Swindon Station, Platform 1
Client: Sisk Rail, on behalf of Network Rail
Project Overview
Swindon Station, Platform 1
Two to three hours a week
Service: Roofing
Sector: Heritage & Conservation, Rail
- Approved Contractor: MLG UK Ltd
- System Installed: Tata standing seam roofing
- Client: Sisk Rail, on behalf of Network Rail
- Duration: 24 months, Saturday-night engineering hours only, 2 to 3 productive hours a week
- Work Carried Out: GRP daggerboards, standing seam roofing, polycarbonate glazing, timber repairs, full decoration
Scope of Work
Full refurbishment of the station canopy at Swindon, delivered for Network Rail with Sisk Rail. Every material and method needed heritage approval given the station’s listed status, and materials were chosen for extended life cycle and reduced maintenance.
- New GRP daggerboards replacing deteriorated elements
- Full replacement of the canopy roof with Tata standing seam roofing
- Laser-etched polycarbonate glazing replicating the original wired glass aesthetic with better durability
- Replacement of all rotten timber purlins and rafters, machined to match the original profiles
- Full redecoration of the canopy structure
Systems installed
- Roof covering: Tata standing seam aluminium roofing: full replacement
- Glazing: Laser-etched polycarbonate replicating the original wired glass aesthetic
- Daggerboards: New GRP daggerboards replacing deteriorated originals
- Timber: Rotten purlins and rafters replaced, machined to match the original profiles for listed-building approval
Challenges & Constraints
Two hours a week
Work was restricted to engineering hours on Saturday nights, giving two to three productive hours a week, and sections had to be dismantled and reinstated inside that window every time.
Scope up by half
Timber deterioration turned out to be far worse than surveyed, increasing the scope by 50%.
Heritage approval for everything
The station is listed, so every material and method needed heritage approval, and the gap between design approval and execution meant additional remedial work had to be absorbed without extending the original programme.
Project Execution & Techniques
Prefabricated offsite
Daggerboards, timber components and glazing were all prefabricated offsite, so the short windows on site were spent installing rather than making.
Staged before the shift
Every task was pre-planned with materials staged in advance to get full utilisation of the time available.
Recovered on blockades
The programme was recovered using extended blockages over Christmas and Easter, running several teams back-to-back across 72 hours.
Scanned and replicated
Heritage features were laser scanned and replicated, and rotten purlins and rafters were machined to match the original profiles.
Outcome & Long-Term Benefits
New standing seam roof
The canopy roof was fully replaced with Tata standing seam aluminium roofing.
Polycarbonate for wired glass
Laser-etched polycarbonate replicates the original wired glass aesthetic with better durability than the glass it replaces.
Longer life, less maintenance
New GRP daggerboards replaced the deteriorated originals and the whole canopy structure was redecorated, with materials chosen for extended life cycle and reduced maintenance.
Programme not extended
A 50% increase in scope was absorbed without extending the original programme.
Conclusion
Swindon’s canopy could only be worked on during Saturday-night engineering hours, two to three productive hours a week, with sections dismantled and reinstated every time. Then the timber turned out to be far worse than the survey said, adding half again to the scope.
MLG prefabricated the daggerboards, timber and glazing offsite so the short windows were spent installing, staged materials in advance, and recovered the programme with 72-hour Christmas and Easter blockades running teams back-to-back. Heritage features were laser scanned and replicated, and every material and method was approved for a listed structure, Tata standing seam roofing, GRP daggerboards, laser-etched polycarbonate glazing and timber machined to the original profiles.
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