Mace Group

Information

The Thameslink Programme is a £5.5bn scheme that will tackle overcrowding on some of the UK's busiest routes by significantly increasing passenger capacity north-south to and through London. It will deliver clear and tangible benefits for passengers, the environment and the UK economy.

Network Rail will build new tracks and stations, extend platforms and improve signalling on the Thameslink route. This work represents a total of £3.55bn of investment.

The key benefits of this long waited major upgrade are:

• 50 % longer trains across the current Thameslink route
• New direct services, to new destinations on the Thameslink route (e.g. Cambridge to Gatwick).
• A reduction in overcrowding on the Underground, with three times as many trains travelling between St Pancras International and Blackfriars every hour (an increase from eight to 24)
• An end to bottlenecks at Blackfriars and London Bridge
• New trains across the Thameslink route
• A new connection to St Pancras International station (from December 2007)
• Platform extensions to improve 50 stations outside of central London

Mace was commissioned to evaluate and manage the tender process for three major key sections of the project. The response to this was to place three senior project managers with multidiscipline experience in managing major projects to evaluate the multi million pound contracts.

Our primary role is to lead the project teams in the technical evaluation of major civils and/or stations tenders for the Thameslink Programme and apply professional skills and experience in the selection of the most technically and commercially advantageous tender for the assigned package.