Logistics Problems Generated by Crossrail and Their Solutions Essay

Logistics Problems Generated by Crossrail and Their Solutions - Essay Example to be able to solve these problems it is necessary to identify the root cause of the problem and try to tackle it so that it does not come up again. Crossrail has managed to realize some of these problems and has already provided solutions to them. This paper will give a brief introduction to crossrail and its intended advantages, it will then discuss the logistic problems that will be generated by the construction work, and it will follow by outlining solutions to these problems before making a conclusion. Introduction Crossrail is an ambitious project to build a major railway link in central London. The name is used to refer to the first two routes which are under the responsibility of Crossrail Limited. It is based on a different and new east-west tunnel with a central section from Paddington to Liverpool street station. This project was approved in 2007 after a very long time of debate. The crossrail act received royal assent in July 2008 (Crossrail, 2011). The services offered w ill complement the enhanced north-south Thames link route. Ten-car trains are expected to run at frequencies of up to 24 trains per hour in each of the channels through the central tunnel section. In the original plan the first train was scheduled to run in 2017 but in a comprehensive review in 2010 that saw the saving of ?1 billion changed the initial plan to 2018. Fig. 1 Crossrail route Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:CrossrailLine1Map.svg#filehistory Crossrail benefits The benefits of constructing the cross rail are many. The first benefit is easing transport problem in London which has been a huge headache for London. The second benefit is that it will provide better access to the capital for over 750,000 workers who are said to commute daily into London. Lastly the project is also aimed at providing job opportunities to many people who will be employed in the in the construction process and after the completion of the project to manage the various services offered by the train service. It is estimated that crossrail will generate up to 14,000 jobs when the construction reaches peak (Crossrail, 2011). Fig 2 source: http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=158506&page=7 Fig 3 source: http://www.thameslinkprogramme.co.uk/cms/pages/view/33 Fig 4 source: http://www.ianvisits.co.uk/flickr_api/set_list.php?page=2&uid=72157627734615808&title=Crossrail%20Royal%20Oak%20Portal Fig 5 finished product Source: http://www.ianvisits.co.uk/flickr_api/set_list.php?page=2&uid=72157627734615808&title=Crossrail%20Royal%20Oak%20Portal Logistics in construction Logistics refers to the efficient transfer of goods and services from the source of supply through that manufacturer to the consumer in a cost effective manner that will provide service to the customer (Rushton, Croucher, & Baker, 2006, p. 6). Logistic management tries to minimize costs by providing a cost effective system across the whole process and ensuring the evaluation of facilities and issues tha t may have any impact on logistic costs and make the product conform to the customers’ requirements. Many construction projects ranging from the small projects to the major projects like the crossrail project face many logistic problems that contractors work hard every day to avoid. The proper management of logistic issues will either lead to the successful implementation of a project or lead to its failure. Research has shown that effective logistic management has rarely been applied in construction