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New Civil Engineer
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Established in 1972, we are the official publication of the Institution of Civil Engineers, providing daily news, views and insight on the wide world of the built environment, engineering, infrastructure and the future of our planet.
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New Civil Engineer @social.newcivilengineer.com · 28d
🚨 NEW ISSUE OUT NOW 🚨

Take a look at January's issue of NCE

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Featuring:

📌 Interviews with early careers rising stars
📌 Technical remediation of Victorian viaduct in Derbyshire
📌 How the A465 scheme tested the limits of Wales' funding mechanism
Digital Magazine: January 2026 | New Civil Engineer
New Civil Engineer Digital Magazine - January 2026
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The UK government has outlined a considered approach to enhancing railway accessibility, with rail minister Lord Hendy confirming which stations will be upgraded under Access for All and which won’t based on a detailed assessment

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31 of 50 previously promised Access for All schemes to progress while others mothballed | New Civil Engineer
In a written statement to Parliament, the minister emphasised the government’s commitment to improving step-free access across Britain’s rail network,
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January 16, 2026 at 5:15 PM
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Sizewell C has awarded nearly £1bn in contracts to businesses across the East of England as the nuclear power station project marks two years since formal construction began on the Suffolk coast

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Sizewell C has awarded almost £1bn in local contracts at two-year mark of construction | New Civil Engineer
The 3.2GW plant, which last summer secured a Final Investment Decision that will ensure £38bn funding is provided, is being built with a stated ambition
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January 16, 2026 at 5:00 PM
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Kier has been named as a Tier 1 contractor on British Airways’ newly established framework to deliver upgrades across the airline’s property portfolio, primarily at Heathrow Airport

Full story:
Kier wins place on British Airways’ new contractor framework for Heathrow upgrades | New Civil Engineer
The framework runs for an initial three-year term with an option to extend for a further two years. It forms part of British Airways’ multi-million-pound
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January 16, 2026 at 4:45 PM
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The replacement on potentially dangerous Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (Raac) in seven hospitals is at least two years behind schedule, a new report from the National Audit Office (NAO) has confirmed.

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Raac replacement in 7 prioritised hospitals years behind schedule | New Civil Engineer
The Raac replacement scheme has been folded into the New Hospital Programme (NHP), a major government plan to rebuild and refurbish NHS hospitals.
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January 16, 2026 at 4:33 PM
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A number of MPs in and around the Staffordshire area of raised concerns surrounding the lack of impact the government’s recently confirmed Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR) will have on their locale.

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Staffordshire MPs complain that Northern Powerhouse Rail plan leaves their region ‘in stasis’ | New Civil Engineer
On 13 January, chancellor Rachel Reeves revealed a major government plan to boost economic growth in the North of England with both NPR, which is billed
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January 16, 2026 at 3:04 PM
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Transport for West Midlands has launched a preliminary market engagement initiative to explore progressive and collaborative contracting approaches for a significant Metro and Rail Works Pipeline projected through to 2032

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West Midlands engages market on collaborative approach to £1bn Metro expansion | New Civil Engineer
This forward-looking engagement aims to shape the delivery strategy for an ambitious transport infrastructure programme estimated at over £1bn,
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January 16, 2026 at 2:42 PM
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The Environment Agency has announced changes to the design of the Bridgwater Tidal Barrier after completing a “design efficiency review” aimed at keeping the project affordable while maintaining its promised level of flood protection

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£249M Bridgwater Tidal Barrier elements modified after ‘design efficiency review’ | New Civil Engineer
The review found the barrier can deliver the same standard of protection –defence against a 1-in-200-year tidal event – with a simplified superstructure
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January 16, 2026 at 11:30 AM
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South Eastern Railway has begun a trial of solar‑powered flood‑warning cameras at five locations it regards as particularly vulnerable to flooding, in a bid to reduce weather‑related disruption and speed up responses to drainage problems

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South Eastern Railway trials flood warning cameras at five high risk sites | New Civil Engineer
The camera systems, supplied by Vision Link – a company already used by the Environment Agency and Network Rail – have been installed at Wadhurst,
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January 16, 2026 at 10:57 AM
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Rolls-Royce SMR has appointed Skanska to design and deliver a demonstrator of a device that will protect its small modular reactors (SMRs) from seismic activity

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Skanska to deliver pre-cast earthquake protection system for Rolls-Royce SMRs | New Civil Engineer
Aseismic bearing pedestals are considered vital to the factory-built nuclear reactors design. They will decouple the buildings and infrastructure from the
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January 15, 2026 at 5:41 PM
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Scotland has detailed its intentions for infrastructure investment over the next 30 years, revealing a plan to focus on renewing and upgrading its existing transport network rather than expanding it

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Long-term Scotland infrastructure plan commits to transport network renewal over expansion | New Civil Engineer
Today, 15 January, the Scottish Government released three documents, Long-term infrastructure for Scotland: supporting a sustainable and thriving future
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January 15, 2026 at 5:11 PM
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A major engineering operation on the M27 at Junction 10 was completed ahead of schedule, allowing the motorway to reopen sooner than planned after an 11‑day full closure over the festive period

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Box slide of underpass beneath M27 completed early | New Civil Engineer
VolkerFitzpatrick, acting as main contractor for Hampshire County Council, installed a precast concrete underpass using a box slide technique that moved
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January 15, 2026 at 4:52 PM
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Anglian Water has appointed a joint venture of Typsa and Stantec as its primary technical partner for two proposed seawater desalination plants in Norfolk and Lincolnshire, part of a programme designed to bolster supplies in the driest region of the UK

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Anglian Water awards £29M contracts for desalination technical parters | New Civil Engineer
The contract makes Typsa-Stantec – supported by Spanish desalination specialist Acciona Agua – the water company’s primary desalination technical partner
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January 15, 2026 at 4:30 PM
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Op-ed: Breaking the gridlock: Why superconductors will power an energy revolution

✒️ Nexans acceleration units director Yann Duclot

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Breaking the gridlock: Why superconductors will power an energy revolution | New Civil Engineer
The world’s grids were built decades ago and can no longer keep up with the pace of change. From electric vehicles and heat pumps to hyperscale data
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January 15, 2026 at 4:00 PM
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Network Rail will this month begin informing staff of plans to cut a significant number of jobs amid unforeseen budget constraints

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Network Rail braces for widespread layoffs amid ‘budgetary pressures’ | New Civil Engineer
Britain’s rail operator has been challenged with finding £3.9bn in efficiency savings over the course of Control Period 7 (CP7), 2024 to 2029, and has
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January 15, 2026 at 3:24 PM
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Transport Scotland has announced a new delivery plan for the remaining sections of the A9 dualling, engaging the market on a £1.94bn framework agreement to deliver them

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Transport Scotland to establish £2bn framework to deliver remaining A9 dualling packages | New Civil Engineer
Scotland’s transport secretary Fiona Hyslop has detailed the Scottish Government’s 2026 delivery plan for the A9 Dualling Programme which has confirmed
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January 15, 2026 at 1:30 PM
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Heathrow Airport has approved funding to begin work on a planning application for its £49bn third runway plan

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Heathrow commits funding to develop £49bn third runway planning application | New Civil Engineer
The airport says this takes the significant infrastructure expansion “a step forward” while noting that major regulatory and political decisions in 2026
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January 15, 2026 at 10:55 AM
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Network Rail has published a new “fly‑through” video outlining plans to redevelop London Liverpool Street station into a substantially expanded transport hub designed to cope with rapidly rising passenger numbers

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New ‘fly-through’ video displays Liverpool Street station plan in detail | New Civil Engineer
The proposals, which have been shaped by almost 2,000 responses to a recent public consultation, include a much larger concourse, step‑free access across
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January 14, 2026 at 5:34 PM
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The engineering sector has hailed the chancellor of the exchequer’s plans to back Northern Powerhouse Rail and a new Birmingham–Manchester rail line but has said it is vital lessons are learnt from HS2 – starting with publication of clear timelines

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‘Vital that Government learns lessons from HS2’: Reaction to Northern Powerhouse Rail plan | New Civil Engineer
Yesterday, 13 January, chancellor Rachel Reeves a major government plan to boost economic growth in the North of England with both NPR and a long-term
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January 14, 2026 at 5:12 PM
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Work to restart on the partly built White Rose rail station in South Leeds will begin within months after “legacy issues” were resolved, West Yorkshire’s mayor Tracy Brabin has said

Full story:
Construction of White Rose station in Leeds to restart after 2-year pause as ‘deadlock’ broken | New Civil Engineer
The station, which sits on the Leeds–Huddersfield Trans-Pennine line beside White Rose Business Park and within walking distance of the White Rose
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January 14, 2026 at 4:40 PM
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A Tyneside civil engineering firm has begun work in the Falkland Islands, its first contract outside the UK, after winning a competitive tender to replace a key causeway in the islands’ capital, Stanley

Full story:
Tyneside civils firm ships out to Falklands to deliver causeway replacement | New Civil Engineer
Southbay Falkland Islands, a wholly owned subsidiary of Southbay Civil Engineering, has taken up an 18‑month assignment to design and construct a new
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January 14, 2026 at 4:20 PM
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Op-ed: Unlocking capacity to deliver a crowded infrastructure pipeline

✒️ Clancy executive director Martin McGovern

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Unlocking capacity to deliver a crowded infrastructure pipeline | New Civil Engineer
The UK’s energy system is mid-way through a major overhaul. Electric power generation is coming from new places – from nuclear to wind – requiring the
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January 14, 2026 at 3:54 PM
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Work to replace 27 ageing bearings on the New York Road Flyover in central Leeds was carried out this winter by Mabey Hire with high-precision structural monitoring and bespoke temporary propping enabling the deck to be lifted by a controlled 2mm during each changeover

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‘Precise as civil engineering can get’: Expert monitoring aids Leeds flyover bearing replacement | New Civil Engineer
The Marsh Lane Bearing Replacement Scheme, commissioned by Leeds City Council and delivered by contractor Balfour Beatty, targeted a 1970s-era section of
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January 14, 2026 at 3:25 PM
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The UK has secured a record haul of offshore wind capacity in its latest renewables auction, delivering what ministers describe as the largest single procurement of offshore wind in British and European history

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Record 8.4GW of offshore wind development agreed in UK’s latest renewables auction | New Civil Engineer
Contracts for Difference (CfD) Allocation Round 7 (AR7) awarded a total of 8.4GW of offshore wind capacity – 8.245GW from six fixed‑foundation projects
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January 14, 2026 at 2:52 PM
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The current UK tree‑planting trajectory is insufficient where missed opportunities this Parliament could create a substantial “carbon removal gap” and missed flood protection benefits by 2050, the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit (@eciu.net) has warned

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UK tree planting insufficiency could create ‘carbon removal gap’ and flood resilience shortfall | New Civil Engineer
More than 70% of the carbon that new woodlands will remove by 2050 will come from trees planted within the next five years, according to a new report
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January 14, 2026 at 2:22 PM
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The chancellor has unveiled a major government plan to boost economic growth in the North of England, placing the long‑promised Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR) at the centre of a programme of investment in transport, skills and housing

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DfT confirms £45bn Northern Powerhouse Rail and promises Midlands to Manchester railway | New Civil Engineer
The plan builds on the first tranche of funding – £1.1bn over the current Spending Review period – to progress planning, design and development work on
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January 14, 2026 at 9:15 AM