Sheet Piling UK Installs Old Oak Common HS2 Retaining Wall
Sheet Piling (UK) Ltd has played its part, as a leading sheet pile installation contractor, in preparing the ground for the construction of the largest railway station ever built in one single stage in the UK.
A six-week sheet pile installation project has seen two Sheet Piling UK crews create a temporary retaining sheet pile wall, as part of a stellar project within the HS2 low-carbon, high-speed rail network plan.
Steel sheet pile installation works carried out by Sheet Piling UK, on behalf of the contractor – a joint venture between Balfour Beatty and VINCI SYSTRA (BBVS JV) – has enabled the excavation work required for early works at Old Oak Common Station. This 32-acre site, located near Acton and close to Willesden Junction in London, is set to be a super-hub for the HS2 low-carbon, high-speed rail network.
Temporary sheet pile retaining wall
A total of 300 linear metres of temporary sheet pile retaining wall was installed by the Sheet Piling UK teams, at what will be the West London interchange station for HS2, boasting 14 platforms in total and a roof area exceeding the size of three football pitches.
The retaining wall constructed by the crews had to retain earth safely back from the site, to allow for the installation of a working platform, from which a diaphragm wall for the Eastern box could be built. To ensure safe working conditions for those handling this task, Sheet Piling UK constructed a sheet pile retaining wall to both the north and south of the site, which was formerly a Great Western Railway depot.
The planning for the sheet pile installation works took into account the proximity of adjacent third party rail infrastructure assets, to the north (Crossrail assets), and to the south, (Great Western mainline).
Monitoring retaining wall movement
Due to the proximity of these transportation lines, it was vital that the Sheet Piling UK teams safeguard against the potential risk of retaining wall movement. A traffic light system was established, to monitor any deflection of the sheet pile wall during installation of the sheet piles, subsequent excavation works and what is now the construction phase of the project.
Sheet Piling UK project designers provided a CAT III Design Check Certificate for the works, which were carried out to the JV’s Approval in Principal document and in strict accordance to the Works Package Plan, developed between Sheet Piling UK and the package contractor, McGee, to ensure compliance with all third-party requirements.
Minimising sheet pile installation noise and vibration
One such requirement was to minimise vibration and keep it within strict limits. To deliver on this brief, Sheet Piling UK installed sheet piles using press-in methodology and a Kowan ZU100 silent and vibrationless piling press, serviced by a Sennebogen 673R telescopic crawler crane.
Using this Sheet Piling UK’s fleet equipment, around 450 Emirates Steel ESZ sheet pile sections were installed, all of which were supplied from SPUK’s extensive steel sheet pile stockholding, to keep delivery timescales short and costs down as much as possible for the client.
Follow-on works will allow the JV to progress with an integral part of the project – the construction of a 1.8km diaphragm wall, which will form a long underground tunnel accommodating six platforms, to connect rail services to the North and Midlands. Once this work is completed, a further 8 platforms will be constructed, to connect to Crossrail, Heathrow Express and mainline train services running to Wales and the West of England.
Bringing its sheet piling project design and installation expertise to bear on such an influential project makes Sheet Piling UK immensely proud as a sheet piling contractor, especially as this station project will support more than 2300 jobs and 250 construction apprenticeships. When completed, with the date for this scheduled for between 2029 and 2033, the station is expected to welcome more than 90 million passengers a year, or 250,000 a day.
To discuss any sheet pile installation project, whether rail infrastructure related or something else, please call us on 01772 794141 or explore the rest of our website for more details.
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Sheet Piling (UK) Limited is one of the UK's leading piling contractors. Owning and operating a comprehensive range of specialist piling equipment Sheet Piling (UK) Ltd also carry extensive stocks of new and used piles enabling rapid reaction to any urgent requirements or emergency situations.