M25 One Community Conference

The Connect Plus One Community Conference 2017 was held at Church House in London on the 2nd March. Hosted by Steph McGovern – the BBC Breakfast Business presenter – we had over 180 delegates including investors, stakeholders, suppliers and advisors to the M25 Contract as well as the Connect Plus and Connect Plus Services teams.

The event was fully supported by the Office of Rail and Road, Transport Focus and Highways England.

We were able to address some of the most important challenges we face as a community together with the inevitable changes the M25 Network will go through over the next decade and beyond.

The centrepiece of the One Community Conference was the four hubs where we considered the impacts of Intelligent Mobility hosted by Atkins, Better Journeys hosted jointly by Connect Plus Services and Highways England. Future Ready hosted by WSP and Connected Assets hosted jointly by Connect Plus and Connect Plus Services.

The line-up of speakers was also impressive. Dave Coplin, and Envisioner and Futurologist from Microsoft, opened the conference with a high-octane presentation on the power of technology to deliver our future. Nick Harris – the new Executive Director for Operations at Highways England, and Alex Williams – the acting Manager Director for Transport Planning for TfL, brought us back to Earth by looking at the blueprint for Highways England’s operations and the Mayors Transport Strategy. Phil Hoare, Byron Tomkinson, David Symons and David Simpson then gave us the big sell on the hub themes.

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Notes to Editors

About Connect Plus and Connect Plus Services

  • Over 10 years ago, Highways England awarded Connect Plus the contract to operate and manage the M25 and its key arterial link roads.
  • Connect Plus is a consortium that includes Edge Orbital Holdings Ltd, Balfour Beatty and Egis Road Operation UK - a unique partnership with a collective strength in highways maintenance and management.
  • Connect Plus Services (CPS), is Connect Plus’ specialist and strategic supply chain partner responsible for operations and maintenance, bringing together the collective strength and expertise of its parent companies, Balfour Beatty, Atkins and Egis Road Operation UK.
  • With a workforce of around 600 people, based at seven locations around the network, CPS carries out routine maintenance, and whole-life management of thousands of M25 assets. CPS manages the operation of the network 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, including a severe weather season maintenance programme.
  • Over the past 10 years, collectively we’ve delivered over £1.4bn worth of road improvements and junction enhancements, and we’re continually exploring new and innovative ways to deliver safer, more reliable journeys for our customers. Together, we’re passionate about delivering the long-term needs of the M25 and improving the driving experience for all our customers.
  • For further information please visit https://www.connectplusm25.co.uk/ or follow us at https://twitter.com/cpservices_m25