Scottish rail project for BAM Nuttall

The UK’s Network Rail has appointed BAM Nuttall as main contractor for the delivery of the new Borders Railway in Scotland.

The €270 million (£220 million) contract includes detailed design and construction works for the new line, which will enter service in 2015 and will re-establish a passenger rail link for the first time in over 40 years from the Scottish capital, Edinburgh, south through Midlothian to Tweedbank, just north of the border with England.

The line will include 48km of new railway, with three existing stations and seven new ones – at Shawfair, Eskbank, Newtongrange, Gorebridge, Stow, Galashiels and Tweedbank.

Construction work will take place simultaneously along the route, centred on three main project hubs in Fountainhall, Tweedbank and Monktonhall.

The project is to be carried out by BAM Nuttall in close co-operation with BAM Rail and BAM Contractors.

It is said that once complete, the Borders Railway will offer a fast and efficient alternative to the congested local road network and passengers will be able to travel direct from Tweedbank to Edinburgh Waverley in less than an hour at peak times.

Network Rail, the owner-operator of Britain’s railways, is delivering the Borders Railway on behalf of the Scottish Government. The project is described as a key part of the Scottish Government’s programme of investment in transport infrastructure.