It wants design suppliers and contractors to pre-form as consortia to express interest and pre-qualify for the forthcoming invitation to tender on 15 August.

Three partner consortia will be selected to deliver the £3bn- £5bn programme of works through separate Programme Alliance Agreements.

These will cover three regions: North (Scotland Route); Central (LNW, LNE and East Midlands Routes); and South (Western, Wales, Wessex, South East and Anglia Routes).

The scope of work will predominantly cover design and construction of trackworks on plain line track and switches and crossings points, with the new arrangement coming into being from July/August 2019.

Steve Featherstone, Network Rail’s director for Track said: “Combining our plain line expertise with that of switches & crossings will bring huge benefits to both our route customers and the wider supply chain.

“The proven alliance model offers a flexible and cost effective solution with a greater focus on each route’s specific requirements and needs.”

Prequalification information can be obtained from Network Rail’s procurement site.