Lanes rail drainage experts support train service boost

Drainage and wastewater specialist Lanes Group plc has carried out a programme of works to support a multi-million-pound project aiming to double the number of train services on a Welsh railway line.

The Lanes Cardiff depot was commissioned by contractor AmcoGiffen to provide rail drainage services for the upgrade of the 19-mile-long Ebbw Vale Line from Ebbw Vale Town to Cardiff and Newport.

The rail improvement project, funded by the Welsh Government and Network Rail, was launched in autumn 2022 and is due to be completed, with new services running, in the New Year.

Vital drainage work

Lanes drainage engineers have been carrying out projects to investigate, clean and rehabilitate track and station drainage lines along the line over the last 18 months.

The work has included installation of an ultraviolet cured in place pipe (CIPP) liner in a 14-metre-long culvert running under the line near Crosskeys north of Newport.

Lanes Cardiff Area Development Manager Kyle Burgess said: “We’re very pleased to have supported such a valuable project that brings huge benefits to so many people living in Ebbw Vale and beyond.

“Investigating and improving, where necessary, track drainage is vital to programmes like this, because poor drainage can badly affect the reliability of train services on any line.

“We have the capacity and capability to provide expert teams and specialist vehicles precisely where and when they were needed, day or night, sometimes at short notice.

“This has greatly helped AmcoGiffen colleagues plan and implement what has been a complex and intensive rail improvement programme.”

Sustainable culvert rehabilitation

Lanes drainage engineers carried out full CCTV surveys of all drainage systems in and around four stations along the line – including foul, surface water and track drainage pipes.

Jet vac tanker teams also cleaned all drainage pipes, ranging in diameter from 150mm to 300mm. In once instance, extensive root infestation was removed.

The UV light CIPP liner was installed by a team from the Lanes sewer lining and rehabilitation division.

The 900mm diameter circular pipe, made from concrete, brick and plastic, was found to have become deformed at one point and needed to be strengthened, not least to withstand the additional trains passing over it.

The UV light CIPP lining technique used by Lanes allows large diameter culverts to be rehabilitated more quickly than other methodologies, such as hot water CIPP lining.

It requires smaller work sites, which limits disruption, and is highly sustainable, with almost no waste material created and no need to dispose of contaminated water, as is the case with hot water CIPP lining.

Innovative solutions

The liner could be installed at night, under track possession when no trains were running so passenger services were not affected, and has a design life of 100 years.

Lanes has a national rail division that delivers a wide range of services across the rail network, as well as for London Underground, urban tram systems and rail freight hubs.

Its services include sump and pump cleaning and replacement, track drainage installation, vegetation control, UAV (drone) surveys, tunnel seepage control, emergency flood control, and drainage system design.

AmcoGiffen is a full-service engineering and construction business that specialises in the design and delivery of innovative solutions in the transport, energy and environmental sectors.

The Ebbw Vale Line upgrade included construction of a new loop line to increase the capacity of the mostly single track line.

Big economic benefit

Network Rail also carried out extensive signalling improvements at the southern end of the line to Newport.

The upgraded services are due to fully open in January 2024. Transport for Wales plans to operate more than 60 train services on the line, more than double previously provided.

The track upgrade, which is expected to have a big positive impact on the local economy, has been supported by other stakeholders, including Caerphilly County Borough Council and Newport City Council.

The Ebbw Vale Line is a branch line of the South Wales Main Line. It opened in 1850 and closed in 1962, during the period of Beecham rail cuts. The line was reopened as a commuter route in 2008.

Find out more

Talk to Lanes about its national rail services – for national rail, light rail, urban tram networks and rail freight hubs. Telephone: 0800 526 488. Email sales@lanesgroup.co.uk.