Project overview

At the Brighton rail-maintenance facility, 22 existing gantries required local extensions to improve the interface between the working platform and the adjacent train-maintenance area. The solution had to work with the retained framework, grating and guarded access components already in place.

Vital GRP coordinated the proposed alteration with Govia Thameslink Railway, prepared the components and completed the agreed adaptations. The signed record identifies 150mm GRP channel and 120mm grating extensions across all 22 gantries.

Twenty-two existing gantries extended and signed off on 26 June 2026.

The access challenge

This was an alteration project rather than a clean-sheet platform. Existing widths, supports and tread arrangements had to be checked before cutting or fitting. The work sequence also had to respect the occupied maintenance environment: the infill section was fitted first, the retained tread was then reinstated, and any site variation was escalated before the arrangement changed.

The installed solution

• Measured extension details agreed against the existing gantry and tread arrangement.
• Twenty-two gantries adapted with 150mm channel and 120mm grating components.
• Controlled removal and reinstatement sequence used where existing treads were retained.
• Cutting and preparation coordinated within an agreed work area inside the facility.
• Completed installation recorded in photographs and signed by the client on 26 June 2026.

Installation evidence

Four completed views record the local extension detail, guarded access, elevated route and relationship with the rail-maintenance area. Together they show both the repeated solution and the live geometry it had to accommodate.

Technical assurance for future projects

Rail-maintenance access alterations need accurate information about the retained structure and an agreed installation sequence. A small dimensional change can affect tread position, guarding, clearances and the way operatives approach the working level.

• Survey the retained platform, support and tread geometry at every repeated location.
• Confirm the required extension width and the load path before components are prepared.
• Agree cutting, access and reinstatement sequences with the facility team.
• Treat guarding, clearances and walking-surface continuity as part of the same detail.
• Record site variations, completed photographs and client sign-off against the agreed scope.

Project outcome

The completed work extended 22 existing gantries using a repeatable detail coordinated to the retained rail-maintenance infrastructure. The installation was signed by Govia Thameslink Railway on 26 June 2026, with project photographs and the completion record retained as evidence.

For survey, design and installation support, visit Vital GRP. For product selection and specification guidance, use the GRP Express Technical Hub.