Stations for Crossrail are being constructed 130 miles north of London near Worksop in Nottinghamshire.
Staff at Laing O’Rourke’s factory in Steetley in the East Midlands hit the new year in style putting together the new Custom House station. Large sections of the station are being built in Steetley and then transported to East London and assembled on site.
Three out of five businesses currently winning work on the project are based outside London and over half (58%) are
Small to Medium Enterprises. Transport Secretary, Patrick McLoughlin, is delighted, ‘Those who said that only the capital would reap the benefits of Crossrail are being proven wrong.
‘Crossrail is presenting thousands of business opportunities for companies across the country, and with those come thousands of jobs. It is excellent to see how the Midlands is benefiting from the project and I would urge other regions to follow suit.’
The Laing O’Rourke Explore Industrial Park sits on the site of a former colliery and employs 275 people, 80% of whom live within a 20 mile radius of the plant. Crossrail bosses are not scared to travel in search of excellence and innovation.
Says Andrew Wolstenholme, Crossrail Chief Executive, ‘It may seem unusual for a station to be constructed 130 miles away, but the method saves time and money and minimises disruption.
‘The job on site at Custom House becomes one of assembly rather than traditional construction, significantly simplifying the process of building a station. Crossrail is committed to capturing the kind of innovation on display at Steetley to ensure that it can be applied to future projects and continue to drive up standards in the industry.’
