NEW ZEALAND: Infrastucture manager Ontrack has awarded Balfour Beatty, Maunsell and Evans & Peck a NZ$10m contract for 175 track-km of electrification around Auckland. The project forms part of a NZ$1bn investment programme announced in 2007.

Work on the Britomart - Papakura and Newmarket - Swanson routes will be completed by 2013.

Balfour Beatty will manage the overall design process, and will also lead the design of the overhead electrification. Power and distribution design and procurement will be undertaken by Maunsell and Evans & Peck.