AtkinsRéalis awarded £98m Wessex Route signalling upgrade contract

AtkinsRéalis has been awarded a contract worth around £98m by Network Rail to upgrade signalling and telecommunications infrastructure on part of the Wessex Route, one of the UK’s busiest rail networks, centred around London Waterloo and serving Surrey, Berkshire, Hampshire, Dorset, Somerset, and Wiltshire. 

image: Network Rail

The three-year programme will see AtkinsRéalis act as principal contractor and designer, delivering end-to-end design, project management and construction services across approximately 43km of railway in the Portsmouth area. The scheme will replace life-expired signalling and telecoms assets, with the aim of improving reliability and reducing signalling-related delays.

The works include the relock and recontrol of the Havant Area Signalling Centre to the Basingstoke Rail Operating Centre. In total, the project covers 11 stations, 10 interlockings (signalling systems that prevent trains from entering occupied or improperly set paths), four level crossings and associated power and communications systems.

Ian L Edwards, global president and chief executive of AtkinsRéalis, said, “Reliable rail infrastructure is fundamental to supporting connectivity and economic growth across regions. This project will significantly improve network performance, benefiting passengers and freight operators.”

Chris Ball, president for UK and Ireland at AtkinsRéalis, added that the company’s experience in both conventional and digital signalling would support delivery of the scheme. He said its approach would include collaboration with the supply chain, including SMEs, to deliver improvements for “communities and businesses across the region”.

The route provides key links between London and the south coast ports at Portsmouth and Southampton, both of which handle significant volumes of passenger and freight traffic.

As part of the upgrade, AtkinsRéalis will deploy its Advanced Signalling Method (ASM), a systems integration approach approved by Network Rail. Engineering, procurement and construction activity is now under way.

The contract has been let through Network Rail’s £4bn Train Control Systems Framework and forms part of a wider programme of investment in rail infrastructure serving the south coast and routes into London between 2024 and 2029.