Align, a joint venture of three international and privately-owned infrastructure companies, was awarded the C1 package of HS2, worth £1.6bn, in July 2017. C1 consists of 21.6 km of high-speed rail infrastructure in a rural environment, including a 3.37 km viaduct across the Colne Valley, a 16.04 km twin-bored tunnel beneath the Chiltern Hills, and five vent shafts.
Align engaged Redline in 2017 to support on the project and a dedicated security consultant has worked in-house with the Align team ever since as it has progressed the design and started pre-construction activities.
A Notice to Proceed was issued in April and Align has extended its contract with Redline for a further four years to ensure security measures are fully considered in the next phase of the rail infrastructure project. Redline will also increase its consultancy support, with a security manager now joining the security consultant already in place.
Mark Briffa, CEO of Air Partner, says: "The acquisition of Redline was the highlight of our last financial year and we are very pleased with its performance since joining Air Partner. One of the reasons we acquired the business was its long-term contracted revenues with global blue-chip customers, which in turn will serve to improve the quality and visibility of the group's overall earnings. This contract extension is a fantastic example of this, and we look forward to continuing to play an important role in this high-profile project."
Paul Mason, MD of Air Partner's Safety & Security division, adds: "We are delighted to be continuing our work with Align as it embarks upon this next exciting stage of the C1 route. Redline has been working closely with the rail and critical national infrastructure sectors for over nine years now and will continue to draw on this extensive experience and expertise to provide Align with the highest standard security consultancy services."
This contract extension follows on from the recent announcement that Redline has also won long-term quality assurance contracts with Aéroport Nice Côte d'Azur and the international facilities management company OCS Group UK.