Bog mats build bridges with Network Rail
Timber mats are integral in supporting bridge work vital for upgrading railway communications.
Updating infrastructure is a vital and ongoing task to keep the country moving. Network Rail has recently been upgrading bridges in South Wales and further afield to support electrification and to update structures that have reached the end of their life. Many of the bridges concerned were over 100 years old and in serious need of updating.
The upgrade programme includes the demolition of bridges such as the Windsor Road Bridge in Cardiff, connecting Adamstown and Splott, and subsequent rebuilding. The replacement bridges are constructed using modern techniques to create bridges fit for the increased traffic of the 21st century. In the case of the Windsor Road Bridge, embankments were constructed using an innovative new polystyrene block solution.
The Windsor Road Bridge is in a relatively built up, urban area. Many railway bridges are located out in rural areas, bridging tracks as they run through agricultural land. Ensuring access and stable surfaces or temporary roadways for heavy equipment required for this sort of demolition and reconstruction work is a challenge that we tackle regularly for clients such as Network Rail. Timber mats offer a strong secure platform for transporting equipment over soft, muddy or environmentally sensitive ground. Agricultural land where railway bridges are often found is a prime example of terrain that will benefit from careful use of timer mats to make access possible. Timber mats also provide a stable platform for lifting operations and other construction activities ensuring a safe site. We blogged recently about the essential function crane mats perform on construction projects – or indeed other projects – where lifting is involved.
Timber mats are the perfect solution for access or for creating a secure working platform during challenging engineering projects such as these which are vital to the upgrade work Network Rail is carrying out as part of its rolling upgrade programme. It’s worth noting too that timber mats can be supplied in a variety of sizes, and can be created to match very detailed specifications. For operations where specific load bearing calculations are in the mix, Emtek mats are also an option. This engineered mat technology have a higher load bearing capacity than standard hard wood bog mats and offer the benefit of being the only mat for which specific load bearing calculations can be made.
To find out more about our timber mats, our bespoke customer service and our delivery service (which includes export overseas) get in touch.