Feb #2 Update: £800m Rail Renewal, Skanska Down 10%, New Housebuilders App, Lower Thames Crossing Contract

Gov announces £800m Rail Renewal Programme

The Transport Secretary has announced £800m to connect Oxford and Cambridge via Bicester and Milton Keynes by rail with old lines to be rejuvenated and to run for the first time since 1968, the old ‘Varsity Line’. The project will create 1500 new jobs in the East West Rail division, part of ‘build back better’ programme and implemented by the ‘East West Rail Company’. There will be new stations constructed and old stations will be refurbished along the routes.

Two trains per hour will run from Oxford and Milton Keynes via Bletchley by 2025.

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Skanska down 10%

At the start the Swedish group resisted redundancies & salary cuts as goodwill to workers but the UK division is cutting 70 jobs due to a 10% drop in revenue £15.3bn) because of COVID, mostly in US & EU, with clients postponing work, despite a £1.2bn HS2 order.

Mid-2020 the firm’s UK business was down to £1.9m from £12.6m previously despite £3.3bn HS2 Euston tunnels and approaches contract in partnership with Costain and Strabag.

Skanska CEO cited uncertainty surrounding COVID-19 & Brexit outcomes as contributing factors.

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National Housebuilders Council Launches Inspection App

The new technology, catchily named ‘Technology Assisted Inspection’ app allows site managers to upload photos during the construction phase preventing defects in the build stage. The app rated 91% easy to use in the pilot phase and is being rolled out now. If you would like to know more you can email NHBC here. NHBC has developed a number of other apps including 3D Viewer which shows in 3D NHBC compliant models of critical components such as such as stepped cavity trays and parapet details. Download free on the App Store or Google Play. Another app in the Foundation Depth Calculator (another catchy name!) which includes: An enhanced foundation depth calculator; a tree identification matrix; a distance and height measurement tool (measure with your phone when there’s no benchmark) and a tree library with hundreds of high-definition photos. For more info and to download click here.

Jacobs Wins Lower Thames Crossing Contract

The US-based contractor has been appointed the £160m contract from Highways England as an integration partner or go-between between Highways England and the three main works contracts. The project will build 23km new road and a twin 2.6m tunnel between Kent & Essex doubling capacity and creating more than 22k jobs for the area. It is the ‘most ambitious’ road project in the UK since the M25 says a spokesperson for the project.

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