Costain wins contract with Highways England, says current trading in line

Costain said on Tuesday that it had been awarded a technology contract by Highways England, and confirmed that current trading is in line with expectations.

The smart infrastructure solutions company has been awarded a contract to supply motorway incident detection and automated signalling technology systems (MIDAS) to help improve road user safety.

Under the contract, Costain will supply 1500 MIDAS outstation units over a two-year period. MIDAS is the Highways England system which uses road sensors to detect congestion and display messages on signs to alert motorists.

Darren James, managing director of Infrastructure, said: "Costain has a strong track record of supplying this technology to our client, having previously supplied MIDAS units for installation on the M1, M5 and M6. Technology is playing an important role in improving the driving experience for motorists on the UK highways network and our technology teams are playing an integral role in this."

The company also said ahead of its annual general meeting later in the day that current trading is in line with expectations and that the board remains confident in the future and looks forward to reporting on further progress in 2018.

At 0946 BST, the shares were up 0.6% to 479p.