Innovation & Environmental Solutions for HS2

HS2 is a high-speed 345-mile railway track under construction which, once complete, will connect London, Birmingham, Manchester and Leeds. Currently one of the largest infrastructure projects in the UK, phase one is valued at £106 billion and will link London and Birmingham by 2028-2031. Phase two will run from the West Midlands to Manchester in the west and Leeds in the east completing the network by 2035-2040. HS2 is expected to carry over 300,000 passengers a day - around 100 million a year, when fully operational.

Customer Name
HS2 JV contractors and sub-contractors
Project and Location
London to Birmingham

The challenge

We are in a unique position within the hire industry to be able to supply nationally a wide variety of the equipment and services necessary to undertake the huge scope of works associated with the HS2 programme.

This includes the construction of new stations, tunnels and railway line. We have been working in close collaboration with the HS2 delivery teams for many years, developing ways to effectively support the project on a large scale and meet all stakeholder needs.

As a result, we are delivering the latest products to site for a number of key stakeholders involved in the build. Equipment includes:

However, as the project progresses each stakeholder has different requirements. Many need expert technical knowledge to help solve unfolding issues, others demand the very latest in cutting edge equipment and technology to offset carbon, reduce noise and improve safety.  Our teams have to be agile and at the forefront of industry developments.

The solution

Our specialist teams across the UK offer the most environmental and cost-efficient solutions available across all of our product portfolio All areas are led by experts who remain at the forefront of innovative solutions.  We invest millions in new equipment each year to ensure we have the best solutions for our customers.

When a support request is received from an HS2 contractor, our dedicated Sunbelt HS2 team assign the project to the most appropriate operational teams in the business to support and lead on delivery. They project manage the solutions through to a satisfactory delivery, ensuring consistent quality at all times.

Results

There are many examples of successful and effective project support from our experts, such as:

Reducing CO2 emissions through fuel free generators

We have significantly improved sustainability for Soil Engineering, the company investigating ground conditions for construction of the Birmingham to London route.

Soil Engineering required a power generation solution to help power a temporary accommodation set-up of the welfare cabins that we provided for the teams on-site. As the accommodation complex is situated in a built-up area it was vital that noise from any power generation source was kept to a minimum, especially at night whilst reducing CO2 emissions and fuel consumption.

Our Power team devised a temporary power solution comprising the use of a 200kVA generator in conjunction with a hybrid unit. The system used was a silent hybrid power system and in its first month reduced CO2 and fuel costs by an astounding 11%.

The hybrid solution provided by Sunbelt has worked extremely well and given us the results we were hoping for. Noise has been minimised and we have been able to make significant fuel savings and ultimately, a massive reduction in CO2 emissions.
Perry Butler, Site Foreman, Soil Engineering

 

Innovative solutions to gain effective access

Align JV required an innovative solution for putting effective temporary access to transport plant, equipment and personnel across a live quarry environment. The variable stability of ground due to clay backfill and a high water table caused a very wet surface which would have normally made it impossible to traverse.

Using their 50 plus years of experience team configured a solution using multiple products – accounting for the varying terrains across the quarry site and differing estimated uses, traffic and axel loads. The team used its award-winning LionTrak aluminium Trakway and Emtek, the only timber matt to be engineered and tested for load capability. Crossing points where included for steel track machines and borehole pads for each drill location. The double layer combinations were installed diagonally to achieve a higher deflection of weight and constant tampering over the 15-week period.

The installation performed and maintained a free-flowing working site, ensuring the safety of all transport and personnel, whilst keeping mud and dirt to a minimum.

Sunbelt provided the solution by using a combination of their products to meet our needs, the service was efficient and accurate from both their Engineer and the installation team.
Chris Winters, Align JV