Project

Lurgan Area Renewal

Client

Translink and Mott MacDonald

Project Value

Construction Cost - £6 million

Services Provided

Cost Management

About the project

The railway line between Knockmore (south of Lisburn) and Lurgan, located on the main Belfast to Dublin route, was subject to number of permanent and temporary speed restrictions that were compromising the network and increasing travel times. The primary objective of this scheme was to increase the line speed back to operational levels. The main works comprised:

  • Full renewal of the track between MP 92.5 and MP 93.5+110m CH148006 to CH149724 (1718m).
  • Re-alignment of the sections of track at each end for a distance of up to 250m, including a skim dig on the Down Main at the Lisburn end of the scheme.
  • Replacement of the Switch and Crossing at Lurgan.
  • Full renewals of the track and crossing units at William Street, Lake Street and Bells Row Level Crossings, including the installation of new Rosehill crossing units and GRP anti-trespass girds.
  • New ducting, including UTX, at Level Crossings and the installation of cabling to facilitate future Signalling and Telecommunications works;
  • Reconstruction of the existing platform walls using pre-cast concrete units and re-surfacing of the existing platforms.
  • Track drainage, discharging to a soakaway at MP 93+250m and an existing chamber at MP 92.25.

The scheme also included additional scope items such as drainage improvements, construction of a ballast maintenance pit at Lisburn Station, level crossing dig outs and the renewal of the Switch and Crossing unit at Moira Station.

ChandlerKBS provided cost management services which included the procurement of a contractor to facilitate ballast cleaning between Knockmore (Lisburn) and Lurgan.  Northern Ireland Railways (NIR) had procured use of a ballast cleaning machine from Irish Rail and this was the first time ballast cleaning had been used on the NIR network.