Eastbourne Train Shed Case Study

Eastbourne station is located in East Sussex. It was originally built in the 19th century and is classified as a Grade II listed building. Over the years, the station has undergone several renovations and upgrades.

Back in October 2020 it was announced £5 million would be spent on restoring Eastbourne Railway Station to its ‘former glory’. Work done includes canopy refurbishment, slate roof replacement, masonry work to the front of the station, and new roofing above the atrium.

Twinfix were approached to replace the glazing panels on the 32 lanterns on the station’s train shed with something hard wearing, sustainable and modern but without losing the period look. The change was needed because, according to the plans, the existing fixtures were ‘life expired and inefficient’.

Twinfix supplied their Multi-Link-Panel Non-Fragile (NF) roof glazing system, glazed with 6mm solid obscure polycarbonate. The new glazing spanned 1243 square metres and was installed by Gable, on behalf of Main Contractor BAM Nuttall.

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. The system is also completely recycleable.
• 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.

A slight redesign of the original roof allowed 96 access hatches to be installed, making maintenance easier. Installed it’s almost impossible to detect the modern materials that have been used to bring this historic structure back to life.

During the renovation work, Shaun King, Sussex route director for Network Rail, said, “The quality of work on site is being completed to a very high standard and we’re taking great care to restore the Grade II listed building to its former glory.”