Shearwater Regulatory News (SWG)

21 Oct 2008 07:01



21 October 2008

SCOTT WILSON APPOINTED BY NETWORK RAIL FOR CROSSRAIL DESIGN WORK

Scott Wilson Group plc ("Scott Wilson" or "the Group"), the multi-disciplinary international design and engineering consultancy for the built and natural environments, is pleased to announce that it has entered into a contract with Network Rail to provide designs for the above ground sections of the Crossrail project

The value of the contract to Scott Wilson is expected to be up to £9.8 million.

A range of design options will be produced to transform the current above ground rail network into one capable of running Crossrail's new trains. The designs will be the basis of Network Rail's entire £2.3bn contribution to Crossrail.

Scott Wilson will address the routes west from Paddington to Maidenhead and east from Stratford to Shenfield. The following disciplines will be included: Track, Civils, Buildings, Overhead Electrification and Telecommunications.

Design work will begin immediately and a range of options will be produced to allow a single option development in early 2010.

Hugh Blackwood, Group Chief Executive, comments "Scott Wilson is delighted to bring our expertise to this challenging project for Network Rail, our principal rail client. We look forward to collaborating with them to help deliver the Crossrail programme, which will greatly enhance public transport in London."

~Ends~

Scott Wilson Group plc

Scott Wilson Group plc, with over 6,000 members of staff, is a multi-disciplinary international design and engineering consultancy for the built and natural environments. The Group has doubled in size over the past few years and from its UK headquarters currently controls a worldwide network of 80 offices.

www.scottwilson.com

Notes to Editors

Crossrail, along with projects such as Thameslink, will provide a huge boost to public transport across the capital and beyond.

Network Rail is committed to delivering the upgrading of our rail network to accommodate the extra Crossrail trains and improve stations on the route. 

Network Rail will provide £2.3bn funding for the on network work, which will include platform extensions and rebuilds at 20 stations as well as above ground electrification.

Crossrail is promoted by Cross London Rail Links Ltd (CLRL). It is currently jointly owned by the Department of Transport (DfT) and Transport for London (TfL). During autumn 2008 CLRL will become a wholly owned subsidiary of TfL. Preparatory works for Crossrail will commence in 2009 with main construction beginning in 2010. Crossrail is scheduled to open for service in 2017. Crossrail will run 118 km from Maidenhead and Heathrow in the west, through new twin-bore 21 km tunnels under Central London out to Shenfield and Abbey Wood in the east, joining the Great Western and Great Eastern railway networks. New stations, able to accommodate ten carriage trains, will be built at Paddington, Bond Street, Tottenham Court Road, Farringdon, Liverpool Street, Whitechapel, Isle of Dogs and Woolwich. The tunnelling will be through a complex sub-surface environment which contains existing infrastructure including Tube, rail and utilities tunnels. When Crossrail opens in 2017 it will increase London's public transport network capacity by 10 per cent, supporting regeneration across the capital and helping to secure London's position as a world leading financial centre. It will cut journey times across London - Heathrow will be 31 minutes away from the West End and 43 minutes from Canary Wharf - and deliver an economic benefit of more than £20bn to the UK economy. Crossrail is the largest single project in TfL's investment programme. It is a high frequency, high capacity railway - during the peak periods 24 trains will run in each direction in the central section. It will bring an additional 1.5 million people within 60 minutes commuting distance of London's key business districts. Crossrail's £15.9 billion funding package was announced by the Prime Minister, the Rt Hon Gordon Brown MP, on 5 October 2007. The Crossrail Bill was deposited in the House of Commons in February 2005. It progressed to the House of Lords in December 2007. Royal Assent was achieved on 22 July 2008. CLRL was appointed nominated undertaker for the construction of Crossrail on 24 July 2008.