LAING O’ROURKE has been confirmed as one of four partners who will work together on a project set to the transform the rail network in the Midlands.
Network Rail has announced the Irish firm among the four partners within their new Midlands Rail Hub Alliance.
The Alliance also includes VolkerRail, AtkinsRéalis and Siemens Mobility.
The firms will work with Network Rail to deliver the £1.75bn Midlands Rail Hub project, which is set to improve journeys across Birmingham and the West Midlands.
The plans include changing how the city's three main stations - New Street, Moor Street and Snow Hill - are served by train services from across the region and beyond,
Firms in the Alliance will be responsible for designing and developing plans and supporting the build phase of the project.
Laing O’Rourke’s Group Commercial Director and Europe Hub Clients & Markets Director, John O’Connor, said the Alliance announcement brings “the transformation of the rail network across Birmingham another step closer”.
“The planned improvements will better connect communities and boost the region’s economy, with the alliance partners working with local communities to create sustainable employment and supply chain opportunities right from the outset,” he added.
“The alliance is a proven partnership that works,” he added.
“Laing O’Rourke has worked collaboratively alongside our alliance partners VolkerRail, AtkinsRéalis and Network Rail for a decade, most recently in the successful delivery of East West Rail Phase 2.
“We look forward to bringing our extensive rail experience to the project, and to working closely with Siemens Mobility - designing and developing plans that will drive progress on the Midlands Rail Hub project.”
Passengers are expected to start seeing the benefits of the Midlands Rail Hub project by the early 2030s.
“The Midlands Rail Hub will be transformational for millions of people across the country by improving capacity across the network, allowing more services and better reliability,” Britain’s Rail Minister Lord Peter Hendy said.
Denise Wetton, Network Rail's Central route director, added that the company wants the “huge improvements this major investment and upgrade will unlock” to –“benefit people, communities, and businesses as soon as possible”.
“Confirming the Midlands Rail Hub alliance partners means this vital regional and national project can really start to move forward and we are focusing hard to start work on this transformative project as quickly as possible,” she added.
See More: Laing O’Rourke, Midlands Rail Hub
