Network Rail has announced the award of 17 multi-million-pound framework contracts to deliver minor signalling works across the country, worth an estimated £215m for Control Period 6 (2019-2024).
Martin Robinson, commercial director signalling said: “The minor signalling framework awards are the second awards in a three-tier approach to signalling delivery for CP6 which aims to recognise the differing signalling work banks we have to deliver. The awards have gone to signalling suppliers that between them, have many years of experience supporting our maintenance and delivery teams and will help Network Rail to continue to improve the signalling asset condition and in turn improve reliability for passengers over the coming years.
“The framework’s approach using fewer contractors will help bring them closer to Network Rail and the routes and make further progress in working more collaboratively. We will continue to build on the successful relationships we already have with our suppliers and look forward to working with them all going forward.”
The remaining tier, major signalling, targeted towards major re-signalling and re-control, will complete the three-tier strategy for CP6 signalling delivery when awarded in January 2020. The first tier for our signalling and telecoms framework was awarded in April 2019
Kevin Robertshaw, programme director signalling, said: “Our strategy for delivering signalling works in CP6 focuses on bringing the supplier closer to the client and facilitating a more integrated way of working. This is the second of three framework tiers to be awarded and part of a strategy enabling Network Rail and the signalling supply chain to be more innovative, collaborative and effective. I look forward to working with the successful suppliers and making a success of the opportunity ahead of us.
About Network Rail’s digital railway strategy
Network Rail is committed to deploying digital signalling and train controls when and where they represent good value for money to improve the network’s performance for passengers and freight users. In the future, major signalling renewals activities are planned to be either digital or digital-ready to pave the way for adoption of the European Train Control Systems (ETCS). Digital train control is already being deployed on the Thameslink core through London and on Crossrail. In addition, traffic management tools have been deployed in our Western, Anglia and Wales routes to predict and prevent timetable conflicts and to recover services more quickly when disruption occurs
About Network Rail
We own, operate and develop Britain’s railway infrastructure; that’s 20,000 miles of track, 30,000 bridges, tunnels and viaducts and the thousands of signals, level crossings and stations. We run 20 of the UK’s largest stations while all the others, over 2,500, are run by the country’s train operating companies.
Every day, there are more than 4.8 million journeys made in the UK and over 600 freight trains run on the network. People depend on Britain’s railway for their daily commute, to visit friends and loved ones and to get them home safe every day. Our role is to deliver a safe and reliable railway, so we carefully manage and deliver thousands of projects every year that form part of the multi-billion pound Railway Upgrade Plan, to grow and expand the nation’s railway network to respond to the tremendous growth and demand the railway has experienced – a doubling of passenger journeys over the past 20 years.
