Rail

Quantity surveying and claims support for station, access and civil engineering construction on rail projects.

Commercial challenges and how we approach them

Rail construction may be organised around possessions, work phases and handback requirements, alongside interfaces with other delivery teams. Station and access projects can combine building works, structures and services within the same programme. Package scope and planned access need to remain identifiable in estimates, valuations and changes.

Jack Butler-Kettle worked as a quantity surveyor at Network Rail during 2023. This is personal career experience before Quantsurv.

Possessions and isolations shorter than planned

The Challenge

A booked possession is not the same as productive working time. Late access, isolation or setup can consume a significant part of a short window.

Our approach

We compare the tender allowance with the actual possession chronology, including access, isolation, work and handback. That shows which activities lost time and whether they could move elsewhere. We then assess the evidenced standby, changed sequence or later return under the contract, rather than equating every lost hour with an hour of compensable delay.

Engineering trains and constrained site logistics

The Challenge

Materials, spoil and specialist plant may need to enter by rail or through limited access points. A missed train path or changed delivery arrangement can interrupt work inside an otherwise available possession.

Our approach

We check who controlled the train paths and delivery arrangements, then connect any failure to the work and resources it actually interrupted.

Track, signalling and electrification interfaces

The Challenge

Track or civil work may be physically complete but unable to progress without signalling, electrification or telecoms interfaces. A shifted interface date can mean another possession and another round of testing, not simply a later finish on the same shift.

Our approach

We reconcile package boundaries and readiness dates in the commercial schedule. Claims are assessed against the specific dependency and documented effects, with overlapping costs between packages removed.

Testing and assurance before handback

The Challenge

The railway cannot be treated as complete solely because installation has finished. Defined inspections, testing and assurance evidence may be required before the agreed handback.

Our approach

We identify the testing and assurance evidence included in each package. If handback is delayed, readiness records help establish whether the cause was an additional requirement, unavailable witnessing or incomplete original work. That distinction is central to assessing the specialist attendance and any withheld payment.

Buried assets and constrained existing structures

The Challenge

Cable routes, drainage and old foundations can differ from the information available at tender. Discoveries during a short possession may require a revised detail or another access period.

Our approach

We value the instructed physical change from location records and surveys. The cost of returning under a later possession is examined separately, with evidence of why that return was necessary.