On Wednesday (2018-03-27) HR and Office Manager Emma Barnes and Director Gerald Skalla took the opportunity for a (long overdue) site visit at the Bank Station Capacity Upgrade Project.
‘After having been regularly at the site office to meet with our design team there, it was an excellent opportunity to get to know the tunnel work environment of our supervision team’ says Emma. ‘It also gives me a better understanding of our staff’s exposure to the inherent risk of working underground'. Gerald Skalla was equally impressed.
Ms Barnes & Mr Skalla in the new NL - South-bound Running Tunnel
Mr Kumpfmueller pointing out details of CP2 opening in the new NL Platform Tunnel
Guided by DSP’s Senior SCL Engineer on duty, Sebastian Kumpfmueller, they saw roughly 50% of all excavations being done, but some of the trickier parts like pile interceptions and escalator barrels still to come.
‘This is the most organised and well-kept tunnel construction I have seen so far. The air quality, the light, the safety (walking) zones, the house keeping in general is exceptional!’ says Gerald. ‘Also, the workmanship on the shotcrete linings and complex hybrid structures is phenomenal!’
At the transition from NL platform to Running Tunnel
#Tunnel Selfie!
With SCL construction ahead of schedule, the Bank team can now harvest some of the benefits the early collaboration in developing the design between the construction team, the owner and the specialist designer generates.
‘We definitely want to come again and see the progress in a few months if opportunity arises again’ say both.
Break out for the sump chamber
Tunnelling equipment busy at NL Platform Tunnel openings
Watching excavation from a safe distance
Excavating (splitface) of the interchange tunnel and start of pedestrian tunnel to Central line housing the future moving walkway
Up close to excavating London Clay