Creative AfA Delivery Overcomes The Challenges of Small Heritage Stations
There’s an old joke about somebody giving directions and starting with the phrase: “Well, I wouldn’t start from here…” Sometimes Access for All (AfA) projects feel like that. Stations selected for full step-free access upgrades should be chosen on the basis of which ones will deliver the biggest benefits in terms of increased access and […]
Okehampton Interchange opens: 164,000 new passengers anticipated
Okehampton Interchange, the Dartmoor Line’s newest station, has begun serving passengers, improving connections between West Devon, Torridge and North Cornwall with Exeter and beyond. The station is expected to support 164,000 passenger journeys in its first 12 months, strengthening local access to jobs, education, healthcare and wider opportunities. Octavius delivered this scheme as design and […]
Local heroes: Why a caring contractor is essential
The contractor is the public face of the client, so it is critical to choose a trusted ambassador Principal Contractors and their supply chains frequently deliver localised transport infrastructure projects in close proximity to the communities they serve. This is why it is essential to choose a delivery partner able to demonstrate that they put […]
Harmonising delivery: The importance of the integrator
Diverse stakeholders are a hallmark of the transformative projects many combined authorities are looking to implement, so a delivery partner able to integrate and align competing priorities with project goals is key to success. A complex matrix of network users, stakeholder agencies and suppliers is often a defining feature of combined authority transport infrastructure projects. […]
Multi-modal projects need multi-disciplinary leaders
Ensuring the optimal delivery of integrated infrastructure, that achieves combined authorities’ goals, requires a delivery partner who intrinsically understands not only the bespoke challenges of delivering individual modes of transport – but also the complexities involved in how the modes interface with one another and come together to create seamless journeys for passengers. Creating safe, […]
Winterstoke Bridge: Overcoming road over rail challenges
Built in the 1940s to support wartime industries, Winterstoke Road Bridge was no longer able to fulfil its role as a principal route into Weston-super-Mare. In recent years, a weight restriction has meant that larger traffic has to avoid the bridge, causing congestion in the town centre, and the declining condition of the bridge meant […]
We Believe in Rail, Which is Why We Love Delivering AfA Projects
The National Travel Survey 2021 found that people with a ‘mobility difficulty’ made on average 2 rail trips per year. Others, without mobility issues, made an average of 14 trips per year (Department for Transport). What does that usage gap tell us? Essentially it tells us there are millions of people who feel excluded from […]
New housing developments embrace multi-modal connectivity
Octavius projects are key to new homes These contemporary projects are just some of the ways in which Octavius is helping unlock new housing developments: A1331 Link Road Phase One: Unlocks over 9,000 future homes within a planned, infrastructure-first framework Okehampton Interchange: More than 400 new homes built, permitted or identified in the new station’s […]
Bushey PSU: Achieving unprecedented schedule
Upgrading the West Coast Mainline’s (WCML) power supply at Bushey, Hertfordshire, has presented a long-standing challenge. Access to the line, where local commuter services run on slow lines alongside a busy section of the mainline, has been the principal challenge. In spring 2026 Octavius successfully delivered an ambitious solution to the stubborn challenge at Bushey […]
Harmonising delivery: The importance of the integrator
Diverse stakeholders are a hallmark of the transformative projects many combined authorities are looking to implement, so a delivery partner able to integrate and align competing priorities with project goals is key to success. A complex matrix of network users, stakeholder agencies and suppliers is often a defining feature of combined authority transport infrastructure projects. […]
Local heroes: Why a caring contractor is essential
The contractor is the public face of the client, so it is critical to choose a trusted ambassador Principal Contractors and their supply chains frequently deliver localised transport infrastructure projects in close proximity to the communities they serve. This is why it is essential to choose a delivery partner able to demonstrate that they put […]
Octavius quietly building its own northern powerhouse
Thanks to framework wins and greater volumes of work across northern England, Octavius is affirming its position as a truly national presence Octavius is strengthening its reach nationally. Draw a line from the Bristol Channel to The Wash and, historically, the company had a greater presence to the south of the line than to the […]