URS secures £3.5m Borders Railway contract

URS has secured a £3.5m order for detailed design work on the new Borders Railway in Scotland, the longest new domestic railway constructed in Britain for 100 years.

Delivered by Network Rail in partnership with Transport Scotland, the scheme will improve connections to Edinburgh for communities in Midlothian and the Scottish Borders. It includes seven new stations and 30 miles of new line, bringing economic, social and environmental benefits to the area. Construction is due to be completed in summer 2015.

URS will be the main design consultant to contractor BAM Nuttall. It will deliver most of the civil engineering design, including new bridges, stations, roads and the refurbishment of existing bridges. URS will also provide engineering support during the construction phase of the project.

Ian Hay, Director of Rail at URS, said: “URS will work with BAM Nuttall and Network Rail to take the project through to Approval for Construction (AFC) status. Our team is working to a tight schedule, with the majority of our design work due for completion in October 2013 and the remainder by early 2014.”

URS’ work on Borders Railway began in 1999, when it produced the project’s feasibility study. The company also developed the design included in the Waverley Railway (Scotland) Bill, which outlined reconstruction plans for the railway more than three decades after its closure.

As the Bill progressed through the Scottish Parliament, URS provided engineering support, helping it achieve Royal Assent in 2006. Most recently, it was appointed by BAM Nuttall to produce the Approval in Principle (AIP) design for elements of the works, with successful completion of the project leading to this latest commission.