BAM awarded €70m Scottish contract

BAM has been awarded the Borders Railway construction contract in Scotland costing €270m in total and worth around €70m to the Irish civil engineering group.

Network Rail has appointed BAM, involving BAM companies in Ireland, UK and Netherlands for the project. The project is worth approximately E70 million to BAM Contractors, Ireland’s largest public works construction company, and will involve up to 50 Irish workers (engineers, project managers, quantity surveyors etc).

The 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 Edinburgh through Midlothian to Tweedbank.

The announcement follows BAM Contractors’ recent PPP contract with the National Development Finance Agency (NDFA) for the design, build, finance and maintenance of eight schools across Ireland.

“BAM Contractors is delighted to be working with our BAM partners on this significant Scottish infrastructural project, which is an excellent demonstration of combining the Group’s capabilities to work on complex multi-disciplined projects. This contract is an endorsement for BAM Contractors as an innovative company with the proven ability to drive efficiency through the construction process. We are now involved in sustainable infrastructure and building projects across the world, from Jordan to Scotland, and we look forward to a busy year in 2013,” said Theo Cullinane, BAM Chief Executive.

Network Rail, the owner-operator of Britain’s railways, is delivering the Borders Railway on behalf of the Scottish Government. The project is a key part of the Scottish Government’s wider programme of investment in transport infrastructure, working towards the sustainable economic growth of Scotland.

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. The railway is expected to deliver major economic and social development opportunities.