Bank Station Capacity Upgrade
Bank, City of London, UK · 2013–2023 (design and build contract let July 2013, construction started April 2016, completed February 2023) · £700 million (overall project cost, some sources cite £607m or £655m)
The judgement call
Account-gated at launch* Use of NEC3 ECC Option C contract, supported by a non-binding "Best for Bank" management protocol, fostering mutual trust and collaboration. * Innovative contractor engagement process led to £60 million savings over the base design. * Successful delivery on time and within budget despite the complexity and challenges, including the COVID-19 pandemic. * First time step-free access to the Northern Line.
Key engineering challenges
* One of the most complex station upgrade projects on London Underground, likened to "open heart surgery on a patient who is awake" as the station remained operational. * Tunnelling centimetres away from live railways and directly under the historic City of London, including iconic landmarks and Grade 1/2 listed buildings sensitive to settlement. * Working in extremely tight subterranean spaces due to five different underground lines and the DLR passing through the station. * Minimising disruption to stakeholders, local businesses, and communities.
Project facts
- Client / owner
- Transport for London (TfL), London Underground
- Lead contractor
- Dragados
- Lead designers
- AECOM (design partner), Wilkinson Eyre (architecture and design), Robert Bird Group (civil and structural engineers), URS (planning, environment, engineering services), Dr Sauer Group (tunnelling)
- Project type
- upgrade
- Scale
- 40% increased capacity; new Northern line southbound platform tunnel; new entrance on Cannon Street; 2 new lifts; 12 new escalators; 2 new 100m long moving walkways; over 1000m of new sprayed-concrete-lined tunnels; 570m new southbound tunnel for Northern line; 5 ticket halls, 9 escalators, 10 station platforms, total 31 escalators after upgrade.
- Disciplines
- Civil; structural; mechanical; electrical; systems; geotechnical; tunnelling; architecture; planning
- Standards & frameworks
- NEC3 Engineering and Construction Contract (ECC Option C); London Underground standards; CDM Regulations
Sources: * NEC Contract (Undated), "Bank Station capacity upgrade, London, UK", https://www.neccontract.com/projects/bank-station-capacity-upgrade-london-uk * Dr. Sauer & Partners (Undated), "Bank Station Capacity Upgrade - Design", https://www.dr-sauer.com/projects/bank-station-capacity-upgrade-design * Railway Technology (2023), "Bank Station Capacity Upgrade Project, London, UK", https://www.railway-technology.com/projects/bank-station-capacity-upgrade-project-london/ * AECOM (Undated), "Bank Station Capacity Upgrade", https://aecom.com/projects/bank-station-capacity-upgrade/