Innovative Thinking

Many challenges in construction and engineering involve dealing with complex information out on site. Away from the clean confines of an office, it can be difficult to ensure the right things are done in the right place at the right time.  David Pinches, chief product officer at software specialist Causeway…

Climate change is one of the most pressing problems society faces, with the UK government in real danger of missing its 2050 net zero carbon target. It is vital that the rail sector continues to drive the shift of passenger and freight journeys from road to rail. But more than…

Bauer Technologies is an expert in the foundations sector and is well known for the installation of vertical tunnelling foundation elements. A landmark project was the installation of the three up to 120m deep diaphragm wall shafts, with diameters of between 8m and 35m at Woodsmith mine in Whitby, North…

Highways England’s £43M M6 junction 19 Improvement Scheme is at the intersection of the motorway and the A556 between Cheshire and south Manchester.  Over 65,000 vehicles use the junction 19 interchange each day and it requires improvement to meet an expected increase in traffic resulting from Manchester Airport’s expansion and…

Waterman Aspen uses a range of methods to cut the carbon content of roads projects.

Waterman Aspen regional director Lee Baldry is responsible for the consultant’s work with a wide range of clients in the roads sector. Here he discusses carbon emission reductions. Waterman Aspen supports a broad range of…

Part of Network Rail’s £1.2bn East Coast Upgrade is a grade separated dive under at Werrington  near Peterborough. It will increase capacity on the East Coast Main Line (ECML), and increase freight traffic on the slower Stamford and Spalding Great North Great Eastern (GNGE) lines.  This will be achieved by…

Rail bridge inspections can no longer be left to traditional approaches and techniques. The speed and accuracy required to competently assess rail bridge stock dictates that the old ways of doing things simply can no longer be applied. A case study of a complex PTSI Rail Bridge Assessment highlights the…

Sopra Steria is pioneering a platform which can help rail sector employers identify and address competence gaps as the industry prepares for a post-Covid workload boom.

The past year has presented obvious challenges to society and the rail industry alike with Covid-19. Perpetual lockdowns and social distancing have heavily impacted rail,…

With increasing pressure on water resources, can marginal gains move water supply closer to net zero? By Steve Leigh and Richard Leigh.

Climate change, population growth and increasingly leisure orientated lifestyles are all creating greater demand for water. This has been exacerbated by the increase in demand generated by home workers,…

Should specifying mats to support outrigger cranes be more tightly regulated?

Mobile cranes apply high pressure onto the ground through their outriggers. With concerns about climate change and extreme variable weather conditions, ground load bearing test results for any given area can vary from day to day. Ground conditions under a…