The background of the blockade
Lengthy and costly track improvement works at Earls Court station had been inconveniencing users for years. The track had long been in a poor state but it finally reached the stage where quick fixes here and there were causing more problems than they were solving. The team at the Track Partnership, which is an organisation made up of Balfour Beatty and London Underground, had for a while been considering the best way to rectify the situation through track renewal works. Weekend closures were inconveniencing passengers so they needed to develop a method to minimise the impact on these people. The agreed strategy was to renew during normal closure periods at night but, when suitable, to utilise major blockades to ‘blitz’ large amounts of work. The first ‘blockade’ took place over the Christmas period of 2013 and proved a huge success, so the final part of the works was scheduled for the same two-week slot in 2014.

It’s all about the passengers
Passenger experience was a substantial factor in the Track Partnership’s decision to undertake the majority of work in the quiet Christmas week, so considerations were taken to protect against noise and dust disruption which could affect those still using the station and those living in the residential area nearby. The Track Partnership didn’t hesitate to bring in Echo Barrier once again to provide noise reduction solutions for the 12-day long project. The project got underway when noise reduction barriers were erected on 19 ^th December by the Echo Barrier team. They were taken down again on New Years Eve to co-incide with the re-opening of the District Line and the handing back of the station to ensure the safe passage of revellers in and out of London. 18,000 man hours were dedicated to the project and site managers even found time to put on a full Christmas lunch for workers.

Bring on the barriers
Echo Barriers were hung from fencing to create an effective sound proofed barrier between the station concourse and the engineering work site so passengers couldn’t see the works site. Noise barriers and Echo H20 tents were used around the excessively noisy activities, such as the breaking out of slabs. The barriers stopped noise from escaping out from the site, disrupting those going about their business. The public facing side of the barriers also displayed Track Partnership branding and thank you messages for the patience of all passengers.

Fantastic feedback
Amer Rached from The Track Partnership said: “The 2013 was a success for us and 2014 also proved the same. This year we had some fantastic feedback from the public, the station managers and other contractors about the smooth running of the project and most importantly, we didn’t receive a single complaint from passengers and residents throughout the duration of the works. “Echo Barrier once again provided us with a solution that really works, which meant we were able to get the track renewals completed in the timeframe needed and with no disruption or inconvenience to station users.”
Peter Wilson, technical director at Echo Barrier added: “We are thrilled to have been asked to provide noise reduction solutions to the Earls Court blockade for the second year running, and again to have helped the Track Partnership undertake their work as quietly as possible. “The Echo Barrier range of noise reduction products are perfect for short-time frame projects such as this, as they are easy to install and remove, transport and store. We very much hope to work with the Track Partnership on further projects in the future.”
John Hardy, head of track programme for London Underground, summed up the Earls Court project: “This has been our most operationally successful closures to date. During the six days on site we delivered the full scope of the project, more than ever before, with no accidents or damage incidents.” The station was handed back two hours and fifty-five minutes early, clocking up a 155% increase in track renewals delivered versus the previous year’s closure over the same timescale.
To find out more about the Echo Barrier range of noise reduction solutions for use on rail or construction sites visit www.echobarrier.co.uk