Lineside building, London Paddington
Client: Network Rail
Project Overview
Lineside building, London Paddington
2-hour response
Service: Roofing
Sector: Rail
- Approved Contractor: MLG UK Ltd
- System Installed: Polyroof high-performance liquid system
- Client: Network Rail
- Duration: Emergency attendance within 2 hours; permanent replacement on a return visit
- Work Carried Out: Emergency response · fibre scaffold · temporary roof structure · permanent liquid roofing
Scope of Work
A two-hour emergency call-out to a lineside building at Paddington where the roof had already failed and water was getting into live electrical equipment, switchgear and signalling, assets essential to the operation of every line running out of Paddington. MLG attended reactively, stopped the ingress with a temporary roof structure, then returned to replace the roof permanently.
- Two-hour emergency response to a failed roof with active water ingress
- Water entering live electrical equipment, switchgear and signalling assets
- Fibre scaffold erected for access at a lineside location
- Temporary roof structure installed using specialist tarpaulin, membranes and timber
- Materials drawn from stock MLG holds specifically for emergency response of this kind
- Return visit to strip and permanently replace the failed roof
- High-performance Polyroof liquid system installed, carrying a 20-year guarantee
Systems installed
- Permanent roof: High-performance liquid roofing system (Polyroof): 20-year guarantee
- Temporary structure: Specialist tarpaulin, membranes and timber: held in MLG stock for emergency response
- Access: Fibre (GRP) scaffold
Challenges & Constraints
Already failed, not failing
This was not a roof about to fail, it had failed, and water was already going into live electrical equipment, switchgear and signalling.
A network-wide risk
The assets under that roof are essential to the operation of every line out of Paddington, so every hour of continued ingress raised the chance of equipment damage and a network-wide failure.
A lineside location
The building is lineside, which constrains both what access equipment can be used and how quickly anything reaches site.
Project Execution & Techniques
Materials already in stock
MLG holds specialist tarpaulin, membranes and timber in stock precisely for emergencies like this, which is what made a two-hour response possible, the materials did not need sourcing.
Fibre scaffold for access
Fibre scaffold was erected for access, appropriate to a lineside setting alongside live electrical infrastructure.
Temporary roof first
A temporary roof structure built from tarpaulin, membranes and timber stopped the ingress on the first visit and protected the switchgear and signalling equipment.
Permanent roof on return
With the immediate risk removed, MLG returned to strip the failed roof and replace it permanently with a high-performance Polyroof liquid system.
Outcome & Long-Term Benefits
Ingress stopped in hours
Water entering live switchgear and signalling equipment was stopped within hours of the call, and the equipment was protected.
No loss of service
Services on every line out of Paddington kept running throughout.
A 20-year guarantee
The permanent Polyroof installation carries a 20-year guarantee, so an asset that had already failed is secured for the long term.
Not a temporary fix
Network Rail was neither left on a temporary covering nor given a rushed permanent one, the temporary structure took the time pressure out of doing the replacement properly.
Conclusion
A lineside building at Paddington had a roof that had already failed, with water running into live electrical equipment, switchgear and signalling, the assets every line out of the station depends on. MLG was on site within two hours, which was possible because the tarpaulin, membranes and timber for exactly this kind of call-out are held in stock rather than sourced when the phone rings.
Fibre scaffold gave access appropriate to a lineside setting, and a temporary roof structure stopped the ingress on the first visit. That removed the emergency and allowed the permanent repair to be done properly on a return visit: the failed roof stripped and replaced with a high-performance Polyroof liquid system carrying a 20-year guarantee. No line out of Paddington lost service.
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