AtkinsRéalis has been appointed by Network Rail as a delivery partner for its Wales & Western region, strengthening the company’s role in supporting the management and delivery of rail infrastructure across one of the UK’s most strategically important networks.
The appointment has been made under Network Rail’s Wales & Western Control Period 7 (CP7) Delivery Support Services Framework (Lot 1), valued at up to £9 million over three years, with an option to extend the framework to £15 million over a further two years.
Through the framework, AtkinsRéalis will provide multi-disciplinary delivery support, including commercial management, project management, programme controls, planning and risk management, helping Network Rail deliver a complex and wide-ranging investment portfolio across the region.
Network Rail is investing £5.2 billion across the Wales & Western region during CP7 (2024–2029) to safely operate, maintain and renew the railway. The framework is designed to give the organisation access to specialist technical capability and additional capacity, supporting the full breadth of the region’s enhancement, renewal and maintenance activity.
AtkinsRéalis’ scope of work will include stations, major renewals and complex capital investment projects, including support to the MetroWest programme, as well as other enhancement and renewal schemes across the region.
Scott Kelley, Managing Director – Complex Projects, AtkinsRéalis UK & Ireland, said:
“Wales & Western is a region of strategic significance, keeping people and businesses across the south and west of the UK moving. We will draw on our deep expertise in project delivery and programme and commercial management, alongside our specialist SME network, to support Network Rail to improve network performance and long-term resilience. This appointment builds on our relationship with Network Rail that stretches back decades, and we look forward to delivering collaboratively through Control Period 7 and beyond.”
The Wales & Western region spans more than 2,700 miles of railway across Wales, the Thames Valley, the West of England and the South West Peninsula. It serves over 120 million passengers each year and moves 26 million tonnes of freight annually, connecting key economic centres including London, Cardiff, Bristol and Birmingham, while also providing direct access to London Heathrow Airport.
Delivery support will draw on AtkinsRéalis’ expertise from across the UK, including teams based in Swindon, Bristol and Cardiff, alongside collaboration with specialist SME partners to ensure the right blend of skills and experience is deployed against the region’s delivery priorities.
The appointment further builds on AtkinsRéalis’ long-standing relationship with Network Rail and its recent selection, alongside Arcadis, as Programme Partner on the £10.7 billion Transpennine Route Upgrade – the UK’s largest rail upgrade programme.
It also reinforces the company’s role in rail infrastructure delivery across Wales and the west of the UK, including its multi-disciplinary design support for Transport for Wales and BAM on the redevelopment of Cardiff Central Station, the busiest railway station in Wales.
The new framework replaces Network Rail’s expiring Professional Services Framework, marking a refreshed approach to securing specialist delivery capability for CP7.
Image credits: Atkins Realis & Network Rail
