Refurbishing Bristol Temple Meads Railway Station for Network Rail
Published 13th February 2024
Back in 2020, Taziker was awarded a major refurbishment project at Bristol Temple Meads railway station, which included refurbishing the iconic Victorian roof of the main train shed. Over the past few years the project has progressed as our teams have worked to install scaffolding around the station; carry out painting works; and complete the first phase of grit-blasting and repairs.
After we carried out the grit-blasting, detailed examinations of the exposed metal revealed additional defects – so
we have worked collaboratively with Network Rail to determine the best repair strategy.
Jon Turton has worked on the Bristol Temple Meads roof refurbishment since the beginning for both Network Rail and Taziker as Project Manager, so he has extensive knowledge about the work involved.
- Talk us through the work Taziker is undertaking at Bristol Temple Meads Railway Station?
Taziker is the principal contractor on the Bristol Temple Meads roof refurbishment scheme. Working in the main train shed and on the platform canopies, we have coatings, engineering, minor civils and design teams working day and night on the Grade I listed train station.
- What has been the most interesting part about working on such a historic station?
Building our independent scaffold deck in the main train shed has been a real challenge. We’ve built a 2,220
square metre safety deck on 100+ towers inside a 150-year old train shed. This year, we will start installing an even bigger safety deck.
This platform enables the team to access the roof to safely carry out the work required, minimising our impact on the station and the train service.
- How is the project progressing?
All platform canopy painting works will be completed by mid-2024 and we’re about to start glazing works in the main train shed. These are two huge milestones for the project and a fantastic achievement by the team.
In the train shed, we’ve grit-blasted the steelwork, applied a paint system as per the Listed Building Consent (LBC) in grey, red and gold to match the historic colours of the station. We’ve also painted the cladding a cream colour, as well as undertaken 1200+ steel and timber repairs.
On the platform canopies, we are mechanically prepping and painting the steelwork, as well as repairing the timbers and applying a protective T50 coatings system. Work is due to be completed by mid-2024.
- What challenges have there been so far?
The works on the main train shed have proved to be a challenge after being exposed by our grit-blasting work for the first time since 1870, which has led to some programme volatility and sequencing issues. You never know what repairs are required before grit-blasting takes place, so there’s always an unknown element with these types of jobs, but we work closely with Network Rail at all stages and we always have clear communication between all the teams involved.
I have been working on the project from the beginning in my previous role and I’ve always been impressed by this team’s ability to roll with the punches and use their collective experience to keep the project going, despite challenges.
- This is your first Taziker project! How has the experience been?
I’ve been in the role of Senior Project Manager for six months now and I’m really enjoying it. The whole team is focused on making the most of every opportunity to deliver a successful project and increase Taziker’s reputation in the Wales and Western region. I genuinely feel really privileged to be working with such a great team.
