Plumstead Maintenance Facility
The Crossrail project is delivering the Elizabeth line to provide a 10% increase in rail capacity in central London and help maintain London’s place as a global city.
The new railway will be a high frequency, high capacity service linking 41 stations over 100 kilometres from Reading and Heathrow in the west, through central London, to Shenfield and Abbey Wood in the east. It will give 1.5 million additional people access to central London within 45 minutes, reduce journey times and create new journey opportunities.
The project required 42 kilometres of new tunnels, 10 new stations, over 50 kilometres of new track, integration of three signalling systems and upgrades across existing infrastructure. The new stations, public space and associated developments will add to the fabric of the landscape, act as a catalyst for regeneration and influence the way people experience the city and its suburbs.
The Elizabeth line will make travelling in the capital easier and quicker and will reduce crowding on London’s transport network.
Naturally, such a mammoth undertaking requires corresponding infrastructure additions. A brand new maintenance facility at Plumstead is one such addition. The Plumstead maintenance facility was one of the final major contracts awarded by Crossrail, to a joint Venture comprising Alstom Transport (UK) Limited, TSO S.A.S and Costain Limited. The facility at Plumstead will house the staff and the equipment required for the maintenance and upkeep of the tracks and other infrastructure in the tunnels below London. The value of the contract was in the region of £26 million.
The Infrastructure Maintenance Facility comprises of:
- Three non-electrified sidings for the stabling, formation, loading and unloading of dedicated infrastructure maintenance rail vehicles.
- Refuelling facilities for the infrastructure maintenance rail vehicles.
- A building for maintaining the infrastructure maintenance rail vehicles.
- Lay down space for the storage of infrastructure maintenance components when they are not installed on a rail vehicle.
- A facility for the manual jet washing of the infrastructure maintenance rail vehicles.
- Storage facilities for infrastructure maintenance equipment and consumables.
- Parking for approximately 20 maintenance vans and trucks and approximately 100 staff vehicles.
- A two storey accommodation and mess facility to support up to 100 infrastructure maintenance personnel and train crew staff.
Crossrail has used the procurement process, not just to deliver a world class railway, but also to drive economic, environmental and social sustainability through its supply chain. Tier 1 contractors have, for example, been required to provide apprenticeships and jobs for previously unemployed people, to re-use excavated material sustainably and to ensure that HGVs delivering to site are fitted with industry-leading safety measures.
Crossrail has also worked hard to encourage firms of all sizes and from all regions of the UK to bid for work in the supply chain. Dozens of events have been held around the country and all contracts have been advertised on the free procurement service CompeteFor to maximise the opportunities for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). As a result, 62% of companies in the project’s supply chain are based outside London and 63% are SMEs.
