£14.5 Million Repairs To Carlisle Station Roof Near Finish Line 

The scale of a major roof repair is often hard to cost during the planning stages, meaning you’ll need to find the best supplier of fibre cement roofing sheets to stop the project going over budget. Just take, for example, the scale of the project to repair Carlisle train station, which is nearing completion.

Carlisle railway station’s glass roof is being re-vamped as part of a huge £15.5 million project. The historical roof was constructed back in 1847 and will now be replaced with reinforced plastic sheeting.

Surprisingly, the majority of the damage to the roof over the years hasn’t been from the weather, but from seagulls dropping stones. This has caused cracks and breakages to the glass and, over the years, there have been various safety concerns for passengers due to the potential of falling glass. This has meant parts of the station having to be temporarily closed.

The existing metal frame work which supports the roof is also being given a new lease of life with a complete specialist repaint as well as the lighting that sits around it being replaced.

Network Rail’s project management leader Chris Atkins spoke to BBC News and said “The rejuvenated roof will mean a brighter, more airy and cleaner environment which will enhance the station’s beautiful features.”

It’s hoped that all works to the station’s roof will be finished by early 2018. The long timescale of this project is due to the erected scaffolding only being accessible on a weekly basis due to passengers.