Work to repair the roof of Grade 1 listed Temple Meads train station will start this summer. Network Rail announced on 26th June that that they have contracted Horwich-based Taziker Industrial to act as primary contractor in this £24 million project. Taziker specialise in structural refurbishment and have worked on structures such as Brunel’s iconic Royal Albert Bridge.
The job will take 3 years, and contractors will install a massive scaffolding structure to allow work to progress safely.
The current glazing system was installed in 1986. It used glass reinforced plastic which has become delaminated and discoloured and cannot be safely cleaned. The repaired roof at Temple Meads will use laminated glass, and an access system will allow proper maintenance. The old colour scheme, designed to match 1980’s Intercity branding, will be replaced with a simpler one which will be unified across the station. All this should make Temple Meads much brighter, and hopefully staff will no longer need to get out the buckets every time it rains!
While we welcome this news, it is really just overdue maintenance. Essential as it is, it does not improve capacity or accessibility. Doing it now does however remove a potential obstacle to future electrification, which is to be welcomed.
We await news of the new eastern entrance (connecting the station directly to the new University of Bristol campus), the new northern entrance, and other improvements.