Southern Renewals Enterprise completes 10-week closure of Blackheath Tunnel
The VolkerFitzpatrick Southern Renewals Enterprise (SRE) team successfully completed a 10-week closure last week of The Blackheath Tunnel alongside Network Rail’s Works Delivery team.
The £10m programme of essential repairs included a specialist industrial vacuum to clean away old soot, fitting over ten thousand new bricks, and detailed structural and ground surveys were carried out ahead of further work next year.
The work was needed as the mile-long tunnel, which opened in 1849, is prone to leaks and water damage. This is because of brickwork damage caused by the freezing and thawing of rainwater that filters through the ground into the tunnel. While the tunnel is safe, in the last year faults in the tunnel led to around 1,000 minutes of delay for Southeastern customers.
“Our team at Blackheath tunnel have done a fantastic job in challenging circumstances to complete these works. Our Buildings & Civils and Works Delivery team have worked collaboratively and as a result have conducted maintenance on 5x more of the structure than planned and have been able to repair 50 percent more of the brickwork than originally planned. It’s a real example of the SRE model working in practice to deliver real, tangible efficiencies for passengers and freight users. Congratulations to the project team and everyone involved.”
Mike Sheridan Operations Director - Buildings and Civils, VolkerFitzpatrick
David Davidson, Network Rail’s Route Director for Kent, said: “We’re in the process of renewing everything within the tunnel, which includes replacing the track. That means we’ll need to return to Blackheath to complete this work over the next few years so that we can keep this Victorian-era structure in the best possible condition. We will now assess the further repair work needed for next year and will keep passengers and stakeholders informed on next steps.”
VolkerFitzpatrick is the Building and Civils partner for the Southern Renewals Enterprise (SRE), working in partnership with AtkinsRéalis, Octavius, VolkerRail and Network Rail, to deliver the southern region’s £9bn renewals portfolio between 2024 and 2034.