Southern Renewals Enterprise restores London's Barnes Bridge

As part of a six-day closure of the Hounslow Loop line between Kew Bridge and Barnes, the engineers successfully replaced all 48 wooden wheel timbers with Fibre-reinforced Foamed Urethane (FFU) alternatives. Produced from recycled material, these new wheel timbers have an extended lifespan of 50 years, are more durable and require less maintenance. The team also strengthened the spans underneath the Grade II listed bridge on scaffold platforms. 

New baseplates, which connect the tracks to the sleepers, were also installed and the alignment of the tracks approaching and leaving the bridge were improved. During this period, 1.4km of third rail was also renewed between Chiswick and Kew Junction, while the road bridge over the railway on Great Chertsey Road was strengthened.

Mark Smith, Network Rail, Project Manager, said: “These works were incredibly complex and our engineers had to work in difficult conditions because of the heatwave, plus the really confined space under the bridge. I’d like to pay tribute to everyone who contributed to this project to get it delivered on time for the benefit of our passengers.”

Mike Sheridan, Operations Director - Buildings and Civils, VolkerFitzpatrick, said: “The successful renewal of Barnes Bridge is testament to the team's hard work, commitment and collaborative spirit. It’s exciting to see the Southern Delivery Enterprise’s vision for a safer and more efficient CP7 coming into action.”