Page 11 - WM Donald Newsletter - Edition Six

GETTING ON TRACK WITH A NEW CLIENT
The rail line from Aberdeen to Inverness is 108 miles long and incorporates ten active stations. A key infrastructure link, the line is only single track with passing loops and these constraints contribute to an average journey time of 2h 20mins.
Work has started on Phase 1 of the upgrade of the line. Key elements of this phase include doubling the 16 miles of track between Aberdeen and Inverurie, and the relocation of Forres Station which was commissioned in 2017. Phase 1 is scheduled for completion in 2019 with the overall programme of works concluding in 2030.
BAM Nuttall is the main contractor on Phase 1 and has an impressive portfolio of railway works across the United Kingdom including Kings Cross regeneration, the Borders Railway project, and the Edinburgh to Glasgow improvement programme. W M Donald was commissioned by BAM Nuttall to undertake important enabling works to ensure progress on the tracks was not compromised. The scope of works included road surfacing, streetlighting and construction of temporary paths.
The scale and complexity of the project is witnessed by the fact that the Aberdeen to Dyce stretch of track is completely closed for 14 weeks.
Suction Excavation on trial
W M Donald has won its largest single suction excavation contract. The contract, awarded by Structural Soils Ltd, involves the excavation of over 38 trial holes along the proposed route of a new 2000m long water main required to serve Aberdeen’s new Nigg Bay Harbour. The proposed main runs from South Esplanade East to the boundary of the new Harbour at St Fittick’s Road.
The route of the water main crosses several roads and old industrial sites where there is the potential for ground contamination. If hydrocarbons are present in the soil they could lead to contamination of the new water supply.
Choosing suction excavation to create the trial holes significantly reduced the risk of service strikes. The trial holes are required to a depth of 2.00m. Suction excavation allows for a more compact excavation than a traditional excavator reducing the road reinstatement cost and damage to existing road surfaces. The equivalent of a hole in one!
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