21 March 2011

A Costain-Skanska joint venture (jv) has won the first package of advance works for stations to be awarded by Crossrail. The jv partners now face the challenge of carrying out major piling and excavation works in one of London’s most exclusive areas.

The project involves the construction of the new station boxes at Crossrail’s Bond Street Station, which will be one of the six new central London stations serving the high-frequency rail link.

The stations will be constructed on five levels below ground, with ticket halls at street level in Davies Street and Hanover Square. Costain will construct the two deep station boxes.  One is a secant piled box that will be excavated and propped and the other a diaphragm walled box that will be excavated at a later date. The main excavation will measure approximately 70m by 30m and 26m deep.

“This is a very exciting project to be involved with,” says Costain’s Project Director, Isabel Coman, “and it will be critical that we undertake the work in a way that is sensitive to this local community and minimises the impact of the construction on their day to day lives.”

“The technical challenges will come from logistics of carrying out these significant works in such a densely populated area in the heart of London’s West End. We will be drawing on our excellent experience of similar works to deliver a successful project.”

Work on the contract is due to start on site at the end of April, with completion due the following year.

When complete, Crossrail will provide a route from Maidenhead in the west through twin-bore 21 km tunnels under central London and out to the east, forking to Shenfield, near Brentwood in Essex and to Abbey Wood in southeast London.

 

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