Durham Railway Station

Durham Railway Station is situated on the east coast mainline which runs between London Kings Cross and Edinburgh Waverley. The existing entrance way was suffering from water ingress which was causing damage in the buildings below and so a WestWood Wecryl waterproofing and hard-wearing layer was specified in conjunction with LNER.

The existing entrance ramp and seating area was causing leaks to the buildings below. The asphalt appeared to be in good condition with some minor defects which included a section that was missing. Due to the regular footfall from railway passengers, LNER required a waterproofing which could with stand regular traffic, was aesthetically pleasing and could be installed quickly to reduce disruption to the railway station and its passengers. A in depth survey was carried out with core samples revealing a 30mm mastic asphalt on a concrete screed. The falls on the terrace and entrance ramp were good with no ponding water present. The old stone drip detail around the perimeter was suffering from exposure to the elements and was no longer performing as required, water was then backtracking onto the stone wall below. On the below section there were no upstands present and this was likely the point of water ingress. Heavy planters had also been placed upon the mastic asphalt and due to its thermoplastic nature had created indentations within the asphalt. WestWood Liquid Technologies UK Ltd provided the trafficable waterproofing scheme. WestWood Wecryl R230 waterproofing, RS333 wearing course with added quartz sand with Wecryl 488 Finish (RAL 7043). This was applied directly to the existing mastic asphalt which, following core samples and a survey, was suitable to be overlaid.

Consideration had to be given to the installation which consisted of 5 sequences. Preparation, priming, waterproofing, hard wearing and sealer coat. Attention needed to be given to passengers when installing each layer. This was also achieved by utilising the rapid curing nature of Wecryl PMMA, this allowed an individual layer to be fully cured within 15 minutes of application and able to receive footfall straight away. This in turn lead to minimal disruption to the station. The failing stonework was rectified by installing a new powder coated drip trim, which was a bespoke colour to match the system. This helped create a new drip detail which would prevent further damage to the sandstone below. The metal railings were also an obstacle as they could not be removed. However, due to Wecryl PMMA’s self-terminating properties the metal posts were able to be suitably weathered in without the need for mechanical terminations or unattractive fixings.