It is the last of the major contracts to be let as part of the £15bn Crossrail project, which is now drawing to completion.
Crossrail has been one of the UK’s biggest ever procurement programmes, with more than 100 contracts awarded for work including tunnelling, station construction and railway systems.
The infrastructure maintenance 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.
Crossrail programme director Simon Wright said: “The procurement of billions of pounds worth of work for the Crossrail programme has been a monumental exercise.
“We have used the procurement process as a way of ensuring world class standards in the construction of the new railway as well as value for money for the taxpayer. The contracts we’ve signed with our principle contractors have also set the future standard for major UK infrastructure projects, helping us to deliver more than 550 apprenticeships, reducing our impact on the environment and spreading the economic benefits of the project.”
Alstom/TSO/Costain won the Plumstead sidings depot contract ahead of Vinci Construction UK, Balfour Beatty and VolkerFitzpatrick, who were also shortlisted in August 2015. VolkerFitzpatrick subsequently withdrew from the tender process in December 2015 and did not submit a bid.
The Plumstead infrastructure maintenance facility will have:
- three non-electrified sidings for the stabling, formation, loading and unloading of dedicated infrastructure maintenance rail vehicles
- refuelling facilities for infrastructure maintenance rail vehicles
- a building for maintaining the infrastructure maintenance rail vehicles;
- storage facilities
- a manual jet washing facility for maintenance rail vehicles
- 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.
The maintenance facilities are expected to be fully operational in August 2018.
Elizabeth Line train services are expected to begin through central London in December 2018.
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