Bristol Temple Meads has been undergoing a series of improvements by Network Rail, including the completion of the refurbishment and repainting of the Victorian canopies.
Network Rail contracted Taziker to undertake the painting work and began the preparation stages in September 2020, and saw teams taking back the old paintwork, priming all columns and trusses (roof beams) along with the brackets in the station.
The station canopies make-over has seen around 900 litres of paint with the new colour scheme linking to that of London Paddington station. The colour of the forecourt canopies and also the main station roof at Bristol Temple Meads is off-white and also features hints of mid-grey tones on the trusses and brownish-red detailing.
At London Paddington station, the roof is also a brownish-red colour featuring small grey detail on the trusses.
Not only does the paintwork bring a connection to London Paddington station, but the choice of the colour scheme also re-establishes a historic colour palette used within the station during the late 19th to 20th centuries.
The station has seen a £24 million roof restoration project and the painting of the canopies falls into this. The roof restoration project is making good progress and continuing work will see 32 36m long roof beams erected inside the station's main train shed. The long roof beams will provide support to a large safety screen and provide engineers with access to the roof to carry out re-glazing and paintwork and at the same time keeping both passengers and staff members safe while the work goes on overhead.
The roof refurbishment project is expected to be finished during 2023 and is part of the Bristol Rail Regeneration programme, which will make numerous improvements to the railway throughout Bristol along with the well-loved Bristol Temple Meads station over the next three years. The programme will see significant investment made into sustainable transport in the area and will also include the creation of a major transport hub serving millions of passengers each year and also supporting business right through the region.
Maxine Prydderch, Network Rail project manager, said: “We are really pleased with the quality of the new Bristol Temple Meads colour scheme and the beautiful hidden details that have been unearthed under layers of old paint as part of refurbishment of the station entrance canopies.
“Now this area is complete, it'll give our passengers and station users a real feel for what the station as a whole will look like over the coming years.”
Neil Harrison, Taziker Infrastructure managing director, said: “The painting work at Bristol Temple Meads really gives the station a new and improved look and whilst the work has been challenging due to dealing with a range of weather conditions and a live station environment, we are extremely pleased with the final outcome of which our team can be really proud of.”
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