Revamping Victoria : BAM putting diversity, social value & excellence at the heart of our work

BAM is currently carrying out major transformation work at the iconic London Victoria Station and once complete, it'll reduce congestion, improve safety and make for a better passenger experience.  

The work includes expanding the station concourse, constructing an access route between platform 14 and the escalators to a nearby shopping centre and the installation of 35 new ticket gates.  

We hear from our team members to discover how they are using on-the-job learning, experience and customer focused solutions to drive progress.

Edward Muldoon, Senior Supervisor

The number of passengers passing through the station every single day (circa 124,000 in 2023) is our biggest and most important challenge, making sure any work we do doesn't affect passenger flow or safety. Simple everyday tasks such as 
taking tools and equipment to working areas has to be planned and controlled as passenger safety is paramount.

We have a great mix of graduate engineers and work placements from university. The younger people bring ideas to some of us more experienced and senior staff. I've always made it very clear to everyone that joins our team to never be 
afraid to challenge anybody, no matter their role in the team. There are times when taking those few moments to stop, think and look at the task again could save us time and money, reducing future risks simply because we took the time to listen.

Danielle Newitt, Senior Quantity Surveyor

Our team at Victoria is unique, with the commercial team being 100% female. The senior project team for both BAM and Network Rail have a 50/50 gender equality split, as well as the whole project team being a 50/50 gender equality split. 
The team is fairly young, including trainees, work placement students and apprentices. This has had a huge impact on the team and project, making the working environment a great place to be. They have made a significant contribution to our success, bringing innovative ideas, technologies, and challenge the way we work, and always striving to be the best we can be.

One of the unique challenges we face is working in a live station while installing new M&E and civil works. This involves dealing with end-of-life cables, undocumented cables on site and cables that have been moved or altered by others. 
We can't turn off the power at the UK's 5th busiest station! 
 

Victoria Gurfer, Intermediate Quantity Surveyor

I've been doing an apprenticeship with BAM for 5 years now. I started the apprenticeship in September 2019 and am on track to finish this December. I have thoroughly enjoyed working through the apprenticeship, I have been able to obtain qualifications whilst working a full-time job and gained a large amount of experience working as a Quantity Surveyor.

I feel over the year that I have been working on this project I have gained a significant amount of experience due to the complexity and fast pace. The team at London Victoria are great to work with, this has helped my confidence because if I require any assistance I feel comfortable asking for it. Having worked in construction for most of my career with mostly males, it is nice to have an all-female commercial team.

Thomas Shephard, Assistant Engineer

For me, the most rewarding aspect isn't just the major steel lifts or the challenges posed by public interaction, it's the collective effort we put into ensuring the smaller, often overlooked parts of the project are completed. We strive to excel by hosting work-experience students and introducing them to the construction world. We also innovate with digital construction and AI. All ideas are welcomed, debated, and developed collectively.

Our team is fantastic, and much of that can be attributed to our project manager's innovative approach to office layout. By interspersing QSs among engineers and agents, we foster a collaborative environment where professional and friendly interactions are encouraged. This cross-pollination method allows team members to absorb knowledge beyond their specific fields.

Peter Lawler, Project Manager

Leading the team at Victoria is the most rewarding role I have had in my 28 years in construction. The diverse team we have truly demonstrates BAM are building for a sustainable tomorrow.