Contract Awarded by Railtrack

BICC PLC
14 July 1999



             BALFOUR BEATTY TO BE AWARDED MAJOR MAINTENANCE CONTRACT
             -------------------------------------------------------

Balfour Beatty, part of the BICC Group, announces today that it has been
appointed as the preferred bidder by Railtrack plc for the Wessex maintenance
contract, valued at around £180m.

The contract, which will be carried out by Balfour Beatty Rail Maintenance, is
initially for four and a half years from 1 October, 1999 with an option to be
extended by a further three years until April 2007.

The Wessex region employs almost 1,000 people and is one of Railtrack's
largest and most complex maintenance areas, stretching from Waterloo to
Reading, Portsmouth, Southampton, Weymouth and Honiton.

The new contract is the first on Railtrack's Southern zone to be let under the
new form of Infrastructure Maintenance Contract (IMC2).  It will have tighter
benchmarks and give greater financial incentives to achieve improved
performance.

Mike Welton, chief executive, Balfour Beatty, and chief executive designate of
BICC Group, commenting on the announcement today said:

 'We are delighted to have been named as preferred bidder for this important
contract which we believe demonstrates our long term commitment to delivering
quality and service to the UK's rail infrastructure.

 'This is a critically important zone to Railtrack who are continually seeking
improvements to safety, track quality and train operating performance and we
look forward to this tremendous opportunity of working with Railtrack to
demonstrate the full range of Balfour Beatty's capabilities.'



Enquiries to:

Tim Sharp
Head of Corporate Communications
Tel: [phone]



NOTES TO EDITORS
----------------

BICC through Balfour Beatty is the UK's largest rail services company and is
an international leader in major rail engineering projects.  It offers a
complete service from design through construction and commissioning to asset
management and maintenance.

Balfour Beatty is currently undertaking a number of major projects in the UK
including the remodelling of the approaches to Euston Station for Railtrack as
part of the new West Coast Mainline and major works on the Channel Tunnel Rail
Link.  The company is preferred bidder in joint venture, for the £200 million
plus electrification contract, also for the West Coast Main Line.

Overseas, Balfour Beatty is working towards the completion of the £250 million
electrification of the line from Boston to New Haven in the USA for Amtrak.
The company is also constructing the latest extension to the Singapore Mass
Rapid Transit System.