Lanes Group wins biggest rail bridge painting project

London Underground has commissioned Lanes Group to paint a major railway bridge on the Jubilee Line in West London.

The four-month project to strip and paint the 100-year-old bridge on the line between Kilburn and West Hampstead will require enough paint to cover an area the size of 30 tennis courts – or one and a quarter full-sized football pitches.

It is the biggest bridge painting project yet awarded to Lanes Group Rail Division, reflecting its growing expertise and experience in managing major bridges and structures renovation work.

Lanes Group Rail Division Commercial Director Matthew Todd said: “This is a complex and demanding refurbishment job which has required significant planning, and is now underway.

“Our bridges and structures maintenance teams have built up significant experience in this kind of work and we’re confident it can be completed successfully within the set programme.”

Scaffolding has been erected and the bridge, which carries three tracks, has been fully encapsulated in plastic sheeting so the work can go ahead while allowing the road below to stay open.

The bridge is first being shot-blasted to remove all old paint and clean areas of corrosion. Then four layers of paint will be applied to an area of metalwork that adds up to 1,940 square metres.

Lanes Project Manager Steve Demwell said: “With four coats of paint, the total surface area covered is 7,752 square metres. That’s equivalent to painting 170 standard-sized living rooms.

“The objective is to give newly-painted bridge a 15 year maintenance-free service life. As always, doing the job thoroughly is essential to achieve this standard, and maintaining the highest quality of work will be a key priority.”

The Lanes Rail Division has completed a two other bridge painting projects for London Underground in the last 18 months. Both were pedestrian bridges, one at Rayner’s Lane in west London, the other in Finchley, north London.

Lanes Group is a leading drainage and maintenance provider, with 23 operating depots across the UK. As well as rail, key business sectors including utilities, energy, highways, local government and construction.