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Wembley Stadium

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wembley in Numbers
• At its peak, there were more than 3,500 construction workers on site.
• 4,000 separate piles form the foundations of the new stadium, the deepest of which is 35 m (115 ft).
• There are 56 km (35 mi) of heavy-duty power cables in the stadium.
• 90,000 m3 (120,000 yd3) of concrete and 23,000 tonnes (25,000 short tons) of steel were used in the construction of the new stadium
• 2,618 toilets
• 47 retail units
• 164 turnstiles
• 26 lifts
• 30 escalators
• 34 bars
• 8 restaurants
• 688 food and drink service points
• 98 kitchens
• The seats are spread over three tiers: lower 34,303, middle 16,532 and upper 39,165

General Stadium Facts
• The new Wembley reopened its doors in 2007
• The original Wembley Stadium was known as the Empire Stadium, and was built as the centrepiece of a British Empire Exhibition at the end of the First World War
• The stadium has a circumference of 1 km
• There are 107 steps in the trophy presentation route – the old stadium had 39 steps
• The new Wembley encloses 4,000,000 m³ inside its walls and under its roof. This is the equivalent of 25,000 double-decker buses or 7 billion pints of milk
• The deepest of the piles that form the foundations, at 35 metres, is as deep as the Twin Towers were tall
• The new pitch is four metres lower than the previous pitch
• The stadium’s pitch is enhanced by desso technology which combines synthetic grass with the real Wembley grass to strengthen the surface
• This system provides a consistently high standard playing surface at Wembley and enables the multi-use venue to host football, rugby, American football and music events
• The pitch is covered by specially designed protective panels for rock concerts which creates space for up 25,000 fans to stand
• Each of the two giant screens in new stadium is the size of 600 domestic television sets
• The total length of the escalators is the same as a 400 metre running track
• The Royal Box is in the traditional position – in the middle of the north stand – as in the old Wembley Stadium

The Arch and the Roof
• The most striking, highly visible feature of the stadium is 133 metre tall arch that sits above the north stand
• With a span of 315 metres, the arch is the longest single span roof structure in the world and is visible right across London
• With a diameter of 7.4 metres the arch is wide enough for a Channel Tunnel train to run through
• A representative from every county in England was involved in the construction of the arch
• The stadium roof rises to 52 metres above the pitch. This compares to the 35 metres tall Twin Towers of the old stadium
• The roof is over 11 acres, of which four of the acres are retractable
• The stadium has a sliding roof design which allows the pitch to be exposed to direct sunlight and ventilation whilst ensuring that spectators are covered
• The arch supports all of the weight of the north roof and 60 per cent of the weight of the southern side
• The arch ensures that there are no pillars in the new stadium which could obstruct the views of fans

The Seats
• The stadium has 90,000 seats with no obstructed views
• There are 310 wheelchair spaces and 400 press seats
• The rows of seating, if placed end to end, would stretch 54 kilometres
• There is more leg room in every seat in Wembley Stadium than there was in the Royal Box of the old stadium
• The stadium was designed with stands that are higher and closer to the pitch than the original stadium and with better uninterrupted views

 

 

Work to electrify the TransPennine and Midland Mainline railways will resume under plans announced today.

Electrification Workers

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The new plan changes the phasing of the projects by between two and three years, but would see planning and design work resume immediately.

Electrification work on the TransPennine route will restart in early 2018, with some enabling works carried out before then, with completion set for 2022, compared with 2019 before.

On the Midlands Mainline, works will restart to electrify the line north from Bedford to Kettering and Corby by 2019, two years later than previously anticipated.

The line North of Kettering to Derby/Nottingham and Sheffield would be electrified in stages by 2023, instead of 2019 and 2020 as previously planned.

Sir Peter Hendy, who was commissioned by Government, to reset Network Rail’s upgrade programme recommended the move in a letter to Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin.

He said: “You commissioned my review as a result of both cost pressures and time delays and I am continuing work to set out the extent of the already evident likely funding shortfall in CP5.”

“I understand that the Government acknowledges that unpausing now will create a further significant spending pressure.”

“My replan will set out what Network Rail can do within its own resources to mitigate the impact to the rest of the affordable programme.”

“Of course, a considerable amount of the electrification costs of both schemes will fall outside CP5 and this will form part of the core of CP6 as schemes which will then be underway.”

The Transport Secretary replied: “I have always been clear that these schemes were paused and not cancelled and I am now accepting your advice that work can be restarted.”

“As these two important electrification schemes will connect our great cities with modern, faster and more reliable railways and help create a Northern Powerhouse, I would be grateful if they could be un-paused with immediate effect and progressed with some urgency.”

Sir Peter will submit his full plan for Network Rail’s re-plan in November ahead of the Government spending review.

This story is by constructionenquirer.com