Balfour Beatty has today featured in New Civil Engineer alongside Network Rail and key supply chain partner, Maby Hire, highlighting the pivotal role the company played in the reinstatement of the Nuneham Viaduct in Oxfordshire.
The Nuneham Viaduct is a vital railway bridge crossing the River Thames in Oxfordshire, which carries freight trains and hundreds of passengers daily. Issues with the bridge’s stability were first identified in 2018 but had worsened dramatically in early 2023, requiring its closure in April 2023.
A unique collaboration between Network Rail and Balfour Beatty saw Nuneham Viaduct restored in record time with the project completed in less than 10 weeks. Stuart Calvert, Network Rail Capital Delivery Director, emphasized that similar projects would typically span over two years.
In the article, Nicholas Watson, Balfour Beatty’s Senior Project Manager, explores the works that were carried out, including removing a track and ballast from the viaduct.
Speaking about the final steps of the project including works to form the new southern abutment, Watson said: “All this had to be undertaken avoiding any disturbance to critical cables that couldn’t be disconnected as they provide power to a nearby RAF airfield”.
To read the article in full, click here.
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Mohsin Sufi
Balfour Beatty
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Notes to editors:
- Balfour Beatty is a leading international infrastructure group with 25,000 employees driving the delivery of powerful new solutions, shaping thinking, creating skylines and inspiring a new generation of talent to be the change-makers of tomorrow.
- We finance, develop, build, maintain and operate the increasingly complex and critical infrastructure that supports national economies and deliver projects at the heart of local communities.
- Over the last 114 years we have created iconic buildings and infrastructure all over the world. Currently, we are working to deliver Hinkley Point C, the first UK nuclear power station in a generation; constructing the world-class arts and cultural facility, the Lyric Theatre, in Hong Kong; and designing, building, financing, operating and maintaining the Automated People Mover superstructure at the fifth busiest airport in the world, Los Angeles International Airport.
- Balfour Beatty is one of the UK’s leading rail infrastructure suppliers. From feasibility studies, planning and design through to implementation and asset management, we provide multi-disciplinary rail infrastructure services across the lifecycle of rail assets. Our expertise covers electrification, track, power, civils, specialist rail plant, railway systems and technologies.
- Balfour Beatty also provides a comprehensive range of on-track machines for track geometry improvements and general track works. Our fleet of modern ‘Tampers’ consist of plain line machines and switches and crossing units. Along with our expert operators and support staff these machines ensure track quality for our customers.