London Rail managing director 'prefers' different companies to fill project partner and project delivery roles

London Rail managing director, Ian Brown, has indicated that two organisations will probably fill the Crossrail partner roles. The news will affect teams from Legacy 3 and Bechtel and partners who are on the shortlist for both the £100m project partner and £400m project delivery contracts.

“It's possible that both might do both, but preferable to keep both roles separate,” Brown told Building. “We can do this with Chinese walls or by using two organisations, but this is such a big project that the more skills and good people [should be made use of]. One organisation can't do all the jobs.”

Brown was speaking at the announcement that the Department for Transport would bankroll the £74m second phase of the East London Line (ELL). Transport secretary Geoff Hoon today announced said Whitehall would be giving Transport for London (TfL) £64m to get the project completed before the Olympics in 2012.

“It's now or never,” said Brown of the move. “You can't believe how real the push has been.”

He added that advanced work would begin within three months and design was underway. TfL will issue a fresh tender for the work, although the Carillion and Balfour Beatty will be hot favourites, having already started work on the £363m ELL extension linking Dalston Junction with West Croydon. Carillion also last week bagged the £80m maintenance contract for the line.

However, phase two of the ELL will not be built as originally planned, lacking Surrey Canal Road station.

Brown said that the £10m for the station could not be found and a separate business case would have to be made for this and other stations, such as Brixton. Provision for further building would be made in the infrastructure build.

London Assembly transport spokesman for the liberal democrats, Caroline Pidgeon said the news was, therefore, mixed.

“These stations are needed and it is vital, if they can't be provided in the first stage of construction, that funding is quickly found for them. While celebrating today, the battle still goes on!”

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