WSP recruits UK rail technical director

High-speed rail expert Peter Humphreys joins from Aecom

WSP Parsons Brinckerhoff has appointed high-speed rail expert Peter Humphreys as rail technical director in the UK.

Humphreys, who joins from infrastructure firm Aecom, has 43 years of international experience in the planning, design, construction and implementation of high speed rail, metro and light rail projects in South Africa, the UK, Taiwan, Australia and the Middle East.

After starting his career as a tunnelling contractor in South Africa and the Channel Tunnel, Humphreys moved to the client side for the Jubilee Line extension for seven years. In 1999 he joined the Taiwan High Speed Rail Corporation where he managed all of the civil works for the $16 billion Taiwan High Speed Railway, working as part of the Taiwan HSRC/WSP Parsons Brinckerhoff team. He also worked for what was then Parsons Brinckerhoff as part of the integrated teams on London’s East London Line and Manchester Metrolink.

Humphreys has undertaken a number of executive roles project-managing high-profile metro, light rail and high speed rail projects including the London Underground Jubilee Line Extension, the Australian High Speed Rail feasibility study, the Sydney Metro, and the Jeddah Metro in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

He said: “It’s a great time to be back in the UK with hugely challenging rail and high speed rail projects under way.

“I am looking forward to sharing my experience and knowledge with my colleagues,” Humphreys added.