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Up and Down at the Junction with Stannah

05 July 2011

It’s Europe’s busiest station with more than 180 trains per hour and over 430,000 passengers a day using 17 platforms. No wonder Clapham Junction was a priority for easier accessibility.

Now the historic station, first opened in 1863, has been the focus of the government-funded ‘Access for All’ programme, managed by the Department for Transport. Delivered by Network Rail, the programme aims to ensure that all travellers (including people with disabilities, young children or heavy luggage) have step-free access to this hub of the rail network.

Stannah’s Major Projects Team, led by Operations Manager Ken Price and in partnership with main contractor Osborne, have completed the challenging installation of nine passenger lifts, where previously there were none.

Ken Price of Stannah takes up the story:
‘This was a logistically challenging project to weave the construction of nine new lifts into the busiest railway station in the UK. 24-hour activity at the station meant our time on site had to be very carefully managed to ensure safety was maintained at all times. We are delighted to have completed the project to a very tight deadline in time for the official May opening.’

Simon Haylett, Project Manager for main contractor Osborne, explains:
‘Of all the Access for All projects Osborne is undertaking for Network Rail, Clapham Junction has been the most challenging. Our priority was to complete this work without disrupting railway services while maintaining the highest standards of safety and leaving a lasting legacy of a better passenger experience.

The excavation and construction of each new lift presented its own challenges. Each 16-person passenger lift has two concrete and two glass shaft walls. The concrete walls were procured by Osborne from Cornish Concrete, and were pre-assembled as a trial in Cornwall to ensure all aspects of the assembly were proven, before the critical installation during precious possession at Clapham Junction. The trial assembly was  attended by the entire project team- Network Rail, Osborne, Butler & Young Lift Consultants and Stannah so all skilled parties could ensure the proposed method for craning the concrete panels, propping, adjustment and measurement would leave no room for errors during installation at Clapham Junction.’

To reduce disruption to the public at the fully functioning station several deliveries of equipment to the machine and lift shafts on the platforms were carried out during engineering hours while a track possession had been arranged by  Osborne.

The concrete shaft sides had to be craned right over the top of the station building to the installation site.  The task was logistically extremely challenging but all nine lifts were safely constructed to complement the heritage of this vital transportation hub and provide essential new facilities for passengers.

Bespoke solution provided

All the passenger lifts at Clapham are bespoke solutions for a unique site. Each 16-person two-stop hydraulic lift was designed by Stannah. The partially glazed lift car, installed to Network Rail Specification, travels within the 50% glazed shaft allowing light to flood in. Each lift has a dedicated motor-room, some are remotely located, whilst others are adjacent to the lift where space allows. Each room stores the Bucher hydraulic power packs and drives that ensure smooth journeys and accurate levelling on entry and exit of the lift.

A new chapter

Regular rail travellers have watched a new chapter in the station’s history unfold.
The lift installations are a part of a £14.5M makeover for the station funded by the Department for Transport, South West Trains, Wandsworth Council, Transport  for London, Network Rail and the Railway Heritage Trust. The project included the restoration of the St John’s Hill entrance, which has been out of use for over half a century. New shops, toilet facilities, ticketing and information services have all transformed the station.

The first three lifts serving platforms  1 – 6 have been in use since January 2010. Phase two began earnestly with the installation of five more lifts, serving  platforms  7 – 12 and platform  17, and all these lifts came into service in Spring 2011. The ninth lift installation within the ticket office area was completed in May 2011.

The completion of whole project was celebrated at the official opening on 19th May 2011 when Transport Minister Norman Baker MP and London Mayor Boris Johnson declared the beginning of a new chapter at Clapham Junction station.

Passengers can now enjoy all the benefits of this major refurbishment, including step-free access to and from all platforms at Clapham Junction for the first time in the station’s long history.
 In addition to new lift installations Stannah has completed more than 80 lift refurbishments for Network Rail across the UK. Typical projects include the removal of existing lifts, repair of the lift shaft, replacement or refurbishment of the machine room equipment, installation of the new lift car and associated building work, sometimes with Stannah as principal contractor.

All the lifts at Clapham Junction will be serviced by the Dartford branch of Stannah Lift Services. Dartford is just one of eleven branches that comprise Stannah Lift Services nationwide network for the repair, modernisation and refurbishment and maintenance of all types of lifts, stairlifts, escalators and moving walkways from the Stannah product range, and also other lift manufacturers’ equipment.

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