“We fully support the Transport Secretary’s commitment to encouraging private sector investment in rail infrastructure. The invitation to promoters of market led proposals marks an important step forward in enabling much-needed rail projects to proceed. There is a real opportunity for the public and private sector to collaborate and innovate as never before.

“HSRL’s scheme for southern rail access to Heathrow will benefit hugely from the announcement. AECOM is a major investor in the scheme and is also providing technical advisory services and stakeholder engagement support. Our expert team has ensured that the project is sustainable, deliverable and affordable. We will continue to work with the government to ensure the project is positioned for investment at the best possible terms.

“AECOM is a long-term strategic partner of the UK government and remains committed to investing in the development infrastructure to serve the country’s future needs, as well as bringing our engineering and delivery capability.” David Barwell, Chief Executive UK & Ireland, AECOM