HIGHLY COMMENDED

The Northern Hub Alliance for Ordsall Chord The Ordsall Chord has created a direct link between the three major Manchester stations for the first time.

The 300-metre rail link forms a central part of Network Rail’s Great North Rail Project, which will ultimately enable 2,000 extra services to run on the local network each week, carrying 40,000 extra passengers per day and bringing up to £46 billion worth of wider economic benefits to the region per annum.

Delivered on time and just under its £317 million budget in December 2017, the project was completed using a ‘pure alliance’ model, which contributed to a shorter build programme and reduced risk. It allowed each participant a stake in budget setting, securing funding, managing change and ensuring delivery, while a single target cost was developed with a shared pain/gain mechanism to make every individual united in the goal of delivering the best value for money.

Around 25% of the contract value was awarded to local businesses.

It was important for the project to create a statement, given its proximity to the original Stephenson Bridge opened as part of the world’s first passenger railway from Manchester to Liverpool in 1830, so a ‘network arch’ bridge style was used (the first of its kind on UK railways).

The judges were impressed with the delivery of the project, as well as the knowledge and enthusiasm of those who worked on it.