Following a competitive tender process, Ashurst has been appointed
to advise Crossrail Limited (CRL) on the procurement of rolling
stock and a depot for the Crossrail project. CRL is
considering a range of options for the procurement which will
involve the acquisition of approximately 600 new vehicles and the
construction of depot and stabling facilities at Old Oak
Common. It is intended that initial Crossrail services will
commence in 2015 with full service commencement in 2017.
Ashurst has been working with CRL on aspects of the Crossrail
project for a number of years and, most recently, has been involved in
the appointment of project design partners and design consultants
for the scheme.
Ashurst's global head of infrastructure, Mark Elsey, commented:
"Crossrail is the largest infrastructure project currently in
procurement in Europe. We are delighted to be undertaking
this major piece of work for Crossrail Limited. This will be
a substantial order for the rolling stock industry, with the added
complexity of the procurement being implemented at the same time as
the related infrastructure and systems for Crossrail are being
designed and built. We have for some time targeted the
railway industry as a key area for growth. We have built a
strong team with an in-depth understanding of all aspects of the
industry and it is pleasing to see this investment paying off."
Mark Fell, the legal services director at Crossrail Limited
commented:
"We were very pleased with the level and quality of the competition
for this important appointment. A successful procurement of
the rolling stock and depot is of course central to the entire
Crossrail project, and we are confident that the skills and
experience of the Ashurst team will be a great support in achieving
that goal."