Network Rail plans to extend the existing contract with AtkinsRéalis, Laing O’Rourke and VolkerRail for capacity upgrades and infrastructure works across the route.
Network Rail has announced plans to award up to £650m of additional work to the AtkinsRéalis, Laing O’Rourke and VolkerRail alliance delivering the £6.6bn East West Rail project.
A contract notice published on 14 October sets out the intention to extend the East West Rail Alliance’s existing core works agreement without a competitive tender.
The proposed package will increase capacity on the Marston Vale Line between Bletchley and Stewartby, as well as on the section between Oxford Parkway and Bletchley. The upgrades are also intended to support rail services ahead of the planned opening of the Universal Studios theme park near Bedford in 2031.
Within the alliance, AtkinsRéalis provides engineering and design services, Laing O’Rourke is the main construction partner and VolkerRail is responsible for infrastructure and track delivery. The existing core works contract is valued at £402m, according to Glenigan.
The additional works will cover signalling, track upgrades, electrification, level crossing closures and station improvements. Track interventions will include the installation of double track between Bletchley and Fenny Stratford, changes to the track layout at Stewartby and the provision of additional passing loops.
The package will also encompass bridge and underpass construction, earthworks, drainage improvements and station works at Winslow, Bletchley and Stewartby.
Alongside the physical construction, the alliance will undertake design work for rail systems and station upgrades, utility diversions, site clearance and the establishment of construction compounds. Enabling works will include flood storage areas and environmental compensation sites.
Network Rail has estimated the value of the proposed package at up to £650m excluding VAT. The contract is scheduled to run from 9 November 2026 to 24 November 2036, subject to funding and other approvals. Network Rail expects to sign the agreement no earlier than 4 November.
The client has justified the proposed direct award on technical grounds, stating that appointing a different contractor would create difficulties because the new works overlap with infrastructure already being delivered by the alliance. These interfaces include level crossing closures, bridge construction, signalling alterations, station safety improvements and drainage infrastructure.
The decision follows East West Rail’s announcement in April that it would accelerate delivery of the Oxford-to-Cambridge railway by opening sections as soon as construction was complete, rather than waiting for the entire route to be finished.
The revised approach includes rebuilding four Marston Vale Line stations at Woburn Sands, Ridgmont, Lidlington and Stewartby, alongside electrification to support more frequent services.
East West Rail has said the upgraded railway would accommodate four trains between Oxford and Stewartby, providing connections to the planned Universal Studios development.
The additional works are intended to increase capacity and improve operational flexibility across sections of the railway, while coordinating the delivery of track, signalling, stations and associated infrastructure within the alliance’s existing programme.
