New Civil Engineer
1 March 2012
View all stories from this issue.
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‘Put minister in charge of infrastructure delivery’ – ICE
Chancellor George Osborne must put a senior minister in charge of delivering the government’s National Infrastructure Plan, the ICE said in its Budget submission last week. -
Arup tall buildings boss David Scott joins Laing O'Rourke
Arup’s US tall buildings boss David Scott is to join Laing O’Rourke as structural engineering leader. -
Companies must prepare for Libyan jobs before elections
Declarations of intent valuable but one expert says no work will begin before autumn. -
Construction firms shortlisted for defence capital works framework
Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) has announced a shortlist of 10 bidders for its future commercial arrangements for the delivery of large-scale construction projects across the UK Defence estate. -
Consultants Awards 2012 hopefuls announced
Twenty six firms have bucked the global downturn to make the shortlist for the prestigious NCE/ACE Consultants of the Year Awards. -
Crossrail shortlists four for £1bn rolling stock contract
Crossrail has shortlisted four firms to supply the 60 trains and associated depot at Old Oak Common needed to carry passengers on the £14.8bn railway -
Deep sea investigation awarded to Fugro
Fugro Singapore has been awarded a £5M offshore geotechnical investigation contract by Reliance Industries on the east coast of India. -
Drought pipeline proposal for HS2 route
Water company United Utilities has raised the prospect of transferring water from the north of the UK to the drought-hit south by suggesting a pipeline could be built alongside the route of the High Speed 2 (HS2) railway line. -
Emergency works for Forth Road Bridge suspension cables
Engineers were this weekend carrying out emergency works on the Forth Road Bridge’s suspension cables. -
ESG adds to marine capabilities
Environmental Scientifics Group is aiming to target near-shore survey work with investment in a dedicated inshore vessel. -
Farringdon Thameslink: Faster track to growth
As the only station where London’s two biggest transport improvement projects will meet, Farringdon station is unique. To cope with the passenger influx this will create, a major upgrade is nearing completion. Mark Hansford checks out the progress. -
Flood scheme offers protection for Kempsey
Major earthworks, sluices and construction of a new pumping station to protect the village of Kempsey from the risk of flooding from the River Severn are nearing completion, despite being undertaken over the winter months. -
Global infrastructure investment faces crisis
Global 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. -
Government reiterates plans for dealing with waste from new nuclear
Energy Secretary Edward Davey has reiterated the government’s policy that new nuclear operators cover their waste and decommissioning costs. -
High Speed 2 promoter to work on Scottish extension
Transport secretary Justine Greening has told high speed rail company HS2 Ltd to work with the Scottish Government on proposals to extend the route north of the border. -
Hinkley planning row talks stall
Talks between Sedgemoor District Council and energy giant EdF over a planning funding issue have this week failed to reach an agreement. -
Horizon in 'final stages' of selecting nuclear reactor design
Nuclear new build firm Horizon Nuclear Power said yesterday it was in the “final stages” of selecting a reactor design for its site in North Wales. -
Johnson puts cost of Crossrail 2 at up to £15bn
London mayor Boris Johnson has revealed that the likely cost of building a second Crossrail line across London has escalated from £2.8bn to £15bn since the proposal was last examined in 1995. -
Laing O'Rourke wins £300M Crossrail Liverpool Street station contract
Contractor Laing O’Rourke Construction has won the £300M contract for Crossrail’s C502 Liverpool Street Station contract, it has just been announced. -
Letters: Anatomy of failure at Hammersmith Flyover
I have been reading with great interest about the Hammersmith Flyover in recent weeks and pondered Transport for London’s decision to initially close the bridge completely but not the roads beneath.One can only conclude that the bridge is not in imminent danger of collapse.It appears that t -
London’s utility bosses agree action plan for less disruptive roadworks
The six largest utility companies working in the capital have agreed to team up with Transport for London (TfL) to trial innovative working methods that could speed up road works. -
Met mast contract for Fugro Seacore
Fugro Seacore has been appointed to design, build and install for a new offshore met mast for the proposed Rampion Offshore Wind Farm. -
Network Rail pleads guilty over Grayrigg disaster
Rail 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. -
New chief for Nuclear Decommissioning Authority
John Clarke has been announced as the new chief executive of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority following the departure of Tony Fountain in December. -
New geological survey map launched for sustainable drainage systems
The British Geological Survey (BGS) has released a new digital map which it claims will help planners, developers and local authorities reduce urban flooding through appropriate use of Sustainable Drainage Systems (Suds). -
Northern Line extension to progress without developer
London mayor Boris Johnson has pledged to continue developing plans for an extension of the Northern Line to Battersea Power Station despite the owner of the development site going into administration. -
Oldbury nuclear power station closes after 44 years' operation
The world’s oldest operating nuclear power station, Oldbury near Bristol, stopped producing electricity yesterday morning after 44 years of operation. -
Olympic construction programme remains on time and on budget
The latest official update shows that the London 2012 construction programme remains on budget, with the overall cost still within the £9.3bn funding envelope. -
Quake-hit Christchurch cathedral to be demolished
Church officials have today confirmed their decision to demolish New Zealand’s Christchurch cathedral after the 2011 earthquake left it in a state of disrepair. -
Royal institutions launch shale gas extraction investigation
The Royal Society and the Royal Academy of Engineering today announced that they plan to jointly investigate the potential risks of shale gas extraction. -
Scots join push for tram-train technology
Transport Scotland and Glasgow airport owner BAA are investigating the merits of building a tram-train link to the citry centre, it has been revealed. -
Spending review £60M ports cash remains unspent
The Department of Energy and Climate Change (Decc) revealed this week that a £60M grant to improve port infrastructure to support offshore wind farm construction remains unspent, nearly 18 months after the money was pledged by chancellor George Osborne in his 2010 Comprehensive Spending Review. -
Ten shortlisted for multi-billion pound London highways maintenance deals
Transport for London (TfL) has shortlisted 10 contractors to tender for four, area based, highways alliance deals worth upwards of £1.8bn. -
Term contract for Hydrock
Hydrock has beaten off competition from 19 other companies to secure a three year contract for ground investigation services with the London Borough of Bexley. -
The day Bridgwater went to the wall
Last November, the Somerset town of Bridgwater was rocked by the sudden collapse of its river wall. Mark Hansford describes the complex rebuild. -
Tottenham Court Road: Underground sensation
The £480M upgrade of Tottenham Court Road Underground station is possibly one of the most fiendishly complex schemes ever tackled in the capital. Yet it is on time and on budget. Mark Hansford reports on a pretty impressive construction effort. -
Train for success
The Crossrail project this week launched its invitation to tender for rolling stock. Antony Oliver talks to train manufacturer Bombardier Transportation’s new UK chairman Sir Neville Simms about how he intends to bring his infrastructure knowledge to bear on this major transport engineering business. -
Tube set to post most reliable performance figures for a decade
London Underground is heading for its most reliable year since Transport for London took responsibility for the Tube a decade ago,official figures show. -
URS, Jacobs and Mott MacDonald big winners as Sellafield awards mega £1.5bn design framework
Nuclear decommissioning giant Sellafield has awarded a £1.5bn, 15 year design contract to two joint ventures of UK and international consultants featuring URS, Jacobs and Mott MacDonald. -
US pension funds plot water infrastructure fund to pay for upgrades
US politicians have heard that public sector pension funds are developing a water infrastructure fund to help finance an estimated £250bn upgrade of America’s water and wastewater networks. -
Water firms face threat of competition breach
Water companies could be heading for a showdown with the Competition Commission if they do not agree to proposed changes to their operating licences.
