31 August 2010

Brighton & Hove 4Delivery Ltd*, a Costain joint venture project, in partnership with its client Southern Water, has opened a purpose-built training tunnel at the Lewes Training Centre.

The training facility has been constructed to train locomotive drivers working on the £300million Wastewater Treatment Works scheme (WTW), where Costain Tunnelling is constructing over 11km of tunnels.

This is the first time a tunnelling company has built a training facility for locomotive drivers in the UK, and although it will be used for the Cleaner Seas for Sussex WTW project, it may also be used as a testing facility for the soon to be introduced Construction Plant Competence Scheme (CPCS) Locomotive certification.

Russell Mason, a Costain Miner working on the scheme, was tasked with the construction of the 100m training tunnel. Russell, who is a member of the CPCS Technical Advisory Group for Locomotives said: "This is an excellent training facility for our loco drivers, they can learn, or practice their skills negotiating all types of obstacles, crossing points and work in confined areas before being introduced to the working environment".

Russell's work with the CPCS Technical Advisory Group has enabled him to use his vast experience within the group and also use his knowledge to setup this training facility. With the view to the Lewes Training Centre being able to act as an assessment centre for the CPCS certification. Chairman of Technical Advisory Group for Locomotives, Steve Goodgroves, said: "This is an excellent training facility and I take my hat off to Russell and the team for their excellent work. I have no doubt that the Costain loco drivers will be leading the field in loco driving".

Costain Infrastructure Project Manager for the WTW project, Craig Reade, said: "This is a great example of Costain and Southern Water's forward planning and taking action now to address the potential skills shortage in the tunnelling industry, along with our continued emphasis on Health & Safety training. This new facility puts Costain in an advantageous position for delivering the requirements for future projects, further reinforcing the 'Choosing Costain' strategy".

 

*Brighton & Hove 4Delivery Ltd is a joint venture between United Utilities, Costain and MWH, delivering a £300million environmental improvement scheme on behalf of Southern Water to bring cleaner seas to Sussex. To find out more about the scheme please visit www.southernwater.co.uk/cleanerseas

 

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