Brent Cross West Station

A platform for Regeneration

Infrastructure as a catalyst for development

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Brent Cross West Station Project summary

Client

Barnet Council

Key partners

VolkerFitzpatrick; Network Rail

Project timeline

Status: 2020-2023

Project story

Transforming rail travel. Sparking regeneration. Connecting communities. Working with Barnet Council, Mace has project managed the creation of London’s first new train station in over a decade, sitting at the heart of one of the city’s most ambitious regeneration programmes.

Cities around the world are growing. This means challenges and opportunities. We must provide new homes for increasing urban populations, while providing more sustainable transport options. Local authorities, with a finger on the pulse of local needs, are ideally placed to lead the charge. Barnet Council, and its Brent Cross Cricklewood development programme, is an example of this in action.

A catalyst for change

Situated on the Midland Main Line, the 7,000 sq. metre Brent Cross West station is equipped with four platforms and provides services that connect with central London in as little as 12 minutes.

While the station will revolutionise travel in this corner of London, its role is much greater. It is at the heart of a major £8bn regeneration opportunity that, when complete, will provide 6,700 new homes for Londoners, generate 25,000 jobs and provide 3million sq. ft of office space. The station will be a major gateway to the new business and innovation district connecting Brent Cross Town to the Knowledge Quarter in King’s Cross and the Oxford-Cambridge Arc, with 5.2 million working people within a 60-minute commute. What’s more, the connection to the Midlands will help to boost the region’s economy. It’s an excellent case study of how good transport infrastructure is an enabler for further regeneration and growth both locally and regionally.

Overcoming complexity with an integrated approach

Every major infrastructure programme comes with its challenges, and Brent Cross West was no different. From working in the middle of a live rail environment to overcoming the impacts of Covid-19, Barnet Council, Mace, our partners and the supply chain have worked hand-in-hand to find solutions and build the station while keeping everyone safe.

The live rail environment presented logistical challenges that could only be overcome through collaboration. Laying over 10km of new track, delivering 700 tonnes of steel to site and carrying out works around operational rail assets required strong relationships and clear communications. With multiple parties involved – ranging from Network Rail, to a host of supply chain partners carrying out the work – Mace played a crucial coordination role, facilitating conversations, setting expectations and, ultimately, enabling the permissions needed to carry out the work safely.

We leveraged existing relationships, built across many years working in the rail sector, to get on the front foot and lay the foundations for a one-team culture. This ensured every single person coming to site understood what was expected of them and created a shared vision that enabled consistency, quality and camaraderie.

In our role as project manager, we acted as the eyes and ears for Barnet Council, encouraging collaboration and innovation across the board.

5million passengers to use the station every year

100 local people secured work on the project

10km of new track laid

points of note

Green sky thinking

With train travel considered as one of the most sustainable ways of getting about, it was important for the station to have strong environmental credentials. Elements of the station were constructed using cross-laminated timber, which meets performance requirements while having lower embodied carbon than more commonly used materials, such as concrete.

Our ‘orange army’

Our core consultancy capabilities were bolstered by team members holding critical accreditations to work trackside. From RISQS (Railway Industry Supplier Qualification Scheme) to an in-depth understanding of Common Safety Methods (CSM), our team had what they needed to get on site, get under the skin of the programme and work with partners to identify the most effective approach.

Social value for local people

It is widely acknowledged that, for major infrastructure to be successful, it needs to leave a legacy beyond its main purpose. This was a mentality the team embraced from the outset, placing emphasis on local recruitment where possible and investing hundreds of hours of time into volunteering for local good causes. In addition to providing a fast and convenient rail service into and out of London, the station – acting as an overbridge – will connect communities severed for more than 150 years by the railway line. The station is, quite literally, bringing people together.