GRP Mammal Ledges

Summary

Staffordshire Alliance includes Laing O’Rourke, Network Rail, Atkins and Volker Rail. It is the industry’s first pure construction alliance and won the Collaborative Working accolade at the UK Railway Industry Awards in 2016 as well as Outstanding Project (over £20m) at the UK Railway Industry Awards in 2017.

The £250m upgrade to the West Coast Main Line includes 10 kilometres of new line and was delivered under budget over a year ahead of schedule.

In addition to a larger package of works for GRP safety handrails around bridges and parapets, we also fabricated and installed runs of mammal ledges under Norton Bridge on the West Coast Main Line. To ensure environmental standards, Mammal boards are required to allow wildlife, in this case, Otters, to pass under bridges rather than being forced up onto the railway line. It is understood that otters do not like high flows under bridges and instead, head over the bridge which can sadly end in injury or death.

Mammal boards, also known as mammal ledges are required to be 45cm to 60cm wide and 15cm above the highest flood level. Headroom of at least 60cm allows otters to easily use these culverts. To enable claws to grip the surface, it must be rough and therefore, GRP Anti-Slip is a practical solution. As glass reinforced plastic doesn’t require any maintenance and is long-lasting, even in wet and damp environments, it is the perfect material for mammal ledges.

Click here for more information on our Anti-Slip surfaces.