Euston Station Platform Handover to HS2

Fishbone was engaged to deliver a stakeholder management and Readiness piece to enable Network Rail to handover 2 platforms at London Euston Station to HS2 Limited, whilst maintaining the continued operation of Euston and the track and station infrastructure and without degrading the performance of Train Operating Companies during and after the handover.

Highlights

Client: Network Rail / HS2

Location: UK

Fishbone has delivered several projects for Network Rail centred around major configuration change points. Network Rail invited Fishbone to conduct a stakeholder management review to ascertain the risks and readiness of handing over platforms 17 and 18 at Euston Station to HS2 Limited ahead of converting the platforms for use on the new high-speed line.

The challenge of removing two platforms from one of London’s busiest and highest-profile stations, without causing delays or disruption, was a significant challenge for all parties. This was made more challenging because of the unknown state of the infrastructure and the scale and diversity of stakeholders involved in all key decisions.

Throughout this assignment, Fishbone delivered a suite of diverse consultancy and stakeholder management activities to help Network Rail deliver two key papers – Network Change and Station Change.

Fishbone’s activities included:

Conduct initial stakeholder reviews to create a comprehensive baseline of the situation presenting from each stakeholder’s perspective
Initiate a comprehensive risk review of all assets between Euston Station and Camden Junction and implement a Central Risk Coordination Function (CRCF) that captured all relevant risks from around the Route that directly or indirectly impacted the programme
Create a validated report summarising all stakeholder inputs, the state of the infrastructure and all risks related to the Network Change and Station Change
Connect key stakeholders who had been working in exclusive silos where often key information was not shared with the other disciplines
Conduct regular stakeholder reviews to ensure that all risks were identified, captured and collectively mitigated

Fishbone gained buy-in from all stakeholders involved and were able to implement their Continual Operational Readiness system that, underpinned by a Master Risk Register, presented the Route Managing Director (RMD) with ongoing risks, opportunities, the health of the programme, milestones and blockers which informed timely and accurate decision making and aligned all stakeholders throughout the process.

The net result of the work undertaken by Fishbone in this contract saw the programme successfully remove the two platforms from Euston Station on time and with an estimated value saving of over £11m through HS2, avoiding expected delay costs.