The contract, which is the fourth out of five large EPC (Engineering, Procurement, Construction) contracts in this Norwegian mega project, includes the execution of engineering, procurement and construction of civil works close to Oslo Central Station.

The contract has a value of approximately two billion NOK and has been signed by President and Chairman of Condotte Mr Duccio Astaldi, Mr Gunnar Løvås Deputy Director General of the Norwegian National Rail Administration and Mr Erik Smith Project Director of the Follo Line Project.

The main works will commence in January 2016.

“Condotte is proud of the appreciation received after a very complex and in-depth evaluation process carried out by a demanding and qualified client such as the Norwegian National Rail Administration. We are glad to have the opportunity to continue to work with the Norwegian National Rail Administration, as we have done during the last six months working on the Drill and Blast contract, and we appreciate The Norwegian National Administration’s fairness as well as its competence”, said Mr Duccio Astaldi, President and Chairman of Condotte.

“The Follo Line is a crucial part of the Norwegian InterCity rail development, and will provide a significantly improved rail capacity for the Follo and Østfold region. With this contract the Follo Line Project is executing main work at Ski, Åsland, Sydhavna and Oslo S, and extensive construction work shall be performed until the project is completed in December 2021”, said Deputy Director General Mr Gunnar G. Løvås.

“The construction of new railway lines in the metropolitan area around Oslo Central Station is a major challenge and we are very pleased with the technical solutions Condotte has presented in their offer. Condotte has so far performed very well and we are looking forward to a successful partnership”, said Mr Erik Smith, Project Director for the Follo Line Project.

This is the second EPC contract for the Follo Line Project awarded to Condotte. At Sydhavna in Oslo the work is already in progress for the EPC Drill & Blast contract which was awarded to Condotte earlier this year.

The Norwegian National Rail Administration and the Follo Line Project have thoroughly evaluated the offers based on an economical and project performance comparison. The tender given by Condotte is evaluated to be both technically and commercially the best.

EPC Civil Oslo S:

The majority of the work consists of the construction of 1.2 km tunnel for the new Follo Line and the existing Østfold Line, between Oslo Central Station and Ekeberg Hill. The tunnels will be connected to both existing constructions at Oslo Central station and to the Follo Line Tunnel, the longest railway tunnel to date in the Nordic counties. The construction of technical buildings and adaptation of existing infrastructure at Oslo Central Station are important parts of the contract.

The construction of a new railway in the densely trafficked metropolitan area around Oslo Central Station will be a major challenge. Other important factors to be considered are neighbours, difficult ground conditions and restrictions to the Oslo Medieval Park, considered to be of great archaeological and historical significance.

Information from Condotte:

Società Italiana per Condotte d’Acqua was established on April 7, 1880 and has carried out all kinds of construction work in Italy and around the world.

In order to give a clear picture of Condotte’s position in the construction market (in Italy as well as abroad), with its annual sales of around € 1.6 billion in 2014, it is ranked third Italian Construction Company and 94th among top 250 International Contractors. Its order book (approximately € 5.0 billion) will ensure that the company can remain in the current top positions in the coming years.

Condotte and its subsidiaries are pursuing a step by step increase of their activities abroad, always looking for new projects where it is possible to share with each client the benefit of the specific technical and organisational know-how the company has developed.

The Civil Oslo S. contract of the Follo Line Project, with so many technical and organisational issues to be fixed and managed with extreme care, fulfils such features.

(Source: Jernbaneverket)