Rail Engineer – July 2019

Eoin O’Neill, Network Rail’s
commercial and development
director, had the job of opening
the envelope to reveal that
BAM Nuttall had scooped this
one for the upgrade of the
Highland main line.
A programme of infrastructure
improvements, undertaken in
2012 during phase one of the
project, increased the number
of services from nine to 11
trains per day in each direction.
BAM Nuttall was awarded a
£10.3 million contract, as part
of Phase Two of the scheme,
to deliver enhancements
at Aviemore and Pitlochry
stations. These enhancements
will deliver an hourly service
with average journey times
reduced by around 10 minutes,
alongside other timetable
improvements.
In simple terms, the project
benefits are delivered through
three strands: station and track
enhancements delivered by
BAM Nuttall, an overhauled
signalling system delivered by
Siemens and ScotRail’s revised
timetable that brings more
trains through Pitlochry and
Aviemore than ever before.
Atkins’ Cornwall capacity
enabling scheme was highly
commended. It provided an
additional 10 signal sections
(21 new signals and associated
signalling equipment), and
seven level crossing upgrades,
to enable the Department for
Transport and Cornwall Council

(a project funding partner) to

meet their aspiration to run an

additional hourly train service

from Plymouth to Penzance

from May 2019.

Highly commended, too, was

Morgan Sindall’s involvement

with the Stirling-Dunblane-

Alloa (SDA) project that

formed part of a wider Scottish

Government rolling programme

of electrification works being

delivered by Network Rail.

Under SDA, Morgan Sindall’s

rail and electrification team

in Scotland undertook a £37

million package of works on

a route that spanned 50km,

starting at Falkirk in central

Scotland and up to Dunblane

in Stirling and Alloa in

Clackmannanshire.

Sustainable Excellence

Jon Shaw, Network Rail’s

chief engineer, and Professor

Miles Tight of the University

of Birmingham collaborated

to come up with a winner of

the Sustainable Excellence

award, which is open to

organisations that can clearly

demonstrate sustainable and

responsible ways of working.

It can cover anything from

working effectively with lineside

neighbours through to carbon

off-setting and reduced waste

and recycling innovations.

The award went to AmeySersa

and the S&C North Alliance,

which are working on improving

freight routes in Scotland.

Combining their expertise and

knowledge, they improved

AmeySersa, winners

of the Sustainable

Excellence Award.

BAM Nutalll won

smaller project - under

£50 million.

RAIL PARTNERSHIP AWARDS 43