-operation from the design team into site constructability.

The project also included rebuilding drainage inspection chambers and installing electric ducting for cable installations and in compliance with Haigh Rail’s sustainable policy, a full waste management hierarchy was instigated, with all items separated and recycled via licensed materials handlers.

Full materials testing was completed with as built documentation supplied as part of the handover pack.

Haigh Rail’s meticulous approach to surveying, railway engineering and on-site delivery provided complete project surety, with the track being installed first and then the concrete placed thereafter.

Despite challenging winter conditions, the works were completed on time, to budget – to the delight of the customer, who was 100% satisfied with the end result.

Haigh Rail were commissioned to complete a programme of Vegetation Management works. The purpose of the project was to provide a fully managed provision of Arboriculture Services, in order to protect the rail infrastructure, commuters, maintenance staff and 3rd parties from harm.

Haigh Rail were responsible for full planning and execution of all Overhead Line Isolations, as well as all works programme, project and site management requirements.

Our specific site scope of works included:

• Full site Ecology surveying and reporting
• Removal of all vegetation within 6.5m of the cess rails
• Removal of all trees within falling distance of the infrastructure
• Removal of all dying or diseased trees
• Stumps lowered to the topography of the ground
• Woodchip spreading on site to a depth of no greater than 100mm
• Unmanageable lengths of timber left or banded in situ for habitat purposes
• Chemical application for hazardous and invasive plants
• Project Handover

Detailed Ecology Surveys were undertaken by our team of fully trained ecologists in advance of the works and issued to the client prior to works commencing.

Once approved and working in line with the ecology reports, our Contract Management team, carried out their own daily ecology reports. This included bird nest, protected species and invasive weeds inspections.

All findings were logged, reported and suitable exclusion zones were put in place where required, to protect the local wildlife.

Our highly qualified and extensive team of skilled, trained and competent personnel work 24/7, which, enabled us to produce a programme for both daytime and night-time works.

During night-time working, our in-house isolation teams planned and carried out isolations, so that trees in challenging locations in and around the Overhead Line Equipment could be felled or dismantled to current AFAG (Arboriculture and Forestry Advisory Group) guidance.

The project was successfully completed to meet the customer’s requirements and all handover documentation was supplied to meet the project landing requirements.

Spondon Level Crossing was a unique job that Haigh Rail recently undertook on behalf of partner Siemens Rail Automation. The works consisted of a full level crossing deck renewal, plus realignment of the existing footprint to accommodate a new alignment of the highway.

The existing track condition had to be scoped in advance of the works to assess the condition of the track components below the existing level crossing units. Haigh Rail determined that there were defective sleepers within the existing level crossing footprint, which had to be changed prior to the new level crossing being installed. Existing Hollow bearers also needed repositioning and there were existing drainage catchpits that required removing as they fell within new footprint of the level crossing. All sleepers throughout the crossing also needed respacing to enable new crossing panels to be housed.

During the project, Haigh Rail liaised with other stakeholders to allow for the setting out and installation of new kerb lines, as well as the resurfacing works that were required to each side of the crossing. This required good cooperation and interface management, so that all activities could be fully integrated.

Existing power cables also ran parallel to the dig area which needed to be excavated for the new edge beams, which made digging trenches challenging. However by working carefully and diligently these works were achieved without incident or accident.

Haigh Rail used road rail vehicles to lift the edge beams into place and throughout the works, track levels were monitored by the team to ensure the track geometry was not affected by the works.

In September 2018 the project was completed – with all Level Crossing components installed safely and within the allocated project timeframe. Despite the challenges, Haigh Rail’s solution based approach allowed all obstacles to be overcome. This was helped by the fantastic internal capabilities of business, which used its highly skilled in-house Project Engineers and Planners to ensure that a high quality project was delivered.

• Supplied and installed 180 hollow bearers
• Relocated 2 hollow bearers in final quarter
• Provided cable management for 12 hollow bearers
• Scrap clearing
• Civil engineering works
• Midweek night and weekend possessions

Haigh Rail was awarded its first contract with Network Rail as a Principal Contractor Licence (PCL) holder at Watford South Junction at the end of 2016. This success came only a few weeks after the announcement of the company’s provisional PCL status.

After previous contracts working for Siemens on the Watford Remodelling Project, railway infrastructure contractor Haigh Rail acted as a Principal Contractor in its own right for the final quarter of the project.

The scope of the works for the overall contract included the supply and installation of 180No hollow bearers. Haigh Rail delivered the full scope of works. The final quarter was particularly challenging, whereby Haigh Rail managed the installation of 37 hollow bearers, relocated a further 2 (incorrectly installed by others) and provided cable management to a further 12 (which were again put in by others, this time without the cables being installed). Haigh Rail also cleared the scrap with the use of an RRV to a designated access point.

Haigh Rail was also responsible for the management of the lineside civil engineering works, which included constructing walkways and they also provided a clear and level site compound, which housed the appropriate welfare facilities for the duration of the works. The works were completed to the satisfaction of Network Rail during a series of midweek night and weekend possessions of the line.

This is an outstanding achievement – one which is testament to the company’s wholehearted commitment to railway assurance.

• 93 insulated block joints installed and 23 recovered
• 20 point ends converted (11 in the blockade)
• 62 hollow bearers installed
• Replacement of a new set of bullhead switches
• Installation of a buffer stop
• Over 4,500 man hours were worked by Haigh Rail-supplied staff during the blockade
• 500 tonnes of ballast were renewed

Haigh Rail was contracted through Network Rail and Siemens Rail Automation Holdings to provide a range of track renewal and track maintenance works for the re-signalling project at Gresty Lane in Crewe (GRIP 5-8). The works were successfully commissioned during the nine-day blockade from 28th November to 6th December 2015.

As is increasingly the case, we were involved early in the development, staging and planning of the track works. This ensured greater ownership, leading to a more successful delivery in all areas. It also created a culture of collaboration in which all parties were consulted throughout the progress of the works. Haigh Rail is an advocate of BS 11000 and embraces the principles encompassed by the standard.

• Upgrading the Heritage Railways for both Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway and North Yorkshire Moors Railway
• Employing Haigh Rail’s specialist welding division
• A solid working relationship between Haigh Rail and Heritage Railways

The Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway (GWR) is a preserved steam and diesel heritage railway in the Cotswolds. The North Yorkshire Moors Railway is a heritage railway running through the North York Moors National Park, from Pickering to Whitby.

Haigh Rail has a proud association with both, and Haigh Rail’s head of welding, Mick Downing, has forged strong relationships with P-Way engineers Clive Hawkins of GWR and Nigel Trotter of NYMR.

It is a pleasure to work on these fabulous railways, ensuring they are upgraded to the highest specification, whilst our welding team enjoys some of the country’s most spectacular scenery.

In 2015, GWR received the Queen’s award for voluntary service; and the NYMR was not to be outdone, reaching a milestone of some 280,000 visitors. Mick Downing looks forward to continuing the association with these special railways for many years to come.

• To create a light rail transit extension of 1.4km in Birmingham City Centre
• Zero weld rejection rate to date.

The project for Birmingham Metro was to create a light rail transit extension of 1.4km in the city centre for Train Operating Company, Centro. Following the tender process at the beginning of 2014, Haigh Rail was selected as the supplier of choice to deliver welding services on the line.

Whilst working under tight timescales and within very close proximity of the general public, we successfully welded the entire 1.4 kilometre extension in Birmingham city centre by means of a mixture of 55G2 groove rail embedded and 39E1/80A flat bottom rail profiles. During a 12-month period we performed 407 individual welds, with a zero rejection rate.

• Providing vital engineering services in the construction of a new 400-metre curve
• Plain-lining an existing crossover
• Maintaining our immaculate safety record, with zero lost time injuries
• Enabling the first direct service train for 40 years

The Todmorden Curve project – to reinstate a 400-metre stretch of rail track, which had been closed since 1972 – was completed in May 2015. Haigh Rail Ltd’s services were vital in enabling the first direct service to run between East Lancashire and Manchester in more than 40 years.

We were pleased to support the main contractor, Buckingham Group, working on the planning, methodology and P-way installation on a new 400-metre curve, a crossover and a turnout. We also supplied track welding, grinding, stressing, tamping and handback services.

We were proud to deliver our services as part of this project on time, on budget and above all else – safely. Our work on Todmorden Curve allowed us to expand our current client list, building relationships and expanding our portfolio of works.