Dagger Board

Dagger boards are a common term for the decorative crenelated station platform canopy borders that play a crucial role in providing shelter to rail passengers and protecting them from the elements. Other names include railway station canopy fascia boards, valance boards and dags.

Although traditionally constructed in timber, dagger boards are exposed to all weathers and are prone to timber rot, which in turn can result in individual boards falling away, posing a health and safety risk to both trains and the public. Dura Composites has pioneered the development of a fire-rated low-maintenance composite alternative with 60 year design life which achieves huge savings over the life of the asset.

Yes. The vast majority of our projects involve replicating existing fascia designs using our advanced CNC machine technology. The choice to use composite eliminates the need for repainting or replacing damaged or rotted sections at height, benefitting passengers who are not disrupted by repeat maintenance cycles.

Absolutely. We’ve been approved for use on and supplied plenty of heritage projects, one of which (Harlow Town) even won a National Railway Heritage Award. According to the Railway Heritage Trust around a third of station canopy roofs are Grade II listed, often with a specific or elaborate design that is unique to that station or to the train operator that first built it. Our CNC and 3D laser survey expertise enables exact replications of beautiful heritage designs within a 2-week lead time following client approval of a sample piece.

Would you believe that we can supply in as little as 2 weeks once you’ve approved a sample section that we will produce for you? Our processes are really fast and we’ve got huge experience with station canopy projects, so we totally understand that when you need it, you really need it. When it comes to installation, because we supply in pre-cut sections, it’s a really fast and efficient process that causes minimal disruption but ensures long term performance.

Whilst installation time for a train station canopy can vary depending on factors such as size, complexity, and site-specific conditions, Dura Dagger Boards are incredibly quick to install. At half the weight and price of GRP alternatives, they are supplied in 2.1 x 1.2 metre sections for faster install and require virtually no maintenance over their long design life.