On 1st April 2009 Cross London Rail Link issued a statement awarding the general management of the Crossrail project (design and construction works) to the Bechtel-Halcrow-SYSTRA consortium.

The aim of the Crossrail project is to construct a new high-capacity urban rail line, crossing Greater London from east to west. The line will be 103 kilometres in length and comprise 46 stations. The 27-kilometer central section will be built in a tunnel and at its eastern and western ends it will connect to the existing network which is due to be upgraded. The total cost of the project is put at around 17 billion pounds. In terms of its length, capacity and high performance system, the project is similar to line A of the Paris RER mass transit network. The Crossrail project was given the go-ahead for construction when it was granted Royal Assent in June 2008 and was confirmed as part of British plans for regeneration. With works set to begin in 2010 and tunnel boring in mid 2011, the line is planned to come into service in 2017.

The contract to oversee management of the project is worth 400 million euros and covers the central underground section of the line. The consortium will manage the process to appoint consulting firms to draw up designs and will ensure their quality. It will also inspect construction works and ensure that schedules and budgets are met.

Bechtel, Halcrow and SYSTRA were previously partners in Rail Link Engineering, the consortium appointed to manage the HS1 project to build a high-speed rail link between London and the Channel Tunnel, which was inaugurated in 2007. The consortium proved then that it was capable of delivering the project on time and on budget. Its success in doing this was a key element in winning the Crossrail project.

As part of the consortium SYSTRA will have specific responsibility for managing Systems (track, signalling, catenary, quality, commissioning and launch) and interface, studies into reliability, maintenance, availability and safety, as well as operational aspects. Halcrow will be in charge of civil engineering and Bechtel will be responsible for project management.

According to Philippe Citroen, Managing Director of SYSTRA, “this project is an excellent opportunity for SYSTRA (a subsidiary of RATP and SNCF) to maintain and reinforce our presence in major projects in the UK, following on from the success of HS1. We are sending a number of highly qualified experts to the site in the coming days and we will also be recruiting local engineers.”