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MOVERS AND SHAKERS
Costain has appointed Alistair Geddes as Rail Sector Director. Joining from Balfour Beatty, he will support Costain’s strategic focus on growth in strong markets, as well as ensure the business continues to provide predictable, best-in-class delivery to its customers
“A golden generation for rail”
Image: Costain
Part of its secret, I think, is to do with its ability to bring the right people to the table early in the engagement and What are your aims and aspirations? It’s a hugely exciting time to be working in answer customers’ infrastructure. Everywhere you look, in water, energy, road, airports and ports, new and upgraded questions with infrastructure is needed to ensure the UK remains economically prosperous and resilient. Rail will clever solutions What attracted you to the role at Costain?
I’ve always been impressed with the people at Costain – they have a great reputation for its engineering expertise and building respected, longterm relationships with their customers and supply chain partners. Costain is also known for its heritage – it is celebrating its 160th anniversary this year – and a fantastic track record delivering complex rail infrastructure such as the Channel Tunnel and Crossrail. Part of its secret, I think, is to do with its ability to bring the right people to the table early in the engagement and answer customers’ questions with clever solutions. It’s this ‘getting it right first time’ approach to engineering that really fits with my personal values.
April 2025
be playing a vitally important role in delivering economic growth; I genuinely believe we’re in a golden generation for rail. The UK needs a robust and connected rail network to enable people and materials to move around the country and unlock upgrades across the infrastructure ecosystem. For me, demonstrating how Costain consistently offers value-for-money to its customers through the delivery of predictable, best-in-class rail infrastructure will be hugely important.
What are the biggest challenges facing infrastructure projects and what is going to be the key in overcoming them? Improving the UK’s rail infrastructure helps to create a sustainable future that drives economic prosperity and productivity and transforms communities. However, there are challenges that must be overcome, such as growing and changing populations and more extreme weather patterns. Anyone who has been involved in delivering complex transportation projects knows that