King Street Train Depot: Surface water drainage and waste water management

Polypipe supplied two surface water drainage and wastewater management solutions to a multimillion-pound infrastructure project in Lancashire.

The depot has been constructed as part of the £1 billion Great North Rail Project investment in rail infrastructure across the north of England. It incorporates a six-track stabling and maintenance depot, complete with carriage wash facilities, a plant room, water tanks and offices, which are used for maintenance, refuelling and cleaning.

Polypipe supplied a 750mm Ridgistorm-XL attenuation system, which proved quick and easy to install as well as minimising sediment build-up compared to the original specification of a geocellular system.

The Ridgistorm-XL system was engineered to specific stiffness classes to meet the site’s ground and loading conditions, with RIDGISTORMCheck chambers installed to manage the water flow out of the tank and direct it into a nearby river. The system was jointed using Ridgistorm-XL ring seals and installed at depths ranging from 1.35m to 2.25m.

A second system was installed to manage wastewater from cleaning and servicing trains by discharging it into the local sewer system. This solution required 1,280 Polystorm modular cells situated beneath the train servicing area to gather and attenuate surface water, with Polystorm Access and Polystorm Inspect components strategically placed across the system for access and maintenance purposes.

RIDGISTORMSeparate Catchpits were installed to separate the water from other particles with petrol interceptors to ensure safe and clean discharges into the local water networks.

The water is dispersed from the attenuation tanks through a system of RIDGISTORMCheck chambers, which controls water discharge at precise rates using penstocks and vortex flow controllers.

Clint Wiltshire, site agent at Buckingham Group Contracting: We have a longstanding relationship with Polypipe, and have had previous positive experiences using their intelligently-engineered thermoplastic products. The systems supplied for this expansive project allowed us to complete installation in a very efficient manner, which helped the full project to stay on time and under budget.