Bam and Taylor Woodrow complete another TfL station upgrade together
14 Mar, 2022 By Rob Horgan
A joint venture between Bam Nuttall and Taylor Woodrow has completed its latest station upgrade for Transport for London (TfL).
The JV’s latest job saw engineers upgrade Harrow-on-the-Hill Underground station on the Metropolitan line to become step-free, helping customers with reduced mobility to access the station and the wider TfL network.
Working together the JV previously carried out the £250M upgrade of Tottenham Court Road tube station as well as the £700M Victorian Underground station upgrade.
The pair are also worked together on station upgrades at Amersham and Osterley, both of which were completed in the past six months.
The completion of the step-free scheme at Harrow-on-the-Hill increases the total number of step-free London Underground stations to 91, meaning that one third of the 272 stations on the Tube network are now step-free – a 33% increase since 2016, when Sadiq Khan was first elected as Mayor of London.
Taylor Woodrow Bam Nuttall JV project manager Graeme Murray said: “We are proud to have delivered the largest and most complex accessibility upgrade on the current programme. This has been a remarkable effort by the joint venture team and our supply chain partners which will greatly enhance the existing station.
“From lift installations and modified platforms to steel access bridges, all works have been completed during traffic and engineering hours with no possessions and using the latest digital construction methods. We're absolutely delighted to hand over this accessible station to the local community with the knowledge that we've enhanced public accessibility and mobility.”
In 2021, step-free access schemes were completed at Sudbury Hill (in December), Osterley (in October), Battersea Power Station and Nine Elms on the Northern Line Extension (in September), Wimbledon Park (in August), Ickenham (in June), Debden (in April) and Amersham (in February). In addition, Ealing Broadway was made step-free in May 2021 in preparation for the Elizabeth line, and Whitechapel became step-free when the original station entrance on Whitechapel Road re-opened in August 2021.
This year, TfL will complete a range of step-free projects that are currently under construction and began prior to the pandemic. These include step-free access to the Northern line at Moorgate, which became step-free to the Circle, Hammersmith & City and Metropolitan lines last year. TfL is also progressing step-free access work that will make busy Zone 1 stations partially step-free in 2022. These are at Bank (Northern line and DLR Interchange only) and Paddington (Bakerloo line only). The current proposed designs for the redeveloped Euston station as part of High Speed 2 will also deliver step-free improvements to Euston and Euston Square station.
However, TfL is currently not looking to advance any other station upgrades due to the ongoing funding issues.
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan added: “I want all Londoners to feel comfortable and confident when using our transport system, and improving accessibility is a top priority. Harrow-on-the-Hill station becoming step-free will make a huge difference to passengers with mobility needs and the wider public, making journeys quicker and easier. It’s great news that a third of stations on the Tube network are now step-free, with more to come during 2022 – but unless government provides TfL with the longer-term capital funding it needs, further step-free improvements are at risk. Such investment is vital to ensure public transport is an attractive, reliable option for all, and help London and the wider country recover from the pandemic.”
TfL has also warned that without a long-term funding deal, many of the Capital’s major road bridges and tunnels face restrictions or closure due to their deteriorating condition.
The current short-term funding arrangement with government runs until 24 June.