London is based on a 150-year-old sewage system built for a population less than half its current size.
Like many ancient cities around the world, most of London has a ‘combined’ sewage system, that collects not only the wastewater from sinks, showers and washing machines, but also the runoff of rainwater from roads, canals and sidewalks. Although the sewers remain in excellent condition, they lack the capacity to meet the demands of modern London. As a result, millions of tons of untreated sewage spills flow into the River Thames each year. To improve this sewerage system, the Tideway company is building a 25 km tunnel under the London River that will prevent tens of millions of tons of sewage from contaminating the River Thames every year. The Thames Tideway Tunnel will provide the needed capacity to address the current pollution problem and provide a suitable system for the future. However, by the tunnel, the sustainable drainage systems will also play their part. Although now, it is not viable to separate the sewer system, reducing the amount of rainwater entering the sewers will extend the useful life of the tunnel. This necessary expansion of London’s sewage network, to be completed by 2024, is being developed at 24 construction points in London. These range from Acton in west London to Beckton in the east, and many are located on the river bank in the city centre. For the development of this work, GH Cranes has designed and manufactured different lifting elements, commissioned by a UTE constituted between Ferrovial and Laing O Rourke (FLO, JV):
- Two double rail bridge cranes with 55/15 Tn GHK open trolley capacity. With a light of 35m and an elevation height of 72.6m. These cranes are designed to work intensively in M8 workgroups. Both cranes are ready to work in tandem mode or independently. The cabin is suspended from the trolley for greater control over the load.
- A gantry crane that has an open trolley of 30/15 Tn capacity that runs over a 26m route and another 3.5m overhang. Tris gantry is used among other things to feed the tunneler with the keystones for the lining of the tunnel walls.
The Tideway project will bring thousands of jobs, a rejuvenated river economy and completely new areas of public space. 
Source: rendel-ltd – tideway
