Specialist abseiling teams contractors have secured a rock cutting at Aughton Park station in Lancashire, removing loose material, inspecting drainage and monitoring the ground conditions.
Network Rail’s Wales & Western Region has awarded commercial services framework contracts with a potential total value of up to £35m over three years. Lot 1 (procurement and post commercial services): ChandlerKBS, Turner & Townsend Cost Management, Currie & Brown UK, Croftstone Management Ltd; Lot 2 (claims management): Turner & Townsend Cost Management, Ottimo (Holdings); Lot 3 (cost audit): Arcadis Consulting, Currie & Brown.
Responding to the High Speed 2 Notice to Proceed, Chair of the West Midlands HS2 Growth Strategy, Steve Hollis, said ‘at a time when the global economy will need to rebuild from the economic impact of Covid-19, the certainty and confidence that this announcement provides, sends out a message to investors across the world, that we are open for business and the West Midlands will have a key role to play in restoring the UK’s economic fortunes’.
HS2 is ‘the green economic boost our country and economy needs’, said TSSA General Secretary Manuel Cortes, adding that ‘our economy will need a significant boost once we have beaten coronavirus and we are under no illusions about the scale and challenge that a big economic downturn will create’. TSSA members work across HS2 in planning and engineering roles, with the majority working from home during the coronavirus lockdown.
ScotRail has temporarily withdrawn all on-board catering services, with the surplus food and drink donated to charities including Help for the Homeless Glasgow, Church of Scotland’s Edinburgh North East and Leith foodbank, Inverness Foodstuff and Community Food Initiatives North East. On-train stewards have switched to cleaning passenger touchpoints such as door buttons, grab rails, tables, and arm rests.
RAIB has released a safety digest into a near miss with track workers near Kirtlebridge, Dumfries & Galloway on November 14 2019. It said the incident demonstrates the importance of staff reaching a clear understanding when communicating messages affecting the safety of people on the track.Safety critical communication protocols must be concise and easy to apply by those working on site; and Lookout Operated Warning System lookouts need to treat the system as live following a successful test, and to always start giving warnings of trains unless the LOWS controller has specifically instructed them not to.
Manchester Piccadilly station has opened a collection point for food bank donations during the coronavirus pandemic. The station team had the idea after food from the staff canteen at Network Rail’s Square One offices was donated to the Manchester Central food bank following the coronavirus lockdown instead of going to waste.
Law firm Winckworth Sherwood has announced the promotion of Jane Wakeham to partner. She focuses on infrastructure projects, advising on all aspects of promotions by Hybrid and Private Bill, Transport & Works Act Order, Harbour Order and Development Consent Order.