RAIL PROJECT SOLUTIONS LTD

What RAIL PROJECT SOLUTIONS LTD does

Railway Project Services (RPS) is a UK-based rail and infrastructure project management consultancy founded in 2017 and headquartered in Birmingham (opened March 2026), with additional offices in Leicester and Rearsby. The company employs 30+ permanently retained rail specialists and delivers bespoke project management services across GRIP (Governance for Railway Investment Projects) stages, integrating directly into client teams from feasibility through to entry-into-service. Its primary clients are UK rail infrastructure owners and operators — Network Rail, West Midlands Trains, Northern Trains, and HS2 Ltd — with adjacent work for tier-1 contractors (Balfour Beatty, Morgan Sindall, Graham Group), nuclear infrastructure projects (Sizewell C, Civil Works Alliance), and public sector bodies (West Midlands Combined Authority).

The service portfolio comprises four offerings: core project management consultancy, technical authoring and pre-contract bid services (Project Execution Plans, Bases of Estimates, Quantitative Risk Analyses), Network Rail-compliant welfare van hire at £295/week base price, and managed storage and logistics from its Leicester facility. RPS was instrumental in developing SmartScan, a wireless lighting control system co-built with Thorlux and West Midlands Trains and deployed across 150 stations, and holds a registered patent for LUX Guard, an LED current-sharing PCB and circuit design. The company operates a B2B enterprise field sales model with bespoke project-based professional service fees, supplemented by framework agreements including PAGABO National Framework Lot 18 (until 2028). Notable project wins include the £50m+ Wolverhampton multidisciplinary station redevelopment, £3m+ Digital Customer Information Screen Upgrade, £3m East Coast Platform Tactile Renewals across 112 stations, and £400k OHLE weather resilience works; the company has also secured tens of millions of pounds of project funding for clients through bid and authority paper drafting.

RPS's revenue model is professional services-led with no proprietary software platform. Pricing is largely quote-based and bespoke, with the only publicly disclosed pricing being welfare van hire. The company is privately held, founder-led under CEO Joe Whalen and COO Richard Gannon, with no disclosed external investors or parent company, and is certified to RISQS, ISO9001, ISO14001, ISO45001, Cyber Essentials, and Disability Confident Committed standards.

Name

RAIL PROJECT SOLUTIONS LTD

Legal name

Railway Project Services Holdings Ltd

Website

https://railwayprojectservices.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Railway Project Services (RPS) is a UK rail and infrastructure project management consultancy founded in 2017, delivering bespoke project management, technical authoring, and pre-contract services to Network Rail, West Midlands Trains, Northern Trains, HS2, and Sizewell C with 30+ rail specialists.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Rail Infrastructure Project Management Consultancy

NAICS

Support Activities for Rail Transportation (4882)

SIC

Services-Engineering Services (8711)

akta.pro primary industry

Infrastructure & Project Finance Advisory (BPAHADAO)

Keywords

• Rail project management
• Infrastructure consultancy
• Technical authoring services
• Pre-contract bid management
• Rail welfare logistics

Headquarters

HQ city

Birmingham

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Project Management Consultancy Services: RPS provides bespoke project management services to rail and infrastructure clients, integrating into client teams to deliver projects across GRIP stages. Revenue is generated through professional service fees on a project-by-project or contract basis. The company secures long-term contracts providing pipeline surety.
2. Technical Authoring & Pre-Contract Services: RPS delivers complex technical assurance documentation, bid writing, and proposal management for nuclear, rail, and energy sector clients including Sizewell C and HS2. Services include Project Execution Plans, Bases of Estimates, Quantitative Risk Analyses, and programme documentation.
3. Welfare Van Hire: Provision of fully-equipped welfare vans compliant with Network Rail's welfare van standard NR/L3/INI/CP0036 and CDM 2015. Base cost of £295/week with add-ons. Revenue generated through weekly hire fees, delivery/collection charges, cleaning, and insurance add-ons.
4. Storage & Logistics Services: RPS provides fully fledged storage unit services strategically located in Leicester. Revenue generated through storage contracts with flexible terms, 24/7 access, security monitoring, and logistics management fees.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Railway Project Services is a UK rail and infrastructure project management consultancy that delivers bespoke end-to-end project management, technical authoring and pre-contract assurance documentation, plus storage and welfare van hire add-on services. The firm integrates directly into client teams (Network Rail, West Midlands Trains, Northern Trains, HS2, Sizewell C, tier-1 contractors) to manage multidisciplinary rail schemes across GRIP stages, from feasibility through to entry-into-service. RPS is revenue-generating through professional service fees on long-term contracts and framework agreements rather than through a software product.

Product overview

Railway Project Services (RPS) is a specialist railway project management consultancy offering professional services rather than a software product platform. The company's service portfolio consists of four core offerings: Project Management services providing end-to-end project delivery for rail and infrastructure schemes; Technical Authoring & Pre-Contract Services delivering complex assurance documentation, bid management, and scope development for nuclear, rail, and energy sectors; Storage & Logistics providing Midlands-based storage facilities with advanced security and flexible contracts; and Welfare Van Hire offering railway-compliant welfare facilities. These services work together to provide clients with comprehensive project delivery support from feasibility through to completion.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Project Management Full project management services for rail and infrastructure projects, delivering bespoke solutions tailored to client needs including feasibility studies, governance management, works within possessions, and stakeholder management.
• Technical Authoring & Pre-Contract Services Technical authoring and pre-contract services including complex assurance documentation, bid writing, and scope development for nuclear, rail, and energy sectors, supporting projects including Sizewell C and HS2.
• Storage & Logistics Fully fledged storage facility strategically located in Leicester providing thousands of square feet of space with 24/7 access, advanced security systems, controlled logistics, and flexible contracts for rail industry clients.
• Welfare Van Hire Fully-equipped welfare vans compliant with Network Rail's welfare van standard NR/L3/INI/CP0036 and CDM 2015 welfare provision, available for long-term hire or attended welfare provision for overnight possessions, base cost £295/week.

Quantifiable outcome

• Annual cost savings of £1,000,000+ (energy £700,000/year + maintenance £300,000/year) delivered through LED SmartScan rollout across 150 WMT stations
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• PAGABOcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRPS secured a place on Lot 18 of PAGABO's National Framework for Professional Services in Construction and Premises (running until 2028) for Project and Program Recovery Service. This framework agreement enables public sector clients to directly award work to RPS and aligns with the types of project recovery and turnaround work RPS undertakes for clients.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Mott MacDonald: UK-headquartered engineering, management and development consultancy with a strong UK rail practice including project management, technical authoring and advisory work for Network Rail, HS2 and major rail programmes. Comparable in service mix but at much larger scale.
• WSP: Global engineering professional services firm with a large UK rail and transit practice delivering project management, engineering design and advisory across Network Rail, HS2 and TfL programmes. Competes for the same enterprise mandates as RPS but offers integrated design plus PM.
• Costain: UK infrastructure solutions company delivering project management, engineering and construction services to rail, highways and energy clients including Network Rail. Comparable in operating geography and rail client base, though Costain is also a Tier 1 contractor.
• Stantec: Global engineering, consulting and project management firm with a growing UK infrastructure practice including rail advisory and programme management. Overlaps with RPS on infrastructure project advisory but with a much broader international footprint.
• Mace Group: UK-based consultancy and construction firm with a project management office and significant UK infrastructure and rail experience (including HS2 and station programmes). Competes with RPS for PM mandates in the same client set, but at enterprise scale.
• AtkinsRéalis: Engineering services and project management firm (formerly Atkins/SNC-Lavalin) with deep UK rail heritage. Delivers programme management, engineering design and advisory across Network Rail frameworks — directly comparable to RPS's service portfolio but at enterprise scale.
• Arcadis: Global design, engineering and project management consultancy with UK rail and infrastructure practice. Competes for similar project management commissions with Network Rail, TOCs and HS2 partners, though at much greater scale and broader service scope.
• AECOM: Global infrastructure consultancy with a significant UK rail business spanning project management, engineering and programme controls. Targets the same anchor clients (Network Rail, HS2, major TOCs) and frequently bids on frameworks where RPS also operates.

Direct peers

• Turner & Townsend: Global project management and cost consultancy with a substantial UK rail and infrastructure practice. Most directly comparable to RPS in core service offering (project and programme management for infrastructure owners) but at vastly greater scale.
• Systra: France-headquartered engineering and project management consultancy specialising in rail and public transport. Operates in the UK on rail infrastructure and station programmes — overlapping closely with RPS's rail PM and pre-contract service lines.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/projectrailway
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/railway-project-services
• Instagraminstagram.com/projectrailway/?hl=en-gb

Compliance6 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles29 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about RAIL PROJECT SOLUTIONS LTD