The Anonymous Widower

Understatement From Network Rail

One of my least favourite station is Manchester Victoria, which looks like it was last deep refurbished and cleaned, when its namesake was on the throne. On the Network Rail page about their plans for the station is this classic phrase.

As anyone who has been to Manchester Victoria on a rainy day can tell you, there is a problem with the roof.

But at least something is being done. They state this about the new roof.

The £16m new roof is likely to be made of ETFE (Ethylene tetrafluoroethylene) – the material used at Manchester Piccadilly station, the Eden Project in Cornwall and the swimming pool built for the 2008 Beijing Olympics, known as the Water Cube. ETFE is lighter, cheaper and lets in more light than glass. It’s also self cleaning, making it an ideal material for roofs.

You do wonder if this material could be used in other places to improve buildings at a more affordable cost than traditional methods.

I’ll look forward to using the new Manchester Victoria station in a few years time.

March 3, 2013 - Posted by | Transport/Travel | , , , , ,

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