Managing the Risks of a Large-Scale Infrastructure Project: The Case of Spoorzone Delft

Risk management in large-scale infrastructure projects is attracting the attention of academics and practitioners alike. After a brief summary of the theoretical background, this chapter describes how the risk analysis and risk management shapes up in a current large-scale infrastructure project in the Netherlands. The project in question is Spoorzone Delft, which involves the construction of a railway tunnel, the demolition of a railway viaduct, and the realisation of some 1,500 housing units, 20,000 m² of office space, covered parking lots, bicycle sheds, new civic offices and a ticket hall in a railway station. ProRail and Ontwikkelingsbedrijf Spoorzone Delft B.V. drew up a risk management plan to identify potential risks and to present strategies for controlling or reducing them. It emerged that risks were determined and quantified largely based on subjective estimates. The risk inventories exhibit strong dynamics from quarter to quarter. The findings indicate that it would be sensible to concentrate more closely on the insurability of risks and to differentiate between risks at system level and component level. The academic theory advises a stronger orientation towards flexibility and the identification of options.