The scale of the contract is such that it will almost certainly be one of the biggest orders ever placed in the UK for station escalators, the clients says.
A notice has been placed in the EU Official Journal seeking expressions of interest for the design, manufacture, installation and long-term maintenance of over 100 escalators. The contract is worth up to £190m.
The cost of designing, building and maintaining a single escalator is more than £1m. TfL and Crossrail are undertaking a joint procurement for this order in a bid to drive down bidders. Savings will also be realised by the adoption of a more standard escalator design across TfL and Crossrail.
The contract covers the provision of escalators for Crossrail stations at Paddington, Bond Street, Tottenham Court Road, Farringdon, Liverpool Street and Whitechapel and for stations across the Tube network.
It is envisaged that around 60 escalators will be required for the Crossrail stations in central London with around 45 escalators required for London Underground’s major escalator replacement programme.
London Underground strategy and commercial director Richard Parry said: “We are engaged in a massive programme to upgrade the Tube which will, with Crossrail, see transport capacity increase by more than 30% over the next 10 years. This partnership with Crossrail demonstrates the benefits we can bring by adopting a joined-up and long-term approach to improving London’s transport infrastructure in the most efficient way possible.”
Under this contract, installation of new escalators for the Tube network is due to begin in late 2013 with work underway from 2015 at the Crossrail stations. The invitation to tender will be issued later this year. The closing date for expressions of interest is 13 July 2011.
2011 marks the 100th anniversary of the first escalator being installed on the Tube network at Earl’s Court.
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