Crossrail Anglia work sections

Road-rail-vehicle at Crossrail Brentwood engineering
Costain, Keltbray
£15 million
East Anglia
Jun 2015
Jul 2019

VGC carried out construction for three key work sections of the Crossrail Anglia spur project, to prepare the railway between east London and Essex for the start of Crossrail services in 2018.

VGC undertook the construction of the civil engineering works packages for principal contractor Costain.

Later, Keltbray was commissioned to complete the final stages of the project. We continued to deliver civil engineering elements including cable route management systems (CRMS) around stations.

The works included vegetation clearance, cable route works, bases for signalling equipment including principal supply points, signals, location cases, standard and staged FSPs. We also installed points heating bases, building walking routes and undertaking electrical earthing.

Throughout the contract normal train services were maintained.

Work area

The 16.4-mile section from Stratford, east London, to Shenfield in Essex forms the north-east spur of Crossrail. The project involved track renewals, installing overhead line equipment, turnback facilities, and station improvements at eight stations along the route.

VGC provided the subcontract works for sections

  • Gidea Park PSP to Nags Head PSP
  • Shenfield London end to country end of the project
  • Shenfield London end PSP to Nags Head PSP

Additional projects included constructing auto-transformer feeder cable infrastructure, and an acoustic barrier at Shenfield.

Commendations

Network Rail Star awardNetwork Rail presented us with a prestigious star award in July 2016 and again in November 2016. The awards recognise sites, work groups or compounds that meet and exceed high levels of health, safety and environmental risk control sites.

Our collaboration with Network Rail and Costain over isolation splits led to shortlisting for a RailMedia Most Interesting award in November 2017.

Network Rail’s principal construction manager emailed about concrete installation works in May 2016: “excellent delivery – well done all involved”.Concrete pour VGC at Shenfield

The Crossrail Anglia project was visited by the Considerate Constructors Scheme at the end of September 2015 and scored a total of 44/50, winning a ‘Performance Beyond Compliance’ certificate. The report scores were:

  • Care about appearance (included “the very best of industry impressions”) 8/10
  • Respect the community 9/10
  • Protect the environment 9/10
  • Secure everyone’s safety 9/10
  • Value their workforce 9/10

VGC people

Bill Braiden receiving his award from Costain MD Darren James
Bill Braiden (R) receiving his award from Costain MD Darren James

On 28 April 2016 Costain MD Darren James presented forklift driver Bill Braiden with the first SHE award on the project. He had suggested safety improvements at Chadwell Heath, a new idea to prevent hand injuries, and a way to reuse old timbers. His idea was to use timber removed from the bridge deck at Gidea Park during the works over Christmas to make a new bench and flower beds.

Costain commended Steve and Reece for safe working
Telehandler Steve Hodges and apprentice storeperson Reece Skingley

Telehandler Steve Hodges and apprentice storeperson Reece Skingley were commended by Costain for safe working practices in April 2016.

Shane Jupp received a safety commendation.

James Piercy
Key influencer James Piercy

The whole team was commended by Costain in September 2015 for site tidiness and good site practice, leading by example.

The Crossrail project

VGC has been involved in 16 separate Crossrail projects.

Crossrail will allow people travelling from outer London and Essex to travel right through the capital and on to Berkshire and Heathrow without having to change trains. At peak times, 12 trains per hour will travel in each direction between Shenfield and central London. Read more about the project on the Crossrail website.

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