TfL appoints trio to £700m station upgrade framework

Transport for London has appointed Amey Rail, Costain, and Dragados to a £700m infrastructure improvement framework covering station, tram, and accessibility upgrades across the capital.

The framework will allow TfL to call off multi-disciplinary construction projects from early contractor involvement through to design, delivery, and completion. Amey Rail, Costain, and Dragados secured places ahead of Morgan Sindall, Taylor Woodrow, and Octavius.

The expected workbank includes the £60m Elephant & Castle Underground station upgrade, the £80m South Kensington Underground station redevelopment, tram rolling stock replacement power and depot works, and TfL’s £200m Step Free Access programme. Additional packages may be added during the framework period.

The agreement is due to run initially from 1 June 2026 to 31 May 2028, with extension options of up to two further years. By using a framework structure, TfL can move schemes through procurement, development, and delivery without restarting the contractor selection process for every individual package.

Station upgrade work across London rarely follows a clean construction sequence. Projects such as South Kensington and Elephant & Castle involve passenger flows, buried utilities, ventilation constraints, property interfaces, asset protection, retail units, and restricted access in dense urban locations. The same conditions also place pressure on temporary works design, night working, logistics, fire strategy, and safe public movement through operational stations.

Step-free access brings another layer of complexity. Lift shafts, concourse modifications, platform interfaces, services diversions, and emergency access requirements often have to be inserted into stations designed long before modern accessibility standards existed. Contractor involvement at the early design stage can reduce redesign, improve sequencing, and identify where buildability constraints are likely to affect cost or programme.

The framework sits within a wider infrastructure market increasingly shaped by renewal rather than expansion alone. While new lines and headline megaprojects still attract attention, much of the practical workload in UK transport now lies in keeping existing assets operational while increasing capacity, accessibility, reliability, and safety. That requires construction teams able to work within tight possession windows and public-facing environments where disruption must be tightly controlled.

The same controlled renewal model is visible in Greater Manchester, where the Metrolink renewal programme is bundling track, drainage, foundation, sleeper, and ballast works into planned closures to reduce repeated disruption. TfL’s framework operates at a larger and more varied scale, but the underlying delivery challenge is similar: renew ageing transport assets while the network continues to carry passengers.

Amey Rail brings experience across rail asset maintenance and renewals, Costain has a long track record in complex transport and infrastructure programmes, and Dragados adds major civil engineering and urban transport capability. The mix gives TfL access to contractors with different strengths across heavy civils, station works, rail systems, and multi-disciplinary delivery.

The next phase will depend on how quickly the framework converts into defined packages and how clearly TfL prioritises its workbank. Station and access schemes are exposed to funding pressure, stakeholder approvals, utility coordination, and shifting passenger demand. A stable framework gives TfL a route to deliver, but the practical test will be maintaining pace through detailed design, consents, possessions, and site execution.

With London’s transport network carrying the combined burden of ageing infrastructure, accessibility expectations, and capacity pressure, the framework provides a delivery mechanism for work that is often less visible than new-build projects but central to day-to-day network performance.