ST PANCRAS INTERNATIONAL
A ROYAL OPENING
The opening ceremony of the newly-restored St Pancras International Eurostar terminal was a massive project that took 18 months of planning and site time.
It involved the co-ordination of audio visual, sound, lighting, scaffolding, seating for 1,000 people, carpentry, cladding and carpeting. A total of 42,600 man-hours went into making the event such a great success.
The project would have been challenging enough as it was, but the fit-out of the station was running five weeks behind schedule. This meant we had to work 24-hour shifts in pre-designated areas that were made available to us on a day-by-day basis once the main contractor had completed.
With 72 articulated truckloads of equipment to bring in, effective logistical planning was vital. However we completed the work ready for the first rehearsals of the London Philharmonic Orchestra with hours to spare.
The station was officially opened by Her Majesty the Queen to much public acclaim, with a pan-European television audience measured in millions. For legal reasons, once a railway station is declared open, it has to be operational in ten working days. This meant that as the last guests left at 11pm, dismantling began. What had taken 31 days of site time to install, was removed in only four. This was entirely due to a ‘can do’ attitude from all those involved – including everyone from the Metropolitan Police to crew catering.
project facts
- 5,200 sheets of MDF used as floor protection
- 72 artic loads of materials to make it happen
- 42,600 man hours of labour
related links
- St Pancras International at the BBC website view
- Opening of St Pancras International at the BBC website view
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info@futurevents.com