west london tram

Client: Transport For London

Date: From September 2002

Project Value: c. £640 million

Timescale: 2002 – 2008

Services Provided:

• Project Directorship
• Business Case Stewardship
• Project Management and Controls
• Environmental Management
• Transport and Works Act Order
• Stakeholder Management
• Case Management
• Transport Modelling Management

Project Overview:

The West London Tram Project was an ambitious plan to create a 20 km stretch of tramline from central Uxbridge to Shepherds Bush utilising the A4020 corridor and used annually by approximately 50 million passengers.

The proposed route along the Uxbridge Road, has suffered for many years from increased levels of road traffic on roads pushed beyond capacity. The aims of the project were to reduce the dependency on car usage, improving transport efficiency to the area while improving safety and transport quality to the local areas of Hayes, Hillingdon, Hanwell, Southall, Acton, Ealing and Shepherds Bush. In turn it was believed that the tram would bring economic opportunity to the local town centres as well as delivering improvements to the environment via a reduction in air and noise pollution.

The tram scheme would deliver a frequent, high capacity transport system for the 21st Century and in turn meet the projected 2025 figures for business and population growth. The scheme would replace the existing 207, 427 and 607 bus services allowing these buses to be utilised on other routes, while improving access to all the town centres stated above. From a users perspective, trams provide improved levels of access compared to buses, particularly to the mobility impaired.

The projected capital costs for the scheme were in the region of £640million, with an expected completion around 2011/12. Implementation of the scheme would reduce some of the link capacity along the A4020 corridor for general traffic in order to provide dedicated access for the tram.

Delivery:

Following the Mayors announcement in May 2002, Schofield Lothian became heavily involved in the planning, feasibility, design and public consultation of the scheme, providing a multi-discipline team which at its peak numbered some 16 staff members and drew on extensive experience gained from similar projects.

In 2005, Schofield Lothian handed over the control of the project to TfL but were retained to deliver the TWAO along with further services such as management of the Public Transport and Strategic Modelling, Junction and Micro-Modelling, Off Route Traffic Management Modelling and measures and completion of the Transport Assessment to support the Engineering Design. In addition we provided the written technical reports, following technical reviews, in order to gain the necessary approvals. We facilitated and managed change control with the engineering designs as a result of the traffic modelling outputs whilst mitigating the risks to the modelling and engineering workstreams.

In early 2008, with the completion of the TWAO in readiness for submission, the project was moth-balled following a political decision regarding funding, with the proposed Crossrail project viewed as giving better value for increased transportation capacity to the west of London.

Benefit to the Client:

Schofield Lothian brought a depth of professionalism and experience to a project that, at the time, TfL did not have within. Experience that was valued and retained even after TfL employees came up to speed. Furthermore, as the project developed, our services and advice were called upon in new areas of the project enabled the client to deliver a large and complex project in what was a politically sensitive environment.

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