As we near the end of Control Period 6 (CP6), with CP7 set to begin from April 2024, Network Rail has started to outline its priorities for development in the upcoming years, accompanied with the announcement of civil contracts for trusted suppliers delivering upgrades for the Wales and Western region.
AmcoGiffen, Octavius, BAM Nuttall, Morgan Sindall Infrastructure, and Taylor Woodrow will be among the companies responsible for delivery of the regions £2bn programme of works, which will span over the next eight years.
The six contracting arrangements are:
- Wales and Western electrification and plant - AmcoGiffen
- Wales and Western stations and buildings work contract, covering ongoing maintenance and renewals of canopies, buildings, depots, platform structures, car parks and subways - Octavius
- Wales and Borders structures - AmcoGiffen
- Wales and Borders geotechnical and off-track drainage work – BAM Nuttall
- Western geotechnical and off-track drainage work - Taylor Woodrow
- Western structures including ongoing maintenance and renewals of assets such as bridges, tunnels, walls, and culverts - Morgan Sindall Infrastructure
Covering essential structural renewals and supplying electrification within the region, these contracts will have a transformative effect on the working dynamics in the Wales and Western region, seeing collaborative approaches with trusted suppliers to ensure faster and more efficient project delivery, creating better value for money from the public coffers. These projects will span from 2024 up to 2029, with options for a further extension to a maximum of eight years in total.
The electrification and plant portfolio covers a plethora of projects such as accommodating the major overhead line interventions, new point heaters and all the plan at the Severn Tunnel pumping station. Station works will see the delivery of new stations at North Filton and Henbury in Bristol, Wellington and Cullompton in Devon, and Charfield in South Gloucestershire.
Through the approach of packaging the works into one portfolio, Network Rail expects improved efficiencies through optimisation of resources, consistency, and continual improvements. The collaborative approach across a longer-term pipeline of work enables suppliers to better manage their own supply chain.
Working in accordance with the principles of SPEED, Wales and Western is directing focus towards finding the right solutions at the right cost, delivering faster and more efficiently, and providing value for money for taxpayers.
These contracts form part of Wales and Western’s overall programme to develop long term supply relationships, like that already in place with our South Rail System Alliance (Colas and Aecom) and will be followed by similar contracts for signalling later in 2023.
Stuart Calvert, capital delivery director for Network Rail’s Wales & Western region, said:
“We have made real progress in transforming the delivery of our investment projects, reducing the time and cost of our work, as we saw with completion of the Dartmoor Line to Okehampton.
“We're taking this same approach to our renewals, and it's very important that we select excellent suppliers and work collaboratively to get the same sort of benefits which will ultimately support better service for our passengers and freight customers. I'm very excited with these new contracts and look forward to developing the portfolio of works with them.”
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