Laing O’Rourke

Top engineering and construction company Laing O’Rourke delivers cutting-edge building and infrastructure projects across the UK, Middle East, and Australia. Founded over 150 years ago, it is now working to cement its reputation for construction excellence and innovation.

With extensive transport experience, Laing O’Rourke has supported transformative schemes in the aviation, highway, and marine sectors. In rail, it is delivering everything from heavy haul lines to commuter service upgrades and freight networks. Its areas of expertise include civil engineering, tunnelling, programme management, electrification, track installation, signalling, rail systems and maintenance.

This expertise is paired with innovative technology – an approach that enables Laing O’Rourke to deliver powerful results, alongside certainty, quality, and reliability.

Underpinned by modern construction methods and new technologies, Laing O’Rourke’s operating model sets it apart from competitors.

This pioneering approach involves:

• Offsite manufacturing.
• Digital engineering.
• Direct delivery.

It enables Laing O’Rourke to deliver projects quickly, safely, and more sustainably.

Laing O’Rourke delivers light rail and metro, mass transit and commuter, underground, heavy haul, and freight networks, whether through innovative partnering, direct delivery, or joint venture arrangements.

Since 2005, it has supported rail infrastructure projects across Australia, and is renowned for delivering mining infrastructure.

In the UK, its portfolio includes:

• Refurbishment of St Pancras International.
• Manchester Piccadilly.
• Sheffield’s main station.
• Infrastructure for Manchester Metrolink, East West Rail, and HS2.
• Key stations for Crossrail and London Underground.

Manchester Metrolink

Laing O’Rourke, VolkerRail and Thales secured the initial Phase 3 project (to treble the size of Manchester Metrolink) in 2008. Working as a consortium, they then went on to secure further works, which were undertaken over the course of a 12-year delivery period.

Northern Line extension

Working with Ferrovial Construction as part of the FLO joint venture, Laing O’Rourke delivered the first tube network extension in over a century.

The £825 million project saw the Northern Line’s Charing Cross branch extended from Kennington to a new terminus station at Battersea Power Station, with a new intermediate station built at Nine Elms.