16.10.15
BAM Nuttall appointed main contractor for £170m Aberdeen-Inverness upgrade
BAM Nuttall has been appointed the principal contractor for the £170m upgrade of Scotland’s Aberdeen-Inverness line.
After helping deliver the £294m Borders Railway last month, BAM will now oversee the delivery of the improvement project’s first phase over the next four years.
Its engineers will double-track 16 miles of line between Aberdeen and Inverurie, as well as build a new station at Forres and straighten the railway alignment.
They will also extend platforms at Insch and Elgin to accommodate longer trains, upgrade signalling systems along the route and install infrastructure to allow new station to be built at Dalcross and Kintore.
Phil Verster, ScotRail Alliance’s managing director, said the contract marked the first step on a journey set to deliver significant benefits for the north and north east of Scotland, including reduced journey times, longer trains and more seating.
Engineers are currently undertaking ground investigations, site surveys and vegetation clearance works on the line ahead of main construction work which starts in spring 2016.
BAM’s work will be delivered in partnership with AECOM, CH2M, Stobart Rail and Siemens. Plans for new stations at Dalcross and Kintore are being developed separately by HITRANS and NESTRANS respectively, while a further phase of the Aberdeen-Inverness project is to be developed.
Its framework director, Jerry Dickson, said: “This essential programme of works will improve connectivity between the major cities of Aberdeen and Inverness, with wider enhancements for the local communities in the north of Scotland.”
And Keith Brown, infrastructure secretary, said the Scottish government-funded project will be especially valuable for the region, including its economy, job market, passengers and freight users.
Similarly, the appointment closely follows ScotRail’s nationwide recruitment drive, launched in September, to train 100 drivers needed at several depots, including at Aberdeen and Inverness.