When does construction start? I suspect that in the old days when the GVT was built it was considered to be when the first sod was turned.  Today however the process commences long before work gets on site.  This is certainly the case with the reinstatement of GVT Phase one from Chirk to Portfaen where the planning of future site operations is already underway .

The Trust’s officers have been preparing the necessary twenty-first century documentation for many months. This includes not only the Trust Health and Safety Policy documents but also detailed Method Statements and Risk Assessments for the Phase 1 clearance work.  Although documentation of this nature is frequently dismissed as mere paperwork by uninformed lay observers it is a vital part of the planning process of a modern project.  The process of ‘thinking through’ each task prior to commencement produces safe and speedy construction on site.

As part of this process a lengthy inspection of the trackbed took place on the morning of the 12^th November prior to the Trust’s AGM that afternoon. The purpose of the inspection was to confirm that the documentation for the Phase 1 clearance work did indeed address the potential problems. The inspection was made by Chris Thompson (Trust Safety Advisor), Ian Davies (Trust Project Manager) and David Carter (Trust Civil Engineer) on a glorious autumn morning.  The images show inspection of various sections of the trackbed.

The Trust’s proposed working methods  have been specifically designed to be suitable to be undertaken by  volunteer labour.  I can’t wait to get started!

Digger