An alliance between Amey, BAM Nuttall and Arup have been selected by Network Rail to design infrastructure upgrade options for the Transpennine Route between York and Manchester.

The deal covers improvements to civils, track, railway systems and electrification to the West of Leeds.

This latest contract follows on from a previous deal awarded in October 2014 to an Alliance between Network Rail, VolkerRail, Murphy and Siemens, which covers rail enhancements on the East of Leeds part of the Transpennine Route between York and Leeds. Overall, the upgrade programme is valued up to £2 billion.

Network Rail will work in collaboration with the Alliances from the earliest stages on the development of potential infrastructure options for the Transpennine Route Upgrade. These options will be submitted to the Department for Transport (DfT) for consideration in December.


Paul McKeown, Director of Route Sponsorship for Network Rail's London North Eastern and East Midlands route, said: "We are focussed on developing the potential infrastructure enhancements that will lead to faster, more frequent and more reliable train services across the north and will submit these to the Department for Transport at the end of the year."

Tim Ketteringham, Alliance Manager, West of Leeds, said: "The Transpennine Route Upgrade is a major programme of rail improvement that will have a real and lasting impact on people and communities in the North of England for generations to come: connecting towns and cities, improving journey times and supporting economic growth. I am thrilled to be part of the Alliance of companies that is working together as one team to deliver this step change in rail travel."

Neil Lindley, Alliance Manager, East of Leeds, added: "This is a key milestone for transportation development in the North of England. Complex multi-disciplinary projects such as this require the knowledge and diverse skillset brought through alliancing, especially in the early stages of design development. We look forward to working alongside the West of Leeds Alliance, TOCs, FOCs and other major stakeholders to improve transport links and provide local communities with faster and more frequent rail services; transforming the north for years to come."

(LM)