Diamond drilling an unprecedented 700 holes a day for railway lines at the new White City underground sidings tested D-Drill’s systems and ingenuity, but from the outset the company was more than equal to the task.

Westfield Shoppingtowns Ltd are the developer of Westfield London, the new retail and leisure development at White City in West London. The development includes major investment in the local transport system. When completed, the development will provide a new transport hub connecting tube, bus, overground and taxi services in the White City and Shepherd’s Bush area.

After an 18-month bidding process, D-Drill won the contract with Grant Rail at Westfield London to drill, install and resin in 30,000 specialist rail anchors – an essential part of the infrastructure and safety profile of the new White City sidings. To meet Westfield’s strict timetable, an average 700 holes had to be completed each day.

Post-installation, D-Drill was required to carry out proof loading pull tests to a significant proportion of the anchors and issue a certificate of conformity.

To achieve the required drill rate, D-Drill adopted an innovative bespoke solution. This involved building a tailormade rail-mounted drilling system, complete with integral dust vacuum system. All specially built or configured machinery and processes had to meet Westfield and LUL’s stringent approval procedures.

John Barber of D-Drill comments: “The performance criteria required for satisfactory completion of this contract were unprecedented in the industry. Westfield’s rigorous safety requirements and drilling rate challenged our team’s technical skills and creativity. In the end, our innovative response was more than up to the task and we met or exceeded the daily average drill rate, all to the complete satisfaction of Grant Rail.”

As a result of its work at White City, D-Drill has won a further contract with Grant Rail at the new Channel Tunnel international rail depot at Ashford, Kent.