16.01.09
Woolwich Arsenal DLR extension opens ahead of schedule
The Morgan Est/Colas Rail joint venture’s £180 million extension of the Docklands Light Railway (DLR) has been officially unveiled by London Mayor Boris Johnson two months ahead of schedule.
The 2.5km extension to the DLR from King George V Station to Woolwich Arsenal Station in Woolwich Town Centre was opened today (January 12).
Work began in May 2005 and was designed and constructed by the joint venture for the PFI concessionaire, Woolwich Arsenal Rail Enterprises Ltd, (a joint venture between Land Securities Trillium and the Royal Bank of Scotland).
The project, which included civil engineering works, tunnelling, piling and diaphragm walls, station building and mechanical and electrical works, track work, signalling, communications and associated rail systems took three-and-a-half years to complete.
1.8km of the extension comprises two parallel six metre diameter bored tunnels under the River Thames. The project also includes a major intervention shaft and headhouse, which accommodates power distribution and communications systems. It is 15 metres in diameter and 40 metres deep and is positioned immediately adjacent to the river flood wall.
To ensure that ground borne noise and vibration was kept to a minimum 0.5km of the extension has been built on a floating track slab.
The new station, constructed using both top-down and bottom-up techniques, is a Section 12 compliant underground station; complying with section 12 of the fire precautions act 1971, which was updated in 1989 following the King’s Cross fire. The station also underpins the Woolwich New Road above.
Richard Pollard of Morgan Est, the scheme’s project director, said: “Woolwich Arsenal has been a great project to work on and we are delighted to have delivered this key extension to the DLR ahead of schedule.
“The project has demonstrated again our expertise in this field of work. Not only will it support the regeneration of the area, but it will play a pivotal role during the 2012 London Olympic and Paralympic Games.”
Christophe Chassagnette, project manager for Colas Rail, said: ''This was a really exciting project with many challenges arising throughout the construction period and the integration of the extension with the existing railway.
“To build and commission a railway under the Thames as well as a sub-surface station in the middle of a live town centre, which interconnects with a live Network Rail line and station, was never going to be easy and the sense of pride and achievement by everyone on the team can not be under estimated.''
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