Platform on civil engineering, underground infrastructure, energy, construction equipment & construction machinery
Van Ooijen Gouda has now been in existence for more than seventy years and is active in two branches of the sport. "We house in the leading group of platform construction in the Netherlands. Station renovations are handled by us completely turnkey with minimum disruption and maximum effectiveness," says general manager Harmen Eijkelenboom. "In addition, we are strong in asphalt-related work. All (rail) roads lead to Van Ooijen Gouda."
The railinfra division focuses on all civil works along the tracks. "In many cases this work interfaces with platforms, but we also construct and maintain inspection paths, install fencing and build bicycle parking facilities in station squares," Eijkelenboom explains. "Primarily on ProRail territory (Heavy Rail), but in recent years we have also been increasingly active for Light Rail clients. Our strength lies in a number of things. We have an understanding of technology, but at the same time also of logistics. A platform renewal during a shutdown requires good logistical planning. So much has to be done in a short period of time. We can't afford for our people to miss out on site. In addition, we have a fantastic team of people who are not afraid to work at night and on weekends."
"The above facets contribute to the fact that sometimes we can renew an entire platform in a very short time (a weekend outage of only 52 hours)," Eijkelenboom continued. "That is a big task. But through very thorough preparation, we manage to do a huge mountain of work with a relatively small club." Besides during weekend out-of-service periods, Van Ooijen Gouda also regularly contributes to even bigger projects for which a 9-day out-of-service period is planned. "We are then working non-stop 24 hours a day during that period. In addition to the preparation and execution, we often also provide the design in-house. That makes us stronger in the preparation, so that everything is neatly arranged and the execution runs like clockwork." Van Ooijen Gouda is also one of the contractors of the ProRail framework agreement Platforms at Standard under which various stations will be upgraded to the right standard in the coming years so that disabled people can use the train independently.
Van Ooijen Gouda has the most circular tile in its range. Concrete is a sustainable building material; has a long lifespan and is easy to recycle. "That's why we think it's a waste to always use new concrete," says Eijkelenboom. "In cooperation with various parties, we developed paving material that consists of 86% secondary concrete aggregates. These residues always meet the necessary CE markings and carry the Soil Quality Decree certificate. In this way we guarantee that the recycled concrete is qualitatively equivalent to primary concrete."
To lay the paving, Van Ooijen Gouda devised a new way of machine paving with a specially developed vacuum clamp on a modified rail crane. With this new way of working, machine paving can be done directly from the retaining wall. According to Eijkelenboom, this innovation can only be applied when supplier and contractor work closely together. Besides being sustainable and better from an occupational health and safety point of view, this method is faster than the traditional one, so it also saves time."
In road construction, Van Ooijen Gouda is effective and efficient in the construction and renovation of roads and sites. Eijkelenboom: "Our work consists of laying and repairing asphalt and paving on roads, yards or sites, preparing sites for construction and housing and taking care of underground infrastructure. We also carry out this work with a powerful team of motivated professionals. We build and maintain roads for users, working in a way that is safe for our employees. We reduce inconvenience to the immediate surroundings to a minimum, without compromising on quality. In short, we take care of everything under, around and on the road. Unlike our railinfra activities with which we operate throughout the Netherlands, with road construction we focus mainly on the regions of The Hague, Amsterdam, Utrecht and Rotterdam."
