Skanska has been appointed, as part of a team of contractors, to deliver the largest investment for decades on the UK’s busiest railway.
An agreement has been reached between the South West Trains-Network Rail Alliance, Skanska, Colas Rail, AECOM and Mott MacDonald. The consortium will now be responsible for planning and carrying out major improvements to boost capacity at London Waterloo and other inner London stations.
The railway from London Waterloo is the UK’s busiest, carrying more than half a million passengers every day and more than 222 million every year, an increase of more than 100% in just 20 years. London Waterloo is the UK’s busiest station, with 98 million passengers in 2013/14 and a train arriving or departing virtually every minute during peak times.
In order to boost capacity and prepare for future growth, the South West Trains-Network Rail Alliance will invest hundreds of millions of pounds over the next four years. Plans include the reopening of the former international terminal at Waterloo for use by regular commuter services.
Christian Roth, Fleet Director of the South West Trains-Network Rail Alliance, said: “This is an important step forward in our commitment to boost peak time capacity by 30 per cent by 2018.
“A huge amount of work has already been carried out to improve services and increase capacity but we know we need do to much more. The unique alliance between South West Trains and Network Rail allows a project of this size to be delivered efficiently and it will have a real impact on passengers’ journeys.”
James Richardson, speaking on behalf of the consortium of contractors, added: “An investment of this size is excellent news for rail passengers in the region and, of course, an exciting opportunity for our team. Working through a unique collaboration model, we will be able to combine and integrate the skills and expertise of a strong supply chain to deliver this challenging programme.”
The consortium will now work with the Alliance to scope out detailed plans, which will then be submitted to the Office of Rail Regulation and Department for Transport.