Chloe Doyle

Said the following about Pat Walker:

“The Cricklewood South Junction renewal project was delivered over four core weekends would not have been possible without Pat Walker and his delivery team.

Pat Walker, Delivery Manager for the Central Rail System Alliance (CRSA), delivered Cricklewood during the Covid-19 pandemic and it was already a challenging job with a complex layout, adjacent lines open working and extremely low overhead wires, before even factoring in the changes his team had to make to ensure they could complete it safely within government guidelines during the pandemic.

Pat didn’t let this phase him and while tackling new ways of working and mitigations he ensured delivery and wasn’t going to let anything get in his way during the outbreak. He always displayed the right attitude and go-getting mind-set.

The Cricklewood project in central London included a S&C renewal of two crossovers and two back to back double junction, a total equivalent of 10 units. Because of the great work led by Pat, the route will be able to remove a long-standing condition of track TSR from the Up Fast line which should last more than 25 years without any significant issues. Because the track will boast longevity, maintenance work will be kept to a minimum and there will be less resources required for ongoing patrolling and maintenance going forwards, saving time and money.

Pat's team delivered full specification, on time, with zero accidents. But the work wasn’t without its challenges. As well as the restrictions of the Covid-19 lockdown, the site being 200 miles from the Doncaster depot where the 250 multi-disciplinary renewal team was based, and the integration with another project are just a few challenges the team had to deal with. This meant a lot of travel for Pat who always goes above and beyond his responsibilities.

There were more challenges that Pat had to overcome. The two-levelled layout – the first site of its type trialled – a six line section of the MML where the team had only two or four lines blocked for the majority of the time, restrictive track access, numerous structures passing under the track affected the way the works were delivered due to axle loading limits, a complex double junction layout with 10 site-made Benkler joints installed at tricky location with difficult logistics, working in a heavily built-up area with sensitive neighbours, as well as, uncertainty around supplies and acceptable working methodologies, all contributed to an extremely complex job that Pat had to navigate all the way.

Dealing with Covid-19 required various mitigations and an additional level of focus, checking resources, sanitisation/PPE, social distancing and different ways of thinking and working. The planning stages were particularly hard, and Pat had to manage and make sure the team were confident.

The recent change in route strategy, moving away from modular S&C towards conventional layouts meant the majority of panelised materials had to be brought in by road and moved to site by cranes during prep works.

The site was restrictive in terms of suitable access for the numbers required to do the job, so Pat used his experience and expertise to deliver a complex renewal, overcoming the uncertainties and additional challenges – at a time when the majority of London sites were shut down. Thanks to Pat and his team, passengers will now benefit greatly from the works as line speed has been increased reducing journey times.“