Announced annually, the Awards are a much coveted accolade from the Saltire Society and the Institution of Civil Engineers Scotland recognising excellence and innovation in civil engineering.

The state of the art transport hub at Haymarket in Edinburgh’s west end has been created to accommodate a predicted 6 million increase in passenger numbers over the next 15 years. The £25 million redevelopment includes the refurbishment of an existing Grade A listed station building and a major extension.

The new concourse building, which bridges the platforms and rail lines, was constructed in a former car park adjacent to the station and required two 110 tonne modules to be lifted into place overnight. This innovative solution enabled the completion date to be brought forward by nearly a year, and ensured all work was undertaken while the station was fully operational and without disruption to train services.

Derek Mackay, minister for transport and the islands, said: “The Saltire Civil Engineering Awards represent an opportunity to recognise and celebrate civil engineering at its best across Scotland. I am delighted for the project team behind the delivery of Haymarket Station Capacity Improvement Programme, which was just one element of the Edinburgh Glasgow Improvement Programme funded by the Scottish Government.

“The Scottish Government has invested over £15 billion in transport since 2007, including seventy-six kilometres of new railways delivered with thirteen new train stations opened and twenty-three major improvements to our motorways and trunk roads completed. All these major projects have been proudly designed and delivered by innovative and creative engineers following in the footsteps of the likes of Sir John Fowler and Benjamin Baker who designed the Forth Rail Bridge, now recognised as Scotland’s sixth World Heritage Site and proof of Scotland’s engineering pedigree and ingenuity.”

Speaking on behalf of Network Rail, Rob McIntosh, regional director, added: “The safety of our passengers and staff is paramount in everything we do. 12,000 passengers and 800 trains pass through Haymarket every day and the team did everything in its power to ensure that this complex project was delivered with minimal disruption and fuss. We are absolutely delighted for the project team involved in the redevelopment of Haymarket station and I applaud them for their collaborative approach throughout. Winning this award is great recognition for all of the hard work that went into this project and particularly gratifying given the high quality of all projects put forward for this year’s awards.”

Jim Tough, executive director of the Saltire Society, said: “Civil engineering affects so many aspects of our daily life from how we heat and bring water to our homes and protect them from flooding, through to how we travel from A to B - and as such merit recognition and discussion.”

Gordon Pomphrey, chair of the assessors’ panel, concluded: “The winning project demonstrated excellent collaborative working on a live and complex site. That it was delivered safely without disruption to rail services or passengers is a credit to the team involved.”

Other projects to receive commendations this year include the Borders Railway, Ullapool Harbour Improvements, the redevelopment of Hampden Park for the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games and flood alleviation in Inverness. The Awards were presented at a gala event in the National Museum of Scotland last night.