This project has increased capacity in the area north of Peterborough station, identified as a bottleneck in Network Rail’s Line of Route Capacity Report (2012), due to slower freight trains having to cross the high speed East Coast Main Line (ECML) at Werrington Junction.
Delivering a new ‘dive-under’ track (where one set of tracks tunnels underneath another) has provided an alternative route for freight trains, meaning they no longer need to cross the ECML.
Our team's scope included the construction of a 160 metre curved jacked dive-under below the ECML, twin-bore tunnelling, culvert and river diversions, new footbridge installation, existing bridge modifications, 2 kilometres of piling, track slewing, and various other associated works. The work was delivered in close proximity to an electrified railway line (OLE), 132kv overhead power lines and a live railway.
Project fact
This project featured the first curved jacked portal push in the UK. At 11,000 tonnes, the precast concrete box forming the tunnel weighed more than the Eiffel Tower.
“The scale and complexity of the engineering on this site is immense. Amazing job Morgan Sindall Infrastructure and Network Rail teams.”
Making a difference
We proposed an innovative alternative solution during the tender that became a UK first, and avoided an elevated aspect of work within a relatively low-lying vicinity. The solution involved planning a curved jacked box around and under the live railway.
We also conducted substantial value engineering during the early contractor involvement (ECI) phase, delivering savings of £10.5 million.
