South Western Railway, UK

Client: South Western Railway

Location: Clapham, Farnham, Fratton & Bournemouth, UK

Year: 2023

Project size: 25000 m²

Vebro systems: vebrodeck ID, vebrodeck MMA ED

Four of South Western Railway (SWR)’s major traincare depots, required over 25,000 square metres of liquid-applied seamless resin flooring, linemarking and hatching.

SWR manages 187 stations alongside 10 traincare depots and stabling sidings located across London and south west England.

Train depots are large facilities or yards where trains are stabled adjacent to the main lines. Trains are parked at depots overnight, where routine cleaning and maintenance takes place at what are often 24-hour operational facilities.

Having had a previously poor experience with seamless resin coatings, which due to insufficient advice at specification stage had resulted in spectacular failure of the coating across many of the traincare depots, a diligent and open approach was required for the client to regain confidence in the material, application methods and resulting finish.

At the time of approaching Vebro, there was no specification in mind, just the urgent need to refurbish the facilities by replacing the existing coatings.

Several Vebro Polymers solutions were used across the four SWR sites, all of which were determined through a detailed site survey and evaluation process, in which the specific use of the area in question, service criteria, level of traffic and realistic life expectancy requirements of the floor within the parameters of budget were all consulted.

All covered walkways, or ‘roads’ as they are referred to by depot staff that run between tracks, as well as the sunken floors located in inspection pits were specified with the vebrodeck ID system in RAL 7037 Dusty Grey.

Inspection pit walls were twice coated with a water-based, gloss-finish, epoxy sealer in RAL 9010 Pure White.

Semi-exposed ramps, which are located at the end of each of the sheds, were specified with the vebrodeck MMA ED system to provide additional safeguards against the elements and enhanced UV resistance as well as ensuring the material can be installed within tight weather windows.

All linemarking, cross-hatching and demarcation was meticulously completed using the vebro EP Universal LM product – a solvent-free epoxy line-marking paint incorporating a thickening agent to prevent seepage under stencils and tape.