Marr Contracting has been awarded the contract to deliver specialised heavy lifting crane services on the construction of HS2 Old Oak Common station.
The contract was awarded by the Balfour Beatty Vinci Systra Joint Venture (BBVSJV), with Marr’s heavy lift luffing cranes supporting BBVSJV’s preferred Design for Manufacture and Assembly and Modern Methods of Construction methodology for the project.
Collaborating with BBVSJV’s engineering and construction team, Marr developed a three-crane solution that declutters the site and takes the complexity out of cranage and construction on the project.
The news comes after the UK transport secretary announced that HS2 will undergo a spending review as part of a wider transport megaproject review by the incumbent Labour government.
In the announcement, the government reiterated its commitment to finishing the Birmingham to London leg of HS2 (of which the Old Oak Common station is a part of) in a timely manner.
As such, Marr’s contract should, the government hopes, expedite the project once the cranes arrive onsite from early 2025.
Reviews of the UK’s other major infrastructure projects such as the Lower Thames crossing were also laid out.
Marr’s managing director Simon Marr said: “Key to the successes we have achieved for end-clients like Sydney Metro and Cross River Rail in Australia has been the willingness of project teams to engage us early in the planning stages.
“Similarly, BBVSJV’s innovative thinking about how cranage solutions can be procured and delivered is a potentially game-changing approach for this important infrastructure project.”
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