Transport
Carlisle Station
Glass replaced with ETFE across the 1846 listed train shed — ending glass breakage from birds, installed over a live railway.
Carlisle, United Kingdom
- Sector
- Transport — heritage station
- Structure
- Grade-listed 1846 train shed
- Why ETFE
- No shattering glass, light panels, installed over a live railway
The challenge
Carlisle's train shed dates from 1846. Its glazed roof was repeatedly broken by birds, dropping glass onto platforms below, and every repair meant working at height over a live, operating railway. Replacing like for like would simply have restarted the cycle.
The ETFE solution
The glass was replaced with ETFE. The foil is tough, flexible and light: a bird strike deforms it rather than shattering it, and there is no heavy pane to fall onto a platform. Panels are light enough to be handled in short possessions, which made installation over a running station practical.
The result
A heritage train shed keeps its daylight and its character, the falling-glass risk is designed out, and the station stayed open throughout. It is the clearest example on this site of ETFE used specifically as a safe alternative to glass.
