Filton Bank - Bristol

Filton Bank Four Tracking Capacity Improvement, Bristol

Trackwork Ltd were awarded the contract by Taylor Woodrow for the Central and Southern sections to upgrade the mainline two track system to four tracks.

As part of the biggest investment in the Great Western Railway since it was built by Brunel over 175 years ago, the ‘Filton Bank Four Tracking’ scheme provides improved capacity between Dr Days Junction and Filton Abbey Wood Station, and removes the bottleneck approaching Bristol Temple Meads Station.

The site posed a number of challenges relating to logistics and access, with the tracks being installed through residential areas and stations, through cuttings and above newly constructed embankments. With limited possessions available, much of the work was carried out working under ALO conditions, using materials delivered by both road and rail.

The scope of works included:-

6.4km of CEN60 plain line ballasted track on concrete sleepers
Offloading of over 5800 sleepers from engineering trains
Thimbling of 60 No. rail strings from adjacent tracks using RRVs
Repositioning of rail under ALO conditions using specialist machinery (TRTs)
Welding and stressing of all rails
Co-ordination and management of CRT
Tamping to line and level using both our own Road Deliverable Tamper and NR main-line tampers.