Case Study Wrexham Station

Wrexham General Station is a main line railway station and the main railway station serving Wrexham, north-east Wales. The station was first opened in 1846 and expanded in 1912. It comprises four operational platforms with two disused bay platforms at the southern end of Platform 1. Until the early 1980s what is now Platform 4 of Wrexham General, was a separate station: Wrexham Exchange.

After working with MPH Construction on a number of station refurbishment projects across Wales, the Principal Contractor approached Twinfix to carry out the survey for the canopy refurbishment at Wrexham Station as well as designing, manufacturing and supplying the replacement roof glazing for 3 of the platform canopies at the station. The panels were installed by a third-party roofing company.

The work spanned 532 square metres and comprised of the innovative Multi-Link-Panel Non-Fragile (NF) system glazed with 6mm Georgian wired polycarbonate.

Each panel of the innovative Multi-Link-Panel NF system comprises of a powder-coated aluminium frame and fitted with polycarbonate glazing. The panels are built completely off-site in a quality-controlled factory environment, reducing the risk, and cost, of site mistakes, and are delivered on-site fully glazed and ready for rapid installation. The system has a unique linking design feature that results in incredibly quick installation times, making the system very much suited to rail work due to its restricted possession times.

The Multi-Link-Panel NF system is an innovative roof glazing product that has been well utilised for many years on station canopy roofs, and it has been thoroughly tried and tested in that time.

It was the chosen system for this project for a number of reasons:

• sustainability– these panels are virtually unbreakable in manufacture, transit and in situ, meaning that, unlike glass, maintenance costs will be eliminated.
• safety– Twinfix Multi-Link-Panel NF (Non-Fragile) conforms to the HSE recommended test method ACR[M]001:2019 (as outlined in document HSG33) and achieves a ‘B’ Classification.
• off-site construction– The panels are pre-assembled in Twinfix’s factory ensuring strict quality guidelines are adhered to, which is not always guaranteed when roofing products are assembled on site.
• ease of access– The Multi-Link-Panel NF system can be fitted with In-Line Access Hatches, to allow cleaning of gutters and roof. These hatches are hardly visible and allow safe access through the glazing without needing to get on the roof.
• weight– The Multi-Link-Panel NF is light in weight and due to its modular format, it is very quick to install which allows for short rail possession works.
• appearance – The Georgian wired polycarbonate glazing combines the appearance of Georgian wired glass with all the material benefits of polycarbonate.

As well as improving the overall environment in a lighter, brighter station, the addition of the Twinfix Georgian wired polycarbonate at Wrexham General Station has preserved the building’s unique appearance and character, while providing modern levels of safety for passengers and staff.