TfL partners with three infrastructure firms in £1.7bn deal

TfL has united with three leading infrastructure companies under one programme - Works for London - to  maintain and improve London’s roads, bus and street assets over the next eight years. 

Three infrastructure companies - Ringway, FM Conway Limited and Tarmac Kier JV - will partner with TfL over the next eight years on contracts worth up to £1.7bn. 

The new Works for London programme brings together all the contracts for roadworks and maintenance TfL is  responsible for including for bus station, traffic lights, bridges, cycle parking, Legible London, river piers, Victoria Coach Station and Dial-a-Ride depots, grass verges, trees and much more.

The new programme will oversee the maintenance of TfL’s road network (TLRN), which consists of 5% of London's road space, but carries 30% of the traffic. It will support more than 600 direct jobs and thousands of indirect jobs through TfL’s supply chain.  

The programme includes the maintenance of:    

• 347 TfL managed bridges on the road network and/including 123 footbridges; 
• 31,000 lamp columns and 63,000 other forms of lighting; 
• 21,500 bus stops; 
• 420 bus stations and facilities; 
• 23,500 trees; 
• 580km of carriageway, including any trial cycle lanes;
• 43km of permanent protected cycle tracks;
• More than 6,000 cycle stands; 
• 630 Legible London walking maps; 
• 9 river piers; 
• Victoria Coach Station; 
• 7 Dial-a-Ride depots.

TfL’s roads, tunnel and bus network are the most intensively used transport network in the UK with 3.7 billion road journeys and 2.4 billion bus journeys in a normal year. 80% of all journeys in the capital happen on its roads, including walking, cycling and bus journeys and 30% of those journeys are on the TfL road network.  

TfL says that Works for London will ensure that sustainability is at the centre of TfL’s road maintenance and projects and all new electric Works for London vans will be introduced over the next year along with 5,500 new LED streetlights. Cargo bikes will also be added to the fleet used to perform inspections, audits and repairs and drones will be used for structural inspections. As part of the programme, 70% of all street lights TfL uses will be LED by the end of 2023, which will save TfL £2-3m and will lead to a 65% reduction in the use of electricity on TfL assets.  

The programme will also be used to deliver schemes to boost walking and cycling including future projects to expand London’s growing network of high-quality Cycleways. TfL say these projects will be vital to enabling more people in the capital to make journeys by bike and on foot, which will help to cut congestion, air pollution and road danger across London. 

Green spaces and tree care will also be managed through Works for London with increased tree planting and improved maintenance of green verges, trees, and hedges on London’s roads.   

Glynn Barton, TfL’s director of network management, said: “We're determined to ensure London has a green recovery from the pandemic and our new Works for  London programme will ensure sustainability is at the heart of our roads maintenance, while supporting more walking and cycling everywhere. From making our vehicle fleet fully electric to planting more trees, Works for London will ensure the capital's roads are efficient, green and safe for years to come.” 

James Birch, on behalf of the Tarmac Kier joint venture, said: "This is a significant infrastructure programme for London. The Works for London programme allows us to play our part in building a sustainable society, by providing our partners with low-carbon products, highway services, and construction solutions. We have a shared ambition in achieving a green recovery and to provide the residents and visitors to London with a safe, clean, and green travel network." 

Andrew Hansen, FM Conway managing director, said: “FM Conway is delighted to extend our relationship with TfL and build upon the platform established through LoHAC, reaffirming our commitment to developing our exemplar partnership and collaborating to ‘Keep London Moving’. The South Area framework takes FM Conway back to its roots and our experience and resources will help us to play a key role in supporting the post-Covid economic recovery, as well as utilising the latest in technology and innovation to lay the foundations for a carbon neutral future.” 

TfL says the new programme will build on what was achieved under the London Highways Alliance Contract (LoHAC) contract, which ran from April 2012 until March 2021, and will include the maintenance of bus stops, depots and shelters, Victoria Coach Station and Dial-a-Ride footprints, which were not covered by LoHAC.