Network Rail unveils preferred bidders for track renewals
Network Rail has announced its preferred bidders for conventional track renewals and improvement work for the period 2014-19.
Babcock International has won work over three of the seven geographic lots to deliver plain line tracks for Network Rail.
The lots are made up of Western, Wales and Wessex; Scotland and LNW South, which are worth £200m over the five year period from April 2014 to March 2019.
"Building on our long term relationship with Network Rail, we are delighted to have been selected as preferred bidder and delivery partner for this major programme of track renewals work which will help to provide a more reliable railway for passengers and freight," said Peter Rogers, chief executive of Babcock.
FTSE 250 company Carillion announced that it had been chosen as a preferred partner by Network Rail to deliver £100m of track renewal work. The regions in which Carillion will deliver renewals include the Midlands into the North West, and from Kings Cross to the North East of England.
In total, Network Rail is hoping to renew over 7,000km of track in the next five years.
Steve Featherstone, Network Rail track programme director, commented:
Working with our delivery partners, we will deliver a massive programme of work to maintain, renew and enhance thousands of miles of track over the next five years, with the goal of providing a more reliable railway for passengers and freight.