Award of AlpTransit Tunnel in Switzerland

BICC PLC
18 November 1999


BALFOUR BEATTY AWARDED ALPTRANSIT TUNNEL IN SWITZERLAND
=======================================================

Balfour Beatty, the engineering, construction and services group, announces
today that in joint venture with Marti Holding AG, Walter Gruppe and Porr AG
(MaTrans joint venture), it has been awarded the SFr 270 million
(approximately £108 million) Lotschberg base tunnels - Steg package of the
AlpTransit project, located in Switzerland.

Mike Welton, Chief Executive, BICC plc, commenting today, said: 'We are
delighted to have secured this first major package for the Lotschberg Tunnel,
continuing our tradition of tunnelling worldwide.  We are very hopeful of
securing further work on the AlpTransit projects in conjunction with our
international partners.'

The 35 km long Lotschberg project forms part of the Bern-Lotschberg - Simplon
Alp Transit railway axis.  The large diameter tunnels will form a key route
for freight between the EU countries.

Scheduled for completion in February 2005, the Steg project is the first of
four major packages to be let for the Lotschberg Base Tunnel by the client BLS
AlpTransit AG, a subsidiary of Schweizerische Bundesbahnen (SBB - Swiss
Railways).

Enquiries to:
Tim Sharp
BICC Group
Tel: [phone]




Notes to Editors
----------------

The scope of works for the Steg contract comprises an access adit, later to be
used for motorail, the northbound main running tunnels from Lotschen to
Ferden, together with a cross over and cross passages.  The total length to be
tunnelled is 9.5 km at 9.5 m diameter, mostly by hard rock tunnel boring
machine with the remainder by drill and blast.  The initial support will be
provided by rock-bolts, mesh, arches and shotcrete and the final lining will
be concrete.  The mechanical, electrical and track works form separate
contracts.