Brent Cross West, with seven Stannah passenger lifts, is London’s newest mainline station in over a decade

London’s newest mainline station in 10 years, Brent Cross West, has seven Stannah passenger lifts to Network Rail’s ‘Standard Specification for New and Upgrade Lifts’ as part of a wider regeneration programme.

The new Brent Cross West station, located on the Midland Main Line, offers commuters a quick journey from central London to Brent Cross Town in just 12 minutes. Positioned between the existing Thameslink stations at Hendon and Cricklewood, this new Zone Three station is the gateway to Barnet’s up-and-coming district of Brent Cross Town. Brent Cross Town is an £8bn net zero park which is being delivered through the partnership between Barnet Council and Related Argent.

Covering an area of ​​7,000 square metres, Brent Cross West station comprises four platforms. Two of the Stannah lifts can be seen on arrival, providing step-free access from street level to the platforms.

customer

Working with Barnet Council, Stannah Lifts installed seven hydraulic passenger lifts, facilitating access to the new station. Barnet Council worked with Network Rail, Govia Thameslink Railway and main contractors, VolkerFitzpatrick.

This impressive train project, program managed by Mace, began in spring 2020 and was opened on 10 December 2023 by the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan. The new station is part of the most ambitious regeneration program ever undertaken by Barnet Council. The Brent Cross Cricklewood regeneration program delivers over seven thousand new homes, a brand new station, improved schools, a university campus, community facilities, new businesses and shops and 25,000 new jobs.

The new station will accommodate future 12-car train capacity if demand increases in the future and will be able to accommodate the planned West London Orbital (WLO) line in the future.

WORK

Stannah supplied seven hydraulic passenger lifts for 16 people to support the delivery of the Brent Cross West construction project. These passenger lifts include:

• Two at the west entrance
• Two that facilitate access to platforms one and two
• An elevator providing access to platforms three and four
• Two at the east entrance.

Bespoke passenger lifts at the entrances allow step-free access from street level to the platforms and transport visitors to the 32m walkway, mezzanine or street level.

Additional work involved the demolition of a disused train depot, the construction of a new station and four platforms (two for stopping trains and two for emergencies), escalator access and two 30m connecting bridges weighing over 80 tons each, acting as a bridge over.

Brent Cross West Station was built with sustainability in mind, featuring solar panels, low lighting and sustainable timber. The new surface bridge gives pedestrians the opportunity to cross this part of the Midland Main Line for the first time since it was built over 150 years ago, linking the communities on either side of the station and making it much easier to get around the area.

challenge

The design brief focused on sustainability and improving accessibility while creating a transportation hub that united a community. Stannah overcame a number of engineering challenges, mainly due to construction work taking place in a live railway environment.

The station itself was built on existing train tracks with passing trains. This presented a challenge for Stannah when materials were required for the lift installations. The team at Stannah worked with contractors, working one island at a time, to ensure safety and efficiency throughout the project. This made transporting the lifting equipment to the lift shaft more difficult to install, as the materials would be delivered on live train tracks.

For safety reasons, Stannah lift deliveries had to be scheduled when the tracks were not in use or during maintenance periods. Road and Rail Vehicles (RRVs) have been used to facilitate these deliveries as they are able to operate safely on both roads and rail tracks, ensuring smooth access to materials.

Another challenge was the depth of the elevator shaft, requiring the installation of a hydraulic bench to ensure safe and efficient maintenance and repair operations. Despite the construction of the station during the Covid-19 pandemic, Stannah was able to continue work thanks to excellent collaboration with all project partners on site and an exemplary approach to safety.

result

Brent Cross West station was a complex project due to its location near active train tracks, the pandemic and the number of lifts delivered to four different specifications.

However, Stannah successfully supplied and installed seven 16-person passenger lifts which were specified at 1200kg capacity. The elevators operate at a speed of 0.63 m per second, providing a safe and efficient journey for passengers.

All seven lifts, with stainless steel interiors, have been fitted with user-friendly features, square braille and semi-illuminated buttons, improving accessibility for all users.

The automatic side-opening doors are finished in linen stainless steel and are semi-enamelled, while the architraves feature a black Raltex pattern that meets the lift consultant’s specifications and the architect’s design vision.

The lifts are equipped with a GSM monitoring kit to provide information on the availability of the lift to help customers with accessibility needs plan their journey.

The new passenger lifts now provide step-free access and improved accessibility to the impressive new station and overhead bridge, which provides 24-hour access from Staples Corner Retail Park to Brent Cross Town on both sides of the track.

All lifts operate in accordance with BS EN81-20, BS7255 and network rail specification NR/L2/CIV193.