Wimbledon Traincare Depot Phases I, II & III

Suttle Projects were contracted to provide piled foundations on this project to extend South Western Railway’s Traincare Depot in Wimbledon, South West London. This work enabled a longstanding facility to adapt for modern rolling stock. To maintain operation of this critical facility, work was undertaken across three phases, spanning over a two-year period.

Our work, including a contractor design element, involved installing piles to 24m depth. The work was made more complex by the following factors:

• The need to deploy heavy specialist equipment within the confines of the existing structures, the main line to Waterloo Station, and the busy sidings around the Traincare Depot.

• Coordination of operations to minimise noise and disturbance to the numerous other stakeholders working in or around the depot.

• The presence of historic masonry and steel demolition materials, at depths of up to 10m on site, making the work itself technically demanding and requiring an innovative approach.

• The need to shuttle long and cumbersome material items in and around the busy depot.

To overcome these challenges, we ensured that our staff were well briefed on the working of the depot, and the criticality of its operations. We made use of day and night shifts to shorten the

programme and make the most effective use of windows in access and working constraints. We broke components, such as reinforcement, into sizes more sympathetic to the space available, and most of all, utilised construction innovation to enhance contract performance and outcome.