Core Valley Lines
Working for Balfour Beatty, as part of the Transport for Wales Metro project, our plain line and S&C Beaver tamper has aligned the track between Cardiff Bay and Cardiff Central to Treherbert, Aberdare, Merthyr Tydfil, and Rhymney, as part of the Core Valley Lines upgrade.
The lightweight and compact nature of these machines made them perfect for the project due to access requirements, as these lines follow the river.
Working with Balfour Beatty we undertook planning and transportation plans to confirm access to the line in advance. Several road rail access points were also built to allow the Beaver tampers to access track.
To minimise disruption in highly populated areas, including noise and light pollution, work was carried out during daylight hours.
This included tamping new switches and crossings and aligning the track to allow the smooth running of the new passenger trains.
Throughout the course of the project, VolkerRail undertook over 150 tamping shifts across the Core Valley Lines, making this one of the largest projects undertaken, using a Beaver tamper.
The upgraded track will accommodate a new fleet of passenger trains, resulting in more frequent and faster journeys for passengers.
Future work
Throughout 2025 our dual owned and operated S&C Beaver tamper, (shared partnership with VolkerRail Netherlands) will return to Wales to undertake future track alignment, along with our two Kirow 250 cranes, to assist with track renewals.
