Construction and Infrastructure

UK engineering company Costain has been awarded a £400 million contract to redevelop London Bridge Station, it has been announced.

Under the terms of the contract from Network Rail, which is worth £400 million over a five-year period, Maidenhead, Berkshire-based Costain will carry out the detailed design and delivery of the project.

The UK’s Department of Energy and Climate Change has today given the go-ahead for two new power stations to be constructed in Yorkshire that together are expected to create over 1,000 jobs.

The two new plants will generate enough energy to power almost two million UK homes.

The first is Ferrybridge, a 108 MW multifuel power plant in Wakefield, representing an investment of £250 million by SSE Generation.

ِSaudi Railways Organisation has awarded the contract for the second phase of its Haramain High Speed Rail Project to the Spanish consortium Al-Shoula.

The €6.7 billion contract includes the construction of railway tracks, installation of signalling and telecommunication systems, electrification, an operational control centre, the procurement of 35 trains, and operation and maintenance for a period of 12 years.

By awarding the second phase contract, all phases of the project have now been awarded and work is underway as planned.

SNC-Lavalin has announced that its 50/50 joint venture partnership with Graham Infrastructure, the North Link Partnership, has been awarded a $300 million contract to provide construction services for the Edmonton North light rapid transit (LRT) project.

Under the terms of the contract, the partnership will provide construction management services, provision of labour, materials and equipment for all construction work, and testing and commissioning of the system for handover to the city.

One of Kuwait’s oldest pipeline construction companies is gearing up for growth. General manager Mohammad Al-Hazza’a talks to Gay Sutton about strategic partnerships and the value of longstanding staff loyalty.

Dutch rail operator Abellio Group has been selected by the UK’s Department for Transport to operate the Greater Anglia train franchise.

The new franchise, due to start in February 2012, will provide intercity, commuter and rural services throughout the Greater Anglia region.

In the UK, the company already operates the rail companies Merseyrail and Northern Rail, as well as the bus companies Abellio London & Surrey.

There is huge potential for the spread of mobile and internet-based telecommunications services in Africa. Regional market leader Uganda Telecom Ltd is required to invest heavily in management, infrastructure and technology improvements to increase its share of the market.

As the first government owned corporation in the Northern Territory and the only combined utilities company in Australia, Power and Water Corporation is a trendsetter in a challenging environment, as Jane Bordenave reports.

Engineering and project management provider AMEC has been awarded a £150 million contract to deliver engineering and project management services for the Clair Ridge project, west of Shetland.

Clair Ridge is the second phase of the giant Clair oil field. The contract was awarded to AMEC by BP and its Clair partners Shell, ConocoPhillips and Chevron.

Dutch engineering consultancy Arcadis has announced it is to acquire UK-based consultancy EC Harris.

Through the merger, Amsterdam-based Arcadis will grow to almost 19,000 employees and €2.3 billion in revenues. Combined, the two companies will obtain a top five global position in strategic advisory and project delivery services for built assets, Arcadis said.