A DARLINGTON company has played a key part in the overhead line electrification (OLE) of the Great Western main line in South Wales.

Cleveland Bridge UK (CBUK) has installed a 228-tonne, 50m skewed, steel road bridge over the line in Newport, which was was required to accommodate the increased height required for new OLE systems.

A geometrically-challenging structure, the bridge was fabricated in Darlington and, following a complete trial assembly, the steelwork was loaded onto trailers and transported 280 miles by road to Newport where it was assembled in a trackside temporary works compound.

Cleveland Bridge also removed, dismantled and recycled the existing bridge. Both parts of the project were completed to strict timescales while the train line was closed.

To meet the six-hour removal deadline, additional steelwork was added to the old bridge to strengthen the structure before it was lifted by a 600 tonne-capacity crawler crane. This allowed it to be removed in a single piece and dismantled for recycling.

The new bridge was installed within three hours of receiving confirmation of the line closure, allowing time for other work, including the installation of 90 pre-cast concrete units, before it reopened.

The bridge marks a key milestone in the electrification of the line which is one of the country’s most important routes linking London and the South East to the West Country and Wales.

Chris Droogan, managing director of Cleveland Bridge UK, said: "Combining high-quality bridge design and manufacture with exceptional logistical management ensured the successful delivery of this project. Our engineers and contractors worked in unison with Network Rail meeting strict timescales to minimise the impact on one of the busiest rail routes in the UK."