SWGR activities in the South of England contribute massively to the success of the Company. Supplying experienced teams to high-profile contracts in and around the major population centres of London and the South East, is a regular feature of the company’s activities. Operations co-ordinated out of the Rochester office cover a large and diverse area and take in some of the UK’s busiest rail routes.

In 2002, SWGR were asked to supply men to the Channel Tunnel Rail Link for AMEC-SPIE, an Anglo French consortium, to undertake work on phase 1 of the £1.9 billion project. The route of the project ran from the Channel Tunnel to Fawkham Junction in north-west Kent. Major structures on Phase 1 included the 1.3km Medway Viaduct (completed in 2002) and the nearby 3.2km North Downs Tunnel.

The project was originated by London & Continental Railways, a consortium of eight major shareholders including design and planning consultancy Ove Arup and Partners, engineering firm Bechtel, train and transport operators Virgin and National Express, investment bank SBG Warburg and French rail project manager Systra. Control passed to the newly-formed Network Rail in 2002.

CTRL is basically a French-style LGV high-speed line linking London with the Channel Tunnel portal at Dollands Moor near Folkestone. Although Section 1 was relatively straightforward following existing transport corridors such as the M2 motorway, Section 2 required large amounts of tunnelling under the River Thames and under East and North London.