Tottenham Court Road

Challenge

The £1bn transformation of Tottenham Court Road Underground Station and construction of the new Crossrail Station is the biggest transport investment the West End has seen for decades.

Main contractor Bam Ferrovial Kier Joint Venture (Team BFK) were tasked with the huge project. Although a very experienced team, they had concerns as the site had limitations:

• Surrounded by apartments and offices.
• Underground station in use with approx. 150,000 passenger journeys per day.
• A small, restricted site.

A combination of space restrictions and consideration of local residents meant that Team BFK had to find an alternative to traditional excavation methods for the 25 metre deep Crossrail shafts.

Solution

Team BFK used a previous version of the BulkX at Farringdon Crossrail Station, where they found the system worked well, dramatically reducing the shaft excavation programme.

Although Team BFK wanted to use the system again, there was no space for a large free-standing gantry that they had used at Farringdon. Back to the drawing board, we realised they needed:

• A smaller gantry system
• A system that allowed effective and controlled discharge
• A system that caused minimum dust and noise pollution

A redesigned skip and gantry System… The new-style (CA505) BulkX was born!

BulkX CA505 works on the same principle as the BulkX CA500 system – when the skip connects with the gantry it discharges. The difference – it was designed to allow the skip to hook on to the gantry at one side to discharge, rather than land both ends on the gantry. This gave Team BFK choice on discharge location and ability to excavate quickly on a very tight site.

In Operation

The gantry was installed in a designated muck bay, which was close to the site access. To ensure maximum safety the gantry frame was bolted down and then a concrete slab was poured over the lower frame.

Process:

1. An excavator in the Crossrail shaft filled the skip.
2. The skip was lifted out of the shaft by a crawler crane, which was set on a fixed radius.
3. Quick discharge of the skip as it was landed on the gantry.
4. An excavator next to the muck bay removed the spoil, loading it into a waiting truck A major benefit of the Bulk-XTM Excavation System is the fact that is can discharge directly into the back of a truck. However, in this instance, discharging into a muck bay gave Team BFK more flexibility as they could choose when they took the excavation arisings away from site. This was important as it helped them reduce traffic congestion and noise pollution in the immediate environment.

Result

A major benefit of the BulkX Excavation System is the fact that is can discharge directly into the back of a truck. However, in this instance, discharging into a muck bay gave Team BFK more flexibility as they could choose when they took the excavation arisings away from site. This was important as it helped them reduce traffic congestion and noise pollution in the local environment.

We have now developed a Direct-to-Truck BulkX System which doesn’t require a gantry, you can find out more here.