PACE RAIL
GOSPEL OAK TO BARKING RECOVERY
YOUR PROJECT. OUR DELIVERY PARTNER.
Value
£171m
Period
2017-18
The Gospel Oak to Barking Electrification (GOBE) programme was a major UK rail infrastructure project requiring rapid recovery and highly coordinated delivery.
When programme pressures threatened the overall delivery timeline, PACE took control of programme management and planning—bringing structure, pace, and accountability back to the project.
Value : £171m
Period : 2017–2018
Client : Network Rail
Programme : GOBE
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THE PROJECT
A Critical Rail Infrastructure Programme
Gospel Oak to Barking Electrification was a hugely important UK rail project, DfT Funded to £171m, with Network Rail undertaking the responsibility for electrification of 11 miles of twin track to enable the introduction of the TfL supplied, and Arriva Rail London Operated class 700 rolling stock. The project was a CSM significant project, requiring full TSI compliance and APIS approval by the ORR to enter the new rolling stock into service.
THE CHALLENGE
A Programme Under Severe Time Pressure
The project whilst an Electrification project was also 75% major civils and P-way requiring track lowering and bridge Jacking within the scheme. Whilst the civils elements were progressing on plan; the electrification design fell behind programme and the impact to the overall scheme was catastrophic. The compressed design programme led to a lack of design validation of the piling and foundations to check the overall system design. A significant amount of the design didn’t work due to as built tolerances and had to be re-done. Early procurement against the delayed programme led to surplus and uncontrolled material stockpiling. Some of the material lead times were 6 months and it was March 2017, with a “no later” then agreement by Tfl and The DfT for full electrification by January 2018. This was the date the Class 700 rolling stock was due to start arriving.
WHAT WE DID
Taking Control. Creating Momentum.
Taking Control. Creating Momentum.
PACE took full control of programme management and planning, working alongside the existing Network Rail project and delivery teams to rapidly stabilize the programme.
Expanded Delivery Capacity
PACE developed a procurement strategy to bring four additional major OLE suppliers into the programme:
Balfour Beatty
Morgan Sindall
ABC
Hedson Rail
Rapid Design & As-Built Assessment
We initiated rapid assessments of the existing design and as-built conditions, allowing construction activities to be released as quickly as possible while identifying issues requiring resolution.
Centralized Programme Control
A rigorous weekly planning and construction cycle was introduced, supported by a centralized single source of truth for system and programme data.
This created greater visibility across design, construction, access, procurement, and delivery activities.
Accelerated Access Planning
Working with Anglia Route, we developed an access strategy that secured almost every weekend with 52-hour access, alongside two major seven- and nine-week blockades incorporated into the longer-term programme.
Logistics Management
A dedicated logistics company was brought into the programme to manage:
Materials in
Materials out
Storage
Stock levels
Material status
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WHAT ARE ACHEIVED
Quality-Assured Expertise for Complex Schemes
The railway was electrified by January 2018. The project was the most political project in the UK at its time, and considered to be the most intense delivery programme deployed by many of the Network Rail and TfL Directors. Credit was given by Francis Paonessa the NR National Infrastructure Projects Managing Director at the time stating that the project recovery and stabilisation was the quickest and most controlled he had ever seen in Network Rail. Whilst PACE led the programme, the achievement by all involved on this project were outstanding