Decision details

Between 2013 and 2015, embedded rail replacement works were undertaken on the Supertram network. These were carried out by Volker Rail to a design provided by South Yorkshire Supertram Limited.

Following these works, significant lengths of polymer installed by Volker next to the rails failed leading to polymer delamination.

In February 2024 SYMCA entered into a Term Service Contract with Colas Rail Limited to undertake polymer replacement and concrete track bed repairs (to deal with significant concrete defects at sites identified for polymer replacement) on a call-off basis, via discrete Task Orders. Colas’s tendered sum to undertake these works for the first Task Order, which relates to a section of Park Grange Road where the most significant polymer defects are located, is £2,032,028.57. Approval of a figure of £2,194,590.85 (£2,032,028.57 plus 8% risk contingency) was granted at the PTT meeting on 27/09/23.

The repair schedule on which Colas’s tender was based was determined on the basis of a pre-tender survey carried out without traffic management in place and whilst trams were running. These constraints prevented a detailed close-quarters survey from being carried out. Subsequent site surveys have identified significant additional concrete repair work within the Park Grange Road site. Specifically, a detailed survey was carried out by Colas and Mott Macdonald, with traffic management in place, enabling defects to be more accurately identified and recorded. The total revised estimated cost of the works is £3,651,101.23.

The additional cost over and above the existing approved figure is £1,456,510.38.

The additional defects identified in the concrete slab are all considered to be significant and require prioritised repair. This repair work is necessary to arrest further deterioration and preserve the longevity of the track slab.

It is foreseeable that the defects in the concrete slab may cause harm to road users, in particular cyclists and pedestrians. Having a contractor mobilised for the type of works involved represents a significant opportunity to mitigate this risk promptly. SYMCA’s Rail Safety Officer advocates the inclusion of the additional work in the current Task Order.

To instruct Colas Rail Limited to undertake additional work on the South Yorkshire Supertram Embedded Rail Repairs Contract, comprising additional repairs to the concrete track slab identified in a site survey carried out post Contract award, at a cost of £1,456,510.38 (including a 6% allowance for risk).

The option of reducing the scope of works on a prioritised basis to keep within the tendered sum has been considered, but this option not recommended. The additional defects identified in the concrete slab are all considered to be significant and require prioritised repair. The cost of undertaking the additional works as part of the current work package (Task Order), whilst SYMCA have a contractor on site, will be less than the cost of postponing the works for inclusion in a subsequent Task Order due to inflation and the costs associated with re-mobilisation.