Thameslink Borough Viaduct | UK

Project summary

Service provided:  Monitoring during Thameslink Development
Location:  London, United Kingdom
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Client:  Network Rail
Period of the service:  2009 - 2011
Duration of service:  2 years & 2 months

Images of the project

Construction works in complex urban environment

A major rail bottleneck exists to the west of London Bridge Station, at Borough Viaduct, where only two operational tracks limit the volume of trains able to pass through this area for services either to or from Charing Cross Station and Blackfriars Station.

 

To relieve this congestion and increase service capacity and operational resilience, an additional pair of tracks were added to this short section of the route.

 

This will give Thameslink trains a dedicated route to Blackfriars on the Northern pair, which is key to providing the nominal peak hour frequency of 24 number trains per hour on the core route. Trains to Charing Cross will use the southern pair of tracks.

 

Between London Bridge and the vicinity of Stoney Street, the extra pair of tracks are located on a new viaduct to the south of the existing one. The construction of this new viaduct necessitated the demolition (and subsequent replacement) of a group of buildings within Borough Market, a landmark in London located in a conservation area.

 

West of Stoney Street, most of the widening of the existing viaduct has been to the north, to avoid affecting the Hop Exchange building to the south.

 

 

Bespoke monitoring

Sixense were selected to undertake the installation and operation of a variety of automated and manual surveying solutions, the purpose of which was to ensure the safety and operational viability of tunnels and other structures located beneath and adjacent to the existing viaduct, proposed new viaduct and nearby buildings undergoing reinstatement.

 

All instruments were datalogged to provide real-time data and reporting on the structural movements within the area of influence.

Project Key figures

4 Cyclops (AMTS)
93 Prisms
50 Electrolevels
73 Tiltmeters