Revolutionising infrastructure
delivery for rail

AVA is a consortium of companies including Network Rail, Expedition Engineering, Hawkins\Browns and Walker Construction who have pooled their talented teams to create the pioneering AVA footbridge.

The project, part of the TIES Living Lab programme is funded by Innovate UK and Network Rail and aims to revolutionise the way footbridges are built across the rail network reducing, time, cost and carbon in the process.

Using "Industry 4.0" digital technology we aim to bring to market a system that changes the way bridges are commissioned, designed, installed and experienced.

Innovative design and precision manufacture work together to deliver AVA, the adaptable bridge.  Designed for manufacture off-site and installed on-site with minimum possession time.  The main structure and cladding are manufactured from duplex stainless steel which makes AVA beautiful by design and low maintenance with unmatchable Opex costs.

AVA is simple to install and therefore can connect communities that have previously been unable to benefit from bridges. Created by a world-class engineering, manufacturing and construction team, and designed to be different, the configurable nature of the bridge design means that AVA can fit any station, anywhere.

"80% of UK railway network is made up of small-medium sized stations and they are the starting point for almost a billion journeys… We know that making our stations more accessible encourages the use of our network, and we know that the increased use of our network encourages socio-economic development in communities around our railway stations therefore driving wider regeneration in local communities.

Our aim with the AVA project is that we will revolutionise the way that we approach station footbridge design, manufacture and installation. Meeting the targets that we’ve set in the project brief of significantly reducing cost, making it far more environmentally friendly, and reducing construction and installation time we believe will allow station footbridges to be rolled out at a much quicker timescale than they currently are. This will affect the whole of the UK as Network Rail manages the whole UK network. The AVA footbridge has the potential to drive increased accessibility across the whole of the UK’s railway stations."

‍Anthony Dewar
Professional Head of
Buildings and Architecture