Bechtel Secures Network Rail’s Crossrail and Reading Programs

Crossrail and Reading Programmes. The work includes upgrading the existing rail network (‘on network works’) to integrate with Crossrail, and managing a complex rail upgrade at Reading station.
‘On network works’ for Crossrail will include:

• Electrification of the western part of the route
• Managing the tunnel spoilage – circa 2 million m³
• Paddington – major reworking of platform and interchange between the new Paddington Crossrail station and main line platforms
• Station rebuilds including Abbey Wood, Ilford, Romford and Ealing Broadway
• Major junction remodelling and train reliability improvements

The Reading upgrade will include:

• Removing the current bottleneck by constructing a new railway viaduct west of the station thus improving reliability and punctuality
• Doubling the number of through platforms to allow faster and more reliable services 
• A new northern entrance for passengers from the Caversham area, supporting regeneration to this side of Reading

This appointment follows the recent announcement by Crossrail Ltd that a Bechtel, Halcrow and Systra team has been appointed to be Project Delivery Partner for the construction of the central tunnel section of Crossrail.

Bechtel’s team on the Network Rail contract will be led by Dick McIlhattan, who was Programme Director on the £8.9bn modernisation of the West Coast Main Line, which concluded earlier this year.

Speaking on the contract award, Mr McIlhattan said:

“The award of this contract is great news for Bechtel, but also great news for passengers using the Great Western main line through to London as it shows both the Crossrail process and the Reading upgrade moving forward at a brisk pace. The engineering works required on the existing rail network are just as extensive and demanding as those in the central section. Working as an integrated team with Network Rail, we look forward to meeting the challenge to upgrade the two busiest rail arteries into London and tackle the bottle neck at Reading, one of the most critical rail hubs in Britain.”
By winning these two contracts, Bechtel has the opportunity to build on its fifty year track record in the UK. Recent Bechtel projects in the UK include the new St Pancras International station and High Speed 1, the West Coast Route Modernisation, Tube Lines and the Jubilee Line Extension.

For more information, contact:
Edelman
Chris Rumfitt 
020 3047 2153 / 07967 226 646