Gamut of Asian deals for Balfour

Hong Kong-based Gammon Construction and London-based Balfour Beatty Rail have been awarded multi-million pound contracts for work in the Far East.

The projects to be carried out include service reservoirs, bridges, rail stations, tunnels and a hotel.

In Singapore, Gammon was awarded a contract to design, construct and commission the new Chinatown Interchange Station, which involves a new station that crosses over the existing Chinatown Station on the North East Line, overrun tunnels and connecting tunnels to the adjoining Cross Street Station. The work is scheduled for completion in 2013.

Gammon was also awarded a contract to build a retail podium and a 42-storey, 2,000-room hotel for Venetian Orient, to be finished by the summer of next year. This is in addition to a project to be completed by September 2009, which involves the design and construction of four service reservoirs, a link bridge and a range of civil engineering work for the University of Hong Kong.

Meanwhile, the Chinese Ministry of Railways awarded Balfour Beatty Rail a contract for the design, supply, supervision of installation and commissioning of a catenary system for the new high-speed passenger railway line between Wuhan and Guangzhou. The 968km double-track line is expected to be completed by the end of 2009, and will operate at speeds of 300km per hour.

Balfour Beatty has a 50 per cent stake in Gammon Construction.