Staffordshire Alliance wins major rail project award
The £250m Staffordshire Area Improvements Programme was crowned Outstanding Project – Large (over £20m) at the UK Railway Industry Awards 2017 on Thursday February 9, at a glittering awards ceremony in London, attended by over 1,000 rail industry professionals.
The multiple award-winning programme was delivered by the Staffordshire Alliance, a joint venture of VolkerRail, Atkins, Laing O’Rourke and Network Rail, within budget and over a year ahead of schedule.
The Staffordshire Alliance, the first ‘pure alliance’ in the UK rail industry, successfully delivered the Staffordshire Area Improvements Programme, which included:
- Improved line-speeds of up to 100mph from Stafford to Crewe on the West Coast Main Line
- Upgraded signalling on existing lines around Stafford
- Six miles of new railway
- 11 bridges in the Staffordshire countryside
- Improved local access.
Current Alliance manager, Mark Bell, said “The team has maintained its pursuit of excellence through to the closing phases of this project, by working collaboratively and building strong relationships with supply chain partners and local stakeholders. Our team are immensely proud of what has been achieved and showcased in the industry.”
Throughout the project, the alliance worked together on equal terms; in shared office locations, resulting in a close and highly efficient team ethos and positive relationship. This successful operating model is now considered by many to be the blueprint for future infrastructure projects.
The West Coast Main Line is the busiest mixed use railway line in Europe. It links London to Manchester, the West Midlands, the Northwest and Scotland and is regarded as a strategically vital corridor for both passenger and freight traffic.
The Staffordshire Alliance won a raft of industry awards in 2016, including the Collaborative Working accolade at the 2016 UK Railway Industry Awards and the best Major Project at the Rail Industry Association Awards 2016.