Steer Davies Gleave has been commissioned by AVEP to undertake an 8-month study to investigate the most appropriate business model to deliver a new international rail station on the Madrid-Lisbon high speed line.

The new station, located on the border, will be managed jointly between the two countries and will serve Badajoz in Spain and Elvas in Portugal, which are less than 10km apart.

On Monday 9th June Everton Football Club`s plan to move to Kirkby was given planning permission. Knowsley Metropolitan Borough Council gave the green light for this major mixed-use development which includes a 50,000-seater stadium as well as a Tesco Extra store, residential, commercial, retail and leisure uses. The application will now be sent to the Government Office for a final decision, which if positive, will possibly see work commencing on site next month.

It is intended that the scheme will bring major regeneration benefits to a deprived area, greatly enhancing the vitality and viability of Kirkby.

Steer Davies Gleave`s Project Director Joe Ellis commenting on the scheme said, 'This important and exciting mixed use regeneration development will provide a major new football stadium for Everton Football Club, together with a greatly enhanced retail offer for the town centre. The development will provide significant transport enhancements across all modes, giving people a real choice in deciding how to travel to Kirkby. The development will also significantly improve the commercial, housing and leisure facilities for the people of Kirkby'.

Steer Davies Gleave provided the scheme`s promoter Tesco Stores Limited and Everton Football Club with transport advice necessary for the planning application. Furthermore, Steer Davies Gleave will now commence the implementation of the agreed transport strategy over the next 2 to 3 years.

Two new rail specialists have joined leading transport consultancy Steer Davies Gleave's (SDG`s) London office, which has further strengthened the company`s ability to deliver the most challenging projects for their clients, including DfT and Transport Scotland.

Associate Ben Wilson joins SDG with a raft of project experience of major capital investment projects in the rail industry. Previously an independent consultant, he had leading roles on projects with the Department for Transport (DfT), on the procurement of a new fleet rolling stock for Thameslink, and at Transport for London (TfL), on the development of the proposed £240m North London Railway lines upgrade.

Prior to that, he worked for Cross London Rail Links Limited, where he managed project strategies for Crossrail. He also worked for the Strategic Rail Authority, where he sponsored multi-million pound investments covering the western area of the passenger rail network, as well as national freight projects.

David Ford joins as a senior consultant. He previously worked as a consultant for Delta Rail, where he was involved in a variety of work, including building performance models for franchise bids with First Group. He was also seconded to Network Rail, where he worked on performance forecasts for the Control Period 4.

A report by Steer Davies Gleave on Air and rail competition and complementarity (2006) has been heralded as one of the best reports on the topic.

In a recent review in the Journal of Transport Economists' Group, Peter Gordon, the journal's editor said:  "In my opinion, this is one of the best reports I have seen on the topic. It is highly recommended and should be read by anyone with a professional or general interest in the area."