The UK rail industry has been severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic with large projects such as High Speed 2 and Crossrail suspended and disrupted for the foreseeable future. Managing risk, recovering costs and transparent communications are critical for keeping projects on track and to safeguarding contractors’ interests – but what happens next?
Since 2015, the UK government has spent over £16 billion a year on transport projects1 and £4.2bn is in the pipeline. Delays to these works have significant time and cost implications that result in extension of time and cost claims. The disruption and loss of productivity caused by COVID-19 have exacerbated the circumstances for the UK rail industry who are already dealing with pre-existing delays, putting contract and claims management under the spotlight. To avoid loss, preparation is key to keeping on top of the crisis.