BAM Construction and architects Aedas have secured a contract to design and build Network Rail's new rail operating centre (ROC) and training facility in York.

The ROC, located on the Engineers Triangle, will be one of just 14 proposed centres across Great Britain and will eventually coordinate and control all rail operations on the London North Eastern route. The training centre will consolidate services already provided at several different locations into a single, purpose-built facility.

The project marks a further collaboration between BAM, Aedas and Network Rail. The contractor is already at work on a key national centre in Milton Keynes, which opens in summer 2012 and will provide state-of-the-art facilities for more than 3,000 people, and is redeveloping the retail units at Waterloo Station. Aedas similarly has work on-going for the national rail operator at Euston, Manchester, Rotherham, Bolton, Edinburgh and Leeds.

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John Phillips, Construction Director for BAM, said: "The York Engineers Triangle will provide a railway operations centre housed in modern high specification office facilities with the capacity to expand to 48 desks over time. We will also develop a detailed design for the workforce development centre which will be learning space, such as lecture theatres and classrooms and areas to simulate track repair and maintenance. We’re now working closely as part of the joint project team with Network Rail, Aedas and Giffords, who will provide the structural and mechanical expertise, to progress the project."

Construction of the full multi-million development is envisaged to start during the summer of 2012, subject to securing planning consent and other statutory permissions. With building work complete by 2014, the gradual relocation of operations and staff into the rail operating centre will begin.

(CD)