£23.33 (Excl.VAT)
Book nowOur annual Cumbria supper is one of the highlights on our social calendar. Join us for a three-course meal and a presentation on the Clifton Rail Replacement Bridge project.
The Supper
The menu for the evening is as follows:
Starter: Homemade soup of the day (vegan, GF, vegetarian), artisan bread
Main: Roast beef (GFO), Yorkshire pudding, roast potatoes, gravy, creamy mashed potatoes, seasonal vegetables
(vegetarian option: wild mushroom & spinach wellington (vegan, vegetarian), carrot and swede mash, truffle cream sauce)
Dessert: Sticky toffee pudding (GF, vegetarian), vanilla ice cream, butterscotch sauce
Dietary requirements are catered for those who advise us prior to attending.
The presentation
This year, the 60-year-old Clifton Bridge near Penrith, Cumbria has successfully been replaced, removing severe speed and weight restrictions on the West Coast Main Line. The replacement was essential to prevent future structural failure, reduce ongoing maintenance costs and restore the line’s full operational capability, allowing two trains to pass simultaneously.
The £60m project commenced in early 2024, with the multidisciplinary delivery team successfully installing the new bridge in January 2026. As one of the North West’s most significant recent rail infrastructure projects, it has attracted considerable regional and industry interest. This presentation, jointly delivered by the client (Network Rail), the principal contractor (Skanska) and the lead designer (Mott MacDonald), will provide an insight into the planning, engineering challenges and delivery of this high-profile project, making it an ideal topic for this year’s Annual Supper.
Arrivals
Three-course dinner
Presentation and Q&A
Networking
Event ends
Network Rail
project manager
William is an APM Chartered project manager who has been part of Network Rail's civils renewals team for the last seven years. William has experience of over 30 bridge replacements for Network Rail, including a speciality in post-tensioned bridges including M62 Castleton, Greek Street, and M6 Clifton Bridge.
Skanska
design manager
Warren is a design manager at Skanska. He is currently completing a level 7 apprenticeship and MSc in Railway Systems and Engineering at the University of Birmingham. He has worked on several critical rail infrastructure projects including Clifton Bridge Replacement, network enabling works at Euston Station and Ordsall Chord as part of the Northern Hub Alliance.
Mott MacDonald
technical director
Ian is a chartered technical director of rail bridges at Mott MacDonald, with 22 years’ experience in the rail industry. He is experienced in the design and analysis of a variety of bridge structure types, including finite element analysis, non-linear analysis and dynamics.
He has undertaken the contractor’s responsible engineer (CRE) roles on numerous rail bridge projects, including Clifton Bridge near Penrith, Gooseholme Footbridge in Kendal, and Siddick Bridge near the port of Workington.
Mott MacDonald
principal civil engineer and project manager
Matt has been Chartered principal civil engineer and project manager for Mott MacDonald for the past 11 years. He has been the project manager on over 30 rail bridge replacement and renewal design projects over the past six years, including Clifton Bridge near Penrith, Regents Canal in Camden, and Ropery Bridge near Harrington.
Take a tour where you will learn about the construction and the discovery of the huge red brick abutments which support the bridge towers, before exploring the vaulted chambers inside the Leigh Woods abutment.
This is an opportunity for Technician members (EngTech MICE/FICE) and those wishing to become qualified at EngTech grade to come together to discuss issues that are important to technicians.
