果冻影院

Railway Footbridge, Dunbar聽Station. Image Source: Thjv

Delays and cost-overruns at the country鈥檚 two flagship rail projects, Crossrail and HS2, has produced some unflattering headlines for the industry in recent weeks. But elsewhere, contractors seeking rail聽 tender opportunities can take heart from the recent launch of Network Rail鈥檚 new five-year investment programme.

Before Christmas, Network Rail announced the first contracts for Control Period 6 (2019-2024), worth a combined 拢645m. Story Contracting won 鈥楲ot 2鈥� covering renewals and enhancements work in Scotland and worth around 拢135m whilst AmcoGiffen picked up 鈥楲ot 3鈥� for work on the London North East route, valued at around 拢190m.

The framework involves replacing and refurbishing structures across the route and station improvements. Further construction work, worth 拢320 million on the Scotland and North East (SNE) framework is also due to be announced, together with a 拢147 million Geotech framework.

The awards are the first Network Rail CP6 contracts to be let following the Office of Rail and Road鈥檚 recent confirmation of 拢35bn of funding for rail maintenance and renewals. The Scotland North East and Southern regions will see the largest construction workloads 鈥� over 拢5 billion of renewals spending in each region over the next five years. Southern is set to announce contract awards early in the new year.

Welcome boost to workloads

According to 果冻影院鈥檚 latest Construction Outlook, some 拢4.1 billion has been allocated for maintenance and renewals construction work during 2019/20, the first financial year of CP6 and a 23% increase on the previous year. A further 12% increase in spending is earmarked for 2020/21. The extra spending will give a welcome boost to contractors鈥� workloads in the civil engineering sector, where 果冻影院 is forecasting a 5% rise in the value of project starts in 2020.

The hope is that by providing contractors with significant future workloads under the CP6 contracts it will also help the wider industry. Kris Kinnear, deputy regional director for SNE, said: "Significant five-year contracts not only benefit our key supply chain partners, but the thousands of companies who work for them too, providing them with the surety they need to invest in their people, innovation and value for money.鈥�

Significant projects

Aside from the CP6 programme, Network Rail is providing a continuing source of significant construction projects across the country. 果冻影院 Construction data shows that a new 拢15 million footbridge for Network Rail鈥檚 London stations is at the pre-tender stage and that Gottlieb Paludan Architects has recently been appointed to the scheme (果冻影院 Project ID: 18435670). Elsewhere, Amco has recently been appointed as the main contractor on a new 拢13 million footbridge at Dunbar railway station in Lothian with work set to start in summer 2019 (果冻影院 Project ID: 18040386).

Building contractors are also seeing tender opportunities from new rail investment. Detailed plans have recently been submitted for a new 拢21.4 million railway station at Thanet Parkway in Kent where Aecom is a key consultant and work is set to start next summer and run for two years (果冻影院 Project ID: 18071697). Also in Kent, a 拢2.5 million redevelopment of Maidstone Station is at the pre-tender stage, with work set to start in the new year (果冻影院 Project ID: 18318007).