Audenshaw derailment
Our Kirow crane team assisted in the recovery of a freight train that had derailed on a bridge in Audenshaw, Greater Manchester.
The freight train was made up of two class 66 locomotives and 24 wagons, each carrying aggregate, and weighing up to 100 tonnes each. The locomotives and the leading 10 wagons passed safely over the bridge, but the following nine wagons derailed, with the last of the derailed wagons coming to a standstill on the bridge itself.
VolkerRail was called out to assess and plan the complex lifts required to recover the derailed wagons, working with regional framework contractors, DB Cargo and Network Rail’s supply chain operations team, to ensure clearance of the line was as efficient and safe as possible.
Following initial site surveys, it became clear that Network Rail would need to arrange for specialists to reinforce the bridge to ensure the two Kirow 1200 cranes (one VolkerRail owned and operated, and one Network Rail owned and operated by VolkerRail) had safe access.
Due to the weight of the cranes and the location of the derailed wagons, DB Cargo emptied the wagons in advance, using grabbers and a heavy-duty vacuum excavator.
The Network Rail Kirow crane arrived on site first and VolkerRail began lifting four of the derailed wagons, which took the team two days to complete. VolkerRail’s Kirow 1200 crane was brought in to help lift the remaining five wagons. The two of the remaining wagons were mangled together, meaning more time was required to lift them safely off of track.
All nine wagons were recovered in just six days. Six wagons were removed via rail, but due to the remaining three wagons being badly damaged, they were lifted into a safe position onto the ballast before VolkerRail returned the following month to remove them from site via road.
"Each year our teams proactively help customers get their networks back into operational order after unexpected events like flooding, landslips or derailments occur. This is another excellent example of teamwork, and of the capabilities of our specialist expertise. I would like to thank the whole team for their quick and efficient response to the incident and commend them for their ability to plan and deliver the work safely and successfully."
Mark Jackson VolkerRail’s plant director
