Stafford MDU Stores

Project: Stafford MDU Store
Client: Laing O’Rourke for Network Rail via Staffordshire Alliance
Contract Responsibilities: Construction of New Store, Mess and Office Building.
Contract: NEC3.
Project Value: Circa £290,000
Programme: Contract start date September 2017. Contract duration 16 weeks.

This project formed the second part of a previously completed scheme by Gallaway at Stafford MDU. This included decommissioning the previously constructed temporary office and store and the new build store building, incorporating a large store area, office and mess facilities.

The works involved designing, constructing and delivering a new store building for Network Rail at their Maintenance Delivery Unit of Wolverhampton Road in Stafford. It comprised a steel frame building with exterior wall and roof cladding, internal blockwork plastered walls, suspended ceilings, mechanical and electrical installations, floor/wall finishes, fixtures fittings, and equipment.

The Staffordshire Alliance project, a joint venture of Laing O’Rourke, Network Rail, Atkins and VolkerRail, has been named the winner of a Collaborative Working accolade at the 2016 UK Railway Industry awards.

The team recently handed over the £250m upgrade to the West Coast Main Line, including 10 kilometres of a new line, under budget and over a year ahead of schedule.

The works were carried out adjacent to the operational West Coast Main Line, with live overhead cables close to the building.

One major challenge was completing the steelwork erection and installing the external cladding, ensuring safe working practices were adopted within our construction methods and by all team members.

This was further challenged by the proximity of the live West Coast Main Line and working around clients and contractors on this operational site.

Gallaway coordinated the crane lift plan to ensure limits were imposed on the lifting height to avoid exceeding the safe working distance from the live cables above.

We also utilised GRP Scaffolding and ensured our standard daily briefings and weekly toolbox talks specifically about the task.

Timber baulks, barriers and hoardings were utilised to segregate working equipment to a prescribed safe working distance from the trackside.