Southampton Container Handling Facility – Rail Upgrade

Civil Engineering, Multi-disciplinary

Brief Description

The Port of Southampton is the second busiest container port in the UK, handling over 2 million container’s every year.  Located on the south coast of the UK in Hampshire, the Western Docks are served by a rail freight siding, loading trains with containers from a platform with reach stackers.

As part of a larger portfolio of works to increase the usable extents of the container loading platform; CML were contracted to design and build over 900 metres of new rail sidings including a tandem unit and multiple turnouts, installation of a new concrete encapsulated level crossing and a new track drainage system.

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Project Overview

The rail re-lay and drainage installation were undertaken during a 17-day blockade. Several CML teams worked on rotation 24/7 installing drainage and providing civils support to our supply chain partners 1st Inrail who were contracted to undertake the permanent way works.

On completion of the core works in the blockade, freight operations resumed and the teams continued to work between freight movements both during the day and on weekend possessions: Installing new level crossing barriers and signage on the level crossing, new signage throughout the sidings and installation of a new pedestrian and cycle crossing with automatic gates.

Challenges

The installation of the new sidings and drainage assets presented many logistical and engineering challenges; the most prevalent perhaps presented by working around unchartered buried services.

Docklands are some of the earliest and heaviest industrialised areas, leaving a legacy of services often not shown on records, and Southampton Port is no exception. Engineers and operatives responsible for excavation operations had to proceed with caution; excavation to formation level traditionally undertaken by dozers, had to be progressed using hand dug trial holes and smaller 360 excavators, tracing and exposing services as the works progressed.  The timescales associated with the cautious excavation process and location of some of the services encountered inevitably resulted in changes to the design and programme for the team to manage in the blockade.

Successes

Collaboration with Network Rail (NwR) to manage the interface between ABP and NwR land, installing new insulated block joints at the track interface to benefit NwR also, maximising productive use of the blockade.

Our pro-active and agile delivery team successfully re-worked the programme to accommodate additional works and design changes caused by un-chartered buried services, still delivering all core works in the blockade as planned.

CML recognised the commitment of the whole delivery team putting in a tremendous effort to make a success of the project.  For our people not local to the site who we’re lodging, they were given the opportunity to have their families stay with them for the weekend so as not to miss out on Father’s day celebrations.

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