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Thursday 8 Jun 2023

Scotland’s Railway supports community benefits through Ravenscraig bridge project

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Scotland’s Railway: Scotland

Following the successful installation of a new 5,000 tonne bridge on the West Coast main line last month, Scotland’s Railway continues to help transform communities beyond the Ravenscraig construction project.

Network Rail and principal contractor STORY began work on the Ravenscraig bridge project in May 2022 in collaboration with North Lanarkshire Council.

As part of a wider multimillion programme designed to help improve transport links, education, and employment opportunities for people in North Lanarkshire, the new bridge represents a £16.9 million investment in the local area from North Lanarkshire Council and Glasgow City Region City Deal.

As well as playing a crucial part in delivering the bridge to help develop new and improve existing road and travel routes in Ravenscraig, the project has been exemplary in its approach to community engagement and sustainability best practices over the last 12 months.

Paul Kelly, Depute Leader, North Lanarkshire Council, said: “It’s really good to see this positive partnership develop between North Lanarkshire Council and Network Rail over the last year.  This has not only been in delivering this huge infrastructure programme that will have significant benefits for Ravenscraig but in supporting our wider vision by generating tangible benefits for the community throughout the project.”

Jeremy Spence, Programme Manager, Network Rail, said: “This project has been a fantastic collaboration between Network Rail, STORY, and North Lanarkshire Council.

“We’ve been building a bridge, but it is so much more than that. Of course, this project is just a small part of the overall Ravenscraig development, which is at the forefront of creating new opportunities for the people living in North Lanarkshire, and we are proud to have been able to contribute to an enduring legacy for this area.”

In line with a commitment to being a greener, more efficient railway, Network Rail and STORY shaped the project’s focus on social values by creating real opportunities for young people living in the local community to learn from the project and improve their future.

Six students from local schools were also given work placements where they shadowed project managers, agents, and engineers, learning about the running of a live site and technical skills.  Each student also received one-to-one coaching.

These initiatives have resulted in some permanent opportunities such as for Jay Leese-Young who has been offered a quantity surveying apprenticeship starting in September 2023.

Jay will also attend Glasgow Caledonian University to study one day per week from September.

More than 100 volunteering hours have been delivered within Motherwell at the Simon Community, a charity that supports people experiencing homelessness, including gardening, tidying, painting, and redecorating gardens.

Eoghainn MacPhee, Trainee Engineer, STORY added: "I have learned a lot so far on my graduate apprenticeship programme, it has been a brilliant experience. I have gained lots of knowledge about the duties and expectations of a civil engineer whilst working on an interesting project such as Ravenscraig."

David Hamilton, Senior Project Manager, STORY, said: “Collectively we are proud to deliver such an essential upgrade to the railway infrastructure that has wider benefits for the Ravenscraig community.

“In addition to the engineering works, we were also able to put our motto of ‘doing it right’ into action, working with local schools to make a real difference to the lives of young people.”

With the bridge installed last month, the team is focusing on finishing works until the project completes in July 2023.

Information on the bridge work is available at:  www.scotlandsrailway.com/projects/ravenscraig and via Twitter @NetworkRailSCOT

Further information on the project is available on North Lanarkshire Council’s project page at: www.northlanarkshire.gov.uk/ravenscraig-south-citydeal