What we cover.
On most construction sites the temporary works follow the permanent design. On rail they often govern it. The access window is booked in advance, it does not extend, and the railway has to be handed back safe and operational at the end of it. That turns the construction sequence into a design problem in its own right, and it is the part most often underestimated when a scheme is priced.
- Propping and support schemes for staged works
- Craneage and lifting checks within the access window
- Handback condition defined for each shift
- Deck replacement and bridge component staging
- Access, edge protection and working platform design
- Sequence design developed with the permanent works
- Temporary works registers and design briefs
- Design checking at the required category
What rail temporary works and possessions actually involves.
The question we ask first is not how to prop the structure but what has to be true at handback. Working backwards from the handback condition sets the sequence, and the sequence sets the temporary works.
It also exposes early whether the scheme fits the possession at all, which is far cheaper to discover at design stage than at two in the morning with a booked window running down. Where it does not fit, the options are a different sequence, a different permanent design, or more access, and those are decisions for the client to take with the numbers in front of them.
We design backwards from the handback condition, which sets the sequence and the temporary works with it, and we tell you early whether the scheme fits the possession at all. Where it does not, you get the options with the numbers attached rather than a problem discovered at two in the morning.
Why do rail temporary works govern the design?
Because the access window is fixed and the railway must be handed back operational at the end of it. That means the construction sequence has to be designed rather than assumed, and the permanent design often has to change to suit a sequence that fits the possession. Working backwards from the required handback condition establishes the sequence, the sequence establishes the temporary works, and the whole thing has to be shown to fit the time available before the scheme is committed.
- Sequence designed backwards from the handback condition
- Buildability inside the access window proven at design stage
- Designs checked and signed by a Chartered Structural Engineer
- Temporary works registers and design briefs produced
- Professional indemnity insured
The codes behind rail temporary works and possessions.
BS EN 1990 through BS EN 1999 govern the basis of design, actions, and the design of concrete, steel, timber, masonry and aluminium structures. Every calculation we issue references the relevant Eurocode part and its UK National Annex, and states which parts were applied.
Structural analysis and design in Tekla Tedds and Tekla Structural Designer, with Autodesk Robot, CSC Fastrak, CSC Portal Frame, MasterSeries and Hilti Profis used where a scheme suits them. Drawing production in AutoCAD, and modelling in Autodesk Revit where a project is delivered in BIM. Output is issued as readable calculations rather than raw software printouts, so a checker or a building control officer can follow the reasoning.
The Building Regulations requirement your local authority Building Control checks against. Our calculations and drawings are prepared to demonstrate compliance so your submission is accepted without back-and-forth.
Every report and calculation package is backed by professional indemnity cover, which is what lets a lender, Building Control or another engineer rely on it.
From enquiry to sign-off.
Enquiry
Send drawings or describe the problem. We confirm the scope, the deliverables and a target timescale.
Information
We agree the survey, drawings or data we need and any site access required.
Engineering
Design, calculation or assessment to the relevant Eurocodes and UK National Annex.
Issue
A clear, defensible report or set of calculations, with assumptions and limitations stated.
Real structures, surveyed and engineered.
Common questions
Do you design propping for rail structures?
Yes. Propping and support schemes for staged work are core temporary works, and on rail they have the additional constraint that the propping itself usually has to be installed and removed within the same access window, or be safe to leave in place under traffic.
Can you tell us if a scheme fits the possession?
That is one of the more useful things we do. Establishing whether the sequence fits the booked access before the scheme is committed is far cheaper than discovering it does not while the window is running. Where it does not fit we set out the options: a different sequence, a different permanent design, or more access.
What is a handback condition?
The state the railway has to be in for traffic to run at the end of the access window: what is supported, what is restrained, what loads can be carried and what has to be complete. Defining it first is what makes the rest of the sequence designable, because everything upstream has to deliver it.
Related services and resources.
03Temporary WorksPropping, shoring, falsework04Structural Design & CalculationsCalcs, building regs, extensions, foundations
05Surveys & ReportsPre-purchase, inspection, due diligence
06Conservation & HeritageListed buildings, historic repairsTell us what you are building.
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