Stainless Steel in Transportation: AVA, The Railway Bridge of the Future
Network Rail is the body that owns, operates and develops the railway infrastructure of Britain, which incorporates over 20,000 miles of railway tracks along with more than 30,000 viaducts, bridges and tunnels. Stainless steel features prominently in the list of construction materials used by Network Rail, from reinforced concrete (rebar) to countless applications in the manufacture of signals, station furniture, rolling stock and much more besides.
Stainless steel has once again come to the forefront with the building of a new prototype bridge which, named AVA, has been built in Kent. Designed to give clients and construction firms a 'try before you buy' opportunity, the accessible bridge has been built to full scale and even fitted with fully-operational elevators.
Expedition, the company which designed and engineered AVA, chose stainless steel as the primary building material for many reasons. To begin with, stainless steel is extremely easy to maintain, needing minimal cleaning and requiring no painting at all. Aesthetic appeal was also a major consideration, with the architects noting that the bridge is open, light and attractive, with a modern feel.
One of the key design elements is the bridge's lifts, which have been created to make the bridge more accessible; the lifts were designed by ARX, the company which also designed the movable roofs at Wimbledon. Fitted with curved stainless steel doors, the lifts showcase a modular 'plug-and-play' installation technique that cuts installation time down by as much as half, an attractive proposition for both contractors and for those who live in close proximity to sites where these bridges will be built.
Chris Wise, the Senior Director at Expedition, said that AVA 'signals the future of infrastructure manufacture'. He added that AVA would bring countless benefits, including 'saving the taxpayer money, saving lifetime carbon and manufacturing infrastructure products that are super-fast to build and beautiful to use'.
The first AVA bridge to go into public use will be at Stowmarket in Suffolk and is set to open next year. AVA has been shortlisted for no less than four award categories at the 2024 New Civil Engineer’s TechFest:
- Best use of Technology: Digital Construction
- Best use of Technology: Site Productivity
- Best use of Technology: Digital Engineering
- Digital Construction Project of the Year
Stainless steel is widely used across multiple transportation sectors from the automotive industry to maritime and even in space travel. Find out more about the uses of stainless steel in transportation and the products that are used to facilitate it by browsing the BS Stainless website or by getting in touch with a member of our expert technical team.