DIRFT III Rail Infrastructure, Northamptonshire
Client: Winvic Construction | Location: Northamptonshire | Value: £29 million
The challenging project involved the third and largest expansion phase of the Daventry International Rail Freight Terminal (DIRFT). DIRFT is a rail-road intermodal freight terminal with an associated warehousing estate, the first phase of which was built during the 1990s.
The finished scheme allows up to 24, 775m long trains to carry freight in and out of the logistic park and makes DIRFT the largest rail freight terminal in the UK.
In addition to significant earthworks, the project required the construction of a 79,000m2 concrete terminal slab, 9km of rail track and three complex bridges.
One of the bridges, The A5 railway link bridge, carries two tracks and has an effective span of 30m over the highway and is a fully integral, single-span, prestressed concrete structure. At one end, the line is networked to the existing DIRFT terminal and the West Coast Mainline and at the other, the new Intermodal Rail Freight Terminal.
The prestressed concrete beams were lifted on to the reinforced soil abutments and wing walls in a single day under a 43-hour road closure. Rubix were responsible for ensuring the temporary stability of the bridge during the construction stage and provided an on-site presence during the works.
In addition to the A5 link bridge, Rubix also assisted with the temporary works associated with the Bridle Way bridge, which was a single span prestressed concrete structure.
