The first phase of enabling works for the Northern line extension has been delivered by contractor Amey.
The preparatory works being carried out focus on the South West Storm Relief Sewer.
Amey installed eight articulation joints along a 55m section of the sewer, which will cross less than two metres above the Northern line tunnels, roughly halfway between the two new stations at Battersea and Nine Elms. The joints will allow the sewer to flex during the excavation and construction of the new tunnels.
The flow through the sewer has also had to be diverted to ensure it is empty of waste water while work is being carried out.
The works are being completed on behalf of Ferrovial Agroman, which owns Amey, and Laing O’Rourke – the joint venture delivering the extension.
Phase two, which will begin in 2018, will include any required settlement remediation works. The line itself is scheduled to be completed in 2020.
Kevin Fowlie, managing director of Utilities at Amey, said: “We’re proud to have delivered phase one of our enabling works on the Northern Line Extension, particularly as we did so ahead of schedule, demonstrating once again that Amey is an innovative contractor capable of delivering complex projects both reliably and efficiently.”
The Northern line extension is the first new line to be added to the Underground network since the Jubilee line.
