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Project: Trough Route – Ipswich Chord / Yard

Key Project Details

Client:

  • Network Rail

Start date:

  • August 2012

End date:

  • December 2014

Duration:

  • 20 months

Value:

  • £60m

The Challenge

Network Rail required comprehensive infrastructure works as part of the £60 million Ipswich Chord project to enhance freight distribution from Britain’s largest container port. The project comprised four new bridges, two new embankments, a 413-metre retaining wall, and 2.4 kilometres of new track and signalling equipment. The team faced significant access difficulties on a site hemmed in by rail, river, and urban development, requiring careful stakeholder management with local landowners and users. Working alongside a live railway demanded a significant disruptive possession regime including a five-day Christmas 2013 blockade, requiring intricate staged construction and testing to maintain operational performance without compromising site safety.

What We Did

Aaron Rail was procured to deliver essential civils and rail works over a 20-month programme from August 2012 to December 2014. Working in full collaboration with principal contractor C Spencer, Network Rail, and lead designer Arup, our scope included:

  • Lineside Fencing and Gates – installing safety fencing and access gates to protect the railway and enable operational access
  • Trough Route – Elevated and Buried – installing elevated and buried cable trough routes to support power and signalling infrastructure
  • SPT Bases and Driver Walkways – constructing Signal Post Telephone bases and driver walkways for operational safety
  • Plain Line and S&C Track Renewals Support – supporting plain line and switches & crossings track renewal activities
  • Earthworks – delivering earthworks to support new embankments and infrastructure
  • Temporary Hoarding – providing temporary protection and site segregation during construction
  • LOC Bases – installing Location Case bases for signalling equipment
  • Signal Bases – constructing signal bases to support new signalling infrastructure

The collaborative relationship with Spencer, Network Rail, and Arup created an effective platform for finding joint solutions to site challenges, resolving commercial issues, and managing risks throughout the complex programme.

The Outcome

  • Essential freight route infrastructure successfully delivered as part of £60m Ipswich Chord programme
  • Enhanced distribution capacity from Britain’s largest container port
  • Potential to remove up to 750,000 lorries from roads annually by 2030
  • Complex works delivered safely alongside live railway operations
  • Critical five-day Christmas blockade completed successfully within programme
  • Works integrated seamlessly with bridge, embankment, and track construction activities
  • Strong collaborative delivery maintained across multi-stakeholder programme

Added Value

This project demonstrates Aaron Rail’s capability to deliver complex, multi-disciplinary works on major freight infrastructure programmes within highly constrained environments. Through close collaboration with the principal contractor, client, and designer, our teams provided flexible support across civils and rail activities, contributing to transformational improvements in freight capacity that deliver lasting environmental benefits by reducing road haulage dependency.