December News!

Christmas is somehow upon us once again and we have reached our last update of 2023.  In a year of amazing achievements, this December was not to be left out as we celebrated Jamie Taylor becoming a chartered engineer.  We are very proud of Jamie and the progress that he has made at SVM since he joined us as a student in 2010 and we wish him all of our congratulations on this accomplishment. 

December has seen a veritable explosion of new projects, landing us with some Christmas crackers for the end of the year.  We have made a return to Waverley station for separate works revolving around the digital advertising boards and the distribution boxes; while we await the start of further electrification design in the East Kilbride area and additional works relating to station vending machines.  We have been visiting station sites dotted around the country in Helensburgh, Darlington; Glasgow Central low level; and Eastcroft for various design elements; and some new AFA design has begun at Dumfries station where SVM have been called in to plug  a design skills gap.  Depot works in the Derby and Perth areas are getting underway while we have already begun to make good progress on electrical design for the accelerated network in the Shrewsbury area. 

We still have plenty of ongoing projects stuffing our stockings this year with the biggest being multiple schemes at Etches park; design at Balgray Station; Life extension works at Kirkconnel; and Caledonia Chambers retail.  Also making excellent progress are design works for Tysley Depot; fire damper surveys on Railway sites; design for some train crew accommodation in Inverness; and boiler replacement works in Motherwell.  The big Scottish stations continue to keep us busy with works for lighting at Waverley; and junction lighting and electrical surveys at Glasgow Central.  AFA works remain popular with schemes at Anniesland and Carstairs, while Port Glasgow has just reached completion to an excellent standard.  Survey works for replacement of copper medium telecomms to fibre on Railway SCADA sites are making good progress as are firewall replacement works; meanwhile Cadder Depot continues to provide varied projects including asset plans, substations, DHL, RSA shed, sliding gate, proposed new wheel lathe, and temporary LV supplies.  Healthy advancement has taken place for GRIP 4-5 design works at Levenmouth and GRIP 5 design at Portobello; while several small scale works remain ongoing such as electrical surveys at Argyle St, Bargeddie and Bellshill; Aldclune Level Crossing Design; Blair Atholl to Dalwhinnie works; and Queen St ticket office design.  LMD compressors at Haymarket Depot, Eastfield Depot CETs; a station booking office in Ayrshire; and remedial station works at multiple sites are edging towards completion; as is station rebuild design at Troon.  We are also eagerly awaiting the beginning of panel design works in Inverness; level crossing works in the Fort William area; a Rail Yard in Perth; bridge deck works in the Yoker area;  LV design from Aberdeen to the Central Belt; and multiple Railway frameworks.  But we don’t just deliver to Scotland – the rest of the country remains busy too with Railway design for the Bangor to Colwyn Bay route; ongoing works for Rugeley to Colwich and Welwyn to Hitchin Railway routes; and resignalling around Darlington.  Tunnel works at a site in West Yorkshire continue in December as do those for the traffic light at Great Glen station; and Selhurst REB and wheel lathe.  That’s not to mention ongoing reactive involvement for long standing projects at Birmingham and Euston Stations; design near Widnes; Goole Swing Bridge; and works on the Ferrybridge to Goole route. 

This month also sees us maintaining our non railway projects with two healthcare facilities in Cambridge, one a new physiotherapy suite and the other an ophthalmic day theatre; and design works for an office refurbishment in Kilsyth.  Meanwhile lighting works at a roundabout in the North of Glasgow are underway; and we await the green light on Port Authority works at varying stages of design and implementation from Fort William in the North, Liverpool in the West and Sheerness in the South East. 

As the year comes to a close, the Christmas lunch draws near.  This year, it is being held this year at Alston Bar and Beef – part of Glasgow Central Station, so it will make a change for a visit to be leisure and not business!.  The Christmas break follows soon after with the office closing for Christmas on Friday 22nd December and reopening on Wednesday 3rd January.  So it only remains to wish all of our clients and collaborators a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year – and we’re looking forward to seeing you all again for a great 2024.