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New Civil Engineer
Alexandra Wynne
I'm NCE's Deputy Editor and have worked for NCE and its sister magazine Ground Engineering for over eight years. In that time I've been fortunate to cover national and international stories on the full range of engineering issues from disasters through to epic projects across all civil engineering sectors. Last year NCE refocused its coverage on the key themes affecting how engineers do their job - future technologies, technical excellence, global projects, the changing role of engineers and making the industry more equal. So if you have any thoughts on what you would like to see covered along these themes do get in touch.
Hyperloop plan revolutionises high speed rail, says developer
23-Oct-2015The Californian Hyperloop could revolutionise travel and undermine the validity of spending multiple billions on high speed rail systems worldwide, according to one of the futuristic transport scheme's prominent developers.
Comment | Your chance to be part of the future
11-Aug-2015The silly season is upon us as the summer months see regular policy announcements slow down and more obscure stories dominate headlines in all the media.
Future technology: Breaking new ground
29-Jun-2015Building information modelling and big data are throwing up new opportunities for civil engineering firms.
Rail electrification schemes suspended as Great Western programme slips
25-Jun-2015Major rail electrification works are to be suspended amid concerns that Network Rail is failing to deliver projects on time and on budget, the government has announced.
Quit Westminster to save Parliament refurb cash, MPs told
18-Jun-2015Work to restore the stricken Palace of Westminster could take decades and costs could soar unless members of Parliament and peers move out, consultants said last week.
Swansea tidal lagoon gains planning consent
9-Jun-2015The £1bn, 240MW Swansea tidal lagoon project today received planning consent from the Department for Energy and Climate Change (Decc), paving the way for the project to get under way in earnest next spring.
In the cabinet: What is on Patrick McLoughlin's to do list?
13-May-2015Transport secretary Patrick McLoughlin has retained his position in prime minister David Cameron's new Cabinet, having held the post since September 2012.
Interserve certified BIM 2 compliant
13-May-2015Interserve has been named as the first main contractor to be certified as Building Information Modelling (BIM) Level 2 compliant.
Second major quake hits ravaged Nepal
12-May-2015Nepal has suffered a major magnitude 7.4 earthquake just two weeks after the devastating magnitude 7.8 quake hit the west of the country.
Ring of Steel: France's Iter Nuclear Fusion
12-May-2015A world-first visionary nuclear fusion project that transcends other construction projects with its multi-national collaboration effort demands a suitably forward thinking plan for delivery. Alexandra Wynne visits the complex project in the south of France to see how it is benefiting from clever digital delivery tools.
McNaughton to head up Swansea Tidal Lagoon project
28-Apr-2015Former Balfour Beatty boss Andrew McNaughton is to lead delivery of the new Swansea Tidal Lagoon scheme, its developer announced today.
Kier to buy Mouchel in £265M cash deal
28-Apr-2015Kier is to buy Mouchel in a £265M cash deal announced today, bringing to a conclusion a long running effort to sell the Surrey-based consultant.
Construction and infrastructure output on the decline
10-Apr-2015Infrastructure output fell by 2.5% in February, according to official statistics.
Major oil discovery near Gatwick airport could yield millions of barrels
9-Apr-2015A major new discovery suggests there could be millions of barrels of oil reserves near Gatwick airport in the South of England.
Oakervee warns UK firms to prepare for influx of Chinese money
27-Mar-2015Chinese firms are poised to make a dramatic move on European construction markets - and UK engineering firms must act now to stay relevant, a prominent ICE past president and senior engineering figure has warned.
Northern Line extension was catalyst for Nine Elms development
10-Mar-2015Securing investment for the Northern Line Extension was responsible for kick-starting London's vast Nine Elms development, key promoters of the scheme said today.
Major UK players positioned for Thames Tideway mega tunnel
28-Feb-2015Key players in the UK construction market – Costain, Laing O'Rourke, Vinci, Bachy, Ferrovial, Bam Nuttall, Morgan Sindall and Balfour Beatty – have been named as the preferred bidders to build the £4.2bn mega sewer tunnel under the River Thames, it has been revealed.
Thames Tideway names preferred bidders
27-Feb-2015Key players in the UK construction market - Costain, Laing O'Rourke, Vinci, Bachy, Ferrovial, Bam Nuttall, Morgan Sindall and Balfour Beatty - were this week named as preferred bidders for Thames Tideway Tunnel's £2.3bn civils contracts.
East of England workload: Changes for the better
17-Feb-2015Clients in the East of England are echoing calls for collaboration and innovation in the supply chain. Alexandra Wynne reports on the second of NCE's series of regional workload spotlights.
Government-backed infrastructure schemes failed to meet UK Guarantees criteria, says watchdog
28-Jan-2015Privately financed infrastructure projects have won government financial backing despite failing to meet the Treasury investment criteria, a report from public spending watchdog the National Audit Office (NAO) revealed today.
VIDEO | Water scarcity tops list of high impact global threats
16-Jan-2015Water scarcity has topped a list of high impact threats to global stability in an influential report published yesterday.
North East regional report: Spending power
13-Jan-2015Collaboration, programme management and a responsive supply chain will be key to delivering a multi-strand programme of works in the North East. This is the first in a series of spotlights on regional workload. Alexandra Wynne reports.
Panama Canal ruling favours contractor in materials and delays dispute
2-Jan-2015A conflict resolution panel has found in favour of Panama Canal contractor Grupo Unidos por el Canal (GUPC) to the tune of $234M (£151M) over the central issues of the billion dollar dispute.
Engineering Equality: Looking back at the year of gender equality
23-Dec-2014If 2014 was the year of feminism or gender equality you could be forgiven for thinking as the year closes out, it's done with, it's over. But it's not over, certainly not for NCE.
Future Technology: What to look out for in 2015
23-Dec-2014Advances in technology are rapidly changing the way many people are doing their jobs. That's certainly been the case at NCE, particularly this past year, which has culminated in the launch of our latest digital content option - a fully responsive, revamped, news-oriented app for Apple and Android devices.
Energy department announces £2.5M carbon storage fund
17-Dec-2014The Department for Energy and Climate Change (Decc) has announced a £2.5M fund for the development of CO2 storage in the North Sea.
Highways Agency halts asset maintenance tenders
17-Dec-2014The Highways Agency has suspended procurement for the latest tranche of it roads maintenance contracts, it revealed yesterday.
Jobs boom to be created by Highways England, says Dalton
10-Dec-2014A jobs boom will be created both within the newly formed highways government company (go-co) and in the supply chain ahead of the delivery on an increased programme of roads spending, Graham Dalton said yesterday.
Next Generation Awards 2014 winners announced
Ground Engineering December 2014The seven young winners who starred at GE's inaugural Next Generation Awards are an inspiration to us all in the industry
VIDEO | Engineer explains consultant methodology behind viral video stunt
22-Sep-2014A viral video star has told NCE how he approached the stunt that gave him internet fame with an engineering methodology.
Aecom promoted 20 consultants to director level in past month
1-Sep-2014Aecom has promoted 20 consultants to director-level positions within its project and cost management and consulting (PCC) business in the UK over the past month, the firm has revealed.
Hong Kong government to use NEC3 contracts
1-Sep-2014The Hong Kong government has announced it will use NEC3 contracts for all its projects put out for tender in 2015/16, following a series of pilot projects.
Cambrian Coast railway bridge rebuild completes
1-Sep-2014Train services have today restarted on the Cambrian Coast railway between Harlech and Pwllheli following the storm-disrupted rebuild of a key bridge.
Engineering equality: Are universities learning the gender lesson?
19-Aug-2014Universities are in the spotlight this week, with hundreds of budding civil engineers looking to cement their college place. So NCE continues its series on Engineering Equality by looking at whether progress is being made to stimulate gender diversity at entry level. Report by Yemesi Sofolarin and Alexandra Wynne.
Dispute over Parsons Brinckerhoff sale at heart of second Balfour/Carillion merger rejection
11-Aug-2014The dispute over whether Parsons Brinckerhoff should be sold was at the heart of the rejection of a second deal being tabled to merge Balfour Beatty and Carillion into a single super-contractor, it emerged this morning.
Roads minister reaches out to engineers to stay ahead of emerging technologies
5-Aug-2014Politicians should do more to talk up the role of engineers in boosting the UK's economic success – that's the message new strategic roads minister John Hayes is eager to drive home.
Arcadis to buy Hyder for £250M
31-Jul-2014Dutch consulting giant Arcadis has revealed it is to buy Hyder for £256M cash – the latest deal to emerge from the current dramatic takeover trend in the UK engineering market.
Aecom/URS mega-merger redefines UK consultancy
22-Jul-2014Aecom's acquisition of URS looks set to not only to redefine what a large UK consultancy looks like but also raises the possibility that it will trigger more shape shifting of the industry to the point that it will begin to mimic the likes of accountancy's Big Four firms.
HS2 boss urges engineers to embrace new technology
22-Jul-2014Engineers must innovate more and be more willing to embrace new technology if they are to remain relevant and well regarded by the public, the chief engineer behind High Speed 2 (HS2) said last week.
Osborne returns to profit and boosts order book
19-Jun-2014Contractor Osborne has returned to profitability with a pre-tax profit of £5.2M for its annual results to 31 March, against a £2.6M loss in the previous year.
Manchester Smart motorway contractors revealed
19-Jun-2014Costain, Bam Nuttall/Morgan Sindall, Balfour Beatty and Carillion have jointly won a £182M Highways Agency job to upgrade a 27km stretch of the M60 and M62 to a so-called Smart Motorway.
China explores large scale tidal power
10-Jun-2014The Chinese National Energy Administration has commissioned an economic assessment into the viability of building a Dynamic Tidal Power (DTP) facility off the east coast of China.
Cambridge engineers establish new tunnel monitoring systems
10-Jun-2014University of Cambridge engineers are attempting to create what they refer to as the world's first "smart tunnel" through the development of a new monitoring system installed on an old London rail tunnel.
Crossrail 2 options expanded ahead of new consultation
10-Jun-2014New route options for the proposed Crossrail 2 Hackney-Chelsea line have been released by Transport for London (TfL) and Network Rail for consultation.
Tackling the urbanisation challenge
10-Jun-2014There are few who don't know of the trend for urbanisation – the gravitational pull of city dwelling – that means by 2030 an estimated 60% of the global population will be living in cities.
Former Arup chief Philip Dilley named as potential boss of Environment Agency
9-Jun-2014Former Arup chairman Philip Dilley has been chosen as the government's preferred candidate to succeed Lord Chris Smith as Environment Agency chairman, environment secretary Owen Paterson has announced.
Infrastructure Bill published
5-Jun-2014The Government today published details of its new legislation in the form of its Infrastructure Bill, that was announced in yesterday's Queen's Speech.
Greater certainty in funding needed to protect road maintenance savings, says watchdog
5-Jun-2014Funding pressures have increased efficiency in road maintenance but greater certainty is needed to ensure the trend continues, according to a report by the public spending watchdog.
Special report: Plugging the floods will mean going Dutch
3-Jun-2014The Netherlands is investing heavily in long term flood prevention, but the UK is hampered by a lack of political will to pay for protection, Alexandra Wynne finds.
Crossrail starts short tunnel drive
3-Jun-2014Crossrail today started its shortest tunnel drive from Limmo Peninsula, beside Canning Town station, towards Victoria Dock Portal in east London.
NCE readers poll questions government plans to build high speed rail route
3-Jun-2014NCE readers have panned the government's plan for High Speed 2 (HS2), according to the findings of a poll.
Mott MacDonald wins New Zealand rail upgrade role
27-May-2014Consultant Mott MacDonald has been appointed to carry out design work for the NZ$2.86bn (£1.45bn) upgrade of Auckland's City Rail Link.
Forth Bridge and its engineer to appear on first British polymer bank note
27-May-2014Clydesdale Bank has revealed its design for the first fully polymer banknote to enter circulation in Great Britain, which will also commemorate the nomination of the Forth Bridge for inclusion in Unesco's World Heritage List in 2014.
Major Crossrail flyover installed
27-May-2014Rail workers have completed the installation of a new rail bridge over the Great Western Main Line to ready the existing railway for Crossrail trains to and from Heathrow.
Femern receives flurry of bids for tunnel installations
27-May-2014Project promoter Femern has received 17 bids from six internation contractor joint ventures aiming to prequalify for the €500M M&E work on the Fehmarnbelt Crossing between Denmark and Germany.
Foster + Partners makes case for Thames Estuary airport plan
27-May-2014Architect Foster + Partners has revealed details of its response to the Airports Commission's call for evidence on the Thames Estuary airport plan.
Lanarkshire wind farm consent granted
22-May-2014Scottish energy minister Fergus Ewing today granted planning consent for a new 26-turbine wind farm, 5km south of Strathaven in South Lanarkshire, which could power up to 49,000 homes.
HS2 appoints Thameslink boss to lead first phase
22-May-2014High Speed 2 promoter HS2 Ltd has appointed Thameslink boss Jim Crawford as programme director for phase one from London to Birmingham.
Doncaster pitches site for HS2 rail college
22-May-2014Doncaster Council has unveiled its proposed site for a new rail college that could feed in skills to High Speed 2 (HS2).
Deep sea mini submarines remotely survey Sellafield sludge
20-May-2014Sellafield is deploying remotely operated mini submarines explore radioactive sludge in a spent fuel pond to aid the complex remediation process.
HS1 chair: High speed rail is fundamentally flawed
20-May-2014The case for a new UK super-fast railway is fundamentally flawed and will be beset by huge delays because of a miscalculation of support for the scheme, the boss of High Speed 1 (HS1) has said.
Structural repairs underway on historic Jubilee Bridge
15-May-2014Contractor GF Tomlinson has begun a full restoration of a historic pedestrian bridge in Matlock, Derbyshire.
'Walkie-Talkie' sunshade plan revealed
15-May-2014The 20 Fenchurch Street development, known familiarly as the Walkie-Talkie, is to be given a sunshade to prevent the solar glare issues that last summer made headlines because of the resulting damage to nearby cars and shops.
Road safety campaigners urge government to back lorry controls
15-May-2014Road safety campaigners have urged government to ensure stringent standards are demanded on new longer lorry cabs amid concerns that lobbying from HGV manufactures may prompt some European countries to go against recommendations.
Channel Tunnel celebrates its 20th anniversary
12-May-2014The Channel Tunnel last week celebrated the 20th anniversary of the first services running through its 50km long twin running bores.
Morgan Sindall sees growth in infrastructure but margin squeeze continues
8-May-2014Contractor Morgan Sindall has seen construction and infrastructure forward orders grow 4% in the first three months of this year.
Balfour Beatty boss Andrew McNaughton quits as firm faces more turmoil
6-May-2014Contractor Balfour Beatty chief executive Andrew McNaughton has resigned amid a series of announcements from the firm that point to further turmoil, including a profit warning.
Kelpies horse heads open for the first time
6-May-2014The two 300t, 30m tall horse heads – known as The Kelpies – have opened to the public on the new 350ha Helix Park in Falkirk.
Energy supplies must not be used as political weapon, energy secretary warns
6-May-2014Russia, nor any other single power, must not be allowed to use energy supply as a "weapon", energy secretary Ed Davey said at a meeting with his G7 counterparts yesterday.
Sunderland Council restarts Wear Crossing bid process
2-May-2014Sunderland City Council has finally invited bids to design and build a revived, but simplified New Wear Crossing after scrapping original plans for a £118M bridge in July last year.
Wear crossing revived as firms invited to express interest in budget version of scrapped structure
1-May-2014Sunderland City Council is looking for interested engineering firms to work on its revived, but simplified, plan for a New Wear Crossing – original plans for a £118M version of which were scrapped in July last year.
High speed rail bill passes second reading in Parliament
29-Apr-2014High Speed 2 (HS2) took a step closer to becoming a reality yesterday evening as the hybrid Bill for phase one of the scheme between London and Birmingham successfully passed its second reading in the Commons with MPs voting 452 to 41 in favour of the Bill.
Construction begins on Paris Cité Musicale music hub
29-Apr-2014Construction has begun on Cité Musicale, an international music hub in Paris, France. The scheme is a major part of a new art and entertainment centre on Ile Seguin, an island on the Seine River.
NCE Daily News Friday 25 April 2014: London mayor to become energy supplier
25-Apr-2014London mayor could be the capital's smallest electricity supplier by 2015, selling energy on from small suppliers to public bodies.
Consultant warns of London's hidden groundwater flood risk
23-Apr-2014London faces a serious threat from groundwater flooding and officials are failing to act to mitigate risks, a leading water consultant said today.
NCE Daily News Wednesday 23 April: First renewables schemes given government price guarantee
23-Apr-2014The first schemes to be approved for the government's Contracts for Difference are revealed. Also on the theme of low carbon, a number of projects have won government money to research and develop ideas for new types of vehicle technology.
NCE Daily News Tuesday 22 April 2014: Government launches fair payment charter with nine signatories
22-Apr-2014The government today formally launched its new supply chain-friendly scheme.
NCE Daily News Monday 14 April: Public needs convincing on infrastructure's 'tough choices'
14-Apr-2014New poll suggests those with the power need to get better at convincing the public of the need to make tough choices on infrastructure.
Catchment management focus needed in Somerset Levels, says environment boss
14-Apr-2014Dredging will not stop flooding on the Somerset Levels and a more comprehensive plan to manage land higher up the catchment would be more effective, Environment Agency chairman Lord Smith said last week.
Fair payment charter could spell end of project bank accounts
14-Apr-2014The launch of a new fair payment charter that would see suppliers paid within 30 days could spell the end for project bank accounts, the government's construction tsar has said.
Poor areas must be given better flood protection
14-Apr-2014Concerted effort is needed to ensure that protection is provided to those least able to afford to insure against floods, the boss of the Environment Agency has warned.
Flooding should be higher priority in National Infrastructure Plan, says Lord Smith
14-Apr-2014Flood defences must be given a higher priority in the National Infrastructure Plan (NIP) if the threat from climate change is to be adequately mitigated, the head of the Environment Agency has said.
Dredging is only part of solution for Somerset Levels, says Smith
14-Apr-2014Dredging will not stop flooding on the Somerset Levels and a more comprehensive plan to manage land higher up the catchment would be more effective, Environment Agency chairman Lord Smith said last week.
NCE Daily News Update Friday 11 April: Gatwick Christmas chaos a 'wake-up call' for airports; Construction output down
11-Apr-2014Committee of MPs warns airports to improve operational resilience in wake of flood problems at Gatwick; In construction, official statistics show a decline in output.
NCE Daily News update Thursday 10 April: Think tank calls for London City airport closure
10-Apr-2014A think tank has issued a report in which it makes the dramatic call for the closure of London City airport in the East End, in favour of reclaiming the land area in Docklands.
Infrastructure needs to clean up its design act, says Farrell
8-Apr-2014Infrastructure developers must place greater emphasis on design to ensure their schemes integrate better with their environment, a government-commissioned review by architect Sir Terry Farrell has concluded.
NCE Daily News Thursday 3 April: Japan high speed rail firm to open UK office as it begins work on HS2
3-Apr-2014Today started with the news that a Japanese high speed rail firm is to open its first UK office this month as it reveals it is working with HS2 Ltd. On roads, the cost of potholes has deepened.
NCE daily news update Wednesday 2 April: Edinburgh school checks underway after fatal wall collapse; Birmingham unveils Curzon masterplan
2-Apr-2014Edinburgh's council is rolling out new structural surveys following yesterday's tragic wall collapse at a high school. In other news, Birmingham is pushing for a major redevelopment to be built around the High Speed 2 terminus planned for the city centre.
Birmingham transport chiefs seek HS2 changes
1-Apr-2014West Midlands transport authority Centro was this week poised to seek changes to the High Speed 2 (HS2) hybrid bill to include provisions for a major rail interchange in Birmingham.
London mayor says engineers 'lack confidence'
1-Apr-2014Engineers must become more confident and innovate more to solve infrastructure problems, London mayor Boris Johnson said last week.Johnson said modern engineers have less confidence and optimism than their Victorian predecessors and said he would back ideas that were truly ground-breaking.
World is unready for climate change disasters
31-Mar-2014The world is ill-prepared for the risks posed by a changing climate, according to a report by a group of influential global scientific experts.
London's Overground 'must act as second Underground'
31-Mar-2014London's Overground rail network should be viewed as a second Underground system, according to one of the capital's senior transport executives.
Daily news update Monday 31 March: Farrell Review and Climate Change findings; Fluor/Cavendish wins £7bn nuclear decommissioning deal
31-Mar-2014It's a day of review findings as the IPCC sets out its warning about the threat from climate change and architect and masterplanner Sir Terry Farrell issues his ideals for architecture and the built environment; meanwhile the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority awards Fluor/Cavendish a £7bn deal.
Boris Johnson says Crossrail 2 could be finished by 2029
28-Mar-2014The proposed £12bn to £20bn Crossrail 2 could be built by 2029, London mayor Boris Johnson said yesterday.
Daily News Update Thursday 27 March 2014: Crossrail extended to Reading
27-Mar-2014More good faith in transport infrastructure from the government today as it announces its intention to extend Crossrail beyond Maidenhead west of London to Reading, Berkshire – a key commuter route currently feeding into London Paddington.
Gatwick is natural choice for new runway, according to Farrell
26-Mar-2014Gatwick airport's interconnectivity potential makes it the natural choice for new runway capacity in the South East, according to masterplanner and architect Sir Terry Farrell.
Daily News Update Tuesday 25 March: Gatwick steps up campaign for extra runway
25-Mar-2014This morning's news saw Gatwick Airport shift gear in its efforts to secure the green light for its plan to build a second runway.
Speed up Manchester HS2 works – engineers
25-Mar-2014Decades of disruption caused by construction would be avoided by accelerating High Speed 2 (HS2) works in Manchester, senior transport experts said last week.
Political action is shaking up UK infrastructure
25-Mar-2014Last week was a big week for the UK's high speed rail ambitions but the way in which High Speed 2 (HS2) got its boost may set the tone for how other politically difficult infrastructure decisions will be made.
NCE Live News Updates Thursday 20 March: Fracking fixation could undermine renewables, warn experts
20-Mar-2014Water and environment experts say an over emphasis about fracking for shale gas could prevent development of alternative technologies.
Industry backs call to bring forward HS2 second phase
19-Mar-2014Engineers have backed calls by new High Speed 2 boss David Higgins to bring forward work on the northern section of the railway.
Major rethink for Euston terminus
18-Mar-2014Euston and the Old Oak Common interchange in west London, are among the main challenges in phase one of the scheme, said Higgins.
New plans for Birmingham HS2 stations under discussion
18-Mar-2014Alternative plans for High Speed 2 (HS2) stations in the Birmingham area are being discussed among senior project team members, NCE understands.
Higgins ditches High Speed 2 link to HS1 and Continent
18-Mar-2014New High Speed 2 boss re-engineers scheme to speed delivery.
NCE Live News Updates Tuesday 18 March: Mega-trucks vetoed; officials due to present Highways Agency reforms
18-Mar-2014Key vote vetoes mega trucks on Europe's roads; Department for Transport to present Highways Agency reforms to ministers; .
Carbon capture effort vital for industrial emitters
17-Mar-2014Carbon capture and storage (CCS) development in the medium and long term is vital to efforts to offset energy emissions from heavy industry, Europe's energy commissioner said last week.
Transport vital to London regeneration effort says mayor
14-Mar-2014Johnson says new projects are essential if he is to meet housing target.
Infrastructure held back by planning not cash
13-Mar-2014Planning issues are now a bigger a threat to major infrastructure schemes than government reluctance to invest, former transport minister Steven Norris said this week.
Call to four track Stansted rail link
13-Mar-2014Four-tracking of the rail line that serves Stansted Airport should be prioritised in the next five year spending period ahead of any government strategy to increase airport capacity, a senior business leader said this week.
Network Rail pledges to stamp out safety complacency
10-Mar-2014The rail industry must avoid complacency when it comes to doing more to improve safety, a senior Network Rail figure has warned.
Rail electrification to trigger massive recruitment drive
10-Mar-2014A huge effort to recruit and train engineers will be needed over the coming months to enable delivery of a massive £4bn rail electrification spend, senior rail figures said last week.
NCE Live News Updates Thursday 6 March: Balfours suffers massive drop in profits to £32M
6-Mar-2014The contractor followed a tough first half of 2013 with more disappointing results in the second half.
NCE Live News Updates Tuesday 4 March: Contractor shortage forces Midlands rail scheme to be scaled back
4-Mar-2014Coventry to Nuneaton rail upgrade scaled back after bids come in three times over budget; Brian Cox to judge £1M engineering prize.
McLoughlin says government will not rush High Speed 2
27-Feb-2014Government will not rush construction of High Speed 2 (HS2) and the case for starting work from the North earlier was not as clear cut as some people believe, transport secretary Patrick McLoughlin told MPs this week.
Network Rail could complete Dawlish repair early
27-Feb-2014Network Rail is to review whether it can bring forward the date for reopening the storm-damaged line at Dawlish next week.
Network Rail and Environment Agency clash over flood scheme
27-Feb-2014Track operator and Agency came up with conflicting flood defence projects.
NCE Live News Updates Thursday 27 February: Costain sees jump in profits and forward orders
27-Feb-2014The contractor's full year results show increasing profits and forward orders.
Kirby keeps long term focus
25-Feb-2014Storm repair pressure must not divert focus from major projects, says new HS2 boss
NCE Live News Updates Tuesday 25 February: Growth money remains unspent; explosion at south London station
25-Feb-2014Spending watchdog says government sitting on growth funding money; explosion causes south London commuter chaos.
NCE Live News Updates Monday 24 February: Government pushes Scottish energy plan
24-Feb-2014The UK government appears to be on a Scottish charm offensive announcing a raft of energy measures including boosting North Sea oil and gas recovery and making moves on a new carbon capture and storage scheme.
NCE Live News Updates Thursday 20 February: Panama Canal contractor strikes deal to restart works; Somerset Levels dredging plan revealed
20-Feb-2014And finally to silence some of the dredging enthusiasts, this afternoon the Environment Agency has revealed it will instigate dredging in the troubled Somerset Levels. This morning brought us the news that the Panama Canal expansion work is to resume following a billion dollar stand-off between the contractor and client.
NCE Live News Updates Tuesday 18 February: Kier boss Sheffield steps down; Profits slump at Morgan Sindall
18-Feb-2014The news this morning came from the contracting business world with the news that Kier boos Paul Sheffield is to step down while over at Morgan Sindall profits have been hit hard. So far this afternoon there is the usual notice from the Environment Agency about flood threats.
Elusive engineers make it hard for programme makers
12-Feb-2014Television programme makers find engineers too difficult to contact, a BBC commissioning boss told NCE yesterday.
Flood relief: whoever shouts loudest gets the extra cash
10-Feb-2014As Britain continues to be battered by a seemingly endless cycle of winter storms, a cynicism is emerging about the reactions of Britain's politicians. There are doubts about whether they care quite so much about the people at the receiving end as they do about scoring political points.
Taxpayer need only fund half of Crossrail 2 costs
10-Feb-2014Central government will only have to fund half of the £12bn to £20bn cost of London's Crossrail 2 project, according to a report by business lobby group London First.
Top planning award goes to Olympic Park housing project
5-Feb-2014A residential development on the former Olympic Park has scooped London mayor Boris Johnson's planning excellence award at this year's London Planning Awards.
Questions raised about flood defence priorities
4-Feb-2014The government was this week knee-deep in criticism following its reaction to the flooding that has drenched the UK in recent weeks.
NCE Live News Updates Tuesday 4 February: Four win rail electrification deal
4-Feb-2014Spoke too soon on the flood news front as this afternoon the Environment Agency has this afternoon issued the all-too-familiar missive to be prepared for severe floods.
Johnson unlikely to challenge estuary airport decision in court
31-Jan-2014London mayor Boris Johnson has all but ruled out taking the government to court over its rejection of plans for a Thames Estuary airport.
One civil and one structural engineer on 'most influential' list
29-Jan-2014Civil engineers have been largely shunned in a list of the most influential people working in a range of sectors.
NCE Live News Updates Tuesday 28 January: Mersey Gateway on the hunt for staff
28-Jan-2014So far up this morning, the mega-project that is the Mersey Gateway bridge is on the look out for staff; meanwhile flood warnings remain in place…
Row breaks out over estuary airport rejection
20-Jan-2014A row has erupted following the decision of the independent commission investigating UK aviation capacity to throw out proposals for a Thames Estuary airport.
NCE Live News Updates Thursday 16 January: Water scarcity and climate change among top global risks; good year for tall buildings
16-Jan-2014Water scarcity and climate change are among the top global risks faced today according to think tank the World Economic Forum; big advance for BIM; strong year for global high rise construction market.
NCE Live News Update Wednesday 15 January 2014: Engineering charity calls for mandatory electronic payments to Qatar workers
15-Jan-2014A UK-based engineering charity is calling for changes to the way migrant workers are paid.
NCE Live News Updates Tuesday 14 January 2014: New skills college for HS2; Balfour Beatty drops track renewal bidding
14-Jan-2014Rail related stories are the theme so far this morning with the announcement from the government that the High Speed 2 scheme will establish a new skills college for engineers, and the news from Balfour Beatty that it intends to stop bidding for Network Rail track renewals work.
Highways Agency considers motorway speed limit cut
10-Jan-2014Transport officials are considering cutting speed limits on key sections of the strategic highway network to 60mph to ease congension and comply with European air quality regulations.
Autodesk UK acquisitions to boost global aspirations
9-Jan-2014US software giant Autodesk has bolstered its offering to civil and structural engineers worldwide with the acquisition of more UK specialists.
NCE Live News Updates Thursday 9 January 2014: Royal Academy of Engineering nominates first female president; Flood threats remain for the South
9-Jan-2014So far this morning the news is focused on appointments to engineering societies with the nomination of the Royal Academy of Engineering's first female president and the appointment of the new ACE chairman.
NCE Live News updates Tuesday 7 January 2014: MPs refute suggestions that government cuts will not hamper flood efforts; Severe flood warnings persist
7-Jan-2014While three severe flood warnings remain in place for parts of the South West of England this morning, MPs have called on the government to clarify exactly what effect budget cuts will have on emergency efforts.
NCE Live News Updates Monday 23 December 2013: Highways Agency shortlists latest maintenance contractors; Balfour Beatty wins US rail job
23-Dec-2013And now, here's hoping all the wild weather doesn't disrupt your festive plans too much. Happy Christmas from all at NCE. We will be back with the daily live news updates on Monday 6 January 2014.
Network Rail names first CP5 framework suppliers
19-Dec-2013Network Rail has kickstarted its infrastructure investment plans for London and the South East for the next five years by nominating four preferred suppliers for contracts worth a total of £1.2bn.
Shale gas could supply up to three times UK gas demand
19-Dec-2013Large scale shale production by the 2020s could boost UK energy security and generate £1bn for local communities, acccording to an assessment by Amec.
Network Rail debt to go on government balance sheet
19-Dec-2013Network Rail is to be reclassified as a central government body, it was revealed this week.
Leadership key to 30% road maintenance savings by 2030
19-Dec-2013Leaders and politicians in highways authorities must work collaboratively together if an ambition to make 30% savings in maintenance by 2030, senior industry figures said last week.
Heathrow and Gatwick new runway plans make government commission shortlist as Boris Island misses out
19-Dec-2013Plans for a new runway at either Gatwick or Heathrow and an extended runway at the latter have made the shortlist of those proposals being taken forward by the government commission charged with reviewing airport strategy over the coming decades.
NCE Live News Updates Tuesday 17 December 2013: Shale, rail and runways dominate today's news
17-Dec-2013Understandably the top billing story this morning is the revelation that a government appointed commission has firmly put a new runway at Heathrow back in the running to help deal with a looming capacity crisis. A longer double-runway is also under consideration at the airport alongside a new one at Gatwick. Boris Island, however, has missed the mark on this occasion. In other news, Network Rail continues its ramp up to CP5 with more contract wins.
NCE Live News Updates Thursday 12 December 2013: Aecom/Murphy/Kier wins Deephams job; options narrow for Lower Thames Crossing
12-Dec-2013The Highways Agency has published a statement outlining its position on delivering roads schemes while ensuring air quality requirements are met. The government has narrowed its options for a Lower Thames Crossing, deciding against connecting the A2 with the A1089. Early stories of the day were contract wins for Aecom/Murphy/Kier on a major sewage treatment works for Thames Water and MWH for a biomass job.
BIM and cloud take up is accelerating, say senior software bosses
11-Dec-2013Engineers are finally beginning to use building information modelling (BIM) and cloud technology to elevate their roles and become more commercially successful, senior software figures claimed last week.
A bold new future for construction materials approaches
11-Dec-2013Building on the Moon, 4D printing, self-repairing bridges, movement monitoring quadrocopters, 3D printed concrete houses and generating electricity from unwanted noise may all sound like science fiction. But at computing giant Autodesk's annual convention in Las Vegas last week, it all began to look a little realistic.
Flood defences tested by biggest tidal surge for 60 years
11-Dec-2013The Army this week was called in to help Environment Agency engineers repair coastal infrastructure damaged by the UK's most serious tidal surge in 60 years.
NCE Live News Updates Wednesday 11 December 2013: Skanska bags £128.5M highways job; Committee rules against downgrading climate change ambitions
11-Dec-2013Skanska is to carry out major works to remodel junction 19 of the major motorway near Rugby. Meanwhile, an influential committee on climate change has ruled there is no justification for lowering climate change requirements.
Network Rail warns of supplier shake up
5 December 2013Network Rail has warned its major suppliers that some of them will have to rebuild their businesses as subcontractors as it slashes the number of main contractors it works with.
RWE ditches Bristol Channel windfarm project
5 December 2013German energy giant RWE has scrapped plans to build the 1.2GW offshore wind farm Atlantic Array in the Bristol Channel saying "technical challenges" had made the project uneconomic.
Brazilian stadium crane collapse
5 December 2013Two workers died last week when a crane lifting a section of the roof for one of the key Brazil 2014 World Cup football stadiums collapsed.
NCE Live News Updates Wednesday 4 December 2013: National Infrastructure Plan update reveals A14 toll plan scrapped
4-Dec-2013The government has dropped controversial plans for tolling on the A14 scheme between Cambridge and Huntingdon, construction of which is planned to start in 2016; and in the US the driver of the crashed Metro train admits to dozing off.
Jolt for roads sector as recognition of environmental concerns grows
29-Nov-2013For anyone who may have thought that the Green Agenda had fallen by the wayside, a key decision earlier this month served as a stark reminder for why it shouldn't be ignored.
NCE Live News Updates Thursday 28 November 2013: Brazil World Cup stadium crane collapse kills two workers
28-Nov-2013There was more bad news for the Brazil 2014 World Cup preparations as it was revealed two workers have been killed by a falling crane on the site of the host stadium for the first game. The lates
NCE Live News Updates Tuesday 26 November 2013: RWE abandons Atlantic Array wind farm
26-Nov-2013This morning brings grim news for renewables with the announcement by RWE that it has dropped its Bristol Channel mega wind farm development.
High Speed 2 hybrid bill to be revealed
25-Nov-2013The government this week published the hybrid bill for phase one of the High Speed 2 (HS2) rail scheme ahead of its reading before parliament on Monday (25 November).
NCE Live News Updates Friday 22 November 2013: Labour sets out infrastructure white paper plan; Rescue efforts underway following Latvian collapse
22-Nov-2013Rescue attempts were continuing today in the aftermath of a supermarket collapse in the Latvian capital Riga. At least 32 people are understood to have died and a criminal investigation is underway. In the wake of another disaster, Typhoon Haiyan, the official death toll has now risen beyond 5,000. In lighter news NCE's interim editor Mark Hansford last night scooped a prestigious journalism award.
Highways Agency shelves M60 hard shoulder running scheme
19-Nov-2013Doubts about the future of major new road improvements surfaced this week after the Highways Agency shelved plans to introduce hard shoulder running on the M60.
New London airport could be built in seven years
19-Nov-2013The "Boris Island" airport in the Thames estuary could be built in seven years at a cost of £47bn, it was revealed last week.
Call to end 'exploitation' of Qatar construction workers
19-Nov-2013Qatar's construction sector is rife with abuse, its workers suffer "serious exploitation" and employers must stop it, says a new report published by human rights charity Amnesty International.
NCE Live News Updates Monday 18 November 2013: Qatar construction workers exploitation call to action; Typhoon aid effort continues
18-Nov-2013This morning brings more news from the Philippines as the UK's military vehicles arrive to lend their support after last week's typhoon but there's worrying news from elsewhere abroad this morning as work formally begins on Word Cup stadiums, Amnesty International calls on construction firms working in Qatar to take action over what it says is widespread and "serious exploitation" of workers.
NCE Live News Updates Thursday 14 November 2013: Atkins' profits up; Environment Agency warns of winter flood risk
14-Nov-2013Atkins posts positive half year results this morning but the coming months could be bumpy for those at risk of flooding, says the Environment Agency.
HS2 Ltd gives details of £10bn worth of contracts for phase one
14-Nov-2013High speed rail project promoter HS2 Ltd last week set out details of over £10bn worth of contracts for the first phase of the High Speed 2 scheme to a supply chain conference in Birmingham.
NCE Live News Updates Wednesday 13 November 2013: Typhoon death toll estimates revised down; RedR prepares to send team
13-Nov-2013RedR has said it preparing to said a training team to the Philippines as more information comes through about the state of the roads and the extent of housing that has been damaged. In other news, Balfour Beatty is set for a major US rail contract win.
NCE Live News Updates Tuesday 12 November 2013: Typhoon Haiyan aid effort steps up as death toll hits 1,774
12-Nov-2013The aid effort for the millions affected by Typhoon Haiyan is stepping up today. Estimates of the numbers affected in the Philippines have risen from 4M to 7M; some 1,774 have been confirmed dead with the actual figure feared to be as high as 10,000.
NCE Live Updates Friday 8 November 2013: Construction output on the rise but infrastructure lagging; Offshore demo site receives consents
8-Nov-2013The latest official statistics on construction have come out today. While it's good news for construction generally – mostly due to housing and private sector work picking up – infrastructure is still lagging compared to the same period last year.
Heathrow steps up hub airport campaign
8-Nov-2013Heathrow Airport this week fought back against suggestions that Britain does not need a major hub airport at which passengers and freight change flights.
NCE Live News Updates Thursday 7 November 2013: Morgan Sindall margins under pressure
7-Nov-2013Morgan Sindall has revealed that construction revenue and margins remain under pressure.
NCE Live News Updates Wednesday 6 November 2013: HS2 sets out first phase to suppliers
6-Nov-2013Scheme promoter High Speed 2 Ltd has held its first supplier day for the £17bn first phase of work from London to Birmingham.
NCE Live News Updates Monday 4 November 2013: Report rules out London constellation airport plan; Cameron calls for HS2 savings
4-Nov-2013The start of the week and major transport infrastructure is in the news. Heathrow Airport has commissioned research that rejects proposals for splitting London's hub airport capacity while prime minister David Cameron has called on incoming High Speed 2 (HS2) Ltd boss David Higgins to follow through on his commitment to deliver the £42.6bn scheme more cheaply.
NCE Live News Updates Thursday 24 October 2013: ACE research points to £12.2bn cost of roads underinvestment
24-Oct-2013A study suggests that underinvestment in roads could cause unnecessary costs of £27bn per year by 2040; meanwhile more of High Speed 2 (HS2) is to be tunnelled.
NCE Live News Updates Tuesday 22 October 2013: Contractor sought for £357M Dartford Crossing system; UK Guarantees prequals 12 new schemes
22-Oct-2013As the realisation sets in that Hinkley Point C is finally given the green light, the scheme that is credited with playing a crucial role in its approval – UK Guarantees – is revealed to have 12 new additions.
Confusion over taxpayers' liability for Hinkley C costs
22-Oct-2013Uncertainty surrounded taxpayer liability for construction of the £16bn Hinkley Point C nuclear plant this week after the government agreed an energy price guarantee deal with French energy giant EdF.
Bouygues/Laing reconfirmed as Hinkley C contractor
22-Oct-2013A Bouygues/Laing O'Rourke joint venture has been reconfirmed as preferred delivery partner for construction of the new nuclear plant at Hinkley Point C.
NCE Live News Updates Tuesday 15 October 2013: Skanska/Bam Nuttall wins Northern Hub civils job
15-Oct-2013Skanska/Bam Nuttall have won an around £200M contract for civils work on the North West rail scheme, NCE understands.
Skanska/Bam Nuttall wins Ordsall Chord rail job
15-Oct-2013A Skanska/Bam Nuttall joint venture has won a key Northern Hub railway scheme contract worth around £200M, NCE understands.
Japanese railways: this is tomorrow calling
15-Oct-2013While the UK debates in great detail what it might and mightn't like about High Speed 2 (HS2), there are grander visions being explored for high speed rail travel on the world stage. And they threaten to undermine the UK's ambition to lead the development of innovative railway technology.
Global push for Japanese high speed rail standards
15-Oct-2013A new international forum is to lead efforts to drive higher safety standards into high speed railways across the world.
Your guide to what's happening in geotechnics
10-Oct-2013Welcome to NCE's roundup to all things geotechnical this month featuring expert comment from the Federation of Piling Specialists chairman Jim De Waele and major milestones from the mega-rail project – understood to be Europe's largest – Crossrail.
Highways Agency awards major maintenance contract to Amey
10-Oct-2013Contractor Amey has won its second Asset Support Contract (ASC) deal with the Highways Agency worth £200M over five years.
Chinese plan for Crystal Palace revival aims to emulate fast-tracked Olympic delivery
10-Oct-2013An ambitious £500M plan to rebuild Crystal Palace in newly restored parkland in south London aims to emulate an Olympics style delivery method so it can be delivered as early as 2018, it was revealed last week.
Armitt's call for infrastructure body rejected
3 October 2013A high profile proposal for an independent infrastructure delivery body was dismissed by Treasury chief secretary Danny Alexander at the ICE conference.
Minister hints at High Speed 2 bill delays
3 October 2013Treasury chief secretary Danny Alexander last week cast fresh doubts over whether the government will be able to keep its promise to pass the High Speed 2 (HS2) hybrid bill before the next General Election.
Use developer cash to fund tunnels in London says TfL boss
3 October 2013London boroughs and developers should work together to argue the case for building more new roads in tunnel, the capital's transport boss said speaking at the ICE transport conference.
The Gallery: Hydro venue opens in Glasgow
1-Oct-2013A new £125M venue opened in Glasgow yesterday. The SSE Hydro was built on the site of the former Queen's Dock and will host major music, entertainment and sporting events.
The Gallery: King's Cross prepares for big reveal
26-Sep-2013NCE visited King's Cross this week ahead of the formal opening of the public square in front of the refurbished station, which began its big reveal last year in time for the Olympic Games.
Live News Updates Thursday 26 September 2013: King's Cross Square set to open; Higgins calls for cross-party HS2 support
26-Sep-2013London's King's Cross prepares for its big reveal as the final work completes on the facade and public square and the final effects are revealed to the public this morning. Newly appointed High Speed 2 chairman and soon to be former Network Rail chief executive David Higgins is expected to attend the opening.
Flamanville: Nuclear learning curve
12 September 2013While the policy to adopt new nuclear electricity generation nudges slowly along in the UK, across the Channel a milestone has been reached on the first nuclear plant to be built in France for 15 years. Alexandra Wynne reports from Flamanville as it enters its final construction phase.
Latest London power tunnel phase completes
5 September 2013The latest phase of work on the London Power Tunnels was completed eight days ahead of schedule, it emerged this week.
Highways Agency awards delayed maintenance contract
3-Sep-2013The Highways Agency has today revealed that it has awarded the delayed Area 6 asset support contract (ASC) to contractor Amey.
Picture story: Foundations work underway on £20M station revamp
28-Aug-2013Refurbishment of Northampton railway station has started, with work on the building's foundation piles now underway.
The Gallery: London's Admiralty Arch set for makeover as hotel and private club
28-Aug-2013Westminster City Council last week granted developer Prime Investors Capital planning permission that paves the way for London's Admiralty Arch to open to the public.
Trawsfynydd decommissioning reaches halfway point
28-Aug-2013Decommissioning of Wales' first nuclear power station Trawsfynydd has passed the halfway point.
Network Rail closes in on spending determination
28-Aug-2013Network Rail was this week in final discussions with the Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) ahead of the regulator making its final decisions on future rail spending.
Ferrovial Agroman and Lagan preferred bidder on £415M Scottish motorway
28-Aug-2013The Scottish Roads Partnership formed of Amey parent firm Ferrovial Agroman and Lagan has been revealed as preferred bidder on a major £415M motorway scheme.
Work begins to stabilise Cotswold cutting
22-Aug-2013Network Rail last week started work to stabilise a large cutting adjacent to Chipping Camden railway tunnel.
Procurement woes hamper Brazil high speed rail line
22-Aug-2013Procurement of Brazil's beleaguered Rio de Janeiro to Sao Paulo high speed rail line has been hampered by a new delay, it emerged last week.
US Hyperloop aims to challenge high speed rail
22-Aug-2013A super-fast tubular transport system has been mooted as a viable alternative to high speed rail in California by US-based entrepreneur Elon Musk.
Minister opens major wind farm
16-Aug-2013The second largest offshore wind farm in the world officially opened last week off the coast of Suffolk.
Thames seeks price rise to raise sewer funds
16-Aug-2013Thames Water has submitted a request to regulator Ofwat to allow it to increase bills within the current control period to cover the cost of land purchases for its new super sewer.
The gallery: Arup team oversees first bridge to use new design software
16-Aug-2013Late last month a team of eight volunteers from consultant Arup flew out to Rwanda to help build the first bridge to use new software aimed at developing nations.
Italian-led team to build Libya's new coast road
16-Aug-2013An Italian consortium led by construction giant Salini Impregilo Group has won a €963M (£822M) contract to build the first section of the new Libyan coastal motorway, it was revealed last week.
UK firms named in Sandy design competition
16-Aug-2013Major European and UK consultants are among the teams selected this week to work up resilience plans for US cities in the wake of Superstorm Sandy.
Northern Hub rail special: All points head north
9-Aug-2013While debate continues over the benefits of connecting major cities via the proposed High Speed 2 link, northern cities are already on their way to seeing a renaissance in railways as the Northern Hub scheme unfurls.
Spanish train crash probe centres on interface between two signalling systems
7-Aug-2013Spanish investigators are considering whether a railway signalling system failure could have contributed to a catastrophic train crash that killed 79 people late last month.
Government to reform Highways Agency in this parliament: Hammond
11-Jul-2013The government will reform the Highways Agency within this parliament, transport minister Stephen Hammond has pledged.
High Speed 2 cost row triggers battle for credibility
8-Jul-2013Government plans to boost confidence in High Speed 2 by publishing revised costs for the mega-scheme have backfired and now threaten to derail it, senior industry experts said last week.
Swansea tidal lagoon scheme heads out for consultation
4-Jul-2013Plans for a "world first" tidal power lagoon in Swansea Bay with the potential for generating electricity equivalent to the city's entire domestic energy demand have gone out to public consultation.
Road spending boost depends on user charging
1-Jul-2013A revolution in the government's strategy for road funding is urgently needed if industry is to reap the benefits of plans to reform the Highways Agency, senior industry experts told NCE this week.
Osborne set to boost roads cash
24-Jun-2013Chancellor George Osborne is this week expected to boost transport funding while continuing to rein in other central government spending in his annual comprehensive spending review.
ICE calls for independent infrastructure body
20-Jun-2013Ministers should set up an independent infrastructure commission to develop a robust, long term transport strategy immune from political interference, the ICE said this week.
New York style park for South Bank
18-Jun-2013A proposal by Erect Architecture and landscape architect J&L Gibbons has won a competition to regenerate a section of the South Bank in London.
Urban conversion: the shape of things to come?
18-Jun-2013New York's fêted High Line urban park has hit the London headlines twice in as many weeks with the unveiling of plans for an iconic new bridge across the Thames and a new public space in Vauxhall.
Cameron urges civil service to innovate
17-Jun-2013The government must do more to combat the risk averse culture in the civil service to ensure procurement innovation is encouraged, prime minister David Cameron said on Friday.
IUK to step up its cost cutting drive
17-Jun-2013Treasury body Infrastructure UK (IUK) has this week pledged to step up its efforts to seek savings from UK private sector and local authority projects.
Boris plan for new Thames 'garden' bridge revealed
13-Jun-2013London mayor Boris Johnson is backing proposals for an iconic new "garden" bridge across the Thames, similar to New York's High Line elevated park, NCE can exclusively reveal.
A cure for the blame game
6-Jun-2013The effects of lingering economic doldrums will inevitably be felt in countless ways, but recent events suggest they may be triggering an increasingly aggressive and adversarial approach to doing business in the construction industry.
Only two UK consultants make Fehmarn shortlist
3-Jun-2013British firms have failed to make their mark on the £4.4bn Fehmarnbelt crossing scheme with just two consultants named among the many firms shortlisted for the key works this week.
Pension funds not a 'panacea' to under-investment in infrastructure, says expert
29-May-2013Pension funds are not the solution to the problem of under-investment in infrastructure, a senior pensions expert told the Association for Consultancy and Engineering centenary conference last week.
Up to 200 jobs to go at Black & Veatch as water workload sinks
28-May-2013US engineering giant Black & Veatch is to make up to 200 people redundant in the UK in response to falling workloads, NCE can reveal.
Dragados and Costain/Vinci face head to head battle for £600M Bank job
28-May-2013Dragados and a Costain/Vinci joint venture are to battle it out to be preferred bidder for London Underground's (LU's) complex £600M Bank station upgrade, NCE can exclusively reveal.
Minister pledges electricity strike price before summer
24-May-2013Agreement in principle over the price of electricity to be generated by renewable and low carbon sources will be reached before the summer recess, chief secretary to the Treasury Danny Alexander has pledged.
HS2 chief engineer rails against construction inefficiency
21-May-2013High Speed 2's (HS2) chief engineer has heaped criticism on high costs of infrastructure in the UK and set out ways that his scheme will keep costs down.
MPs back third and fourth runway for Heathrow
13-May-2013MPs this week attacked the idea that building a hub airport in the Thames Estuary hub airport can solve the UK's aviation crisis.
Consultation key to Manchester station link
10-May-2013Network Rail this week embarked upon its final consultation phase for a critical new viaduct connecting the key Manchester city centre stations.
Network Rail to prioritise sustainable bids
3-May-2013Network Rail is to prioritise sustainability in such a way that complying bidders could win major projects work even if they came in with the highest price, NCE has learned.
West London tunnel for High Speed 2
1-May-2013Government high speed rail project promoter HS2 Limited is to build part of the London section of the High Speed 2 (HS2) line to the North in tunnel rather than at ground level.
Four arrests after rail contract fraud investigation
18 April 2013British Transport Police (BTP) has made four arrests as part of an investigation into an alleged contract fraud involving Network Rail, it confirmed to NCE this week.
Hope Springs for Plant
10-Apr-2013A new materials company with an 800-strong workforce has quietly but assuredly entered the UK construction market. Alexandra Wynne speaks exclusively to Hope Construction Materials chief executive Chris Plant.
Four arrests made in rail contracts probe
9-Apr-2013British Transport Police (BTP) has made four arrests in relation to an investigation into an alleged contract fraud involving Network Rail, it confirmed to NCE today.
Kier gains access to May Gurney's books ahead of offer decision
4-Apr-2013Contractor Kier has today said that it has gained access to and is looking through the books of contractor May Gurney as part of its due diligence ahead of deciding whether it wants to make an offer for the firm.
Costain to buy May Gurney in all-share merger deal
27-Mar-2013Contractor Costain is set to buy fellow contractor May Gurney in a £178M, all-share merger deal that will see the combined group named Costain May Gurney, it was announced last night.
Government accepts the need for Crossrail 2, says London mayor
21-Mar-2013The Treasury is in principle supportive of the proposed Crossrail 2 scheme, London mayor Boris Johnson said yesterday.
Budget 2013: Industry welcomes additional money but pleads for greater clarity
20-Mar-2013Industry responded with vigour to chancellor George Osborne's 2013 Budget statement, swaying somewhere between welcoming the extra annual £3bn spend on infrastructure from 2015/16 and pleading for more detail on where the money will go.
Budget 2013: Chancellor claws £3bn savings to divert into infrastructure from 2015/16
20-Mar-2013Chancellor George Osborne's Budget has today revealed plans to claw back additional savings across government departments in the current spending period to divert £3bn per year into growth-stimulating infrastructure projects from 2015/16.
CBI urges Osborne to fast track road and rail
13-Mar-2013The government should focus on fast-tracking four or five of its 40 priority infrastructure projects, business leaders said last week.
Picking through procurement perils
7 March 2013That guardian of taxpayer value for money, the Commons public accounts committee, added its voice last week to the growing hubbub questioning whether government departments are truly qualified to procure our infrastructure services.
EdF seeks direct employers for nuclear work
7 March 2013Energy giant EdF has stressed the importance it places on the use of directly employed managers and site workers to firms bidding for work on its Hinkley Point C project.
Rights issue to shore up Severfield Rowen
7 March 2013Structural steel giant Severfield- Rowen is proposing a £47.9M rights issue in an attempt to reduce its debt after reporting losses in 2012.
West Coast franchise failures could be repeated - MPs
28 February 2013MPs have warned that failings in the cancelled West Coast Main Line train operating franchise competition could recur and undermine the High Speed 2 and Thameslink franchise competitions.
Glendoe power station restarts
25 October 2012A public exhibition last weekend formally marked the restart of the 100MW Glendoe hydroelectric plant in Scotland.
Recycling plants may see new regulations for fire and building
23 August 2012Building Regulations and fire safety standards must be amended to force recycling plants to introduce fire suppression systems, a leading industry expert has told NCE in the aftermath of a major fire in London last week.
Gem bridge: Back to the future
9 August 2012A new Brunel influenced bridge across a secluded valley in Dartmoor National Park is about to help strengthen transport links with France.
Boston Manor viaduct will be replaced, says minister
19 July 2012Ministers are seeking a long term replacement for the troubled Boston Manor viaduct following last week's dramatic closure of a vital section of the M4 because of a worsening cracking problem, NCE can reveal.
Mixed market
19 July 2012Launch of Volvo Construction Equipment's new pipelayer signals its eagerness to exploit healthy markets amid continuing turbulence in Europe. Alexandra Wynne reports.
Cracks trigger closure of second Olympic route bridge: full report
10-Jul-2012Engineers were this week scrambling to finish urgent repairs to Boston Manor viaduct in west London in a desperate effort to reopen a vital section of the M4 in time for Olympics traffic.
Flood waters cause concern in South West
7-Jul-2012Environment Agency emergency teams were at Yealmpton on Saturday to help deal with flooding as a severe flood warning came into force for the River Yealm between Cornwood and Yealmpton.
Worsening cracking problem closes M4 between London and Heathrow
7-Jul-2012The identification of a new crack on the damaged Boston Manor viaduct has forced the closure of the M4 between London and Heathrow airport – a key section along the Olympic Route Network – for up to five days, the Highways Agency announced today.
Infrastructure needs visionaries not economists, says Armitt
28 June 2012Making the economic case for major infrastructure is fruitless and can be no substitute for "visionary" political backing, the boss of the London 2012 Games delivery said last week.
HS2 bill must provide for Crossrail 2, says TfL boss
28 June 2012Provision for Crossrail 2 must be made in the Hybrid Bill for the first phase of the High Speed 2 line to ensure Euston station is not forced to close under the pressure of overcrowding, Transport for London managing director of planning Michèle Dix said last week.
London needs new sources of transport cash
28 June 2012Investment in improvements to London's transport network is half what it should be, Transport for London managing director of planning Michèle Dix told the conference.
Heathrow third runway 'best option' for long-term growth, says Parsons Brinckerhoff study
26-Jun-2012A third runway at Heathrow is most likely the best option for long-term hub capacity growth, according to a study into south east airport capacity published this week.
Global water shortages emerge as engineers' greatest concern
31 May 2012More than a third of engineers fear that global water shortages and economic meltdowns pose the greatest threat to civilisation in the coming 40 years, according to the findings of a survey by NCE.
Olympic Park sculpture tower nears completion
17 May 2012Site workers were this week beginning to put the finishing touches to the Olympic Park's £22.7M ArcelorMittal Orbit as the sculpture was prepared for handover to the Olympic legacy organisation.
Orbit observation: Preview from the top of the Olympic Park sculpture
16-May-2012Last week saw the official unveiling of the ArcelorMittal Orbit sculpture and visitor attraction on the Olympic Park in London. A gathering of invited guests and press were able to take in the views from the top. Here, NCE takes a look at how the UK's tallest sculpture came to life.
Mersey Gateway promoter confirms commitment to cable stayed bridge
03 May 2012The promoter of the Mersey Gateway crossing this week restated its commitment to building an "iconic" cable-stayed structure.
Steve Fox: On the margin
03 May 2012Bam Nuttall has bagged significant high profile, large value work in the past year. But chief executive Steve Fox tells Alexandra Wynne that the industry must do more to stave off the tough times that loom.
No.9 Thames Barrier
2-May-2012As one of the world's largest movable flood barriers in the world, the Thames Barrier already qualifies for a high class status, but its elegant stainless steel clad exterior has ensured it also become one of London's most iconic structures.
Atkins drawn into dispute over Cambridgeshire guided busway
1-May-2012Contractor Bam Nuttall this week refuted a £55M claim made against it by Cambridgeshire County Council for delays to its guided busway scheme and issued its own £43M counterclaim.
Panama Canal programme defended
26 April 2012The massive $5.25bn (£3.3bn) Panama Canal Expansion scheme will open on time despite a six month construction delay, a senior programme manager claimed last week.
High Speed 2 case further undermined
19 April 2012Backers of the controversial High Speed 2 (HS2) scheme were dealt a blow this week with news that its economic benefits had been revised down for the second time since January.
Christchurch gets cardboard cathedral
19 April 2012Officials this week approved plans for a transitional "cardboard" structure to replace the earthquake-ruined 131 year old Anglican Cathedral in the New Zealand city of Christchurch.
Confirmed: Arup, Atkins, Motts and Capita win High Speed 2 civils contracts
5-Apr-2012Scheme promoter High Speed 2 Ltd has just confirmed that consultants Arup, Atkins, Mott MacDonald and Capita Symonds have won the remaining four civil and structural design contracts worth £49M in total.
Consultants File: Halcrow staff cuts hit over 1,000
5 April 2012Embattled consultant Halcrow cut staff numbers by over 1,000 and saw its fee earnings fall 16% in the last year, according to exclusive figures revealed by NCE's Consultants File published this week.
Cracks found in key Olympic Road Network bridge
5 April 2012Urgent inspections were taking place this week to work out how to repair cracks on a crucial M4 motorway structure in London in time for the Olympic Games.
Arup, Mott MacDonald, Atkins and Capita tipped for High Speed 2 civils contracts
3-Apr-2012Consultants Arup, Mott MacDonald, Atkins and Capita Symonds are expected to be formally revealed as the winners of the four remaining lucrative civil and structural design contracts, NCE understands.
Blow for new nuclear as RWE and Eon confirm withdrawal from Horizon
29-Mar-2012Energy giants RWE and Eon have pulled out of their joint venture Horizon and will no longer pursue new nuclear projects in the UK, it has been confirmed.
Fehmarnbelt bidders could be compensated
29 March 2012Joint venture partners seeking work on the €5.5bn (£4.6bn) Fehmarnbelt Fixed Link immersed tunnel between Denmark and Germany could be compensated for tender work if their bids are unsuccessful.
Fehmarnbelt crossing on hunt for bidders
29 March 2012Scheme promoter Femern has kicked off a scramble for work on Europe's €5.5bn (£4.6bn) Fehmarnbelt mega project that will link Germany and Denmark via a vast 18km long, 42m wide immersed tube tunnel.
Innovation will be key to securing place on Fehmarnbelt scheme
29-Mar-2012Bidders for the Fehmarnbelt link tunnelling contracts will be required to come up with innovative industrialised processes for standard element production, project bosses said last week.
More key High Speed 2 design contracts imminent
16-Mar-2012Scheme promoter High Speed 2 Ltd is on the verge of awarding key design contracts to enable its progress towards a hybrid bill, NCE understands.
King's Cross crowned
15 March 2012Not to be outdone by the recent stunning revival of its neighbour St Pancras, this week King's Cross station begins to unveil the restored jewels of its past and some intricate and grand new additions. Alexandra Wynne reports.
Power cuts loom as inertia delays nuclear decisions
15 March 2012Leading UK scientists this week slammed government inertia regarding the development of new nuclear power stations.
Balfour Beatty seeks more takeovers
15 March 2012Balfour Beatty's growth strategy will continue to focus on acquisition opportunities, chief operating officer Andrew McNaughton said last week.
Balfour Beatty underlying pre-tax profits jump 9%
8-Mar-2012Contractor Balfour Beatty witnessed a 9% increase in underlying pre-tax profit in the year to 31 December 2011 and reports a stable order book bolstered by the announcement today of a HK$6.2bn (£507M) contract win by one of its major consortiums in Hong Kong.
Costain reports steady order book as pre-tax profit takes a small hit
7-Mar-2012Contractor costain today revealed that its pre-tax profts for 2011 dipped slightly to £25.5M compared with £27.9M for the previous year while its order book remained steady at £2.5bn, compared with £2.4bn previously.
Welsh government proposes new tunnel for Brynglas bottleneck
7-Mar-2012The Welsh Government yesterday launched a consultation on new plans to tackle the notorious bottleneck at Brynglas with a major online widening scheme that would include a new tunnel on the M4, near Newport in south Wales.
Network Rail pleads guilty over Grayrigg disaster
1-Mar-2012Rail infrastructure operator and owner Network Rail yesterday pleaded guilty to health and safety breaches over the 2007 Grayrigg train crash that killed one person and injured 86 people.
Global infrastructure investment faces crisis
1-Mar-2012Global infrastructure is facing a crisis, suffering from severe underinvestment, a lack of high level strategic vision and a paucity of robust finance models, senior industry figures warned last week.
UK is 'open for business' to foreign investors, says infrastructure boss
24-Feb-2012Treasury body Infrastructure UK (IUK) chief executive yesterday proclaimed the UK to be open for business and said he wanted to attract infrastructure investment from abroad, as well as from UK sources such as pension funds.
Crossrail will only be fully operational in late 2019, say bosses
22-Feb-2012Crossrail bosses yesterday confirmed that full services on the new railway would only beginning running in late 2019.
Bond Street Crossrail contract award pushed back to 2013
14-Feb-2012The £200M construction contract for Crossrail's Bond Street station has been postponed until the beginning of next year, a new report reveals.
Clients can generate the most construction cost savings, says Morrell
10-Feb-2012Clients must improve how they procure from the supply chain if they are to contribute what will likely be the biggest savings to be made in construction costs, the government's chief construction adviser Paul Morrell said this week.
Business reignites call for third Heathrow runway
1-Feb-2012Business leaders have slammed the government's decision to rule out the construction of a third runway at Heathrow airport as "negligent".
MPs criticise government over lack of clarity on flood defence funding
31-Jan-2012MPs today criticised the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) for doing little to dispel uncertainty over who holds ultimate responsibility for protecting homes from flooding.
Doubts arise about ambitious Thames Hub delivery schedule
26-Jan-2012Transport experts this week refuted suggestions that a new Thames Estuary airport could be delivered in a decade or less.
Ministers push ahead with High Speed 2 to Birmingham
26-Jan-2012Britain's £32bn High Speed 2 (HS2) line remains viable even though the economic case for the project has worsened, transport experts and politicians said this week.
Energy infrastructure at 'significant' risk of flooding
26-Jan-2012Energy infrastructure is under significant threat from flooding, partly induced by climate change, and a National Adaptation Programme (NAP) is vital to overcoming its vulnerability, the government said yesterday.
Infrastructure 2012: Thinking along the right lines
20-Jan-2012The rail industry in 2012 looks set to reward great partnering with myriad lucrative contracts on offer.
Controversial Estuary airport plan to go out to consultation
18-Jan-2012Proposals for building a new London airport in the Thames Estuary will be put out to consultation in the spring, it has been confirmed.
Northern Line Extension cost grows to £900M as developer funding threatened
18-Jan-2012The proposed Northern Line Extension in south London to serve Nine Elms and Battersea is likely to cost between £800M to £900M, it was revealed yesterday.
Highways Agency spending cuts will affect maintenance standards, says DfT
17-Jan-2012Senior Department for Transport (DfT) civil servants yesterday told MPs that standards would be affected by road maintenance spending cuts but asserted that the network would not degrade under the plans.
Government failed to ensure Network Rail savings, say MPs
17-Jan-2012MPs yesterday heaped criticism on the Department for Transport for failing to induce substantial savings from Network Rail for this spending period.
Hammersmith flyover repairs to last 'decades'
17-Jan-2012Repairs to the severe damage suffered by the Hammersmith flyover will ensure a longer term fix for the problems than previously thought, Transport for London's (TfL's) surface transport boss said today.
Infrastructure 2012: Keeping the economy growing
13-Jan-2012While the country languishes in the economic doldrums the question on the mind of civil engineers is this: will 2012 be the year that an infrastructure led recovery begins to take hold?
Rail regulator prosecutes Network Rail for 'serious' health and safety breach over Grayrigg
13-Jan-2012The Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) has today started criminal proceedings against rail infrastructure owner and operator Network Rail for a breach of health and safety law which caused a train to derail near Grayrigg, Cumbria in 2007.
Infrastructure 2012: Making the complexities simple
12-Jan-2012One of the great question marks hovering over 2012 is to what degree - good or bad - proposed changes will affect the complex issue of planning in the UK.
High Speed 2: The NCE guide
12-Jan-2012The decision by transport secretary Justine Greening to go ahead with the High Speed 2 scheme with some modifications to the route is the latest step forward for the mega-rail scheme.
Deephams: Thames Water's defining moment
12 January 2012Early contractor involvement is seen by Thames Water as the key to its plan to upgrade sewage treatment standards at its Deephams works in north London.
High Speed 2: Economic benefits revised down for second time in a year
11-Jan-2012The government yesterday revealed that it had revised down the economic benefits of a High Speed railway between London, the West Midlands, Manchester and Leeds for the second time in a year, but it confirmed its commitment to going ahead with the now £32.7M scheme.
Government gives green light to High Speed 2
10-Jan-2012Transport secretary Justine Greening has today given her backing to an amended High Speed 2 scheme that includes additional tunnelling through the Chilterns and other sensitive locations at an extra cost of £700M.
Thames Water seeks ECI model for major treatment works upgrade
3-Jan-2012Water company Thames Water is seeking early contractor involvement (ECI) for a major new scheme to upgrade its Deephams sewage works in Enfield, north London.
Serious structural defect forces closure of A4 Hammersmith Flyover
23-Dec-2011A "serious structural defect" on the Hammersmith Flyover on the strategically vital London A4 route has forced its immediate closure, Transport for London (TfL) revealed today.
Infrastructure 2012: Bring on the tunnelling machines
15 December 2011Crossrail programme director Andy Mitchell is in festive spirit - the project is on the cusp of its most exciting12 months yet.
Chilterns concerns delay High Speed 2 decision
08 December 2011The crucial ministerial decision over whether to proceed with the £32bn High Speed 2 scheme has been delayed until 2012 while options for upping environmental protection of the Chilterns are considered.
Osborne puts roads back on the agenda
08 December 2011Road building was this week back on the government's agenda after £1.25bn worth of schemes were given the green light in chancellor Gorge Osborne's Autumn Statement.
Plan to pool pension cash for infrastructure
08 December 2011A new financial vehicle enabling UK pensions to pool their funds to invest in infrastructure is "very near to being set up", Treasury officials insisted last week.
New boost for TfL's Tube cooling plan
01 December 2011Transport for London (TfL) this week called for firms to help develop a concept design to air condition the Bakerloo, Piccadilly and Central deep Tube lines.
Autumn Statement 2011: £5bn boost for infrastructure now plus £5bn more in next parliament; UK needs 'lasting investment'
29-Nov-2011Chancellor George Osborne today confirmed that the government had identified £5bn extra for infrastructure funding for this parliament – including £1bn for Network Rail - and a further £5bn beyond that.
Major contracts awarded for the big Crossrail jobs
24 November 2011Teams comprising Bam Nuttall, Ferrovial and Kier and Balfour Beatty, Morgan Sindall and Vinci are set to be the winners of two of Crossrail's major station works contracts worth around £625M, NCE understands.
Network Rail: Changing track
24 November 2011While the government's rail spending remained steady following last year's Comprehensive Spending Review, Network Rail was already in the midst of a programme of efficiencies. Now the strategy for change being led by Ian Ballentine looks likely to change the face of the organisation for good.
Localism Act removes 'democratic deficit' in planning, says Pitt
22-Nov-2011The new Localism Act has removed the "democratic deficit" in the planning process, Infrastructure Planning Commission (IPC) chairman Sir Michael Pitt said today.
Crossrail awards major station contracts worth around £625M
18-Nov-2011Teams comprising Bam Nuttall, Ferrovial and Kier and Balfour Beatty, Morgan Sindall and Vinci are set to be the winners of two of Crossrail's major station works contracts worth around £625M, NCE understands.
Network Rail reveals structural changes in major efficiency drive
15-Nov-2011Network Rail today began to reveal the full extent of its plan to change the way it delivers capital projects, in a move to make efficiencies in its investment programme and become a more engaged and defined client.
MPs throw weight behind full £32bn plan for High Speed 2
10 November 2011MPs this week dismissed concerns over the reliability of High Speed 2 (HS2) passenger forecasting but warned the scheme must be delivered in full if it is to deliver full economic benefits.
'Highly probable' fracking caused quakes, says report
2-Nov-2011It is "highly probable" that the controversial process of hydraulic fracturing to create shale gas off the coast of Blackpool triggered two earthquakes earlier this year, a report revealed today.
Rail punctuality down 1.3% on last year, Network Rail reports
28-Oct-2011Punctuality on trains dropped to 91.5% between 18 September and 15 October (period 7) compared with 92.8% for the same period in 2010, Network Rail revealed today.
Recovery is three years away, say infrastructure chiefs
27 October 2011Industry leaders fear that UK civil engineering workloads will stagnate next year and that the negative effects could be felt for up to three years.
New transport secretary confirms opposition to major airport expansion
20-Oct-2011New transport secretary Justine Greening yesterday confirmed that she had no intention of overturning government policy blocking new runways at London's Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted airports.
New Mouchel Rail owner Sinclair Knight Merz seeks expansion in UK
20-Oct-2011The new owner of Mouchel's rail business, Australian firm Sinclair Knight Merz (SKM), has said the acquisition bolsters its plan to expand in the UK transport market.
Olympian legacy: John Armitt
20 October 2011As the Olympic Delivery Authority makes its final preparations for next year's Games, chairman John Armitt talks to NCE about its engineering legacy.
Armitt calls for greater unity over planning infrastructure
20 October 2011Government and major clients must rise above political point scoring and plan for long-term infrastructure development, Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) chairman John Armitt said this week.
Consultant Mouchel sells rail business to pay down debts
19-Oct-2011Consultant Mouchel today revealed that it is to sell its rail business to consultant Sinclair Knight Merz (SKM) for £3.4M cash.
Infrastructure Show: Chief engineer says High Speed 2 is for the masses
18-Oct-2011High Speed 2 will be a transit system for the masses and not simply for a few rich people, the project's chief engineer said today.
Troubled Mouchel hires new chief executive — but loses its chairman
13-Oct-2011Troubled consultant Mouchel has installed a new chief executive, a week after predecessor Richard Cuthbert quit amid an £8.6M accounting black hole that saw Mouchel's shares plummet 45% to just 17p.
Crisis for Mouchel as shares dive and Cuthbert quits
11-Oct-2011Consultant Mouchel was this week looking to sell off significant parts of its business in a bid to cut its £87M debt and avoid going into administration.
Mouchel shares plummet as boss quits following massive accounting error
6-Oct-2011Mouchel's share price plummeted today following the firm's announcement that chief executive Richard Cuthbert has quit after an "actuarial error" that mistakenly suggested the firm was to make £4.3M more on a one-off contract than it will.
Deputy prime minister pledges to break down Whitehall barriers to infrastructure
14-Sep-2011Deputy prime minister Nick Clegg today pledged to remove Whitehall barriers to infrastructure projects and give 40 of the biggest, most important schemes "special priority status".
HS2 passenger forecasts are 'conservative', MPs told
14-Sep-2011Passenger forecasts for High Speed 2 are conservative and the mega-rail project continues to promise substantial economic benefits, MPs were told yesterday.
NCE's hot topics: World Trade Center ten years on - have the lessons been learnt?
8-Sep-2011NCE's hot topics email this week is absorbed by the one story that is hitting the headlines — 10 years on from the unthinkable World Trade Center collapse what has changed.
UK roads and aviation infrastructure of concern to businesses, says survey
8-Sep-2011Government policy is too light on developing roads and aviation infrastructure and blocks major schemes, according to the findings of a survey released today.
Change the economics to preserve tall buildings, say experts
8-Sep-2011A change of perceived economics of tall buildings could preserve their future, industry experts said today.
WTC ten years on: Experts admit slow progress in applying the lessons of 9/11
8-Sep-2011Much more must to be done to protect super-tall buildings and their inhabitants from another 9/11 style catastrophe, leading structural engineers told NCE in the week that marks 10 years since the shocking terrorist attacks.
WTC ten years on: Learning from the unthinkable
7-Sep-2011The 9/11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in New York have forced engineers to rethink tall building design.
More MPs add voices to PFI criticism
1-Sep-2011Government has failed to ensure value for money from PFI arrangements and has treated the financing mechanism as the "only game in town", MPs said today.
Lord Provost to question funding for shorter Edinburgh tram
30-Aug-2011Lord Provost George Grubb has called for a special meeting of the City of Edinburgh Council to review its decision last week to truncate the tram project, in place of the council's earlier plan to go ahead with a slightly longer route.
Worldwide stage collapses trigger calls for safety review
25 August 2011Structures experts said this week that the UK was likely to seek to review its procedures and codes for temporary structures following a month of catastrophic stage collapses worldwide triggered by extreme weather.
Freak storms cause second fatal stage collapse in a week
19-Aug-2011A sudden catastrophic thunder storm last night caused staging to collapse and AV equipment to fall at the Pukkelpop music festival in Belgium, killing five people.
Hochtief suffers massive £300M interim pre-tax loss
18-Aug-2011Contractor Hochtief has suffered a massive pre-tax loss of €350.3M (£305.5M) in the first six months of 2011 against a pre-tax profit of £345.5M for the same period last year, according to figures released yesterday.
Officials investigate fatal US stage collapse
15-Aug-2011US officials yesterday began investigating the circumstances that led to the collapse of a temporary stage at the Indiana State Fair on Saturday, killing five people and injuring others.
Network Rail slashes its framework list
11 August 2011Network Rail has revealed plans to cut its multi-asset framework of 14 firms down to six partnerships in a bid to save up to 20% in costs, and months lost in procurement.
King's Cross station roof revealed
10-Aug-2011Network Rail, consultant Arup, contractor Vinci and architect John McAslan + Partners yesterday unveiled the new Western Concourse roof at King's Cross Station, London.
Costain/Skanska picks up Crossrail Paddington station contract
11-Jul-2011Crossrail has awarded its first central London station contract to a Costain/Skanska joint venture.
Crossrail on the 'cusp' of awarding station contracts
6-Jul-2011Crossrail is "on the cusp" of awarding the first three station contracts, its head of procurement Martin Rowark told NCE's London Rail conference last week.
Soletanche Bachy to buy geotechnical firm Roger Bullivant
24-Jun-2011Piling specialist Roger Bullivant is to be bought by Soletanche Bachy — the parent company of geotechnical firm Bachy Soletanche — for an undisclosed sum.
Resurfacing problem leads to M25 chaos
23 June 2011Contractors on the £6.2bn M25 widening PFI and the Highways Agency were this week reviewing road surfacing procedures after defects forced the closure of two lanes last week.
Faith in new nuclear delivery plummets after Fukushima
09 June 2011Engineers' confidence that the UK will have a new nuclear plant online by 2018 has plunged as a result of the Fukushima disaster and its subsequent fallout, NCE can exclusively reveal.
Report warns of cost threat to roads
02 June 2011England's local roads are under attack from increasing traffic, severe winters, higher repair costs and dwindling highways funding, the local government public spending watchdog said last week.
Over £1bn in savings can be made in rail by 2019, says McNulty report
19-May-2011Transport secretary Philip Hammond last week said that the McNulty rail industry review has identified £1.05bn of savings that could be made by 2019.
Engineers fight Mississippi floods
19 May 2011Engineers were this week watching to see whether US Army Corps attempts to stem the floods from the Mississippi River would give enough protection to densely populated areas.
Herrenknecht machines to drive most Crossrail bores
19 May 2011Tunnel boring machine (TBM) manufacturing giant Herrenknecht this week fought off competition to win contracts for all six earth pressure balance (EPB) machines required to bore Crossrail's 21km long running tunnels.
MPs blame transport operators for lack of snow readiness
12 May 2011Infrastructure owners must do more to ensure transport networks keep working in severe weather, MPs said this week.
Consultants cash in on £160M Crossrail bonanza
21 April 2011Crossrail has paid eight consultants over £160M for key civil engineering design contracts in the past two years, NCE can exclusively reveal.
Ramboll buys Gifford
07 April 2011Danish consultant Ramboll has acquired consultant Gifford for an undisclosed sum, it has emerged this week.
Hochtief/Murphy scoops Crossrail Thames tunnel
29-Mar-2011German contracting giant Hochtief in joint venture with J Murphy & Sons has scooped Crossrail's Thames Tunnel contract, NCE can reveal.
Budget 2011: Green Investment Bank to get £2bn boost but borrowing must wait until 2015; Planning reform will help create jobs
23-Mar-2011The Green Investment Bank will receive an additional £2bn funding but borrowing will not begin until 2015, chancellor George Osborne announced in today's Budget.
European nuclear plans on the rocks in wake of Japan disaster
15-Mar-2011British and European nuclear plans have been thrown into disarray in the aftermath of the worsening nuclear power disaster following last week's earthquake and tsunami in Japan.
EdF set to award Hinkley earthworks contract to URS Scott Wilson/Bam Nuttall/Kier JV
11-Mar-2011Energy giant EdF is set to award a significant earthworks contract for new nuclear site Hinkley Point to the URS Scott Wilson/Bam Nuttall/Kier JV, NCE understands.
Arcelormittal Orbit: Mittal's twisted tale
10 March 2011A twisted muddle of steel or an elegant industrial urban sculpture - whatever the judgement on the aesthetic appeal of the new ArcelorMittal Orbit, it is a feat of precision structural engineering.
Olympic Park 'still on track' to meet renewables targets
10 March 2011Legacy bosses for London's Olympic Park this week insisted that targets for renewable energy and venue use remained on track.
Concerns emerge over High Speed Two start date
23-Feb-2011Rail experts this week warned that the construction programme for the High Speed Two line is already in jeopardy, even before public consultation has begun.
Atkins tells staff to work longer week
10 February 2011Britain's biggest consultant Atkins wants some of its staff to work longer hours for the same money, it emerged this week.
'Flawed' M25 PFI to cost taxpayer an extra £1bn
9-Feb-2011MPs this week accused the Highways Agency of taking a "flawed and biased" approach to tackling congestion on the M25 through the use of a privately financed widening concession.
Decision looms for Crossrail Woolwich station box
4-Feb-2011Final agreement on the funding of Crossrail's Woolwich station box was about to be signed off as NCE went to press.
New Crossrail boss should be engineering figure, says Holden
03 February 2011The new Crossrail boss should come from an engineering background rather than project management, outgoing chief executive Rob Holden has said of his future successor.
Mitchell engineers' choice to be Crossrail chief executive
27 January 2011Crossrail programme director Andy Mitchell has emerged as the leading candidate to replace Rob Holden as boss of Europe's largest construction project.
Tube Lines purchase resulted in 700 job cuts, says Hendy
20-Jan-2011Transport for London (TfL) commissioner Peter Hendy yesterday said that 700 jobs had been shed as a result of its purchase of Tube upgrade contractor Tube Lines last summer.
Crossrail chief executive Rob Holden quits
12-Jan-2011Crossrail chief executive Rob Holden has unexpectedly announced his decision to leave the firm after less than two years in charge.
Systemic failures caused BP oil spill, inquiry finds
6-Jan-2011An overarching failure of management combined with engineering mistakes at BP, Halliburton and Transocean led to the Gulf oil spill disaster, according to a scathing inquiry into the disaster.
Infrastructure UK highlights £3bn savings potential
21-Dec-2010The government could save £3bn a year on building and maintaining infrastructure by working more closely with the construction industry, according to Infrastructure UK's (IUK's) final report into the cost of civil engineering.
Government drops Heathrow Hub option for spur on High Speed 2 route
21-Dec-2010Transport secretary Philip Hammond today unveiled plans for a new high speed railway from London to the West Midlands, Manchester and Leeds.
Crossrail boss sets out tunnelling decision
16 December 2010European firms were the big winners in £1.25bn worth of tunnelling contracts awarded by Crossrail this week.
Merged contracts to save Crossrail money
16 December 2010Crossrail this week said it had decided to significantly resequence tunnelling work in the project's western section to save money but delay completion.
European firms big winners for Crossrail tunnel contracts worth £1.25bn
10-Dec-2010European firms are well represented among the winners of £1.25bn worth of tunnelling contracts awarded by Crossrail today.
Eurotunnel unveils secret fire suppression system
25 November 2010Eurotunnel this week revealed that it was close to completing the covert installation and testing of a fire suppression system in the Channel Tunnel.
Boris pushes for new London airport
25 November 2010London mayor Boris Johnson has asked one of the city's transport chiefs to lobby the government over the inclusion of a new hub airport for the Capital in its aviation review.
Mouchel hit by public sector downturn
04 November 2010Consultant Mouchel has confirmed it has cut more than 2,000 jobs since January last year as a result of government spending freezes.
Mind the gaps in planning system
04 November 2010Major projects are under threat from chinks in the planning and authorisation system, senior industry experts warned this week.
Leaked email highlights Cambridgeshire busway row
04 November 2010Further evidence of the breakdown in relations between Cambridgeshire County Council and its guided busway contractor Bam Nuttall emerged this week.
Government promises to unblock project planning
28 October 2010Senior civil servants this week pledged to remove planning obstacles to new major infrastructure projects by the end of the year as it published its first broad commitment to a long term infrastructure investment plan.
Spending review 2010: Roads are losers as Osborne favours rail
28 October 2010The government made clear its preference for rail investment over road improvements in last week's spending review.
Spending review 2010: Devolved funds cut
28 October 2010The devolved governments in Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland were this week preparing to find cuts to their spending plans after chancellor George Osborne announced that he was cutting budgets by 25%.
Clients want better in-house engineering
14 October 2010UK road and rail clients are seeking to cut costs by improving their in-house engineering resources, NCE has learnt.
Catalan cunning
29-Sep-2010Some very small steel fibres have had a massive impact on the construction of Barcelona metro's new Line 9.
Evacuation remains essential to New Orleans flood plans
2 September 2010Engineers this week warned that New Orleans' residents will still have to flee the city in the event of another Hurricane Katrina-style event, despite a massive $15bn (£9.7bn) investment in flood defences.
Post-Katrina project speeds to conclusion
2 September 2010Almost five years to the day since Hurricane Katrina ripped across Louisiana, engineers are bracing themselves for the final phase of works to reduce the risk of storm damage to the city of New Orleans.
Urgent probe into cause of runaway Tube train
13-Aug-2010London Underground (LU) was this week carrying out an urgent investigation after a runaway and defective engineering train caused chaos on the Tube network last week.
Construction underway at Lizard lifeboat station
10-Aug-2010Construction of a state-of-the-art Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) station has begun at The Lizard in Cornwall.
Interserve profits down but construction business holds strong
10-Aug-2010Interserve today reported that profits had fallen from to £27.3M in the six months to 30 June compared with £40M in the same period last year. However, its construction business total operating profit increased from £18.1M to £23.5M in the UK and Middle East.
Councils freed to sell renewables electricity to the Grid
9-Aug-2010Councils across Britain will from next week be allowed to sell renewable electricity to the grid, energy and climate change secretary Chris Huhne will say today in a letter to all local authorities.
Dounreay clean-up moves offshore
6-Aug-2010Dounreay's site closure programme is moving offshore and up a gear to recover more radioactive waste from the seabed off the coast near the reactor at Thurso, north Scotland.
Aecom buys Davis Langdon for £204M in bid to increase programme management offering
5-Aug-2010Global consultant Aecom has bought project management and cost consultant Davis Langdon for $324M (£204M).
IPC receives first formal development consent applications
5-Aug-2010The Infrastructure Planning Commission has just announced that it has received its first formal applications for development consent.
TfL awards £300M Bond Street contract to Costain/Laing O'Rourke JV
4-Aug-2010Transport for London (TfL) has today awarded a Costain/Laing O'Rourke joint venture the £300M redevelopment contract for Bond Street station.
Network Rail seeks external candidates for Coucher replacement
2-Aug-2010Network Rail is looking outside its business to fill the role of chief executive, NCE has learned.
HS2: west London out
27-Jul-2010Transport secretary Philip Hammond last week rejected calls to build a west London terminus and Crossrail interchange for the High Speed 2 (HS2) rail line to the North.
Atkins highways and transportation staff face redundancies
26-Jul-2010Consultant Atkins this week admitted it is having to make redundancies within its highways and transportation business because of impending public sector spending cuts.
Contractor Vinci pulls out of Forth Crossing consortium
23-Jul-2010French contracting giant Vinci Construction Grands Projets has pulled out of the Forthspan joint venture (JV) that is bidding for the Forth Replacement Crossing.
Heathrow Hub fails to make a compelling case, government told.
23-Jul-2010Proposals for a Heathrow hub station on a new high speed rail line fail to make a compelling case, according to a senior government adviser.
Credit crunch has jacked up PFI costs says watchdog
22 July 2010Value for money on bank funded PFI projects took a hit during the recession as a credit shortage led to a 6% to 7% increase in financing costs said the government's spending watchdog.
Ministers fail to answer Crossrail spur questions
8 July 2010Opposition MPs this week urged ministers to answer critical questions about the future of London's £15.9bn Crossrail scheme.
Minister confirms government departments could face 40% cuts
5-Jul-2010Transport secretary Philip Hammond confirmed this weekend that government departments had been ordered to plan for severe spending cuts reaching up to 40%.
Margins safe from civils costs investigation
01 July 2010Consultants and contractors' profit margins look set to escape scrutiny in Infrastructure UK's (IUK) investigation into the high costs of UK civil engineering projects, NCE has learned.
Ex-Soviet Union president urges global climate change action
01 July 2010Leading experts on low carbon economies this week urged governments across the globe to adopt a joined up approach to tackling climate change.
Outgoing rail boss gets £1.25M pay out
01 July 2010Network Rail outgoing chief executive Iain Coucher will walk away with £1.25M in pay and bonuses for 2009/10, the rail infrastructure operator has revealed.
Rail clients in frantic talks to stave off spending cuts
30-Jun-2010Transport ministers have told Network Rail and Transport for London (TfL) that they will find out how much will be cut from their budgets within weeks.
CH2M Hill trumps URS offer for Scott Wilson with £189M bid
28-Jun-2010US-based consultancy giant CH2M Hill has raised the stakes in the Scott Wilson buyout drama with an offer of £189M for the firm.
Outgoing rail chief Coucher to receive £1.25M in pay and bonuses
24-Jun-2010Network Rail outgoing chief executive Iain Coucher will walk away with £1.25M in pay and bonuses for 2009/10, the rail infrastructure owner and operator said today.
Osborne: No more infrastructure spending cuts this year
22-Jun-2010Chancellor George Osborne this week said there would be no more capital spending reductions in the current financial year, saving major infrastructure projects from the public spending axe.
Johnson sticks to his guns over Thames Estuary airport project
17 June 2010London mayor Boris Johnson has refused to back down over his plans to develop an island airport in the Thames Estuary.
London battles transport cuts
17 June 2010London mayor Boris Johnson was this week locked in a battle with the new Conservative-led coalition government over cuts to his transport budget.
Crossrail needs more engineering support, says project boss
16-Jun-2010Supporters of London's Crossrail scheme have called for more to be done to demonstrate the economic value creation of major infrastructure projects.
No taxpayer rescue for Crossrail station
10 June 2010Backers of Crossrail's Woolwich station were this week told there would be no government bailout to supplement any shortfall in private sector funding.
Costly rail capacity improvements will fall short, says National Audit Office
4-Jun-2010Costly rail capacity improvements could fail to deliver on earlier promises, according to a report by the National Audit Office (NAO).
Network Rail reports sharp fall in profits
3-Jun-2010Network Rail today revealed that pre-tax profits over the past year have fallen from £1.52bn to £395M – a drop of almost 75%.
Fight to defend Crossrail
3 June 2010Backers of mega-project Crossrail were this week steeling themselves for a fight against potential cuts to its £15.9bn budget.
Tube Lines sale will see fewer station closures
3 June 2010London Underground (LU) this week claimed that weekend closures for the upgrade of the Northern Line will be slashed following its purchase of upgrade contractor Tube Lines.
Whalsay to Shetland tunnel faces the axe
28-May-2010Plans for an £83M tunnel linking the island of Whalsay to the mainland of Shetland will be scrapped unless costs can be significantly reduced or a subsidy can be found by Shetland Island Council.
Crossrail faces push to cut costs or defer some work
27 May 2010London's £15.9bn Crossrail scheme faces a renewed threat of cuts or delays after new transport secretary Philip Hammond challenged mayor Boris Johnson to prove that it is value for money.
Beleagured Glendoe hydro project needs 1.6km tunnel
27 May 2010Repairing Scotland's £160M Glendoe hydro scheme will involve building 1.6km of drill and blast tunnel, it has emerged.
Why the Tube PPP collapsed
20 May 2010Tube Lines' decision to sell up to Transport for London marks the end of the road for the Tube PPP. Alexandra Wynne unpicks the dying days of what was once heralded as a pioneering private finance project.
Funding fears as Tube PPP hits the buffers
13 May 2010London transport schemes will face a tough battle for cash in the wake of Tube Lines' sale to Transport for London (TfL), industry experts warned this week.
Tube Lines to be freed from a "Byzantine" PPP, says Boris
13 May 2010Tube Lines is set to become a subsidiary of Transport for London, once the sale completes on 30 June.
Tube Lines' shareholders agree £310M buyout deal with TfL
7-May-2010Shareholders of Tube upgrade contractor Tube Lines have agreed a buyout deal with Transport for London (TfL) for the PPP arrangement with a price tag of £310M, it was confirmed yesterday.
Industry nervous as parties try to form coalition government
7-May-2010Engineers this week urged the main political parties to retain focus on infrastructure investment while deciding who would form the next government.
Long makes it to Westminster as civils candidates experience mixed fortunes
7-May-2010Engineering and construction professionals were this morning celebrating and commiserating after a mixed bag of results in the General Election.
Engineers shun Tories over indecision about Crossrail
29 April 2010Civil engineers turned their backs on the Conservatives this week amid fears that the party would scrap Crossrail and cut the most out of public sector projects if it won next week's General Election.
High Speed 2: Terminal velocity
22 April 2010The new government is yet to be decided, but one thing looks assured as far as infrastructure is concerned - come the new parliament, it should be full steam ahead for high speed rail. Alexandra Wynne unravels the challenges posed by the proposals on the table in NCE's first High Speed Quarterly update.
Tories reignite uncertainty over the future of Crossrail
19-Apr-2010Conservative support for London's £15.9bn Crossrail scheme was thrown into doubt this week after London minister Justine Greening admitted that the party could not guarantee its future.
Election 2010: Planes, trains and a toll for automobiles
15 April 2010The main political parties this week squared up over infrastructure pledges as campaigning began ahead of the 6 May General Election.
Energy Bill receives Royal Assent
9-Apr-2010The Energy Bill yesterday received Royal Assent meaning it has made the transition into becoming the Energy Act 2010.
Civil engineering cost probe follows Budget
1 April 2010The Treasury last week commissioned an investigation into the cost of civil engineering works for major infrastructure projects.
Clinton to oversee Haiti committee
31-Mar-2010A committee overseeing £2.5bn in post-quake aid to Haiti will be co-chaired by former US president Bill Clinton, it has been confirmed.
MPs renew call for PPP Arbiter to have more powers
29-Mar-2010MPs last week renewed their call for the government to create stronger powers for the PPP Arbiter Chris Bolt to ensure that Tube upgrade works are efficiently delivered.
Massive disruption looms as rail union announces post-Easter strikes
25-Mar-2010Rail union RMT has today announced that strikes among Network Rail signallers and maintenance staff will now go ahead between Tuesday 6 April and Friday 9 April.
Adonis criticised for preferring rail to road
25 March 2010Transport groups this week hit out at what they called a government "bias" towards investment in rail over roads.
NCE Major Projects Hub goes live
18 March 2010NCE has launched its new Major Projects Hub - an invaluable online resource tracking the progress of more than 100 of the biggest global infrastructure projects.
Euston to be Labour high speed rail hub
18 March 2010Britain's £30bn high speed rail line from London to Scotland will be centred on Euston station and not Heathrow airport, transport secretary Lord Adonis revealed this week.
Birmingham wins high speed focus
18 March 2010Birmingham is set to become one of the biggest benefactors of government proposals for a new high speed rail network, as it will be brought to within 31 minutes of London.
Peace deal in busway dispute
18 March 2010Cambridgeshire County Council's decision to go public over its dispute with guided busway contractor Bam Nuttall this week yielded immediate results with senior executives stepping in to resolve the issues.
Conservatives attack Labour's 'limited' high speed rail vision
18 March 2010The Conservatives have attacked Labour's plan for Britain's £30bn high speed rail network, claiming the route is fl awed and that it will take too long to start work.
Government reveals £30bn high speed rail plans
11-Mar-2010Transport secretary Lord Adonis has just announced plans for a new £30bn high speed rail scheme for the UK, which will create an "initial core" network linking London to Birmingham, Manchester, Sheffield and Leeds..
Adonis to announce high speed rail plans today
11-Mar-2010Transport secretary Lord Adonis will this morning release details of the government's plans for a new north-south high speed railway in the form of a White Paper.
Council goes public over Cambridge busway defects
11 March 2010Frustration over contractual issues that have left the Cambridgeshire Guided Busway project more than a year late in opening this week boiled over into a public dispute between the client and main contractor Bam Nuttall.
Oakervee reaffirms Thames Estuary plans
11 March 2010Thames Estuary airport champion and former ICE president Douglas Oakervee this week publicly reaffirmed his commitment to the scheme.
PPP Arbiter final costs for Tube Lines allows small increase to £4.46bn
10-Mar-2010PPP Arbiter Chris Bolt today set his final costs ruling for Tube Lines' upgrade and maintenance contract for the Jubilee, Northern and Piccadilly Lines - allowing an increase of £65M on his draft ruling to bring the figure to £4.46bn.
High speed rail: The fast track debate
4 March 2010With a General Election looming, high speed rail looks set to take centre stage as the transport issue that will highlight differences between the main political parties. Report by Alexandra Wynne.
DfT slammed for poor Metronet management
4 March 2010MPs this week criticised the Department for Transport (DfT) for its "inadequate management and oversight" of Tube upgrade contractor Metronet which collapsed in 2007, costing the taxpayer up to £410M.
Conservatives set out their plans for high speed rail
25 February 2010The Tories this week hit back at suggestions that they were playing party politics with high speed rail by opting out of cross party discussions on building a line from London to the Midlands and the North.
Final immersed tunnel section placed for new Tyne Crossing
24-Feb-2010The fourth and final part of the vital river section of the New Tyne Crossing was lowered into place beneath the River Tyne yesterday, completing the under-river link of the new vehicle tunnel.
Crossrail Canary Wharf station cofferdam draining begins
11-Feb-2010Work on Crossrail hit another milestone today as site workers began draining a cofferdam that will partly form the new Canary Wharf station.
Boris and Adonis at war over Tube Lines
11 February 2010London mayor Boris Johnson this week escalated the row between London Underground (LU) and Tube Lines by calling on the government to break the PPP agreement between the two.
New bridge for flood town
11 February 2010Contractor Morgan Est this week started work on a £4.6M temporary road bridge across the River Derwent at Workington after winning the contract on Monday.
Morgan Est starts work on £4.6M Cumbrian temporary road bridge
8-Feb-2010Work to rebuild a connection for flood-wrecked Workington in Cumbria will begin almost immediately following today's award of the construction contract for a new bridge to Morgan Est.
Crossrail lets first six enabling contracts
5-Feb-2010Crossrail yesterday announced the award of the first six contracts under its enabling works framework while advance works near the Royal Oak tunnel portal gathers pace.
Network Rail appoints David Higgins as non-executive director
4-Feb-2010Network Rail has today announced the appointment of Olympic Delivery Authority chief executive David Higgins as a non-executive director.
TfL anger as Tube Lines plans "massive disruption"
04 February 2010A fresh row broke out this week between London Underground (LU) and its contractor Tube Lines, this time over weekend possessions for the Northern Line Upgrade.
Environment Agency reveals new flood warning system for critical infrastructure
29-Jan-2010The Environment Agency today unveiled its new flood warning service for infrastructure owners and operators.
David Waboso: Make work not war
28 January 2010London Underground director of line upgrades David Waboso is keen to set the record straight after a turbulent couple of weeks that saw contractor Tube Lines accuse it of cost hikes on the Victoria Line.
Adjudicator throws out Tube Lines' claim
28 January 2010Tube Lines was this week planning its next move after an independent PPP adjudicator ruled against it over its claim for £327M costs from London Underground (LU).
Tunnel repairs to begin on disaster struck hydro scheme
21 January 2010Contractor Bam Nuttall was this week poised to carry out critical repair work on the 100MW Glendoe hydro electric station in Scotland following a dramatic collapse in one of its vital tunnels last year.
Tube Lines and LU in battle over upgrade costs
21 January 2010Tube Lines and London Underground (LU) were this week locked in a bitter dispute over the cost of upgrade work on the Victoria, Jubilee and Northern Underground lines.
Work starts to reconnect road link for flood hit Cumbrian town
21 January 2010Efforts to reconnect the floodstruck Cumbrian town of Workington made headway this week as site investigations got underway for a new temporary road bridge.
MP calls for Crossrail to be dropped in favour of Leeds high speed link
20-Jan-2010Labour MP for Leeds West John Battle has today called for Crossrail to be put off until the government gives its backing to a high speed rail link to Leeds.
Adonis announces longer rail franchises
20-Jan-2010Transport secretary Lord Adonis has today announced that future rail franchises will be let for a minimum of 10 years with even longer contracts of up to 22 years possible in return for additional investment.
Vinci celebrates innovation at awards event
15-Jan-2010Vinci last week held an awards event to celebrate innovations developed across its roads and energy, construction and concessions business lines.
Crossrail braced for fresh fight over extra station
14 January 2010Crunch talks to decide the future of a proposed new Crossrail station for Kensington are due to begin next week, NCE has learned.
Commons committee hammers Highways Agency over costs
14 January 2010MPs last week admonished the Highways Agency for not doing enough to control wide variations in maintenance costs from its contractors.
Refurbishing Edinburgh's Royal Museum
7 January 2010Edinburgh's Royal Museum has a long history of change. Its east wing opened in 1866 followed by the west wing in 1890. These were joined by a bolt on extension at the back in 1920 and the Darwin building in the late 1960s.
Conservatives slam HS2 plans
7 January 2010The Tories have slammed government plans to create a central London high speed rail hub for failing to include a suitable connection to Heathrow airport.
MVB scoops £600M Lee job
7 January 2010The London Tideway Tunnels project is finally set to get underway after Thames Water awarded its first major construction contract to the MVB consortium last month.
Falling ice strikes again on Severn Crossing
23-Dec-2009The M4 Second Severn Crossing was closed to traffic yesterday on the advice of the police when falling ice from overhead gantries hit the main structure of the bridge, months after the same problem closed both Severn crossings.
Morgan Est/Vinci/Bachy partnership wins £400M Lee Tunnel contract
21-Dec-2009The London Tideway Tunnels scheme received a kick start today with the announcement that the first major construction contract had been awarded to the MVB joint venture comprising Morgan Est, Vinci Construction Grands Projets and Bachy Soletanche.
Cumbria bridge open for use
10 December 2009Construction of a temporary bridge in flood-ravaged Workington in Cumbria was completed on time last weekend.
Surprise bidders make Crossrail tunnels shortlist
10 December 2009Two relatively untried partnerships were surprise inclusions on the shortlist for the lucrative tunnelled sections on London's £15.9bn Crossrail scheme, announced last week.
Twelve firms share £300M Highways Agency package
4-Dec-2009The Highways Agency has awarded 12 firms work on its £300M framework for highways construction framework for the North West and West Midlands for the period 2009-2013.
Workington bridge push reconnects flooded town
3 December 2009A team of Royal Engineers was this week racing to build a vital footbridge that will re-establish a connection through Workington in Cumbria which was ripped apart in last month's severe flood.
New rail shuttle service reconnects Workington
3 December 2009A new rail shuttle service was launched in Workington on Monday reconnecting the north and south of the Cumbrian town after floods stranded residents.
Cumbrian bridges ripped out by torrential floods
26 November 2009Structural engineers from across the UK were being rushed to Cumbria this week as the local highways authority battled to inspect 1,800 bridges following extreme floods.
Temporary railway station for Workington
26 November 2009Network Rail was this week scrambling to build a new temporary railway station for cut-off residents of flood-torn Workington in Cumbria.
Slow progress for Chunnel fire system
26 November 2009Eurotunnel this week insisted that the installation of a fire suppression system in the Channel Tunnel was on schedule even though no contract had been awarded six months after bids were invited.
HS2 boss backs line north of Birmingham
19 November 2009A new high speed rail network should serve cities along both the east and west of the UK, a senior government advisor revealed this week.
Terry Farrell: Getting to grips with high speed
19 November 2009Politicians and engineers must seize the chance to unlock the wider potential of major infrastructure schemes, especially high speed rail, says architect and masterplanner Sir Terry Farrell. He talks to Alexandra Wynne.
Thames Water reviews Tideway Tunnels scope
12 November 2009Thames Water is thought to be considering ditching a significant section of the £2bn London Tideway Tunnels scheme to save costs, sources close to the project told NCE this week.
Farrell backs Euston as venue for London high speed rail hub
12 November 2009London's Euston station has been identified as the ideal location for a rail hub to link High Speed 1 (HS1) with any new High Speed 2 (HS2) line to the north of England and Scotland.
Engineer shortage blamed for Highway Agency cost hikes
05 November 2009A senior Highways Agency official this week admitted to MPs that a lack of qualified engineers was a chief reason it had failed to keep a lid on road maintenance costs.
High Speed 2: In the fast lane
05 November 2009As High Speed 2 prepares to report to government on the findings of its investigations into a new high speed rail network, everyone wants to know how much it is going to cost and where it is going to go. Alexandra Wynne reports.
Viewpoint: Crossrail procurement gathers pace
05 November 2009The two main tunnelling contracts are about to go out to tender, as the huge project gathers momentum, says NCE transport correspondent Alexandra Wynne
Johnson lobbies to keep Crossrail going after election
29 October 2009Crossrail must be given firm government support "immediately" after a General Election to safeguard its future, London mayor Boris Johnson told NCE this week.
Overreaction to Cologne collapse
29 October 2009Engineers overreacted to the Cologne metro collapse by installing too much extra ground monitoring equipment, an expert close to the investigation said last week.
Network Rail coy about rising cost of Thameslink
29 October 2009Network Rail this week dodged questions over cost hikes at Blackfriars Bridge, part of the £5.5bn Thameslink upgrade.
Boris Island airport in Thames moves ahead
22 October 2009Ambitious plans for a new airport in the Thames Estuary moved forward this week after a feasibility study found there to be "no overwhelming constraints".
Boris backtracks on road pricing plans
22 October 2009London mayor Boris Johnson this week appeared to contradict his own transport strategy by vowing to reject plans for road pricing schemes.
BAA sells Gatwick to London City airport owner for £1.51bn
21-Oct-2009BAA has agreed to sell Gatwick airport to London City airport owner Global Infrastructure Partners for £1.51bn.
Crossrail tunnel tender setback
1 October 2009Invitations to tender for Crossrail's third and final tunnelling contract have been delayed because of ongoing negotiations with project sponsor and developer Berkeley Homes.
Kensington lobbies for extra Crossrail station
24 September 2009Crossrail is braced for a new row over stations this week with the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea launching a late bid for a stop at Kensal.
OFT imposes £130M fines for bid rigging
24 September 2009Contractors have hit out at the Office of Fair Trading's (OFT) decision to impose £130M of fines on 103 construction firms it found guilty of bid rigging.
Ailie MacAdam & Bill Tucker: Thinking it through
24 September 2009The major construction phase may not yet be in full swing, but success hinges on detailed planning now.
Cliff Mumm & Chris Dulake: Team talk
24 September 2009A few months on from Crossrail appointing its project delivery partner Crossrail Central, a team comprising Bechtel, Halcrow and Systra, the organisations have merged to signal that this project is go.
Gibraltar: Rescuing the rock
24 September 2009A vital road in Gibraltar has remained closed since an accident over seven years ago. Despite unforgiving conditions a scheme is underway that will see the road soon reopen. Alexandra Wynne reports
Mike King: Tunnels portals and shafts
24 September 2009As Crossrail shifts focus to become a delivery organisation, the technical challenges of what lies ahead are becoming clearer.
OFT fines 103 construction firms £130M
22-Sep-2009The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) this morning fined 103 construction firms in England a total of £129.5M after finding them guilty of colluding with competitors on building contracts.
Galliford Try expands into Middle East
18-Sep-2009Galliford Try has registered a new business in Qatar. Galliford Try Qatar will focus on infrastructure projectsin the public and regulated sectors in joint venture venture with MFH, a wholly owned Qatari company also based in Doha.
Jim De Waele: Ready to recover
17 September 2009It has been a difficult year for many in the civil engineering world and the geotechnical industry was among the first to feel the full weight of the economic downturn. Keller UK's managing director Jim De Waele tells Alexandra Wynne why now is the right time for a change of direction.
Distances key to HS2 city choice
17 September 2009Major cities have this week been told that they could be excluded from any north-south high speed rail line because they are too close together.
Private funds crucial to project
17 September 2009Future high speed rail funding is likely to be reliant on substantial private investment, politicians said last week.
Heavyweights team up for Crossrail civils work
10 September 2009British and Continental contracting giants were this week scrambling to form partnerhsips which would win them lucrative Crossrail contracts.
Emissions questions dog high speed rail
10 September 2009Network Rail's £34bn plan for a high speed line between London and Scotland has been attacked for not doing enough to provide an alternative to domestic flights.
Construction industry contracts further in August - but at slower rate
2-Sep-2009August survey data from the Chartered Institute of Purchasing & Supply has indicated a further contraction in business activity within the UK construction sector. However, the rate of decline eased marginally since July to its slowest pace in eighteen months.
Network Rail emergency plan and safety systems criticised for GE19 bridge accident
20-Aug-2009Improvements to safety procedures and better emergency planning are among the Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) recommendations targeted at Network Rail, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), London Underground and others for failings that led to the GE19 bridge slip in London.
Welsh public transport: Time travel trial
20 August 2009The Welsh may be rejecting buses and trains in favour of the comfort of their cars - but should they think again? Alexandra Wynne samples cross-country public transport through the Valleys to test the theory.
Thames Water celebrates tunnel breakthrough on Ring Main extension
6-Aug-2009Thames Water yesterday celebrated the culmination of a year of crunching through the earth beneath London with the tunnel breakthrough on the southern extension of the city's so-called M25 for water.
Welsh give thumbs down to buses and trains
6 August 2009Public transport in Wales needs more investment to lure people out of their cars, according to ICE Wales director Keith Jones.
Cameron: Tories will consider new road tolls
27-Jul-2009David Cameron yesterday said that motorists could be subjected to charges for using the UK's roads in an effort to control public spending if a Conservative government came to power.
Government to spend £1.1bn on rail electrification
23-Jul-2009A £1.1bn project to electrify two major rail lines in a bid to cut journey times, reduce pollution and boost the economy has been unveiled by the government today.
São Paulo collapse contractor rejects blame
23 July 2009The consortium working at São Paulo's Pinheiros station that suffered a fatal tunnel collapse in January 2007, has hit back at claims it was responsible for systemic failures of design and risk management (NCE 25 June).
Ministers give green light to four eco-town projects
23 July 2009Ministers last week gave four sites the green light to build controversial eco-towns, in a move which drew a mixed response from industry and politicians.
Piled solution tackles track instability at Medge Hall
21-Jul-2009Network Rail is investing £10M at Medge Hall, near Doncaster to improve the ground to support the railway and remove a speed restriction following problems with drainage in soft peat that has led to track instability.
Considerate Constructors rolls out company registration
20-Jul-2009The Considerate Constructors Scheme last week launched its new company registration initiative, which will allow construction companies and not just their sites, to sign up to the organisation's national scheme.
Road pricing: is pay per km next?
9 July 2009Pressure on transport funding caused by the public spending crisis has thrust nationwide road pricing back onto the political agenda, industry experts said this week.
Court date set for Wembley showdown
9 July 2009Wembley stadium designer Mott MacDonald will meet stadium contractor Multiplex in court at the end of this month to fight out who was to blame for cost over runs and delays on the project.
Transport minister marks official start of M25 widening
8-Jul-2009Transport minister Sadiq Khan today welcomed the start of construction on the M25 widening scheme - the £6.2bn design, build, finance and operate contract by the Connect Plus consortium.
Transport spending cuts could threaten major projects, according to press reports
2-Jul-2009The Department for Transport (DfT) is facing a £30bn spending gap, which could threaten major projects, according to a leaked memo seen by The Guardian, the paper said today.
Concerns over costs and delays spark Thameslink cutback fears
2 July 2009Network Rail's £5.5bn Thameslink upgrade faces the prospect of cuts to beat time and cost overruns, sources close to the project said this week.
Brown to identify UK infrastructure needs
2 July 2009Prime minister Gordon Brown this week said that he was setting up a new advisory body to identify the country's infrastructure needs for the next five to 50 years.
Construction picks up in the Middle East, except for Dubai
2 July 2009Construction output in the Middle East could recover in 2010, although the focus of the workload has shifted away from Dubai, according to a new survey published last week.
Fiscal stimulus kicks off A1-M1 fast link
1-Jul-2009Transport minister Chris Mole officially started work to widen the busy A46 in Nottinghamshire after the project was accelerated as part of the Department for Transport's £700M fiscal stimulus package.
Government steps in as National Express loses control of East Coast franchise
1-Jul-2009The government has today taken the East Coast rail line, run by National Express into public ownership.
Government to create new infrastructure body to examine 50 year needs
29-Jun-2009Prime minister Gordon Brown today announced the formation of a new advisory body in the next year that will identify the country's infrastructure needs for the next five to 50 years.
Middle East construction could stage economic recovery in 2010, says survey
29-Jun-2009The Middle East construction market could stage a recovery in 2010, but the industry focus has shifted away from Dubai, according to a new survey published last week.
Train control system fails in test following Washington DC train crash
26-Jun-2009The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) confirmed that train control systems failed during investigative tests being carried out to determine the cause of the Washington DC train crash on Monday that left nine dead.
Morgan Est's Jackson is new IHT president
25-Jun-2009Morgan Est business development manager Chris Jackson will take over this month as the new president of the Institution of Highways and Transportation (IHT), it was announced today.
Catalogue of failures led to São Paulo collapse
25 June 2009"Systemic failure" of design, construction and risk management was responsible for the São Paulo tunnel collapse that killed seven people in January 2007, a lead member of the investigation team said last week.
Flood defences need £1bn a year spend
25 June 2009Flood defence spending must double to £1bn a year by 2035 to ensure that protection for the one in six homes now at risk of flooding in England is maintained, the Environment Agency said last week.
Construction deaths down 26%
24-Jun-2009The number of deaths on construction sites fell 26% in the last year, despite it remaining one of the "most dangerous" industries to work in, according to the lastest figures from the Health and Safety Executive released today.
Government guarantees Olympic village construction funding
22-Jun-2009The Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) has sold 1,379 affordable homes from the Olympic Athletes Village to Triathlon Homes with funding backed by a government guarantee, it was announced today.
Defra produces flood and coastal risk management guidance
19-Jun-2009Defra today published its Policy Statement on Appraisal of Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management, containing guidance for operating authorities and others involved in managing flood and coastal erosion risk.
Adonis: No public inquiry for Grayrigg or Potters Bar rail disasters
19-Jun-2009Transport secretary Lord Adonis today rejected calls for a public inquiry into the rail accidents at Grayrigg and Potters Bar, that both resulted in deaths of passengers.
Environment Agency: England needs £1bn a year for flood protection
19-Jun-2009Flood protection funds need to double to £1bn a year by 2035 to protect the one in six homes at risk of flooding in England, according to two new reports from the Environment Agency published today.
RAC urges ministers to end bias towards rail spending
19-Jun-2009Ignoring value for money evidence and promoting rail over road schemes puts the government at risk of failing to meet Treasury targets, said the Royal Automobile Club (RAC) Foundation.
BAA denies T5 subsidence reports
18 June 2009Heathrow airport operator BAA last week denied that cracks in floor tiles at Terminal 5 were caused by subsidence.
Atkins' profits up 19% but economic woes in the UK and Middle East to blame for redundancies
17-Jun-2009Consultant Atkins has reported an increase of 19% in operating profit in its preliminary results and said staff numbers were up 6% year on year despite having to make 1,200 staff redundant in recent months.
Balfour Beatty wins £15M contract for M4 Newport ATM
16-Jun-2009Balfour Beatty Regional Civil Engineering (BBRCE) has won the M4 Newport Controlled Motorway contract.
Taxpayer exposed by Metronet
11 June 2009Department for Transport (DfT) officials failed to identify major risks to taxpayers when awarding PPP contracts to Metronet, an official report on the Tube upgrade contractor's collapse revealed last week.
Albania highway: Ain't no mountain too high
10-Jun-2009When complete, Albania's new motorway will offer a drive to rival the most scenic around the world. But those same mountains that provide such a beautiful backdrop have not made life easy.
Albania highway: Making the first move
10-Jun-2009At first glance, building a 61km long motorway in a European country might not sound like much. But Albania's first ever motorway scheme has many twists and turns. Over the next eight pages Alexandra Wynne reports from a scheme where the word "mountainous" is appropriate in more ways than one.
Albania celebrates motorway tunnel breakthrough
4-Jun-2009Albanians last week celebrated the breakthrough of a tunnel which will form part of the country's first motorway.
Dam risk surveys likely to be extended
4 June 2009The Environment Agency this week said it is likely to extend its reservoir risk assessment programme after awarding a contract covering 2,092 registered structures.
Atkins unveils temporary structures
3-Jun-2009Consultant Atkins last week revealed it was about to embark on its two-year detailed design phase ofthe temporary structures and associated infrastructure for the London 2012 Olympics.
Lack of infrastructure blamed for fall in beach water quality
22-May-2009Lack of storm pollution infrastructure has been blamed for a steep decline in beach water quality results that were announced last week.
London's Victorian mains get £7.5M upgrade
22-May-2009Thames Water yesterday announced that a £7.5M scheme to replace 13.7km of worn-out Victorian water mains in the City of London is underway.
Crossrail: piling forward
21-May-2009Last week, political big shots gathered at Canary Wharf to witness the official start of construction works on Europe's biggest construction project. Alexandra Wynne was there to find out how one of Britain's biggest station boxes will be built.
Crossrail gets high profile start
21 May 2009Labour prime minister Gordon Brown and Conservative London mayor Boris Johnson last week united to signal the start of work on Londonís £15.9bn Crossrail scheme and play down concerns over its long-term future.
Geogrid firm Tensar breaches advertising standards
20-May-2009The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) today upheld a challenge made by Naue Geosynthetics against competitor Tensar International that questioned claims published in its brochure about TriAx geogrids.
Early contractor involvement vital for adoption of SUDS solutions
20-May-2009Early supplier and contractor involvement must be adopted to improve sustainable urban drainage (SUDS)schemes, industry think tank Constructing Excellence has urged.
Prime minister and London mayor launch Crossrail construction
15-May-2009Prime minister Gordon Brown and London mayor Boris Johnson this morning launched the first pile for Canary Wharf station in London, signalling the start of major construction work for mega project Crossrail.
London Array gets green light
12-May-2009The massive London Array offshore windfarm last week secured €2.2bn (£1.97bn) of funding from project developers E.On, Dong and Masdar.
Civil engineering project starts on the rise
12-May-2009New construction project starts fell 30% in April compared with a year ago but civil engineering project starts have picked up since the beginning of the year, according to the latest research by construction market intelligence firm Glenigan.
Blaze hits construction of Zaha Hadid Chinese opera house
12-May-2009Billowing smoke signalled a fire that broke out this week at the site of Zaha Hadid's opera house in Guangzhou, southern China, which is due to open later this year.
Brilliant barrier
9-May-2009On its 25th birthday, the Thames Barrier has a lot to celebrate. It is still looking good and operationally it is not showing its age. Alexandra Wynne heads to east London for an early birthday celebration.
Caution over new reservoir inspection plan
30 April 2009Engineers said this week that they feared that new government plans to tighten the reservoir inspection regime are unworkable.
Collapse leads to manslaughter charge for geotechnics firm
30 April 2009Ground engineering specialist Cotswold Geotechnical Holdings last week became the first company to be charged with corporate manslaughter under the Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act 2007.
Wimbledon Centre Court roof revealed
22-Apr-2009The All England Lawn Tennis Club has unveiled its new retractable roof on the world famous Centre Court that will put an end to the familiar sight of spectators sitting beneath umbrellas waiting for a break in the clouds during the Wimbledon tournament.
Budget 2009: Economy will grow by end of 2009, despite worst economic turmoil for 60 years
22-Apr-2009Chancellor Alistair Darling has bravely predicted that the UK will see economic growth before the year is out, despite saying in today's Budget speech that this is the "worst economic global turmoil felt for 60 years".
Five firm shortlist for Tottenham Court Road Tube station upgrade
22-Apr-2009Transport for London has announced that five firms are in the running to carry out main construction work for London Underground at Tottenham Court Road Tube station.
IOC criticised for 'luxurious' London Olympic visits
22-Apr-2009The Liberal Democrats have slammed the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for running up huge expenses bills during delegate visits to the UK and called for a reassessment of the cost of bidding and hosting the 2012 Olympic Games.
Tory party sets out £30bn private investment plan for green growth and economic recovery
16-Apr-2009The Conservative Party today recommended measures that the government could introduce in the 2009 to unleash £30bn of private sector investment that it claims would stimulate competitive and low carbon economic recovery.
New code of conduct for utility works set to tackle road congestion in London
16-Apr-2009Utility companies will have to sign up to a code of conduct to cut the delays and congestion caused by roadworks in London, under new plans from Mayor of London Boris Johnson announced today.
Tar very much
9 April 2009A corner of central Manchester is now being cleansed of its industrial past to create a Europeanstyle shopping boulevard.
Screen super stars
2 April 2009You have chosen computer aided designand computer aided manufactureas the greatest advances in construction. NCE talks to industry experts about the beauty of information technology.
Arabian Canal excavations on hold
26 March 2009The future of Dubai's 75km-long Arabian Canal mega-project was under threat this week after the client suspended the next stage of the procurement process for excavation work.
Making a difference
26 March 2009International development is set to be the focus of the ICE's re-vamped apprenticeship scheme.
Cross purpose
19-Mar-2009Supermarket giant Tesco is having another go at building a new store over the railway at Gerrards Cross after the newly built tunnel it was to sit on partially collapsed first time around.
BAA must sell three airports, says Competition Commission
19-Mar-2009BAA will have to sell Gatwick and Stansted as well as either Edinburgh or Glasgow airports, the Competition Commission's said today in its final report on the operator's ownership of seven UK airports.
Work halts on M74 extension
19 March 2009Piling on the £445M M74 extension in Glasgow was halted last week after cracks and falling plasterboard were discovered in one of the tunnels in the city's subway system.
Fire blazes at City office block
18-Mar-2009At least 60 firefighters are tackling a large fire that broke out on a London City office block this afternoon.
Campaign to Protect Rural England: government focus is on high carbon road building
18-Mar-2009Traffic levels have increased by 40% over the last 15 years in much of England, becoming the fastest growing source of domestic carbon emissions, according to a new study published today by the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE).
Clyde's Tradeston Bridge nears completion
17-Mar-2009Glasgow's Trandeston pedestrian bridge over the river Clyde will soon be complete as the finishing touches are carried out over the next few weeks.
CIOB calls for greater focus on government's chief construction officer proposal
16-Mar-2009The Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) today criticised the government's proposed chief construction officer (CCO) role for being too broad.
Tesco tunnel replaced
12 March 2009Gerrards Cross tunnel segments are being lifted in by crawler crane at site of collapse.
Wrekin Construction forced into administration
11-Mar-2009Wrekin Construction was this week forced into administration putting at risk up to 1,100 jobs.
Is Boris Island in the Thames Estuary a fantasy island?
12-Feb-2009London mayor Boris Johnson is hoping a plan to build a new island airport in the Thames Estuary will head off a third runway at Heathrow. But as Alexandra Wynne reports, the London project may not be Europe's first offshore airport, if the Dutch have their way.
Civils bucks the downturn
12-Feb-2009Civil engineering last month bucked the economic downturn and recorded its first month of year on year growth since March 2008, according to figures published this week.
Phoenix from the flames
10-Feb-2009Experience, automation and innovation helped Eurotunnel build on the experience from the Channel Tunnel fire of 1996 when carrying out repairs after last September's blaze. NCE reports from the scene as the operator prepared to reopen the damaged section of running tunnel.
Bachy buys up Simplex Foundations
9-Feb-2009Bachy Soletanche today announced that it has bought piling contractor Simplex Foundations for an undisclosed sum. The purchased firm is listed in the Ground Engineering Geotechnical Services File 2008 as having a turnover of £19M.
Channel Tunnel fire triggers safety changes
5-Feb-2009Eurotunnel this week said it had started to change its safety procedures ahead of the findings of a French judiciary report into last September's fire.
Channel Tunnel stability fear revealed
5-Feb-2009Eurotunnel engineers this week admitted that they feared for the stability of one of the Channel Tunnel's running tunnels after last September's fire seriously damaged a section of its lining.
Mayor of London Boris Johnson's spending plans under threat
5-Feb-2009London mayor Borish Johnson's spending plans for London's infrastructure and capital spending to support the 2012 Olympic Games are facing significant risks, the London Assembly warned today.
Channel Tunnel repair bill puts sprinklers back on the agenda
5-Feb-2009Heavy costs of repairing fire damage to the Channel Tunnel's concrete lining have forced Eurotunnel to reconsider the idea of installing sprinklers, the tunnel operator said last week.
Channel Tunnel track installation underway for 9 February re-opening
29-Jan-2009Contractor Eurovia Travaux Ferroviaires is laying replacement rails in the fire damaged section of the Channel Tunnel over the next two days in readiness for a proposed full re-opening on the night of 9 February, Eurotunnel announced yesterday.
US engineers rush infrastructure report to influence Obama stimulus plan
28-Jan-2009US engineers today rushed out the key findings of a major report on the state of America's infrastructure two months early in an attempt to influence President Obama's $825bn (£585bn) economic stimulus package.
New entrance bridge for Stratford International station
23-Jan-2009A 36m bridge made of glass panels was lifted into place above domestic service railway lines to form the new entrance and exit for Stratford International station, the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) announced yesterday.
Hard shoulder running extended
22-Jan-2009Transport secretary Geoff Hoon last week confirmed plans to extend the use of hard shoulder running across the motorway network. The plan forms part of £6bn in motorway and trunk road improvements.
Pay frozen as more jobs go
22-Jan-2009Two of the UK's largest consultants have suspended pay reviews for up to six months as firms step up efforts to tackle the economic downturn. Atkins – rated top consultant by fees rendered in the NCE Consultants File 2008 – announced its decision last week in response to the economic decline in Dubai.
CIOB to move into Abu Dhabi
22-Jan-2009The Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) is to expand into the UAE Capital Abu Dhabi, it announced this week.
Tideway Tunnel first contract bidders confirmed
21-Jan-2009Thames Water today confirmed the four bidders in the running to be shortlisted for the first of two major infrastructure construction contracts for its London Tideway Tunnels project.
Stockholm Metro concession awarded to MTR Corporation
21-Jan-2009Stockholm Public Transport has awarded MTR Corporation concession rights to operate Sweden's Stockholm Metro in a HK$20bn (£1.9bn) deal, it was announced today.
Fairytale of New York - Second Avenue Subway takes shape
20-Jan-2009Londoners may think Crossrail has been a long time in the planning, but New Yorkers are finally seeing the Second Avenue Subway project come to fruition after an epic 80 year wait. Alexandra Wynne reports from the Big Apple on a scheme that will take a big bite out of its core.
Atlas Copco merges US sales businesses
20-Jan-2009Atlas Copco - the construction and mining plant giant - has merged two of its sales operations to form a new business serving the US market, it announced today.
London 2012 reaches its halfway point
16-Jan-2009The Olympics' workforce is expected to more than treble from 3,315 to a peak of 11,000 on the Olympic Park and Olympic Village in 2010 and a total of 30,000 workers over the different phases of the project to 2012.
Dounreay receives approval for £110M for new radioactive waste facilities
16-Jan-2009Highland Council has approved a £110M investment in new facilities for managing low-level radioactive waste at Dounreay nuclear plant, it was announced this week.
WTC makes progress on construction milestones
15-Jan-2009Construction at New York's World Trade Center (WTC) site has met most of the interim milestones that were set last year keep the project on track, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ) said yesterday.
England risks missing EU landfill targets
14-Jan-2009England has been too slow in reducing waste sent to landfill and is at risk of being fined by the EU, according to a new report.
Steady Improvement
9-Jan-2009A new biomass processing facility – claimed to be the first of its kind in the country – is being built to help Drax power station in north Yorkshire meet its carbon emissions reduction targets.
£6bn roads spending to focus on hard shoulder running
January 2009Transport Secretary Geoff Hoon yesterday outlined the government's plan to increase focus on hard shoulder running (HSR) to improve the UK's roads network as part of a package of national transport improvements.
Local authority funding insufficient to meet new SUDS duties
24-Dec-2008Local authorities (LAs) will be unable to mitigate the risks of flooding using sustainable urban drainage systems (SUDS) unless they receive better funding and knowledge, warned surface water drainage specialist Hydro International yesterday.
Transport Scotland chief executive to retire in New Year
23-Dec-2008Transport Scotland chief executive Malcolm Reed announced this week that he will retire in the New Year.
New nuclear will be too late to stop blackouts, says Liberal Democrat
23-Dec-2008Government plans for new nuclear stations will not stop blackouts in the next decade, said Liberal Democrat shadow energy and climate change secretary Steve Webb yesterday.
M1 junctions 6a to 10 widening complete
22-Dec-2008Speed restrictions on the M1 for a major widening project between junctions 6a and 10 were lifted last Friday as the main 17km long road works were completed.
Crossrail invites project representative tenders
19-Dec-2008A shortlist of firms has been invited to tender to become Crossrail's project representative, transport minister Andrew Adonis announced today.
£15M flood protection money not enough, says LGA
17-Dec-2008The government's pledge to give local authorities (LAs) £15M to deal with surface water flooding will not be enough to protect homes and businesses, the Local Government Association (LGA) said yesterday.
The first in line
15-Dec-2008The Isle of Dogs station will be one of the first to be built on the Crossrail network. As with other work along the line, it will bring huge challenges.
Getting to the core
15-Dec-2008The central tunnelled section of Crossrail will involve an intricate path from Paddington to the Docklands. It will have to avoid Tube stations, sewers, power lines and other obstacles and cause minimum disruption for London's commuters.
Sustainability postgraduate courses win research cash
11-Dec-2008Sustainability and low carbon technologies postgraduate courses were the big winners in a £250M research funding package confirmed this week.
Environment Agency plans to release £20M flood defence funding early
9-Dec-2008The Environment Agency yesterday announced that flood defence projects in England could benefit from £20M of funding to be brought forward one year.
Construction apprenticeships to grow by 7,000 in the next three years
8-Dec-2008More than 7,000 new apprenticeships will be created in the construction sector over the next three years, the government announced today.
Cuts in funding to blame for latest Venice floods
3-Dec-2008A lack of funding is to blame for delays in building Venice flood barriers, which could have prevented this week's storm surge overwhelming the Italian city, British charity Venice in Peril claimed today.
Committee on Climate Change: Energy sector should be de-carbonised
2-Dec-2008The Government must tackle greenhouse gas emissions in every sector to combat climate change, said official advisors in a report published on Monday.
Global effort needed to tackle climate change, says top advisor
19-Nov-2008Countries must work together to share energy supplies to combat climate change, it was claimed yesterday.
Eco towns will fail and alternatives are needed, say experts
18-Nov-2008Government plans to build eco-towns are destined for failure, with engineers needing to lead the search for a new approach to sustainability, it was claimed today. Watch NCE's exclusive interview with Sir Terry Farrell here.
Plans for one of UK's largest wind farms announced
6-Nov-2008Plans for a new UK wind farm were announced yesterday by Renewable Energy Holdings.
Puublic transport fare cuts will only reduce car travel by 0.5%
24-Oct-2008Public transport fare cuts worth £1bn would only reduce car travel by less than 0.5%, according to a report published by the Royal Automobile Club (RAC) Foundation today.
Government must protect small contractors during credit squeeze
24-Oct-2008Government action is needed to protect civil engineering contractors from redundancies and closure, the Civil Engineering Contractors Association (CECA) said yesterday.
Network Rail failures blamed for Grayrigg crash
23-Oct-2008Network Rail's failure to correctly set up points and carry out a track inspection led to the Grayrigg rail crash on 23 February last year, according to a Rail Accident Investigation Branch report published today.
Wind industry says investment plans held up by limited access to grid
23-Oct-2008Wind industry leaders gathering in London yesterday called for access to the national grid to be improved to allow £50bn of private infrastructure investment to be spent over the next 10 years.
Better leadership needed to cut construction fatalities, says ODA chief
23-Oct-2008Olympic Delivery Authority chairman John Armitt yesterday blamed those who take shortcuts and the people who turn a blind eye to it for the industry's failure to cut fatalities.
Tube Lines wins award for going green
22-Oct-2008Tube Lines was last week rewarded for it success in recycling and sustainable waste management.
Friends of the Earth calls for more Government action on renewables
21-Oct-2008Friends of the Earth yesterday criticised the Government for failing to do enough to harness renewable energy.
Conservatives opposition to new airport capacity 'baffling' says aerospace industry
21-Oct-2008The Society of British Aerospace Companies (SBAC) has today hit out at Tory opposition to UK plans for new runway capacity as 'baffling'.
Scott Wilson seals lucrative Crossrail contract
21-Oct-2008Scott Wilson today announced it had won a £9.8M contract to design above ground sections for London's mega-scheme Crossrail.
Government plans to fast-track construction projects
20-Oct-2008Chancellor Alistair Darling announced that the government plans to increase borrowing to spend its way out of recession and fast track planned construction projects, according to an interview he gace to the Sunday Telegraph .
London Tideway Tunnels closes in on construction site selection
20-Oct-2008The £2bn London Tideway Tunnels project took a step closer to construction last week as Thames Water began a consultation on selecting locations for the tunnels and tunnelling shafts.
A road runs through the river: The new Tyne crossing
16 October 2008A trio of tunnelling techniques will come together to create the new Tyne Crossing near Newcastle. Alexandra Wynne reports.
Messina Bridge
15-Oct-2008It has been at the centre of a tug of love between changing Italian governments. But it seems plans to build the Messina Bridge (and the world's longest suspension bridge) between Italy and Sicily might just have been resurrected.
Arabian Canal
15-Oct-2008In the midst of the grand construction plans for Dubai is the £5.6bn Arabian Canal – what will be the world's longest man-made canal at 75km.
Hindhead Tunnel
15-Oct-2008It might be in a rural setting in Surrey, but the £371M Hindhead Tunnel project is causing quite a stir for all the right reasons.
Redundancies loom as recession threatens
15-Oct-2008Engineers working in the housing market or in commercial property are the most vulnerable to job cuts.
2nd Avenue Subway, New York
14-Oct-2008The 2nd Avenue Subway is the first major expansion of the New York City subway system in over 50 years. And building a mega-project in the famously densely-populated city will be no small accomplishment.
Thames Rescue
6-Oct-2008Billed as the largest water infrastructure project in the northern hemisphere, the London Tideway Tunnels aim to massively reduce sewage discharge into the rivers Thames and Lee. Alexandra Wynne talks to the man in charge of delivery.
Tories reject Heathrow third runway in favour of high speed trains
29-Sep-2008Plans for a third runway at Heathrow would be scrapped and replaced with a new high speed rail under the Tories, shadow transport secretary Theresa Villiers told the Conservative Party Conference today.
New look Birmingham New Street revealed
19-Sep-2008Birmingham's New Street station is on route to get a glamorous overhaul as Network Rail yesterday revealed its new designs.
Channel Tunnel ground collapse fears unfounded
19-Sep-2008Concerns about the geological strata surrounding the Channel Tunnel section affected by the fire are unfounded, senior geotechnical engineers told NCE this week.
Olympic Park pumping station design unveiled
19-Sep-2008New 2012 Olympic Park designs for a key piece of utilities infrastructure were unveiled yesterday by the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA).
Heathrow expansion consultation begins
16-Sep-2008The Department for Transport (DfT) yesterday began a consultation on howairport development at Heathrow might affect those living near to the airport.
Demand for 'green collar' workers
16-Sep-2008Rising demand for skilled green sector workers in Britain will place pressure on the UK skills market and leave businesses without the engineering and environmental expertise they require, according to research published this week.
2012 Aquatics Centre foundations underway
15-Sep-2008The London 2012 Olympics Aquatics Centre is inching closer to main construction work with more than 100 concrete piles installed, the Olympic Delivery Authority said this week.
Third Heathrow runway gets backing from top businesses
15-Sep-2008Heathrow Airport's plans for a third runway have received backing today from 100 leading UK companies.
Channel Tunnel reopens after blaze but disruption continues
15-Sep-2008The Channel Tunnel reopened yesterday after last week's fire brought the service to a standstill. But disruption is set to continue with only a limited number of trains due to run.
Untapped hydro could power a quarter of Scottish homes, says report
3-Sep-2008Scotland has enough untapped hydro potential to power a quarter of the nation's homes, according to a new study published yesterday.
EDF Energy awards £1.4M offshore wind farm ground investigation contract
20-Aug-2008EDF Energy has contracted geotechnical firm Soil Mechanics to carry out £1.4M worth of ground investigations for a 90MW offshore wind farm in the North Sea.
New members appointed to Transport for London board
15-Aug-2008Mayor of London Boris Johnson has made further appointments to the Transport for London board, it was announced yesterday.
Tyne Crossing
10-Aug-2008The Tyne crossing project - one of the UK's largest construction projects - has got underway in the North East.
Hydrock acquires structural engineering firm Structures1
4-Aug-2008Consultant and contractor Hydrock Group this week announced that it had acquired structural engineering firm Structures1.
Slowdown in housebuilding threat to geotechnics
30-Jul-2008Piling contractors were last month facing bankruptcy and redundancies as the dramatic slowdown in the private housing market threatens to plunge the industry into crisis.
GSF 2008: The state of the industry
30-Jul-2008Ground Engineering's annual Geotechnical Services File has revealed a market on the brink of a slowdown
London's transport system will not withstand population growth
29-Jul-2008London's transport network is ill-prepared to cope with a predicted population increase and a growth in the number of workspaces being built, said speakers at a City Property Association seminar this week.
New Olympic Park aerial images released
28-Jul-2008New aerial shots of the Olympic Park in London have been released to mark four years to go until the opening ceremony.
Government eco-town proposals open to legal challenge
23-Jul-2008The Local Government Association (LGA), Liberal Democrats and Tories have today put their weight to lawyers warning the Government's approach to eco-towns contravenes planning legislation.
New wind farm consortium sets sights on becoming electricity firm
22-Jul-2008A consortium of three organisations has been set up to bid for offshore wind farm development licences in the North Sea, it was announced yesterday.
Bringing down the curtain
19-Jun-2008The complex clean-up of Dounreay nuclear plant on the north east coast of Scotland is progressing as contractors near completion of the grout curtain which will isolate a contaminated waste shaft. Alexandra Wynne reports.
With nail and I
June 2008Early testing has led to a project team installing a medley of soil nails on an environmentally sensitive tunnelling project in the south of England. Alexandra Wynne reports from the heath lands near Hindhead.
Thermal piles cut energy demands
13-May-2008Geothermal energy can be part of the solution to the problem of rising oil prices and the need to cut carbon emissions, attendees at an ICE meeting on energy piles heard recently.
Close encounter
26-Mar-2008A doubling up of geosynthetics is being used to create heavy duty support and make room for an apartment development in Scotland.
Seaside special
26-Mar-2008A few clever tricks have helped keep trains running on time beside a slippery slope flanking a section of the London to Brighton railway.
Cheshire squeeze
27-Feb-2008The team on a development in the old market town of Nantwich in north west England is cramming in efficient ground engineering solutions in the hope of turning it into hot property. Alexandra Wynne reports.
Piled High
27-Feb-2008A dual-use retaining wall will help transform a corner of south London into an enticing residential development. Alexandra Wynne reports.
Master Blaster
4-Feb-2008It is a mix of good and bad news from the academic world this year for the UK's geo-related masters courses. Alexandra Wynne gives a round-up of views on the state of play.
15-Jan-2008Contractors are battling to complete ground improvement work to allow Valencia to host next year's Grand Prix of Europe. Alexandra Wynne reports.
Delicate tunnelling in Leipzig
3-Jan-2008The heritage of the east German city of Leipzig is being preserved by an operation that engineers hope will prevent damage from the building of a new railway tunnel.
On the grid in Valencia
3-Jan-2008The race is on to complete ground improvement work to allow a Spanish city to play host to next year's Grand Prix of Europe.
Paris underground
30-Nov-2007The tradition of using limestone for Paris's buildings has left the city standing on a network of quarry voids. Alexandra Wynne treads carefully on a site where work is under way to stabilise the ground.
Waterford down
30-Nov-2007Double-reinforced micropiles are boosting support for a major bridge project in the Republic of Ireland.
Worries grow over Mosul Dam
30-Nov-2007Catastrophic failure of a major Iraqi dam and the resultant loss of life must be avoided through more reinstatement work, according to a US report published in October.
Flight of imagination
29-Nov-2007A medley of ground investigation techniques is being put into practice on a vast old airfield in the east of England where plans are afoot to transform it into a new sustainable town
First-class Second city
29-Nov-2007The UK's second city is getting a major new building that needs some heavy duty piling.
A quiet suburban street in Hertfordshire is at the hub of a major effort to prevent homes being swallowed up
31-Oct-2007Abandoned and unstable chalk mines beneath Briars Lane in Hatfield have been gradually making their presence known for almost 30 years. But now a new project with a twofold approach is under way to stop future ground collapses.
Across the Great Divide
31-Oct-2007Site workers are dealing with difficukt groundwater on a project exploring a possible new river crossing near the norfolk coastline.Alexandra Wynne heads to East Anglia to take a look.
Site workers are dealing with difficult groundwater on a project exploring a possible new river crossing near the Norfolk coastline
31-Oct-2007The River Yare already has two crossings linking Great Yarmouth to the north and Gorlston to the south.
Plans to build a vast oil production plant in Kazakhstan have called for investigation of difficult soils in a far-flung location
31-Oct-2007Kazakh customs officials had trouble believing that anything as innocuous as soil was in the canisters airlifted to the UK late last year.
One of Britain's oldest universities is getting a facelift with the help of some clever piling
31-Oct-2007It may be a small site at only 40m2, but Memorial Court at Clare College – part of the University of Cambridge – is getting bigger facilities with a new study centre and accommodation wing in an £8.5M facelift.
Ask the panel: questions of liability
31-Oct-2007Your insurance questions answered by the experts.
Piling for a new hospital in the north of England has eliminated the need for a separate ground works contract
31-Oct-2007The steel and concrete building for the new Pinderfields Hospital in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, is getting support from a complicated large-diameter monopile foundation system.
For peat's sake
31-Oct-2007Eaglesham Moor in Scotland might be an ideal location for a new wind farm, but it is a site full of geotechnical challenges.
Super-props brace Irish tunnel project
4-Oct-2007Six giant super-props are being used to brace a casting basin where tunnel sections will be built for the new 570M Euro (£390M) Limerick Tunnel in the Republic of Ireland (GE March '07).
Site workers were completing installation of 2456 CFA
4-Oct-2007Site workers were completing installation of 2456 continuous flight auger (CFA) piles for a new bio-ethanol production plant in North East England as GE went to press.
Rescue attempt scaled down as hope dwindles for trapped miners
4-Oct-2007Attempts to reach six miners trapped beneath ground after a cave-in in Utah were continuing as GE went to press. However, the effort has been scaled-down following the deaths of three members of the rescue team in mid-August.
Bullivant voices its concern over debts
4-Oct-2007Piling firm Roger Bullivant has admitted it is concerned about rising debts at the group, which increased by nearly £3M last year.
A no-nonsense approach
28-Jun-2007Spotlight - Reclaimed steel piles are being used to make pier-like platforms to help build the Limerick Tunnel in Ireland. Alexandra Wynne steps onto the jetty.
Dutch update
28-Jun-2007Spotlight - Updating a road tunnel in Rotterdam means dealing with space, noise, vibration and transport restrictions. Alexandra Wynne visited the Netherlands to see the work.
A firm winner
1-Jun-2007Geotechnics - A lime cement powder mix will help a new road stand rm in Sweden's soft soils. Alexandra Wynne reports.
Welsh residents voice fears over gas pipeline quake risk
1-May-2007GROUND IMPROVEMENT
1-May-2007GROUND IMPROVEMENT
A firm winner
19-Apr-2007Geotechnics Slope stabilisation
Finding the missing link
19-Apr-2007Geotechnics Carlisle to Guards Mill
4-Apr-2007PILING & FOUNDATIONS
4-Apr-2007PILING & FOUNDATIONS
1-Mar-2007PILING - Soft toe piles were the answer to complex ground conditions at a major new hospital development in Scotland. Alexandra Wynne finds out how the piles work.
1-Feb-2007SOIL NAILING
MSC Napoli cargo threatens Dorset coast
1-Feb-2007SALVAGE CREWS were last month recovering oil from the stranded ship MSC Napoli that beached last month off the south coast of England, east of Sidmouth, after getting into trouble.
1-Feb-2007GEOENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING
1-Feb-2007MASTERS COURSES