Coventry Station Renovation Programme

About the project

Enable Infrastructure (formerly BCM Construction) were contracted by Network Rail and Coventry City Council to take part in the renovation programme for Coventry Station, which is part of the council’s Coventry Station Master Plan. The programme was carried out in preparation for the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games, for which Coventry Stadium and Arena hosted rugby sevens, judo and wrestling.  

We assisted in the construction of a substation to power a new shopping centre and in the construction of two new sets of lifts and a new car park.  

This was a complex project, with many other organisations and individuals active within the immediate area of the site, including our clients as well as: Western Power Distribution; Avanti West Coast; West Midland Trains; British Transport Police; National Car Parks, and members of the general public.  

The project was completed successfully in June 2021.

Below is a comprehensive list detailing the scope of the civils work and of the Mechanical and Electrical Systems (M&E) work completed by Enable Infrastructure and Enable Power Systems teams. 

The challenge

• The sheer complexity of the project, with so many parties involved.
   
• Sixteen unexploded bombs from World War II known to be within the Coventry Station footprint. Coventry had many military factories during the war and, because of its central location, was a starting point for military ammunition deliveries around the country. Consequently, it was bombed heavily by the Luftwaffe, with the station being a focal point of the raids. 

The solution

• Through meticulous planning and careful collaboration with our clients and the many other parties, we were able to ensure the project’s success.

• To deal with the potential discovery of unexploded ordnance, a UXO specialist engineer remained with our teams throughout the entire project.  

The deliverables

CIVILS 

• 180m of 1000mm-deep trenching through concrete in preparation for a new earth farm 
• Six 30m-deep earth rods drilled 
• Delivery and installation of two temporary generators and their subsequent connection to the LV panel  
• Disconnection and removal of the existing transformer and RMU. 
• Demolition of the existing internal floor 
• Demolition of internal walls and external walls 
• Removal of existing doors, with temporary doors constructed and fitted 
• Installation of below-ground duct routes between rooms of the new configuration 
• Erection of shuttering and steelwork for concrete-pouring the new floor levels in the transformer room 
• Erection of two new internal walls to separate the RMU, transformer and LV rooms. 
• Erection of shuttering and steelwork for concrete-pouring the new RMU room 
• Installation of fireproofing 
• Fire-sealing all elements of the installation. 

MECHANICAL & ELECTRICAL SYSTEMS 

• Installation of a synced generator system and commissioning it into the existing LV distribution panel 
• Following installation of temporary supply, decommissioning of all existing transformer equipment to enable the civils work to begin 
• Installation of new earth farm  
• 11kv transformer installation by machine move (with 4.7t moved in by hand, using rollers and jacks) 
• Four-part 1600A LV panel installed. 
• Full installation of sixteen 300mm sq LV cables between the new transformer and the new LV panel 
• Fitting of twelve 300mm sq cables between the old and new LV panel 
• Installation of three 120mm sq 11kv HV feeds between the WPD ring main unit and the new transformer 
• Fitting of an industrial ventilation system designed to keep all electrical equipment below 40 degrees Celsius and to manage any potential fire 
• Design, supply and installation of new ventilation grills around all new equipment to the exterior of the building, providing an aesthetically pleasing finish 
• Fitting of all fire and security systems  
• Testing and commissioning of the site, including pressure-testing and all electrical certification of newly installed low and high voltage assets.