This interview first appeared in Rail Professional magazine in December 2025.
Alistair Geddes joined Costain as Rail Director in March 2025 having worked across major infrastructure programmes including High Speed 1, the London Olympics, Hinkley Point C and Crossrail.
His appointment came just as Costain secured major contracts including a £400 million High Speed 2 tunnel and lineside M&E contract spanning seven years. ‘One of the key things that attracted me is the engineering capability. Getting involved in early-stage engineering is absolutely key, and Costain has this engineering centre with a few hundred people in Manchester providing engineering services earlier than traditional ECI. That was really quite attractive.’
Beyond the engineering depth, Alistair was drawn to Costain's collaborative approach. 'I've always seen Costain as collaborative. The partnerships they build with customers and across the supply chain are strong and long-lasting. As we move the industry forward, working together with different partners and making things better than they were before, there's something really rich there, and Costain has definitely got an ability to do that.’
His first three months followed a deliberate plan: thirty days meeting teams from High Speed 2 to Network Rail, followed by a month with customers. ‘I had three questions to ask them: what's your perception or experience of Costain? What's in your market and what are you going to do in the future? And then I'd talk about what Costain is doing, searching to see which customers we can add value to.’
The customer feedback proved consistent. ‘They definitely recognise the engineering aspect, but it's been good to hear they also recognise the safety performance, the collaboration, and the leadership qualities as well. That's what people have seen, whether from highways or rail.’
High Speed 2 and major infrastructure
The HS2 contracts were awarded before Alistair arrived, but the project was part of the attraction. 'There's no doubt that's one reason I came, to be part of a major infrastructure project like that. I've been involved in many before, and I think this is going to be a huge success when it opens.’
The team brings deep experience. 'The combined years of experience are substantial. It's not just Crossrail, they've got experience from St Pancras and High Speed 1. There's a huge amount of experience here.’
On HS2's public perception, Alistair is measured. ‘There's a huge amount of publicity and different government cycles have been involved.’ But he's clear about rail's broader value: ‘Rail in general is a fantastic opportunity for the UK. Whether it's HS2 or Midlands Rail Hub, you can see from Crossrail the growth and opportunities that open up for the future. UK PLC needs a strong and thriving rail industry to deliver critical infrastructure. Government, operators and supply chain need to align with a clear vision and recognise that rail can drive prosperity, build resilience and help achieve the UK’s decarbonisation goals.’
The benefits extend beyond passenger transport. 'If we're building other infrastructure in the UK that might be privately invested in, using a fully functioning rail network to move materials or people for these big infrastructure projects, it's got a huge part to play. Rail's been around for 200 years now. It's fundamental to how we operate and perform.’
On HS2's scaled-back phases, Alistair points to the government's infrastructure pipeline. ‘You can see from government announcements from the Chancellor and others about the ten-year infrastructure pipeline, which I think is fantastic. There's quite a big focus on the northern areas; connections being made from cities to investments in councils.’
Technology and innovation
Technology advancement spans Costain's operations. ‘We're having technology advancements across the board, general safety improvements around excavators and AI, through to productivity improvements. It's removing at-risk work hours and improving our quality. It's absolutely key to progressing going forward.’
‘Our ATRIS prototype – Automated Tunnel Robotic Installation System – exemplifies this approach, achieving significant safety improvements. Robotic systems like ATRIS are fantastic because they are actually quite sustainable. We're not talking about loads of plant movements or big diesel engines. We're talking about something different.’
Costain maintains dedicated innovation capacity. ‘We have our own in-house digital team actively pursuing different opportunities, some for Network Rail that could be two or three years away, others in the water sector. We have a team of experts progressively engaged with the market to see what's around the corner, what we can invest in, what we can support.’
The focus extends beyond new construction. ‘It's not just for new build. A lot of this is about assets we need to maintain as we go forward. We're going to have to maintain light rail, depots, stations, maintenance that could be done far less manually.’
Advisory work and strategic positioning
Costain's recent Department for Transport contract positions the company as strategic adviser alongside delivery contractor. The contract specifically addresses climate change impacts including flooding and geotechnical behaviour.
‘Climate resilience is central to modern rail infrastructure planning’ Alistair confirms. ‘Heavy rainfall is at the forefront of people's minds. And in the summer, there are equal challenges with heat on the rail and having to slow trains down.’
Costain has supported Network Rail on weather risk for several years. 'We've been involved in consultancy work with Network Rail around weather risk for three or four years. We have the skills there, it's just seeing how broadly we can support the area.’
Early contractor involvement proves crucial. 'The earlier you get into influencing a project, the more impact you can have. If you're trying to do this once you're building something, the impact is minimal. In the early design and planning stages, the impact's significantly greater. The earlier we're in, the better impact we can have.’
Sustainability and environmental progress
The industry's environmental approach has evolved significantly. ‘It’s moved from a compliance to a progressive approach. The good thing about businesses is the change they can make is huge. I can make individual changes by planting vegetables or building a pond for wildlife at home, but businesses and organisations can make significant changes, in the amount of fuel we use, changes to electric, the robotics in the tunnel.’
Customer feedback indicates Costain leads in this area. 'I'd reflect on some of the feedback from customers where they think we're at the front of this. We're pushing and maybe bringing other parts of the industry with us to ensure minimum standards reach a better level.’
Like safety, sustainability admits no endpoint. ‘It's a bit like safety, the answer is never good enough because you want to be safer. With the environment, we can do something, but we also want to be doing more. With safety, we might reach a level of not hurting anybody, but then the question becomes how we're improving people's lives and ensuring health is protected. We need to do the same with sustainability. It’s also the same with productivity, we're never going to say we've done enough. We know that we always need to be striving for more.’
Great British Railways and industry evolution
On the GBR transition, Alistair is supportive. 'GBR is on its way, and I think track and train getting closer together is absolutely the right thing to do. As an industry, we need to improve performance, whether it's how it's operated, maintained, or enhanced. Bringing that together is good.’
Pace matters, though. ‘We need to make sure we've got the right people involved in setting this up because it'll be a significant change for the industry. I was in a forum recently where one concern was that we take a little too long or it goes a bit unplanned. We need to make sure it's got the best foundation before we start.’
Some Network Rail areas are already testing integration. 'You can see some Network Rail areas cleverly bringing track and train together already on certain routes. They're setting the template, trying it out and testing. That's a great thing to do. The integration's spoken about much more, and I think they're progressively doing that. With a new railway or new road, each one gets better. Same with integration. The first one will be more difficult, but then it gets better and better.’
The fundamental purpose remains clear. ‘It's all about track and train, but what impressed me about the railway is they put the customer at the forefront. How do you move people around?’
Market health and private investment
The rail infrastructure market is evolving rather than being simply healthy or unhealthy. ‘The market is evolving. There's enhancement work in the north. In other areas it's about maintaining the network to ensure train performance is as high as possible. It's a different market in different regions.’
Private investment creates new opportunities. 'It's not just the traditional rail market and enhancements. When you look at private investment coming in, that offers different opportunities. Big infrastructure, whether it's football clubs, power plants, or energy projects, the infrastructure around that is now being connected by rail. It's an evolving market.’
On the Universal Studios development at Wixams, Alistair emphasises openness to private investment. 'There's this big opportunity. How do we as an industry support this and ensure it happens, instead of finding ways to make it not happen?’
He's emphatic about this principle: ‘The UK has a certain amount of money that needs to spread across rail, education, health, etc. If private investors want to come in and enhance our network or do something different in these areas, UK PLC needs to be very open to it. What we need to do as an industry is get wrapped around it to ensure we make these things happen.’
This reflects his broader value-for-money philosophy. 'Whether it's private or public, it's the same. We have to provide the best value for money we possibly can. It's not just a contractual requirement, it's a moral obligation as well. If it's a public pound being used to enhance some area, that money could be used elsewhere for education or water or something else.'
Devolution and regional development
Combined authorities bring focused local planning. ‘What's impressive about the local devolved areas is they've got a plan that's really specific for their area and they're very passionate about it. The understanding of the “why” may have always been there, but it's now much deeper. We can understand why an extension would happen or why new stations are needed.’ These authorities operate with multi-year settlements. ‘A number of them have got focused, strategic plans with multi-year settlements, not one-year settlements. It’s easy to see where a business like Costain can help.’
The emphasis on place-making resonates with Alistair. ‘I like the fact they've got multi-year settlements and massive aspirations. It's all about making place and making lives better for people by connecting up communities.’
The challenge now is delivery. ‘We’re talking about critical infrastructure that will dramatically improve people’s lives. We've got to make sure we're going to enact this. There's a huge amount of emphasis on making these things real now, as an industry, as governments to get behind them, support them, push them forward.’
Operational integration and infrastructure planning
The DfT contract's inclusion of timetable modelling and rolling stock advice reflects operational realities. ‘It's key because if you go back to the question about why we're doing something, having a deep understanding: what length of trains you need, what's the weight of the rolling stock, can all change the constraints of how you're going to build something. Timetabling is key as well. How frequently services turn up impacts what you're building.’
This operational perspective shapes construction planning. 'Rail is very good at putting the passenger first. It constrains a lot of construction activities. You're constrained by access, so understanding the timetable is quite key to ensuring we can build these projects as efficiently as possible.’
Even outline specifications help. 'Having that holistic view is positive. Understanding what the rolling stock is going to be, even if it's an outline, and having an outline of the timetable – at least we can understand what we're building and why. We understand the question we're asking. We're building a station to take 24 carriages three times a day, something like that. Again, it boils down to Costain being a trusted partner relationship with its customers to help everyone understand the question we're answering.'
Culture and partnership
Cultural alignment drives successful partnerships. 'It's all about culture. I know culture is a bit of a buzzword, but having the right behaviours is key to success. Are these people – whether they are customers or our supply chain - aligned to our values so we can have the same outcome? That's definitely a huge learning I've had through my career: having cultural alignment between partners, whether customer-contractor or contractor-subcontractor, is key. It makes everything much easier. Your safety's up, your productivity's up, your costs are down. If you're all working in the same way, it's a far more productive environment.’
This requires mutual respect. ‘There's a level of respect in the room that we are different parties because we bring different things to the table. That respect—that's with the people who work for us as well as the people we're working for. Having that respect for what people bring to the table is going to make something better.’
Costain's approach avoids forcing solutions. ‘I'm never going to sell someone something. If we can provide a capability and skill that somebody wants, we'll do that. I'm not interested in putting a bum on a seat or forcing somebody onto a customer. It's not the way we work. We're as good as our reputation, so we'll put good people in good places.’
He prefers honest assessment. ‘I'll tell them where we can't play. You've got this role, we definitely can't do that. Then we'll talk about the project or programme, what we have in different areas, and come to a conclusion about where we may add best value.’
Looking forward
For the year ahead, Alistair has clear priorities. ‘As an industry, I hope this ten-year infrastructure plan filters into real opportunities that we support and make real. I don't want it to be a list that's possibly regretted in five to ten years' time. I want to see us really pushing on and making this real. People have been asking for this for years. It's fantastic to have a ten-year plan. Now let's make it real.’
For Costain specifically, building partnerships matters. ‘It's understanding these partners. It's going to have to be deep long-term relationships that we have with customers, contractors, and subcontractors. We've building on those that we have to understand how we're adding value to each other and making each other better.’
His ultimate goal for the year is clarity. ‘I'd love to be chatting this time next year and say I've got a whole list of customers I'm talking to – I know these are the ones we can really add value to because we've got the engineering, the consultancy, the delivery capability. Having that deep understanding through this year is key for me. Once we have that foundation, we'll talk to other customers that we may be able to support as well.’
The rail network's longevity testifies its importance. ‘200 years of rail – it's not going away, it's a sustainable method of transport. We just need to get better at how we do it.’
-ENDS-
Contact
Alistair Geddes
[email protected]