Mid Cornwall Metro is a £56.8m project that will establish a direct train service between the north and south coasts of the peninsula. It will provide an hourly coast-to-coast rail service between Newquay, Par, St Austell, Truro, Penryn and Falmouth.
Aecom has already completed the outline design and business plan for the scheme and with the scheme securing £50m of levelling up funding towards the total costs, Aecom has been instructed to keep going.
The project is led by Cornwall Council, Network Rail and Great Western Railway. The scheme is being delivered through the South Rail Systems Alliance (SRSA), a 10-year framework awarded in 2019 between Network Rail, Colas and Aecom for delivery of railway systems renewals across three Network Rail Regions in the south of the UK, Western & Wales, Southern and Anglia. Colas is the designer for the signalling and telecoms.
Aecom is delivering the work on the Newquay branch line, which is the main scope of works. The line is currently a single track and Aecom will design a passing loop and additional line into Newquay Station and upgrade associated station infrastructure, platform and signalling, along with environmental enhancements.
There will also be station improvements at Par, Roche and Bugle
Aecom has been appointed as engineering lead for the scheme, coordinating various disciplines including track, civils, signalling, environmental, electrical and plant, and fire safety systems.
Work is expected to start later this year and take two years to complete
Susan Evans, Aecom’s director for rail, structures and ground engineering, said: “It’s fantastic news that we’re able to significantly progress Mid Cornwall Metro. The scheme will be transformative for the local community by improving access to jobs, education and amenities through improved transportation and mobility connections. It will offer a more sustainable alternative to car use, with wider scheme initiatives such as station improvements and ticket digitalisation delivering a better user experience for passengers.”
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