Faster infrastructure maintenance could save the UK £500m/year

A report by transport consultants Volterra has shown that using an innovative method of ground engineering could reduce infrastructure maintenance duration by 2x to 10x, significantly reducing UK infrastructure costs, including:

• £400m annual savings for the Rail industry
• £85m annual reduction in the impact of roadworks
• £19m per day reduction in the cost of airport maintenance

Volterra examined the impact of faster infrastructure maintenance in the UK. They found that geopolymer injection for ground stabilisation and improvement works means remediation can be completed 2–10x faster for equivalent cost, identifying significant cost savings for the companies involved and the economy.

Rail Infrastructure

£400m annual savings from faster maintenance

Volterra found that previous Geobear projects with Network Rail have typically resolved unstable, rocking slab track between 2x and 10x faster than traditional methods for the same cost.

Lower financial penalties:

• Reduction in S4 and S8 payments due to faster maintenance
• Reduction in lost income from VUC

Reduction in socio-economic costs:

• Time delays to passengers
• Additional costs from using alternative methods of transport

Volterra modelled the impact of Geobear's time-saving advantage on three routes in Wales, the North West and London, factoring in data such as passenger numbers, service frequency, and planned and unplanned maintenance.

"Geobear's injection method was successfully delivered in four shifts to complete a targeted structural void fill at Oxford station. The traditional alternative would have taken 5x more shifts."
— Bill Smalley, Construction Manager, Network Rail

Road

£85m per year decrease in impact from roadworks

Volterra evaluated a number of scenarios for road maintenance based on the performance of previous Geobear work, including stabilisation and improvement works on the M11 and stabilising roads in Reading. They found most of the economic cost of roadworks is socio-economic — the impact of delays and closures on road users.

By modelling Geobear's typical performance improvements on road products against major and minor highway projects, Volterra estimated the cost impact of faster maintenance — totalling £87m per year.

"Geobear's solution to the essential embankment repair at M11 Girton interchange has been a highlight of this year's 2018/19 programme of works. Overall the programme of delivery has seen large improvement versus comparative methods of work."
— Karl Brooks, Project Manager, Highways England

Airports

£19.3m saving by reducing a whole-day closure to just one hour

The report modelled potential runway closures of airports in Cardiff, Luton and Heathrow. Most of the financial impact is borne by the airport and airlines, including:

• Loss of landing fees — while the airport is closed
• Cost of delays — higher staff, airport and handling costs as well as passenger compensation
• Cost of diversions — additional landing fees, repositioning of aircraft and staff as well as passenger compensation
• Cost of cancellations — passenger compensation and network effects
• Environmental costs — from holding in the air, diversions and repositioning aircraft

Evidence showed that Geobear's solution could reduce a whole-day runway closure to between one and three hours. Savings vary between airport size, with savings from one single runway closure being as much as £19.3m for a large airport.

Geopolymer Injection Delivers Ground Improvement 10x Faster Than Traditional Solutions

Up to 40mm holes are drilled into the substandard ground

The geopolymer is injected in its liquid state

Geopolymer flows to fill voids and expands

Geopolymer hardens within minutes, giving 150kPa compressive strength

Faster, Cheaper and Less Disruption than Traditional Methods

M11 Emergency Ground Stabilisation

Geobear was contacted by WSP to provide a design solution for a voiding and ground improvement issue. The focus throughout development and delivery was to minimise the duration and disruption of the works without compromising safety. This was achieved by employing four crews, two working on the north and two on the south bridge abutment simultaneously. The project was successfully delivered two days ahead of schedule, including additional treatment to areas outside the initial scope.

About the Study

The Transport Report was produced by Volterra consultants in partnership with Geobear. Geobear created geopolymer injection and has been providing ground improvement solutions worldwide, completing over 200,000 projects over the past 40 years. Volterra is a niche consultancy specialising in the economics of transport and property development, providing advice to public and private sector clients based on 30 years of practical experience.