Coventry Station Renovation Programme for the 2022 Commonwealth Games

Coventry Station Renovation Programme for the 2022 Commonwealth Games

11 January 2021

COVENTRY STATION RENOVATION PROGRAMME FOR THE 2022 COMMONWEALTH GAMES

Enable Infrastructure (formerly known as BCM Construction) have been part of the Coventry Station Renovation Programme in preparation for the 2022 Birmingham and Coventry Commonwealth games. 

Enable Infrastructure were awarded this contract by Network Rail along with Coventry County Council to assist in the construction of a new substation which is required to power the new shopping centre, 2 new sets of lifts and a new car park. The whole station renovation is in preparation for the return of the Commonwealth games to the UK as part of the Coventry Station Master Plan.   

The 2022 Commonwealth Games will be held in and around the cities of Birmingham and Coventry with events also being hosted in the Black Country and Staffordshire. These Regions will be key focal points in enabling and driving economic growth throughout the West Midlands area. 

The works commenced in July 2020, with the project being handed back in the coming weeks. 

We had a UXO specialist engineer with us the entire time due to the known 16 unexploded bombs within the Coventry station footprint. This was because Coventry was used during the war as a starting point for military ammo supply deliveries as it was central to the country and they had many military factories in the area. The Germans hit Coventry heavily during the war with the station being a main focal point. Hence the unexploded bombs. 

Below is a comprehensive list detailing the scope of the civil work carried out as well as the Mechanical and Electrical Systems (M&E) work completed by Enable Infrastructure and our Enable Power Systems (formerly known as BCM Power Systems) team. 

Scope of Civils 

  • New earth farm installation – this included 180mtr of 1000mm deep trenching through concrete 
  • 6No. 30mtrs deep drilled earth rods. 
  • Delivery and installation of 2No. Temporary generators then connected the LV panel to the temporary generators. 
  • Disconnection and removal of the existing transformer and RMU. 
  • Demolition of the existing internal floor. 
  • Demolition of internal walls and external walls. 
  • Removal of existing doors with temporary doors constructed and fitted. 
  • Installation of below-ground duct routes between rooms of the new configuration. 
  • Erection of shuttering and steelwork for concrete pouring the new floor levels in the transformer room 
  • Erection of the 2No. new internal walls to separate the RMU, Transformer and LV rooms. 
  • Erection of shuttering and steelwork for concrete pouring the new RMU room. 
  • Installation of fireproofing. 

Scope of Mechanical & Electrical systems 

  •  Enable Infrastructure installed a synced generator system and commissioned this into the existing LV dist panel. To take overpowering the station.  
  •  Once the temporary supply was installed all existing transformer equipment was decommissioned to enable the civils work to begin.  
  •  New earth farm installed. 
  • 11kv transformer install by machine move. (4.7ton moved in by hand in rollers and jacks.   
  • 4 part 1600A LV panel installed.  
  • Enable Infrastructure has completed full install of 16no 300mm sq LV cables between the new transformer and the new LV panel.  
  • 12no 300mm sq cables between the old and new LV panel.  
  • 3no 120mm sq 11kv HV feeds between the WPD ring main unit and the new transformer.  
  •  The site has been fitted with an industrial ventilation system designed to keep all electrical equipment below 40 degrees and to manage a potential fire.  
  •  All fire and security systems also fitted on this site.  
  • Enable Infrastructure will self deliver the test and commissioning of this site including pressure testing and all electrical certification.  

It’s been a complex site working with lots of parties involved in the immediate area of the site including.  

  • Network rail 
  • Weston power distribution 
  • Avanti west coast 
  • West Midlands trains 
  • Coventry council  
  • British transport police 
  • NCP 
  • Buckingham construction group 
  • The general public.