TunnelTech 2017: Breaking ground in new technologies

Mark Leggett: Chair, British Tunnelling Society

Mark Leggett is the current British Tunnelling Society Chairman, and has worked in tunnelling for more than 27 years, and is now Divisional Director within the Metros & Civil business of Mott MacDonald.  He is an experienced business director with a background in the leadership and management of major infrastructure projects who successfully ran Mott MacDonald’s tunnelling business with gross revenue of £30 million before returning to leadership of major projects.

Mark is a proven project leader, able to manage and direct multidisciplinary teams, and develop strong working relationships.  Experienced in leading and managing design teams, including feasibility studies, from concept design through detailed design, with a background in cost estimating and construction planning.  His experience covers high speed rail, mass transit systems, metros, utilities, and highways, and includes construction techniques for underground construction, including tunnel boring machines, hand excavation, sprayed concrete linings (SCL) and cut-and-cover works.  

Project experience includes:

• Heathrow Express
• Jubilee Line Extension
• Terminal 5 – Airside Road Tunnel and rail tunnels
• Minneapolis Light Rail
• Crossrail 1 hybrid Bill
• Victoria Station Upgrade
• Melbourne Metro
• Bank Station Congestion Relief
• Bangalore Metro
• Crossrail 2
• HS2 London Metropolitan
• Northern Line Extension to Battersea

Phil Deebank: Principal Specialist Inspector, Tunnelling Portfolio Holder, Construction Engineering Specialist Team, Health and Safety Executive

Phil is a Principal Specialist Inspector with the HSE based in Edinburgh. He is currently ‘Portfolio Holder’ for Tunnelling and Earthworks a role he has held since 2011. Phil is Chartered Civil Engineer, a Chartered Member of the IOSH and a member of the British Tunnelling Society. He is involved with both British and European Standards relating to tunnelling and is a member of the BTS Compressed Air Working Group. An early appreciation and respect of health and safety issues in tunnelling, including fire, escape and stability, began, age 20, on a challenging compressed air tunnel contract.

Tim Smart: Chief Engineer; Technical Directorate, High Speed Two (HS2) Ltd

Bob Brown: Project Manager for Tunnelling, Nuclear New Build, EDF Energy

Gareth Taylor: Programme Manager, Nuclear New Build, EDF Energy

Gareth is responsible for the delivery of the Heat Sink & Balance of Plant programme on the Hinkley Point C, New Nuclear Build Project. The scope includes the buildings, structures and systems that provide the cooling water systems and fire protection for the Power Stations. Combining large scale multi-discipline construction, both onshore and offshore, the programme of work also includes significant earthworks, marine engineering and involves 11kms of tunnelling and underground works.

Previously, Gareth was Head of Projects at Hinkley Point B Power Station (2007-10), responsible for delivery the capital investment programme (circa £400m per annum across the business). The role involved a cultural change agenda, which included projects associated with securing the lifetime extension of the power plant. Prior to this Gareth, was a Development Manager at Hartlepool Power Station (2005-07) where he established the project team and delivered a series of business critical programmes, which included replacing the cooling water systems and development of flood defence schemes. Before his time at Hartlepool (2001-07), Gareth successfully delivered projects at Sizewell B, Dungeness B and Heysham Power Stations. Prior to working in the Energy sector, Gareth worked in the aerospace industry.

Neil McCulloch: Senior Project Manager, Scottish Water

Neil is a Senior Project Manager in Scottish Water with responsibility for the Paisley Tunnel Project. The objective of this project is to improve water quality in the Espedair Burn and the White Cart Water in the town centre of Paisley near Glasgow. These works form part of Scottish Water’s £250m investment in the wastewater network in the Greater Glasgow area. The Paisley Tunnel Project includes construction of 13no. separate micro tunnel drives at 1000mm, 1200mm and 1500m diameters. The project involves construction in a busy town centre and in close proximity to residential properties. Neil has worked for Scottish Water and its predecessor organisations for 19 years in design and project management roles. He is a chartered civil engineer who has delivered a wide variety of water and wastewater projects throughout Scotland. Since 2012 Neil has been a Senior Project Manager on the Glasgow Environmental Programme delivering environmental improvements to the Clyde and other tributary watercourses. This programme of work has involved major engineering works, including shafts, tunnels, underground chambers and sewer construction, in busy urban areas. Prior to this he was project manager on a £25m tunnel project in the town of Airdrie. Neil was also part of the successful project management team that delivered the Glencorse Water Treatment Works Project. This project provided the City of Edinburgh with a new water treatment works and associated water main pipework.

Ryan Moor: Project Manager, Tideway

Ryan Moor is a Fellow of the Institute of Materials, Minerals & Mining and is Project Manager for the Tideway West Tunnel. His tunnelling career started in 2002 working for Cementation Skanska on Contract 220 of the Channel Tunnel Rail Link. Following a year of London Underground improvement works with Balfour Beatty, Ryan joined J. Murphy and Sons in 2006 where he worked on numerous projects including the Lower Lea Valley Cable Tunnels and the Crossrail Thames Tunnel contract. Ryan joined Crossrail in 2012 and spent over 4 years as a Quality Supervisor on the Eastern Running Tunnels contract before joining the Tideway Scheme.

Neil Moss: Principal Tunnel Engineer, Transport for London

A Chartered Civil Engineer I have been involved in tunnelling projects since 1989. After an eye opening six week spell at the Channel Tunnel I worked on sewage balancing tunnels in Ramsgate until the Jubilee Line Extension came along. I spent two years working on designs for Southwark Station before going on site to C102 Westminster on secondment to Balfour Beatty AMEC. On site I gained valuable experience in all of the tunnelling methods; TBM, SCL and hand-mining required to build underground infrastructure in London. After this I became responsible for the design of the tunnels on the Singapore MRT Northeast and Singapore Deep Tunnel Sewerage scheme. In 2001 I returned to the UK and joined Channel Tunnel Rail Link supervising the tunnelling beneath London Underground assets. After CTRL I worked with Arup on King’s Cross Redevelopment before joining TfL. Initially working on Crossrail and then moving to London Underground where I am currently Principal Tunnel Engineer for the Northern Line Extension to Battersea for which I wrote the specification for the tunnel boring machines.

Alex Chen: Senior Hydrogeologist, Arup

Alex Qing Chen is a senior hydrogeologist in Arup’s Infrastructure London Group. He studied Hydrogeology and Engineering geology in TongJi University in Shanghai, and hydrogeology in University College London.  Before joining Arup 10 years ago, he worked in the National Radiological Protection Board in Oxfordshire as a researcher on radionuclide migration in geosphere and biosphere. Since joining Arup, he has been developing interest and skill in the design of ground energy system which is a source of renewable energy. His other interests are engineering hydrogeology involving groundwater management during construction and after, and geological disposal of radwaste. 
The ‘thermal tunnel segment lining’ design work is funded by Crossrail and undertaken by a multi-disciplinary team from Arup, Crossrail (Arup/Atkins JV), and Motts MacDonald.

Chris Dulake: Global Metros and Transit Practice Leader & Major Projects Portfolio Director, Mott MacDonald

Chris is a Civil Engineer, a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering and a Fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineers.  He has worked in the construction industry for 31 years and is currently Major Projects Portfolio Director at Mott MacDonald. In this role he guides and supports MM's Project Directors for major projects in the UK and international transport sector from a base in MM’s London, Fleet Place office. He is also Global Practice Lead for Metros. Chris was previously Engineering Director for HS2 Phase 1, having moved from the role of Chief Engineer for the Crossrail Programme, where he provided functional leadership to HS2  Phase 1 engineers and was Lead Engineer for the project.
On Crossrail he acted as the engineering technical authority providing technical leadership for the programme. He joined the project in 2008 acting as Client for all the underground works and for two stations at Canary Wharf and Woolwich stations. Chris was heavily involved in establishing the Tunnelling and Underground Construction Academy, contract procurement strategy, delivering safety through innovation and design and establishing early essential project controls. He is a strong advocate for efficiency and quality in design and construction through the use of collaborative working, efficient application of current technologies, shared risk management, streamlined assurance and informed project management.

Ivor Thomas: Project Manager, BAM Nuttall

Ivor Thomas is a Fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineers and has worked in civil engineering contracting for some 35 years. As with most civil engineers working for contractors, he is a jack of all trades and a master of none. He has worked on marine civil engineering projects in the UK and the Middle East, road schemes in the UK and tunnelling projects in the UK, Ireland, India, the Middle East and Australia. He is employed by Bam Nuttall as their Tunnel Manager and is currently working on the west section of Thames Tideway. Before that he worked as TBMs Tunnel Manager for the BFK Joint Venture on Crossrail’s Western Running Tunnels.”

Karen Cheung: Technical Director - Segmental Tunnels, COWI

Karen Cheung is a Chartered Engineer of the Institution of Civil Engineers and Engineers Australia with overall technical responsibility for COWI UK's segmental tunnels. She has 19 years’ experience in the design and construction of utilities, road and railway tunnels in the UK, Europe, Australia, USA, Middle East, and South East Asia. Her experience covers major infrastructure projects involving TBM tunnelling, NATM, cut-and-cover, and mined underground Metro Stations for both hard rock and soft soil conditions. Her key tunnelling projects include London Lower Thames Crossing, Crossrail, Brisbane Legacy Way Road Tunnels, and Singapore Circle Line.

Stig Ravn: Technical Director – M&E Infrastructure, COWI

Stig Ravn is a tunnel ventilation and tunnel safety specialist and has been involved with numerous international tunnel projects. Among his activities in aerodynamics, climate, mechanical equipment, ventilation and safety are various challenging projects such as the longest rail tunnel (Gotthard base tunnel) and the famous London Underground metro system. Mr Ravn is an active member of the international tunnel community and is co-leading the activity group "Regulations and best practice" in COSUF (Committee on Operational Safety of Underground Facilities) under the International Tunnelling Association (ITA).

Michael Francis: Practice Leader Tunnels, Mott MacDonald

Michael Francis is a Fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineers and Tunnels Practice Leader for Mott MacDonald in Europe and Africa. He has more than 35 years’ experience in planning, design and construction of tunnel projects of all types in the UK and overseas.   These include all stages of project development for highway, water, hydropower, cable, metro and rail tunnels. He was chairman of British Tunnelling Society committee that drafted and published the third edition of the Specification for Tunnelling. His current project responsibilities include Project Director for Tideway East Detailed Design.

Joe Bristow: Assistant Engineer, Mott MacDonald

Joe Bristow is leading the tunnel ventilation design team from Mott MacDonald during the current detailed design stage on Crossrail contract C610, working for the joint venture contractor responsible for the design and build of the M&E systems. Joe is a chartered engineer, and has a degree in mechanical engineering. After graduating in 2012 he joined Mott MacDonald and has spent much of his career working closely with contractor and client on designing, building and operating the temporary tunnel ventilation system for the fit-out of the Crossrail tunnels.