Kier Highways has been awarded the 15-month interim highways services contract for Birmingham Highways Ltd (BHL) from 1 April 2019 to 29 June 2020. The contract includes the city’s traffic operations, planned and reactive maintenance, inspections and winter servicing. It covers more than 2,500km of road and 5,000km of footways,
Despite recent comments from the Prime minister, Heathrow Airport is ploughing ahead with its plans to expand. The company is set to submit planning for expansion later this year and they want full government backing. So, what is the planned expansion and why has Boris Johnson potential scuppered the airline’s
GroupBC’s common data environment (CDE) will be at the centre of the expansion of Birmingham Airport, enabling optimum document and information management during the extensive construction, handover and operational processes. As part of Birmingham Airport’s Master Plan – a £500m capital investment to transform the airport into a world-class facility
A major new facility for UK timber trade has opened up on the River Medway in Kent following a £27m investment by operators Peel Ports. The site at Wellmarsh provides scope for storage, processing and handling of all timber types. The facility is based at the Port of Sheerness, which
Network Rail has announced the award of 82 framework contracts to deliver design services across the country, worth an estimated £400m for Control Period 6 (2019-2024) and up to £640m including the options to extend the framework into Control Period 7 (2024-2029). The Design Services Framework (DSF) consists of four
Network Rail has announced that it will be completing maintenance and renewal work on the West Coast Mainline over 10 weekends between April and June in 2020. Engineers will refurbish or renew more than 17 kilometres of the track at 20 locations along the line, between Carstairs and the Scottish
A modern electrification scheme to electrify the train line between Bristol and Cardiff has been completed. This project saw the electrification of 77 kilometres of the Great Western Railway (GWR) line, which forms part of Network Rail’s overall Greater West Electrification Programme to electrify 275 kilometres of train line between
Work has begun on the railway between Barrow-in-Furness and Lancaster courtesy of a £500,000 investment. This project will see a steep railway embankment reinforced at Holmrock on the Furness Line to the south of the Kent Viaduct. This will increase reliable journeys in the area and forms part of the
Key work on the M6 J13-15 smart motorway project has brought the scheme a step closer to completion. Kier Highways successfully installed three large cantilever gantries over a nine-night period while the motorway network remained open to customers. Three gantries weighing 24 tonnes and 18m in width now span the
The Railway Industry Association (RIA), the voice of the UK rail supply community, has announced a new partnership with exhibition organisers Mack Brooks for their upcoming rail trade show Infrarail, taking place for the first time at Olympia London from 12 to 14 May 2020. The partnership will see RIA
Kier Highways has been awarded the 15-month interim highways services contract for Birmingham Highways Ltd (BHL) from 1 April 2019 to 29 June 2020. The contract includes the city’s traffic operations, planned and reactive maintenance, inspections and winter servicing. It covers more than 2,500km of road and 5,000km of footways, as well as 846 structures, three tunnels, 94,000 street lighting columns, 76,000 highway trees and the city’s traffic control system. Joe Incutti, Kier Acting Group Managing Director for Highways said: “We are delighted to be appointed to the Birmingham Highways contract and have a wealth of experience in successfully designing and maintaining local authority roads. We’re a trusted supplier and already operate in the midlands delivering maintenance to one of the most complex and busy highway networks in the UK, including Spaghetti Junction, which carries 60,000 vehicles each day. “We are looking forward to working alongside Birmingham City Council and Birmingham Highways Ltd on this contract to keep roads in Birmingham safe and reliable.” Natasha Rouse, Chief Executive of BHL, said: “We look forward to working with Kier. The company has put together a robust offer that demonstrates its ability to provide a good quality of service and mobilise quickly and efficiently. We aim to achieve a seamless transition to our new provider while continuing to service the city’s highways network.” Councillor Waseem Zaffar, Cabinet Member for Transport and Environment at Birmingham City Council, said: “I am pleased that Kier has put a compelling and competitive bid to us to maintain the city’s highways. Its reputation as a leading national roads operator should give welcomed assurance to the people of Birmingham that we have put the safe and efficient servicing of our streets at the heart of this process.” Kier Highways manages 30,000km of the UK’s strategic and local authority road network, currently working with a wide range of local authorities in the country. It delivers highway services to 4.2m people and its routine reactive maintenance includes emptying gullies, surface treatment and repairing potholes.
Despite recent comments from the Prime minister, Heathrow Airport is ploughing ahead with its plans to expand. The company is set to submit planning for expansion later this year and they want full government backing. So, what is the planned expansion and why has Boris Johnson potential scuppered the airline’s plans? What is the planned expansion? The planned Heathrow expansion includes the addition of a third runway. The company’s plans for expansion were announced last year and sustainability was revealed to be at the heart of the new plans. According to Heathrow, the new expansion would generate 10,000 more apprenticeships by 2030, provide new routes and create up to 180,000 new jobs. However, the planned expansion caused heated debates after it was announced due to some of its proposals. These included lowering the M25 motorway, re-routing rivers and building additional car parks to house 50,000 cars. It is certainly a bold expansion which has been met with a lot of opposition. However, the benefits it would provide to the economy would be significant. Why is there doubt over its implementation? Doubt over the implementation of the new expansion has been cast after Boris Johnson gave the go ahead for the HS2 project. However, the prime minister has previously expressed his opposition to the airport’s expansion, claiming he would “lie down in front of bulldozers to stop the construction”. Now that Johnson is Prime minster, Heathrow airport need his approval if they are to continue with the proposed expansion. Given his previous stance on the matter, it is unlikely they are going to receive full government backing later this year. The benefits the expansion would provide So, what benefits would the third runway provide at Heathrow airport? Well, it wouldn’t just benefit passengers taking trips abroad. It would also benefit the air cargo sector. The airport has been running at 98% for the past decade. It is the biggest air freight airport in the UK and the expansion could further boost its air freight capacity. This would be crucial in terms of international trade, something the country now has to secure since its exit from the EU. It would boost the air cargo sector enormously, delivering a lot of great benefits to the country. As well as the air freight sector, the airport would be able to add thousands of additional flights to its schedule. It is said that this will also increase competition, allowing passengers to secure cheaper, more competitive prices. Whether the new expansion will go ahead later this year is uncertain. It does seem unlikely the government will back the plans, particularly given how much they are now spending on the HS2 project. However, that isn’t stopping Heathrow from continuing on with their application.
GroupBC’s common data environment (CDE) will be at the centre of the expansion of Birmingham Airport, enabling optimum document and information management during the extensive construction, handover and operational processes. As part of Birmingham Airport’s Master Plan – a £500m capital investment to transform the airport into a world-class facility – GroupBC was selected for its industry-wide reputation as a digital information expert and specific industry expertise, having worked recently with Heathrow Airport and Dubai Airport. Presented on a user-friendly interface, GroupBC’s CDE is a turnkey construction solution which drives efficiency across the design, construction and operational phases. During these periods, GroupBC’s CDE will prove vital in coordinating the flow of information; particularly in terms of enabling the review, verification and approval of documents, drawings and models. With the CDE, project teams will be able to quickly identify the status of information all held securely on a single system. Speaking on the latest success, Stuart Bell, Sales & Marketing Director at GroupBC, said: “After winning both Heathrow and Dubai airports, securing the Birmingham Airport project is testimony to our expertise in working with major aviation clients. GroupBC’s CDE is widely used in the owner operator space due to its industry leading modern interface, rapid deployment and fast return on investment.” Marie Trembacki, Operations Manager at SNC-Lavalin’s Atkins, on behalf of Birmingham Airport, added: “Birmingham Airport will be a catalyst for growth across the Midlands, driving economic benefit to the region and the whole of the UK. We’ve been impressed with GroupBC’s CDE interface, which will encourage usability and reduce delays in information exchange to keep the project on track.” Supporting compliance with BIM Level 2, GroupBC’s CDE is the Airports single source of information, enabling project teams to access and disseminate live, up-to-date data without any duplication of effort. A templated implementation approach ensured the system was quick to deploy and when live delivered immediate governance to the project. With GroupBC’s CDE now delivering consistent, auditable information, the airport will be able to access, collate and review verified information any time, any place, in a professional, powerful and refined asset information management system, worthy of, what will be, one of the UK’s largest airports.
A major new facility for UK timber trade has opened up on the River Medway in Kent following a £27m investment by operators Peel Ports. The site at Wellmarsh provides scope for storage, processing and handling of all timber types. The facility is based at the Port of Sheerness, which is the largest terminal of its kind in the UK, handling 1.1 million tonnes of timber and forest products a year. The port already has 40-acres of timber storage facilities and Peel Ports’ investment takes it to a total of over 50 acres. The secure base is used to supply factories, production lines, construction projects and retailers, with rapid access to London via the M2 and M20. There is a further option for international distribution. The Port of Sheerness has 11 metres of water depth with no tidal restrictions or lock system, allowing for unrestricted 24 hour berthing. Port Director Richard Goffin said: “This investment is a direct response to the interest we’ve had from throughout the construction sector in using the Port of Sheerness as the ideal location for serving the south-east construction market. As well as supporting the local business community, we’re also proud to have created a number of new permanent jobs at the port, underlining the role we play as a major employer in the region.”
Network Rail has announced the award of 82 framework contracts to deliver design services across the country, worth an estimated £400m for Control Period 6 (2019-2024) and up to £640m including the options to extend the framework into Control Period 7 (2024-2029). The Design Services Framework (DSF) consists of four multi-discipline frameworks and 78 single-discipline frameworks. The new DSF aims to provide access to a wider range of multi-skilled suppliers including small and medium enterprises (SMEs) who form circa 25% of the single discipline suppliers on the DSF. The framework contracts, which went live on 1st January 2020, have been awarded to the following 34 suppliers: Multi-Discipline National Frameworks Supplier Discipline DSF Region* AECOM Multi-Discipline National Jacobs UK Multi-Discipline National Mott MacDonald Multi-Discipline National WSP Multi-Discipline National Single Discipline Regional Frameworks Supplier Discipline DSF Region* AECOM Infrastructure & Environment UK Limited Track North West & Scotland Track South West Alun Griffiths (Contractors) Ltd Telecoms North West & Scotland Telecoms South West Telecoms North East AM Signalling Design Ltd Signalling South West Signalling South East Amey OWR Limited Electrification & Plant – Plant South West Signalling South West Track North East Andromeda Engineering Ltd Electrification & Plant – Contact Systems South East Electrification & Plant – Contact Systems South West Arcadis Consulting (UK) Ltd Electrification & Plant – Distribution North West & Scotland Electrification & Plant – Distribution North East Civils & Structural North West & Scotland Buildings & Architecture North East Baker Hicks Limited Track South West Electrification & Plant – Contact Systems North East Geotechnical North West & Scotland Balfour Beatty Rail Electrification & Plant – Contact Systems North East Track South East Track North East Capita Property & Infrastructure Ltd Civils & Structural North West & Scotland Civils & Structural South East Consents & Environment South East DB Engineering & Consulting GmbH Telecoms South East Egis Rail UK Ltd Signalling North West & Scotland Signalling North East Idom Merebrook Ltd Buildings & Architecture South West Electrification & Plant – Contact Systems South West Jacobs U.K. Limited Geotechnical North East Geotechnical South West Civils & Structural North East Kier Integrated Services Ltd Electrification & Plant – Plant South East Signalling South East Kristelan (UK) t/a SVM Glasgow. Electrification & Plant – Plant North East Electrification & Plant – Plant South West Electrification & Plant – Plant South East Mott MacDonald Limited Track North West & Scotland Electrification & Plant – Contact Systems North West & Scotland Navitas Engineering Ltd Electrification & Plant – Distribution South West Pascall & Watson Limited Buildings & Architecture South East Pell Frischmann Consultants Limited Civils & Structural South East Buildings & Architecture North West & Scotland Civils & Structural North East Ramboll UK Limited Geotechnical North East Geotechnical South West Geotechnical South East Buildings & Architecture North East Robert Bird & Partners Ltd Civils & Structural South West RPS Consulting Services Ltd Buildings & Architecture South East Buildings & Architecture North West & Scotland Buildings & Architecture South West RSK Environment Ltd Consents & Environment South West Siemens Mobility Limited Electrification & Plant – Distribution South East Electrification & Plant – Distribution South West Softech Rail Limited Telecoms South East Telent Technology Services Limited Telecoms North West & Scotland Telecoms South West Telecoms North East Temple Group Limited Consents & Environment South East Consents & Environment North East Tony Gee & Partners LLP Geotechnical North West & Scotland Geotechnical South East Tony Gee & Partners LLP and Egis Rail UK Ltd Track South East UK Power Networks Services Ltd Electrification & Plant – Distribution North West & Scotland Electrification & Plant – Distribution North East Electrification & Plant – Distribution South East VolkerRail Specialist Businesses Ltd Electrification & Plant – Plant North East Signalling North West & Scotland Signalling North East Waterman Infrastructure & Environment Ltd Consents & Environment North West & Scotland Consents & Environment North East Consents & Environment South West Wood Environment & Infrastructure Solutions UK Ltd Consents & Environment North West & Scotland WSP UK Ltd Electrification & Plant – Contact Systems North West & Scotland Electrification & Plant – Contact Systems South East Civils & Structural South West *Note: The DSF Regions align to the Network Rail Regions as follows: North West & Scotland = North West & Central; and Scotland’s Railway North East = Eastern South East = Southern South West = Wales & Western Daljinder Chatta, Network Rail’s commercial director, said: “Network Rail will have greater access to a design support network providing mutual benefits to both Network Rail and the supply chain. Some of these include working more directly with suppliers, improved assurance, getting closer to experts, improved business and safety performance and enabling innovation to thrive.”
Network Rail has announced that it will be completing maintenance and renewal work on the West Coast Mainline over 10 weekends between April and June in 2020. Engineers will refurbish or renew more than 17 kilometres of the track at 20 locations along the line, between Carstairs and the Scottish border. A bridge near Beattock will also be replaced. Due to the amount of engineering work taking place, this will mean the short term closure of the railway. Buses will replace trains between Carlisle and both Glasgow and Edinburgh on weekends between Saturday, April 4, and Sunday, June 7. On most weekends, the closures will affect trains from mid-morning on Saturdays until the start of service on the following Monday. Over Easter and some weekends in May the closures will extend for longer, with buses replacing trains on Monday, April 13 and Mondays May 4 and 25.
A modern electrification scheme to electrify the train line between Bristol and Cardiff has been completed. This project saw the electrification of 77 kilometres of the Great Western Railway (GWR) line, which forms part of Network Rail’s overall Greater West Electrification Programme to electrify 275 kilometres of train line between Cardiff and London. Contractor Balfour Beatty completed the Bristol-Cardiff works, deploying over 750 operatives to undertake complex works over the festive period. This included the final installation of the overhead cables at Cardiff Central Station, marking the completion of over 4,200 masts and booms, responsible for holding the 643 kilometres of electric cabling associated with the 77 kilometres section of route. Following completion, the first electrified train set off from Cardiff Central Station on Monday 06 January. Mick Rayner, Managing Director of Balfour Beatty’s Rail business, said: “We are proud to have successfully delivered part of the largest modernization project on the Great Western Railway which we been working on for the past three years. Delivering this important upgrade to the Welsh rail network will provide a more sustainable way of travelling for tens of thousands of commuters.” Mark Langman, Network Rail’s Managing Director for Wales and Western added: “I am delighted that services can now run on electricity between Bristol and Cardiff, linking the two capital cities for the very first time via an electric railway. This is the culmination of the largest modernisation project on the Great Western railway since it was built in Victorian times, which we have been working on over the last 10 years.”
Work has begun on the railway between Barrow-in-Furness and Lancaster courtesy of a £500,000 investment. This project will see a steep railway embankment reinforced at Holmrock on the Furness Line to the south of the Kent Viaduct. This will increase reliable journeys in the area and forms part of the Great North Rail Project. It will include the strengthening of a slope and a new piled retaining wall to protect the track from future movement. Tony Butler, route asset manager for earthworks at Network Rail, said: “This vital upgrade as part of the Great North Rail Project will keep important Northern passenger services running safe and reliably on this section of the Furness line. “The first phase involves making the embankment shallower and the second involves keeping the track in place. The work has been designed to put passengers first as it will be carried out without closing the railway.” Phase one of the work to stabilise the embankment will last until the end of the month. Phase two begins on 02 February and will last until March, with work taking place overnight at weekends while trains aren’t running.
Key work on the M6 J13-15 smart motorway project has brought the scheme a step closer to completion. Kier Highways successfully installed three large cantilever gantries over a nine-night period while the motorway network remained open to customers. Three gantries weighing 24 tonnes and 18m in width now span the carriageway on the M6 between J14 (Stafford) and J15 (Stoke) and were installed with a contraflow in operation. This meant that one lane of traffic was able to stay on the main motorway carriage travelling north on the southbound side. Traffic on the southbound side ran in three narrow lanes. Customers were able to continue travelling on their preferred route instead of being diverted along sensitive diversion routes around Stafford. A team of 57 people worked each of the nine nights to install the gantries along with six smaller MS4 gantries and 28 lighting columns. This project is the first of its kind to operate under a full contraflow for the length of the works and its implementation is continuously increasing customer satisfaction through the roadworks. As work progresses to the opposite carriageway, the contraflow operation will switch in the New Year. Richard French, project director at Kier Highways, said: “We are coming to the end of a section of work on the northbound M6 and this critical activity makes the end date significantly closer. All teams have planned their activities meticulously and collaboratively, so that the result is completion to plan and on programme. There is a large amount of personnel involved and I would like to thank everyone for their solid performance during this complex activity.” The M6 J13-15 smart motorway project is scheduled for completion by 2022.
The Railway Industry Association (RIA), the voice of the UK rail supply community, has announced a new partnership with exhibition organisers Mack Brooks for their upcoming rail trade show Infrarail, taking place for the first time at Olympia London from 12 to 14 May 2020. The partnership will see RIA organise at the show: The RIA Hub: An allocated space for RIA members that provides promotional benefits to the companies that exhibit there; The RIA Business Forum: A unique platform where visitors can hear from and engage with key industry figures, including clients, Tier 1 suppliers and more, about the latest projects, business opportunities and developments in rail; The RIA Pavilion: A new area with corner stands where smaller companies and individuals who did not attend Infrarail in 2018 can exhibit. Darren Caplan, Chief Executive of the Railway Industry Association, said: “It’s great to be partnering with Mack Brooks for Infrarail 2020. Infrarail is one of the leading trade shows for rail infrastructure providers and a great opportunity for professionals to meet and network.” “We’re delighted that the Railway Industry Association will be providing a number of activities across the three days, including organising presentations in the RIA Business Forum and offering a specific area for RIA member stands, with additional promotional benefits of being part of the RIA Hub. And, for the first time ever, we’re offering a new RIA Pavilion where smaller companies and individuals that are new to Infrarail can exhibit at corner stands, thereby offering a cost-effective way for these organisations to promote themselves and to see the value Infrarail provides.” “We look forward to seeing the industry come together in May for Infrarail 2020!” Nicola Hamann, Managing Director at Mack Brooks Exhibitions, said: “We are very pleased that RIA is continuing its long-term partnership with Infrarail. Their presence enhances the show considerably, providing excellent networking opportunities for professionals at the event.”