April 2003 No Bridge Too Far Met Surveys, are engaged on one of the widest programmes of rail bridge surveys to be undertaken in the UK.
The national project is being managed through various contractors and consulting engineers on behalf of the Network Rail. Met Surveys have recently been working with Pell Frischmann Consulting Engineers based in Wakefield. It is ongoing and potentially involves thousands of bridges and viaducts spanning roads, rivers and railway tracks across the country. As the initial phase of planned bridge refurbishment or replacement, the surveys are a crucial part of the redevelopment of the UK railway infrastructure.
Most of the work, which includes topographical and measured surveys of the bridge elevations, profiles and structural features, has to be carried out during railway possessions and generally at night. For those not familiar with railway terminology, possessions are periods of time when the railway is effectively closed and given over to the engineering companies to carry out work. Possession times and rules have to be strictly adhered to and, therefore, having a reliable and flexible team is paramount. To overcome the various restrictions, Met Surveys teams are using semi-robotic Total Stations with Automatic Target recognition, which alleviates the problem of trying to see and focus onto a target at night. The same instruments also utilise lasers for measuring. This enables the structural detail to be surveyed without physical access. It is a method ideal for use at night when the red beam can be clearly seen and enables measuring of remote detail such as soffits or piers in the middle of a river. In order to man the vast programme, Met Surveys have trained a further 8 surveyors for their PTS (Personal Track Safety) Certificate. Now 90% of company's field staff will hold PTS certification for railway work. This will give the firm far greater flexibility and the ability to respond more quickly to client requests to mobilise surveying teams to new bridge locations at short notice. Met Surveys has provided surveying services to the rail industry for a number of years, including Arriva Trains Northern for whom the company has recently completed surveys at a number of stations in Yorkshire ahead of the development of new or enhanced customer facilities.