tie limited, the organisation responsible for delivering the Edinburgh Airport Rail Link (EARL), has appointed Scott Wilson as technical support and design services consultant and Donaldson Associates Limited as geotechnical consultants for the project.

The contracts, worth approximately £18m combined, will begin in May 2006 and will provide tie with support throughout the final design and construction phases of the project, subject to Royal Assent.

The immediate task for the two companies is to further refine the level of design of the scheme, which will also allow future specification and procurement of the main contractors.

The design segment of the contract will run from May to December 2006. The consultants will then provide technical support for the remainder of the project including supervision of railway systems work and the construction of two bored tunnels beneath Edinburgh Airport. This will ensure construction and commissioning is conducted to the required technical, safety and environmental standards.

Both consultants have worked on the initial phases of the EARL project and were selected for this stage through a rigorous tendering process.

Susan Clark, Project Director, EARL, said: “The appointment of these consultants is a significant step in the delivery of this exciting project. Their work will allow us to define the next level of detail required to take the project forward should Royal Assent be granted. It will also assist in managing our costs as our understanding of the finer aspects of the scheme continues to increase.”

“My colleagues and I were very impressed with the quality of the submissions for this contract and believe that the appointments of Scott Wilson and Donaldson’s will provide the project with the best combination of skills and knowledge as we progress through to construction.”

Keith Wallace, Scottish-based Chief Executive of Scott Wilson Railways said: “We are delighted to have retained our position on this world class project, which dates back to our conceptual studies of 1999. This reinforces our strategy of pursuing major Clients and projects, of which tie and EARL are key components.”

Andy Sloan, Donaldson Associates Director, said: ”We are looking forward very much to working in partnership with tie , Scott Wilson and our sub consultants Halcrow to deliver the civil engineering elements of this exciting and challenging project.”

The scheme is being supported by Transport Scotland and was launched in November 2004 by then Transport Minister Nicol Stephen. The EARL Bill was introduced to the Scottish Parliament on March 16, and if approved by Scottish Ministers, will be operational in 2011.

For further information, please contact:
Gordon Robertson at Media House, t: 0131 555 1015 or
Jen Johnston at tie Limited, t: 0131 622 8330

Media Contact