West Coast Route Modernisation / Efficiency Review

Commissioned by Mouchel Parkman, in its role as Independent Reporter B to the Office of Rail Regulation, to lead the delivery of two major multidisciplinary studies on the West Coast Route Modernisation (Activities 1 and 2 above). Each study lasted five months and involved a team of up to ten consultants representing the various disciplines involved.

Both studies involved the assimilation of a substantial amount of raw data to produce outputs that subsequently informed key funding decisions. The unit cost report in particular provided Network Rail, the ORR and the SRA with a detailed breakdown of the costs that contributed to the delivery of railway works across the track, electrification, signalling and telecoms disciplines.

The monitoring of the WCRM programme followed the completion of the studies and has continued through to November 2006. In conjunction with the monitoring exercise SML was asked from time-to-time to report on an ad hoc basis on key issues. Over the course of the three years we developed a model for forecasting outturn cost for the WCRM Programme.

Following the completion of the contract with Mouchel Parkman, SML’s services have been retained, at the request of the ORR and with the agreement of Network Rail, and we continue to provide a monitoring role on the delivery of the WCRM.