Infrastructure – Page 4

Is this the end of Boom & Bust in the rail sector?

Since the privatization of the railways, the main contractors involved in constructing rail infrastructure have been consistently plagued by boom and bust cycles due to funding inconsistencies. Projects typically start out with great momentum but as funding dries up contractors find themselves looking at smaller […]

What will it take to make the Heathrow expansion a success?

Recent news reports highlighted great excitement over the government vote of approval to expand Heathrow Airport by adding an additional runway. When completed it will add much needed capacity for both cargo and passengers. More interesting though is that the construction process may just usher […]

Is the perfect storm building in the UK’s construction industry?

With more than 154 000 construction workers in the UK currently from the EU (According to ONS data for the period 2014 to 2016), and 500 000 senior workers expected to retire from the industry in the next decade, the construction industry will be hard pressed to […]

To rehire or not to rehire – is it a smart move?

There is the belief that when an employee leaves a company it’s because they’re unhappy. While this may be true some of the time, more often people leave for other reasons such as a more senior position, a better salary or an opportunity to work […]

What’s needed to enable more intelligent transport technology in the UK?

Driverless cars and intelligent transport systems are no longer the thing of dreams. While this technology has been talked about regarding the transport of the future for some time – that future is soon to become reality. With global trends towards lowering emissions and incorporating […]

Lowest cost tendering – the industry should know better

It’s a well-known saying that you pay what you get for intimating that cheapest is not always the best. Yet despite several leading industry opinions to the contrary and several reports to back them up, lowest cost tendering still seems to dominate the landscape for […]

What is holding back highways innovation?

The number of road users is increasing exponentially every year, adding to road congestion and maintenance costs. On top of that many local authorities have had their budgets cut, limiting infrastructure development. While there are calls for innovation and a different way of thinking, new […]

Do we have enough skills for the building of future infrastructure?

Recent budget announcements have supported the need for a greater investment in infrastructure in the UK. A 2015 report by PWC[i] cited that spending in UK infrastructure was likely to increase to £110bn by 2025. While this is positive news for the industry, ensuring that […]

Smarter rail for a digital age

Network Rail recently announced ambitious plans to upgrade the outdated Victorian rail transport system and it can’t come soon enough. With passenger numbers on the rise there is an urgent need for the railways to operate with greater efficiency and frequency. Converting to digital railways […]

More major projects in the pipeline than on the ground

It’s been a bit of a rollercoaster ride for the infrastructure construction sector in recent years largely due to funding issues. With the majority of funding coming from public sources, changes in budget allocations and budget cuts have put a stranglehold on many project developments. […]