LIVERPOOL STREET STATION
A power upgrade for London’s Liverpool Street Station, the busiest train station in the UK
Project No: 13167
Client: SSE Enterprise Rail
Project: Liverpool Street Station
Cover Image: Courtesy of Network Rail
Challenge
Liverpool Street Station in London was built in 1874 and it is the third busiest station in the UK, serving 66 million passengers per year. The multi-level station has 19 platforms, an underground rail network interchange and over 50 retail shops that operate almost 24 hours a day throughout the year. The electrical switchgear and cabling is equally as complex, over 25 years old, and at the end of its economic life. An overhaul and upgrade of the mechanical and electrical assets was required to avoid equipment failure and to meet modern-day safety standards for maintenance.
All of the works needed completing with minimum disruption to service.
Part of the below grade works were located in an area where the underground and above ground railway meets. The only route to this area was via a concrete inspection chamber, secured by a mature concrete manhole cover. When Burnell Control went to lift the mature concrete manhole cover, a corner section cracked and disintegrated due to its age. Authorisation to access this area to make the renovations needed approval and co-ordination between Network Rail and Crossrail.
The installation required works above and below the ground which involved transporting heavy apparatus up and down stairways.
Success
Following a competitive procurement process, SSE Enterprise Rail were awarded the contract to design and deliver the ‘Liverpool Street Switch Panels and Distribution Board Project’ on behalf of Network Rail. At the time Raj Sinha, Managing Director for SSE Enterprise Rail, said: “We are very pleased to have been awarded this contract. It will be very challenging but we have the right people with the right skills at every level to deliver this type of specialist work.”
Burnell Switchgear & Control is renowned for delivering high quality solutions in some of the most challenging locations in the UK and overseas, with an impeccable track record of delivering projects either on time or ahead of schedule.
Burnell Switchgear & Control worked closely with SSE Enterprise Rail to design and install a new state of the art low voltage power management system for Liverpool Street Station and its retail units. The initial site survey revealed the age of the facility at first glance, with a colour code in place labelling all components in either green or red.
The new electrical distribution board is made up of an incredible 2300 circuits, each feeding an ample supply to keep Liverpool Street Station and its fifty shops fully powered for many decades to come. There is now a dedicated back-up electricity supply for the station and train sheds and the electrical distribution capacity has been increased by 25 per cent.
Liverpool Street Station was a flagship project that ran smoothly from start to finish.
All of the works were completed without any disruption to service.
Innovation
Burnell Switchgear & Control take pride in providing quality across the board and this is represented in our ISO 9001 certification. To achieve ISO 9001 all of our in-house products and processes are assessed by an independent adjudicator, and as a forward thinking, dynamic company that consistently introduces clients to modern technology, there is not a day that goes by when Burnell Switchgear & Control is not thinking about ways and means to improve and advance.
Looking after our team is a number one priority, and health and safety is at the forefront of everything we do.
When Burnell Switchgear & Control were faced with the challenge of transporting heavy apparatus up and down stairways to assemble Liverpool Street Station’s new power management system, their biggest concern was associated with manual handling.
To overcome this concern Burnell Switchgear & Control hired help from stair climbing robots capable of carrying loads up to 1000kg up and down the stairs! Burnell Switchgear & Control is proud to be the first company to introduce the SR1750 stair robot to Network Rail. The robots reduce the amount of manpower required for the job in hand, and greatly reduce the risks and hazards associated with traditional lifting.
Works at Liverpool Street Station incorporated a lot of cabling in a confined space. Through survey and design Burnell Switchgear & Control identified the potential to use a busbar. A full busbar system was installed, with an enhanced IP system for external distribution.
History
The striking station roof was designed by Fairburn Engineering, the same company that supplied the roof to the Royal Albert Hall. Commendably, Liverpool Street Station has managed to preserve much of its 19th century architecture, whilst responding well to increased demand and the need to modernise.
Liverpool Street Station is the busiest station in the UK with around 94.5 million people entering and exiting the station from March 2023/24.
