The £1.5bn Core Valley Lines Transformation Programme has won the flagship award, the Sir John Armitt Prize, at the British Construction & Infrastructure Awards (BCIA), organised by the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) and New Civil Engineer (NCE) magazine. It also won the Transport Project Award.
The programme, a collaboration between Amey Infrastructure Wales and Transport for Wales, is modernising 170km of railways across the South Wales Valleys. It includes electrification, new digital signalling, £800m of new electric and trimodal trains which can run on electric, diesel, and battery power, station upgrades, and two entirely new stations.
The BCIA judges said the project was:
“A multidisciplinary rail scheme with very strong and widespread community benefits. Infrastructure, rolling stock and operation were brought together in a systems-led approach backed by a highly collaborative culture with strong client leadership. A benchmark project for the challenge ahead for Great British Railways.”
Improving travel – and life – in South Wales
The changes are increasing capacity, reliability, and accessibility across the network, making it easier to travel throughout South Wales and improving residents’ access to education, employment and leisure activities.
Overall, the programme is one of the most ambitious and significant rail modernisation projects undertaken in the UK in recent years and supports Wales’ ambition to move towards cleaner and greener travel.
Already, it’s delivered transformative improvements to the rail network. For the first time, many journeys can be completed without passengers having to change trains in Cardiff.
Other improvements include the electrification of the Merthyr Tydfil, Aberdare, Treherbert, Cardiff and City lines, enabling cleaner, faster, and more reliable services. New trains have been introduced on the Rhymney line, improving comfort and accessibility for passengers.
Seven new passing loops, sections of track that allow trains travelling in opposite directions to pass each other safely and/or for faster trains to overtake slower ones, have been built. This has seen services double from two trains per hour to four on key valley lines.
The programme has also significantly enhanced the Treherbert line, replacing a 100-year-old token exchange signalling system with cutting edge digital signalling, dramatically improving reliability.
Keith Jones, ICE regional director Wales Cymru, said,
“The Core Valley Line Transformation Programme is an exceptional example of how well-planned, thoughtful infrastructure can change people’s lives. The positive legacy of this programme will shape futures in South Wales for generations. This project has not just improved transport, but people’s well-being, as travelling between communities has become easier and access to opportunities has improved. For the people of South Wales this will reduce isolation and increase long-term education and employment prospects. It’s fantastic to see its positive impact recognised at a UK level.”
Gavin Pearson, editor, NCE, said,
“These awards celebrate the best of the best across construction and infrastructure industries, not just in what they achieve in terms of the projects they deliver, but the incredible vital impact they have on the health, wellbeing and prosperity of communities and the country as a whole.
“That is the context in which our judges debate and interrogate over 300 projects and initiatives that have a lasting impact on society and on the industry, reaching new heights that other professionals can aspire to and learn from.”
Wayne Brigden, Business Director at Amey, said,
“Winning both the Sir John Armitt Prize and the Transport Project Award is a fantastic achievement and something the whole team can be incredibly proud of.
“Working with Transport for Wales, Network Rail – our integrated delivery partners and our trusted suppliers, we have combined collaboration with pioneering engineering to deliver a programme that is creating better connections, supporting regeneration and making a lasting difference for communities across South Wales.
“Seeing that impact recognised at a UK level is hugely rewarding.”
