![Infographic about NextFloat Project securing EIA approval for a Mediterranean offshore test site, listing milestones and an 8.5 MW deployment.]](https://www.powerinfotoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/nextfloat-project-218x150.webp "NextFloat Project Secures EIA Approval for Mediterranean Test Site")
Atkins is part of the team delivering the £250 million Stafford Area Improvements Programme – the first in the UK to be delivered as a ‘pure alliance’.
To boost capacity and reliability on the West Coast Main Line, Atkins is working collaboratively with Network Rail, Laing O’Rourke and VolkerRail to deliver a package of improvements by 2017.
Works include linespeed improvements between Crewe and Norton Bridge (now complete) and the wholesale resignalling of Stafford and the surrounding area. Six miles of new railway will also be constructed at Norton Bridge including a flyover which will help to provide a faster more reliable railway.
Once complete, the programme will deliver two extra fast trains per hour between London Euston and the North West, one additional train per hour between Manchester (Stone) and Birmingham and one additional freight path per hour through Stafford via Trent Valley, helping take lorries off congested roads such as the M6.
By working as a pure alliance, the first of its kind in the UK rail industry, all partners share equal risk and reward. This means that the project will be delivered more effectively, with all parties working in a truly collaborative manner. This approach is the way forward for rail infrastructure delivery in the UK.