Murphy was appointed by Principal Contractor, Volker Rail, to carry out works on the North West Electrification Project Phase 3, due to our proven experience within the rail and civil engineering industry.
The works included OLE foundations for 17 miles of twin line track, Kirkham Station remodelling and new platform and footbridge remodelling of Blackpool North Station; route works and TSS compound installation and three footbridge installations along the Preston to Blackpool route.
Blackpool North Station consisted of eight platforms, two of which were to be demolished and taken out of use. Platforms 1 to 6 needed to be remodelled to allow for the realignment of the tracks to enable the installation of OLE foundations for the OLE gantries.
Ground conditions were poor due to high water table and wet weather in the winter months. Murphy devised a permanent solution by installing 6G in areas of soft spots to firm up ground conditions and create a safer working area.
Works started on site at Blackpool in July 2017. The team began demolishing platforms 7 and 8 and remodelling platforms 1 and 2, minimizing the number of live platforms available for use. To keep the station running, the team introduced adjacent line open controls which ensured the project continued without issue and on schedule.
400m of asbestos was discovered and removed from several platforms, which saw the team working closely with specialist contractors to control and remove the asbestos from site safely.
In November 2017 the project stepped into an 18-week blockade to allow for the major civils works on the remainder of the platforms to take place. The team removed in excess of 50,000 tonnes of spoil and hardcore material away from the site in order to rebuild the new platforms.
Murphy installed over 1200 riser wall units across all new platforms 1 to 6, weighing over 2 tonnes in weight per unit. New service routes for ducting and drainage were installed throughout all platforms. Platforms were finished off with a combined coper and tactile unit and tarmac to surface level.
Murphy engaged with the clients designer to ensure suitable ground condition surveys took place to enable the team to leave existing fill within the platforms in place on the reconstruction of the riser wall units. Excavations were benched back in accordance with the method statements and created a more sustainable approach to the project limiting the amount of material removed by road.
