Network Rail’s top contractors revealed

Bam Nuttall received more money from Network Rail in 2024/25 than any other construction company, a new report from the client reveals.

The contractor, which was paid £383m in the period, was the third highest supplier of any type to the rail body, behind EDF Energy and Siemens Mobility.

Its work included, via the TRUWest Alliance, delivery of a phase of the TRUWest project covering a range of upgrades between Huddersfield and Leeds in West Yorkshire.

Seventh-placed Amey is also part of the alliance, alongside Arup and Network Rail itself.

Bam beat Colas Rail, which was paid £331m in the year and moved up one place from the prior financial year ahead of Murphy, which received £311m (see box below for full list).

The information was published in the client’s annual supplier spend report, which sought to address concerns about the pace of its spending at the start of its latest five-year spending period (CP7) which began in 2024/25.

In January, engineering services giant Renew blamed rail project delays for lower-than-expected profit levels, while tools and equipment firm Speedy Hire said in a trading statement in February that a “delay in CP7 rail works” had impacted its business.

Also in February, Russell Simpson, director at signalling company DigiSig Rail, decried delays in “much-needed CP7 spending”.

In the new report, Network Rail said it understood “the perception” that spending was slower than suppliers expected but said “it’s worth noting that at a macro level, activities to date are broadly aligned with our expectations for the early stages of the control period”.

It admitted that overall spend with the supply chain in 2024/25 decreased by around 3 per cent, or £282m, compared to the CP6 average, but said it was in line with the first year of CP6 in real terms.

The body said it had shifted the structure of its delivery model meaning it had fewer direct delivery partners and so had a lower direct spend with SMEs.

The report also noted that inflation hitting during the end of the CP6 period had reduced capacity of CP7 by £1.6bn.

In April, Network Rail chief executive Sir Andrew Haines said he expected the second year of the body’s £45bn five-year funding cycle would go “more smoothly”.

Civil Engineering Contractors Association Midlands director Lorraine Gregory said: “This report shows the scale of opportunity available across the supply chain, but also the challenges facing businesses, as high inflation and reprofiled workbanks place pressure on margins and visibility.”

She added: “With significant opportunities ahead, it is vital that industry and clients work together to deliver the railway Britain needs, and to combat the adverse business conditions that contractors face when delivering for rail users and communities across the country.”