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Concrete Canvas
Concrete Canvas
Building a Stronger, Greener Railway with Concrete Canvas®
As the rail industry accelerates towards a more sustainable and resilient future, the need for innovative materials has never been greater. Now in their 20th year, and having supplied products to over 100 countries, Concrete Canvas Ltd – pioneers of Geosynthetic Cementitious Composite Mats (GCCMs) – are meeting this challenge head-on, transforming how erosion control, drainage and weed suppression are approached across the UK rail network. We are proud to support some of the largest rail organisations in the world.
Known widely as “Concrete on a Roll®”, Concrete Canvas® products are revolutionising trackside maintenance. They combine the robustness of traditional concrete with the speed and ease of a geosynthetic solution, significantly reducing installation times, line possessions and embodied carbon. With a design life exceeding 120 years - BBA certificate 19/5685, the T-Series GCCMs are already being utilised at well-established UK projects such as HS2.
Network Rail, Transport for London, Irish Rail and Tier 1 contractors such as BAM Nuttall, Balfour Beatty and AmcoGiffen are among those turning to Concrete Canvas® to address persistent infrastructure challenges. Whether it’s lining crest drainage channels, protecting vulnerable slopes or suppressing weeds beneath access steps, CC products deliver fast, safe and long-lasting results – even in areas with difficult access or environmental sensitivity.
Unlike conventional poured concrete, which typically requires heavy plant and extended site time, Concrete Canvas® can be rapidly installed using hand-portable Batched Rolls. These are ideal for remote or constrained locations and have been deployed on more than 600 Network Rail projects since 2009. One recent success involved suppressing vegetation under GRP access stairs at Chirk Station in North Wales, where just 25m² of CC was installed by hand in under three hours – significantly cutting down maintenance and trip hazard risks.
Environmental performance is central to the company’s mission. Independent lifecycle analysis has shown that CCT2® can deliver up to a 63% reduction in carbon emissions compared to 150mm of ST4 poured concrete. The product’s surface also greens over time, encouraging the growth of moss and algae, which passively absorbs carbon and helps blend the material into the landscape. Concrete Canvas Ltd has further reinforced its sustainability credentials with ISO 14001 accreditation, solar-powered manufacturing, and a company-wide transition to electric vehicles.
Our website features in-depth technical specifications, installation guides and performance data, including our Carbon Comparison Report, which highlights the significant environmental advantages of our products.
If you're attending RailLive, we invite you to visit us in person to see how Concrete Canvas® is helping put rail infrastructure on a stronger, greener track. If you're unable to make the show, we're happy to arrange a tailored presentation or demonstration at your convenience.
Additionally, if you ever find yourself in South Wales, we would be delighted to welcome you to our headquarters just outside Cardiff. Here, at our on-site demonstration area, we offer guided tours where you can see our technology in action and speak to our technical experts.
In a sector where efficiency, resilience and sustainability are now business-critical, Concrete Canvas® offers a certified and proven solution. From slope protection to surface water management, we're proud to be helping the rail industry lay the foundations for a net-zero future – one roll at a time.
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