A time capsule has been buried as part of a £3m construction project in Peterborough.
GB Railfreight and building contractor Lindum buried the capsule during work on the rail company’s new office and training centre.
Its content included newspapers, project drawings, team photographs and even a CD of current chart hits.
The burial was recorded with a photo shoot on site at Maskew Avenue in the city.
John Smith, Managing Director of GB Railfreight said: “At the start of the year we announced that, to meet increasing demand for our services, GBRf was expanding operations by investing in new offices and training facilities. Today we take another step towards seeing that turn into reality.
“This marks a significant moment, and what a year it’s been. When we look back in years to come, we will be able to reflect on what a seismic year 2020 was. Hopefully it will also be the year GBRf truly kicked on and continued to be one of the fastest growing companies in the transport sector, despite the difficulties the UK economy faces at this time.”
The time capsule contains a message from Mr Smith, as well as a GBRf merchandise and a current ‘price list’ of everyday items.
When complete, the new premises will replace an existing temporary office building and is designed to meet the growing demand for rail freight. It will house a control room, three classrooms, board room and staff welfare facilities.
General Manager of Lindum Peterborough Darren King said work on the new three-storey building project was going well. He said: “It’s great to be here today to celebrate how this building is progressing. As a Peterborough-based business, it’s very reassuring to see a power-house company like GBRf recommitting to the city with this kind of investment.
“We are also delighted to be involved in the burial of the time capsule and are grateful to GBRf for inviting us to contribute. One day in the future, it will offer a fascinating insight into life in 2020, which has certainly been a year like no other.
“We have produced a memory stick to be included in the capsule. It includes some information about Lindum, profiles of the project team and an explanation about how this project was affected by the Coronavirus outbreak. It should make for interesting reading one day!”
Although the opening of the office has slightly been delayed to April 2021, both Lindum and GBRf identified the issues brought by COVID-19 in a timely manner and have safely continued with the development of the site, throughout the pandemic.
