
Kent Station is a listed building and one of the oldest train stations in Ireland. As a hub for intercity travel and to better serve its customers, Irish Rail invested in a new entrance to the station to provide better connections for public buses and reduce congestion in the existing ticket hall.
As part of the wider framework of refurbishment and facility upgrade we were contracted to carry out:
Refurbishment of an unused car park provided 200 car park spaces for commuters. New bus stops delivered a direct link between the bus station and train station.
Both the station and the railway line were in operation throughout the works making logistics a challenge. This was mitigated by shutting down the live railway lines for a short period of time, planned and agreed with the client in advance. We also worked alongside the client to plan isolations and diversions on the live lines.
We pride ourselves on working in the most sustainable ways possible and always follow procedures to meet client expectations. At Kent Station we recycled concrete aggregate (RCA) and used it for fill where possible without affecting the quality of the works. This helped reduce costs worth up to 350 tonnes of materials and reduced landfill and greenhouse gases.
Our Culture Development Programme (CDP) ensures operatives are informed of the potential hazards on site. As part of their induction, staff are educated on the control measures to take for the safe handling of hazardous materials. Lead-based paint was identified on site. To ensure the health and safety of workers, our experienced team immediately disposed of the substance at a suitably licensed hazardous waste facility.
To further raise health and safety awareness on site we also carried out the following initiatives:
We used toolbox talks and stand down events as an opportunity to provide basic environmental training on topics such as waste but where necessary provided specialist training for team members. The Environmental Management Plan (EMP) and Site Waste Management Plan (SWMP) were reviewed regularly.
We carried out bi-weekly meetings with Irish Rail to report on the progress of works and ensure their satisfaction. As we gained the client’s confidence, progress meetings were held every four weeks. Project Environmental KPIs were also developed with the client and reviewed on a monthly basis. We met with City Cork Council every week who granted the T2 application licence to undertake the works. The meetings gave us the opportunity to discuss and agree the traffic management plan for the public footways.
We work with clients in the roads, rail, aviation and ports infrastructure sectors to bring innovative solutions to complex problems. We provide a complete end-to-end civil engineering service, which includes planning, design, construction and implementation in Ireland.