Wigan bus station rebuild receives national praise as part of engineering case study

The transformation of Wigan bus station has been hailed as a national example of good practice in contracts for engineering and construction projects.
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The website for NEC Engineering and Construction Contract has used the multi-million-pound town centre scheme as a case study.

The £16m project involved building the state-of-the-art public transport hub on New Market Street, with the old buildings replaced by a steel-frame structure clad with brick and glass.

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Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) let the main contractor Vinci under an NEC arrangement.

Wigan Bus Station was reopened in 2018Wigan Bus Station was reopened in 2018
Wigan Bus Station was reopened in 2018

And the official body devoted to getting the region moving efficiently and quickly expressed its delight both at the good publicity and the outcome of the bus station build.

TfGM interim head of projects group, Chris Barnes, said: “The redevelopment of Wigan bus station was a significant landmark for the town, providing a modern and accessible transport facility that not only makes travel easier for residents, but helps boost connectivity across the region.

“I’m delighted that the project has been highlighted nationally as an example of effective contract management.

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“Using NEC fostered improved communication and relationships - identifying potential risks and enabling decisions to be taken quickly – ultimately ensuring that the infrastructure was delivered to a high-standard, on-budget and ahead of time.”

The NEC contracts website says the bus station construction finished in September 2018, two months early and within budget.

Designed by Austin-Smith: Lord and Mott MacDonald, the new-look station aimed to create a safer and more attractive place for people to wait for their buses while also giving a better first impression of Wigan town centre to those arriving on public transport.

The station can handle 152 buses arriving or leaving an hour and also has a new travel shop, coffee shop, newsagent, accessible toilets and cycle parking.

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The trade website also says the temporary passenger facilities erected during the construction work were created using a similar contract to the entire project.

As well as praising the way the NEC contract meant everyone involved in building the new station worked together TfGM said one benefit of it was that the cost and design of the whole thing was worked out at the initial procurement stage. The organisation said it adopted this approach following lesson-learning exercises from previous TfGM programmes.

The NEC system was created by the UK Institution of Civil Engineers to guide the process of running tenders and giving out contracts for major civil engineering and construction schemes.

To find out more, visit neccontract.com and search for Wigan Bus Station under the Case Studies section of the NEC In Action dropdown menu.

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