New Civil Engineer
26 July 2012
View all stories from this issue.
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£34M Edinburgh Tram contingency ‘not enough’
Engineers have privately expressed doubts that the Edinburgh Tram’s £34M contingency fund will be able to cover the risk of utility diversion problems at its York Place terminus. -
Afghanistan government opens bids from mining giants to exploit copper deposits
The Government of Afghanistan, through the Ministry of Mines of Afghanistan, has announced that the submitted bids were opened yesterday for the exploration and subsequent exploitation of two licence areas at the Balkhab copper project. -
Amey to run Scotland's traffic control centre
Amey has scooped a £6 million contract to run Scotland’s national traffic control centre and keep its roads moving. -
Balfour Beatty wins £6M highways maintenance contract
Highways Agency has awarded its £6M North West Regional Technology Maintenance Contract (RTMC) to contractor Balfour Beatty this week. -
Battersea boost for Northern Line extension
Long-held plans for an extension of the Northern Line have been boosted by progress on the Battersea Power Station redevelopment. -
Behind the scenes at the One Great George Street 2012 Media Centre
Costain graduate engineers Fiona Dixon and Ian McMillan have been given behind the scenes access to the goings on at the London 2012 Media Centre housed in the ICE headquarters in Great George Street. Latest reports.. -
Brisbane Airport Link opens to traffic
Claimed to be Australia’s largest transport infrastructure project the Brisbane Airport Link officially opened to traffic last week. -
Christchurch rebuild plan formalised
New Zealand earthquake recovery minister Gerry Brownlee has this week unveiled a new blueprint for rebuilding earthquake-damaged central Christchurch. -
Civil engineers required for £70m Pirbright scheme
Civil engineers are sought as part of a design team for a £70 million high containment research facility at the Pirbright laboratory in Surrey. -
Clegg announces £100M funding for renewable energy projects
Deputy prime minister Nick Clegg today announced a £100M investment to fund small scale renewable energy projects in the UK. -
Construction insolvencies on the rise
The number of construction insolvencies rose in the first three months of this year, according to an accountancy firm. -
Contract wins for Costain's transport and water sectors
Contractor Costain has won a £102M roads project in Northern Ireland and a £27M water contract in Derbyshire . -
Contractors urge government to act to prevent workloads crash
The Civil Engineering Contractors Association (CECA) is urging the government to take rapid action to prevent a sudden crash in workloads forcing a a double-dip recession in the infrastructure sector. -
Crossrail eastern running tunnels launch shafts near completion
Crossrail workers have reached the temporary bottom of the two huge launch shafts in east London where tunnel boring machines will be lowered into ahead of tunnelling commencing. -
Deadly landslip probed
Discovery of two bodies in a car buried under a landslip close to a tunnel portal in Dorset has raised questions about the maintenance of slopes above the tunnel. -
Economic slowdown prompts reduction in construction costs
Construction costs in the UK have decreased over the past 12 months, making the UK a cheaper place to build than countries such as Qatar and New Zealand, according to this year’s International Construction Costs Reportreleased today by consultant EC Harris. -
Energy firms unveil £1.4bn investment in North Sea gas field
Energy firms GDF Suez, Centrica and Bayerngas have signed a £1.4bn field development plan with the government to develop gas fields in the North Sea today. -
Experts fear Finnish reactor delays could affect Hinkley
The revelation that Olkiluoto nuclear power station in Finland is facing new delays has raised concerns this week that the same problems could disrupt the timetable for delivering the new nuclear plant at Hinkley Point in Somerset. -
Former ICE president Hansford named as new chief construction adviser
ICE Immediate Past President Peter Hansford has today been named as new chief construction adviser replacing incumbent Paul Morrell in December. -
Global capital project spending returns to pre-recession levels
Management consultant AT Kearney claims annual global spending on capital projects has returned to pre-2008 levels at around $11 - $12 trillion (£7.1 - £7.7 trillion), with projected growth of around 10% a year. -
Graduate awards 2012: Are you ready for success?
Attention graduate civil engineers - now is your chance to rise above the market malaise with record prizes and bags of praise as David Hayward highlights the launch of NCE’s 2012 Graduate Awards. -
Great Ormond Street hospital scheme launched
Great Ormond Street Hospital Childrens’ Charity is seeking bidders for a £35 million deal to design and build a research centre. -
India power back on after major blackout
India’s power supply has been restored after a massive power failure in its northern states plunged much of the population into darkness for the past two days. -
Irish piling contractor targets UK market
Ireland-based piling contractor PJ Edwards has announced the opening of a dedicated office to target contracts in the UK. -
Jetty completed at Wallasea Island nature reserve
Excavated material from the Crossrail tunnels can now be delivered by ship to Wallasea Island in the Thames estuary following completion of a new jetty and conveyor system. -
Jobs warning over renewables uncertainty
Renewable energy producers have warned that further uncertainty over government support could put jobs at risk. -
Keller sees global profits more than triple
Geotechnical contractor Keller has seen its global profits more than triple in the first half of 2012 with a rise to £11M against £3.4M for the same period last year, according to its interim results released today. However, the firm continues to face difficulties in Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) and has reported a loss of £2.8M when it had made a profit of £3.2M in the first half of last year to 30 June. -
Kier sells plant business
Contractor Kier has announced today it is selling its plant business for £4M following a strategic review of its business. -
Lafarge increases revenue 5%
Building materials supplier Lafarge has posted a 5% increase in revenue for the first half of this year. -
Ministers urged to underwrite renewable and nuclear energy
MPs this week urged the government to use its AAA credit rating to underwrite investments in low carbon energy projects. -
Morgan Sindall's profits rise 13%
Contractor Morgan Sindall posted a 13% increase in its profits to £18.8M for the first six months of 2012 according to its half year results released yesterday. -
Mouchel investors to receive 1p a share as banks poised to take control
Consultant Mouchel has agreed a restructuring deal that will give its banks majority interest in the firm via a debt for equity swap, it announced today. -
NCE Insite Spring 2012
Tallest tale: The UK’s tallest building takes shape -
NCE's prestigious Graduate Awards launched today
NCE has launched its 2012 Graduate Awards with record prizes offered by a record number of top company sponsors. Enter now for a rollercoaster of opportunities. -
New design panel appointed for Olympic Park legacy
The London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC) yesterday announced it had appointed a Quality Review Panel to help transform the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park after the 2012 Games. -
New firm Cohesion Piling opens for business
A new geotechnical consultant – Cohesion Piling Company – has begun trading today. -
New marine energy park opens in Scotland
Climate change minister Greg Barker will open the Pentland Firth and Orkney Waters energy marine park off the north coast of Scotland today. -
No.20 The London 2012 Olympics
The opening ceremony of the 30th Olympic Games will take place tomorrow in what just seven years ago was an industrial wasteland.The construction of the London 2012 stadiums and infrastructure, both within the Olympic Park and elsewhere in the country, on time and to budget has been a major success for civil engineering. -
Olympics safety lessons should be taken on board, say experts
Safety experts have identified five steps taken on the London Olympics construction project that can be used to reduce injuries elsewhere in the industry. -
Plans unveiled for Crossrail over-site development at Paddington
Crossrail has submitted a planning application to Westminster City Council for a major over-site development at Paddington. -
Plea for investment as industry shrinks again
Civils firms have called for ‘targeted investment’ after construction output fell by more than 5 per cent in the second quarter of 2012. -
Post-Olympics community plans approved
Plans have been approved for a community building and play space in the Olympic Park. -
Rail: Cool running
A new facility to help London Underground keep its new fleet of trains on the tracks is close to completion. Paul Thompson reports. -
Rail: Electric Current
Plans for a £9.4bn cash injection into the rail industry have been described as the biggest investment in rail since Victorian times - but it comes with a caveat. -
Rail: Tramspotting
Edinburgh’s much maligned tram work appeared to have turned a corner last year. Declan Lynch visits the new team heading the project. -
Road maintenance contest revamp
The Highways Agency has confirmed that it has revamped the schedule of rates it is using to assess bids for its highly sought-after maintenance deals. -
Rules to hamper kick start plan
Government efforts to kick start £40bn of infrastructure projects could stall because few schemes will satisfy qualifying critertia, industry insiders warned this week. -
Sheffield's £2bn highways PFI deal with Amey reaches financial close
Sheffield City Council’s £2bn Highway Maintenance PFI Project has reached financial close with Amey, its private sector contractor for the 25 year contract. -
Soil Engineering secures first international investigation
Soil Engineering Geoservices has announced that it has won a £1M contract to carry out a ground investigation in Africa – the company’s first international project. -
Structural engineer Freya Murray steps into Olympic marathon place
Cundall structural engineer Freya Murray has this week been confirmed to replace marathon runner Paula Radcliffe at the London 2012 Olympic Games. -
Taylor Wimpey and L&Q appointed to first Olympic neighbourhood job
The London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC) has appointed Taylor Wimpey and housing association L&Q to build the first of five new neighbourhoods on the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, it was announced today. -
Train deal 'largest in the world'
A fleet of trains will be built to slash journeys from London to Bristol in what has been hailed as the world’s largest privately financed rolling stock deal. -
Travis Perkins boosts profits
Builders merchant Travis Perkins has posted a 10 per cent hike in adjusted operating profits. -
Woman killed in Dorset landslide
Dorset Police has confirmed that the body of woman has been found under tonnes of rock which fell in a massive landslide from cliffs above a Dorset beach. -
Workforce safety on Britain's mainline railway falls
The level of workforce harm on Britain’s mainline railway increased by 4% last year, the Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) has reported. -
WSP finalises merger with Genivar
Consultant WSP’s merger with Canadian consultant Genivar was finalised today creating one firm with over £1bn in revenues.
