How the Midland Metro Alliance is transforming the region’s metro network

The West Midlands Combined Authority has ambitious plans to regenerate the region, investing over £2.4bn to enhance public transport systems for people of the West Midlands region.

The Midland Metro Alliance is responsible for planning and building extensions to the West Midlands Metro light rail system. The organisation is a unique alliance of nine international partners, including designers, construction experts, and local specialists. It
consists of the West Midlands Combined Authority, which owns West Midlands Metro; a consortium of design experts from Egis, Tony Gee and Pell Frischmann; and rail construction specialists Colas Rail – with Colas’ sub-alliance partners Colas Ltd, Barhale, Bouygues UK and Auctus Management Group. All are crucial in delivering the extensions to provide better public transport connections and alleviating congestion.

The challenge 

Since the project runs directly through the heart of major towns and cities, there are constraints on-site, including not being able to store fuel on the ground, as well as a need to opt for greener equipment to reduce emissions during construction.

Given the level of construction activity taking place five days a week for a projected ten-year period, Midland Metro Alliance enlisted Sunbelt Rentals as an environmentally conscious rental provider to help them meet to their environmental and safety obligations.

The solution

As a UK leader in greener rental solutions, we began by creating a bespoke fuel package that would act as a cornerstone of continuity for the project. Rather than delivering diesel to site, we decided that Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO) fuel would be a more suitable option. To overcome the fuel storage constraints, we arranged for 950L fuel deliveries five days a week on a continued basis, refuelling up to 30 on-site assets directly rather than into a fuel storage tank. Throughout a 12-month period, this surmounts to roughly 250,000L of HVO. Where possible, the HVO we deliver is transported using vehicles that are also powered by HVO to drive down emissions even further.

Stemming from our greener fuel provision, we also delivered a package of greener equipment to support the construction activity, made up of; accommodation units, battery storage units, electric vehicle chargers, lifting equipment, plant, rail equipment, safety and communications apparatus, survey technologies, construction tools and more.

Within our greener equipment provision, we delivered numerous innovative technologies to site, including stage V plant and laser survey technology. These forward-thinking technologies ensure that workers on-site are enjoying the very best industry has to offer, helping to deliver a precise finish for the project.

The result 

By virtue of our HVO provision, Midland Metro Alliance have been able to continue their construction activities at pace, laying a significant portion of the track so far, maintaining pace with the overall expansion project timescales.

In doing so, they have been able to drive down their emissions by up to 90%, which on the assumption of 250,000L of fuel per year saves them approximately 725 tonnes of CO2 emissions on an annual basis. Extrapolated out, this is projected to save 7250 tonnes of CO2 emissions throughout the projected ten-year lifespan if they continue opting for HVO fuel.

To complement this, our greener equipment has proven invaluable to Midland Metro Alliance, ensuring they have the right kit to get the job done on time and to the required quality, all whilst driving down emissions further by opting for environmentally responsible alternatives. 

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