Van Elle has completed a substantial package of critical piling for BAM at Huddersfield Station, supporting the TransPennine Route Upgrade (TRU), one of the North of England's most significant rail infrastructure programmes.

The works are a key element of the station's redevelopment, providing foundations for new structures around the existing subway and principal platforms. Delivered in phases, the programme demanded careful planning and close coordination to work safely within a live railway and during a full station blockade.

The scope included installing 600mm contiguous wall piles, 600mm CFA piles and BCIP canopy, footbridge and lift piles to depths of up to 15.25 metres. The intricate station layout and restricted site introduced several constraints, notably headroom of under four metres above the subway, requiring precise placement of large-diameter piles within a very tight space envelope.

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To address these constraints, Van Elle used two specially modified Klemm 708 rigs configured for low-headroom operations. A Klemm 709 and a Hutte 207 were also deployed for canopy, footbridge and lift piling. The team carefully managed surcharge limits near the subway and maintained strict safety controls throughout the busy blockade.

Following the Specialist Piling phase, Van Elle Civils delivered reinforced concrete works, including pile cropping, blinding, steel fixing, formwork and concrete, waterproofing, and installing gas membranes, cast-in drainage and holding down bolts. The package comprises 40 reinforced concrete pile caps to support the new station roof and three lift pits for a footbridge providing step-free access across the platforms. Activities were undertaken in high street environments and during weekend blockades, coordinating interfaces with Network Rail and the public.

Thanks to close collaboration between Van Elle, BAM and the TRU West team, the piling activities were completed to the required high-quality standards despite the challenging conditions on site.

Reflecting on the collaboration, John Ely, Civils Lead on Huddersfield Station for TRU West, said: "I just wanted to say thank you to you and your team for all of your help and assistance in helping to successfully deliver the blockade works at Huddersfield Station over the last six weeks. What you helped to deliver is an incredible piece of work, of which we can all be justifiably proud. The way that the Van Elle team merged seamlessly with our own and with the other supply chain partners resulted in a collaboration that many visitors and observers commented favourably upon when they visited the project."