London Underground

The tube stays on time—thanks to lean management  

• Modernization of stations in the world’s oldest subway network without timetable cancellations
• Precise planning and execution of the work within the shortest possible time frame 
• Optimization of processes thanks to collaborative planning 

The London subway carries around 1.7 billion passengers a year, making it one of the busiest means of transport in the world. However, it also has the world’s oldest subway system. When 70 stations needed to be modernized and converted, Drees & Sommer supported them with lean construction management. 

Since there could be no timetable cancellations, the work often had to be carried out at night—in the narrow time window in which no trains run. Precise planning, preparation, and execution of the work were therefore essential. 

Transport for London commissioned Drees & Sommer to support the planning, management, and monitoring of the modernization work using lean construction management. As part of the collaborative planning process, the team brought together everyone involved—from the planner to the tiler—to draw up the work plan. 

This allowed the process to be optimized, as potential problems could be identified and solved at an early stage and the solution documented for other stations. The process thus improved from one station to the next.   

Following the two successful pilot projects at the Baker Street and Embankment stations, Transport for London rolled out the system across the entire network.