Projects

Channel Tunnel 103

Kier Nuttall Joint Venture were proud to be part of the team which delivered the Channel Tunnel Rail Link (CTRL) on time and on budget.


CTRL contract 103

CTRL contract 103 won the British Construction Industry Awards (BCIA) “Major Project of the Year” award in 2006, impressing the judges with the enormously complex interface between disciplines and with a sophisticated approach to safety and quality. The judges called it "a heroic endeavour" and they praised the "admirable management structure" and the highly impressive integration of the entire team from client through to sub-contractor.

This £160m five year long project comprised civil engineering work in the Kings Cross Railway Lands, including the construction of eight bridges and viaducts, large and small diameter bored tunnels, cut & cover tunnels, tunnel portals, retained cuttings and large-scale earthworks. The site was bounded on all sides by major operational railways, the Grand Union Canal, the Piccadilly Line tunnels and a major urban road. Every part of the civil works were rigidly constrained by the highly complex interconnecting geometry of the existing, relocated and new railway lines weaving across and under the site.

The project involved extensive stakeholder engagement with Local Authorities (Camden and Islington), Network Rail, London Underground Ltd (LUL), the Environment Agency, British Waterways, National Grid, local businesses, the local community and action groups. One of our major achievements was the recycling and re-use of 300,000 tonnes of demolition waste which saved the need for 30,000 lorry movements around this densely-populated busy urban site.

Public safety was of prime concern given that a substantial amount of work was carried out adjacent to, on, above and below major operational infrastructure belonging to utilities companies, London Underground and Network Rail. The BCIA judges praised the project’s excellent safety record; KNJV achieved one million accident-free man-hours on two occasions, and had periods of up to 12 months with no reportable accidents, despite the huge volume of complex, heavy and difficult work carried out.

Collaboration and value engineering

Collaboration and value engineering were at the heart of the team’s efforts on CTRL Contract 103. The overwhelming success of this complex and challenging project was a credit to the people involved, many of whom are still employed within the Kier and BAM Nuttall companies.