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UNTANGLING THE LINES THROUGH BRIDGE STATION

The untangling of the railway lines for my peers in railway infrastructure around Station has design; in the case of London Bridge been successfully delivered giving Station, an early and collaborative this station a ‘new heart beat’ to integrated construction planning run to. As the person leading on the approach paid off. development of the construction sequence this was perhaps a project It’s important to bear in mind that of a lifetime in terms of scale and this project was not just about London complexity. Bridge. As part of the Programme it’s a key interchange in My role on London Bridge Station the London commute, with routes began in June 2008 and continued through London Bridge feeding This Blog was written through from the GRIP 2 to 4 directly to and Charing development phases until June 2012, Cross, as well as Blackfriars and to by WSP Technical where my final input was to ensure the Jubilee and Northern lines on Director, David Carter handover to the appointed GRIP 5 to the Line. This 8 contractors and ensure they were ambitious station upgrade is Network fully up to speed on all aspects so that Rail’s biggest, delivering up to 18 they could drive the scheme forward. Thameslink trains an hour, enabling Although the plan for the sequence 96 million people to travel through of works was not the obvious option the station annually, and creating a 2 London Bridge Station

station that will continue to function could get a better understanding The result of our planning saw a for the century. of where the issues were. But to strategic delivery programme for ensure the construction sequence London Bridge Station and Thameslink This may seem obvious, but at the ran smoothly, to time and budget, we KO2 works successfully delivered in early concept stages of most complex also considered not just the impacts three broadly 18-month slots. To do infrastructure projects, integrating of construction at the station but also this we closed just three platforms the thinking of how it is going to be the construction of wider projects at a time, reopening them as they strategically staged is often not part that fed into or through the station, were completed. So, by putting the of the thinking until it is too late to including Dive Under. construction sequence at the heart readily change the scheme without This work informed the wider systems of the design meant we delivered a major impact. engineering & integration works that highly complex design solution within WSP worked with to a robust programme. But we worked with station designers, define. The construction sequence passenger demand & pedestrian at London Bridge was a key driver We are now at completion and I am modellers and the railway systems for this works, as an integrated part pleased to see that our thorough designers to propose a construction of Thameslink’s Key Output 2 (KO2) approach to the construction sequence that would allow the safe programme. sequence enabled the team to hit all and reliable operation of the railway, key project deadlines. The complete its safe and efficient construction, We needed to deliver a strategic rebuild of London Bridge Station, whilst minimising the impact on scheme that kept the station open which included 15 platforms, 124 passengers, both through and at the and functional whilst allowing major track and signalling stages, station. enough construction space to make as well as new retail and customer the project efficient in its delivery. service areas, could last for 120 So, as a team, we all recognised that There were options considered that years. The success of the project the station was running at over optimised one over the other and sequence delivery and the decades of capacity, we then observed the station the staging sequence that has been future capacity it will support means during its peak operation and during delivered was the ‘best compromise’ this approach is one I‘m keen to perturbed situations, and talked to between the two. incorporate into all WSP rail projects. the station management so that we WSP 70 London WC2A 1AF wsp.com

For further information please contact Amelie Barrau on [email protected]

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