Award for Levenmouth Rail Link project

The Levenmouth Rail Link Project team at the House of Lords, where they received their award.

The Levenmouth Rail Link project has been recognised by the Institute of Collaborative Working for its ground-breaking approach to project delivery.

In a ceremony at the House of Lords, the project team collected the award in the category of sustainability – reflecting the early and proactive work undertaken to integrate the delivery contractors and to build positive relationships with local stakeholders.

With an early focus on improving safety, the team have engaged with more than 250 young people from local schools through sports, STEM activities and in-class safety presentations.

The project’s focus on social values, supporting health and economic recovery and talent development to improve social mobility was praised by the judges, while physically recycling 100 per cent of all the old track materials removed from the rail corridor was applauded.

Contractors load ballast for use elsewhere on the rail line.

Working alongside local and national stakeholders including Fife Council, SEPA, Sustrans, Fife Countryside Trust, Green Action Trust and funders Transport Scotland, the Scottish Government funded investment will deliver just over six miles of double tracked and electrified railway with two modern accessible stations.

The project’s collaborative approach was developed to deliver a solution to benefit the rail industry, passengers, and Scottish taxpayers with the intention of achieving savings of more than £3m.

Tom McPake, who is leading the team delivering the Levenmouth Rail Link, said: “It is great that the project has won this award at an early stage and hopefully is a sign of things to come – particularly one focussed on collaboration and sustainability.

“Levenmouth is an important project for the transport sector as it doesn’t just focus on delivering a railway but more widely on the far-reaching benefits it delivers for the community.

“It is a great way to mark the end of the first year delivering the project and we look forward to carrying the good work on into 2023.”

The £116.6 million project involves laying 19 single track kilometres of new or reinstated railway for a fully double-tracked line, which will include new modern accessible stations at Cameron Bridge and Leven.

The line is due to open in Spring 2024.