Business as usual

Transport for London chose Balfour Beatty’s integrated approach for the project management and delivery of the Northern Ticket Hall to the required quality standards.

Already one of the busiest interchanges on the London Underground network, King’s Cross St Pancras is set to become busier still. The relocation of Eurostar services to St Pancras, which adjoins the Underground, together with the forthcoming introduction of fast commuter services from Kent and anticipated local regeneration, is expected to drive up passenger numbers by some 33%. This figure will be further increased during the 2012 Olympic Games.

The new underground Northern Ticket Hall, being built by Balfour Beatty to a demanding schedule, will help to ensure that the station can handle this huge surge in passenger volumes.

Long-term project
The Northern Ticket Hall is the second phase of the £774m King’s Cross St Pancras CTRL works programme and follows Balfour Beatty's successful involvement in the first phase.

Balfour Beatty’s current role is to create a capacious new main access into the Underground station. Significant earthworks are involved, with excavations reaching a depth of four storeys below ground. A roof slab installed above the ticket hall will seal what is in effect a giant concrete box.

Joined-up thinking
Projects such as the Northern Ticket Hall increasingly draw on integrated solutions, with management, construction and technical teams working closely together. Balfour Beatty is responsible for overall programme management, as well as providing civil engineering, piling and mechanical and electrical services.

Balfour Beatty is responsible for the “box” construction, as well as the fit-out of the ticket office and access tunnels including architectural finishes, mechanical and electrical systems and communications systems, together with the integration and installation of escalators and lifts.