SYSTRA loaned two experts to BAA, the Owner of the new Terminal 5 of London Heathrow Airport. They are respectively in charge of operation integration and of the definition of the commissioning processes of the Piccadilly Line and Heathrow Express extensions.

Each of them manages a team of ten persons or so, originating from a number of companies.

The test campaign of the Piccadilly Line is scheduled to start in April 2007, whereas that for the Heathrow Express is due to begin in September 2007.

Terminal 5 (T5) will be allocated to British Airways and its partners of the One World Alliance ; it should welcome over 30 million passengers per year. The opening to passengers will take place in April 2008 once the areas reserved for the air companies, police, customs and shops have been made ready.

It is one of the largest infrastructure projects currently in progress in Europe, involving over 60 contractors, 16 major projects and over 147 sub-projects on a site totalling 260 hectares. It consists in building three new terminals (T5A, T5B and T5C) to the west of the existing terminals 1, 2, 3 and 4, and extending the Piccadilly metro line and the Heathrow Express railway line.

This major infrastructure project was started in late 2002. In order to ensure the delivery of the project within schedule and budget, BAA came to the conclusion that a radically innovating method was needed. The answer is the “T5 Agreement” - a contract between BAA and its main suppliers. Under this agreement, BAA accepts to bear all the risks associated with the performance of the project. This means that the suppliers can focus on project delivery and solving intervening problems.

SYSTRA’s experts operate in that integrated environment. One of the main challenges confronting them was their speedy integration in a project led by several Owners (BAA, LUL and NetworkRail).