Major HS2 Construction Contracts Signed

It’s good news for the multi-billion-pound HS2 rail project. This week has seen the official sign off on contracts to deliver the bridges, tunnels and earthworks for the initial phase of the high-speed railway, which will stretch between London and Birmingham in 2026.

The signing of the contracts took place at the company’s head office in Birmingham, as executives were joined by representatives from SCS, JV, Align JV, CEK JV and Balfour Beatty.

The companies involved will go on to support 16,000 jobs across the UK-wide supply chain, as they deliver what the Government is naming the biggest investment in UK’s transport infrastructure since the first motorways were built.

Welcoming the exciting movement within the project, HS2 Chief Executive Mark Thurston commented:

“HS2 is more than just a railway. The contracts we sign today will provide much needed extra capacity and connectivity between our major cities, but it will also unlock huge opportunities for new jobs, homes and economic development and start to rebalance our economy.”

The contracts are split in to two stages, the initial 16 months will see the contractors working collaboratively with HS2 Ltd on the detailed design before construction begins around 2018/19. Preparatory work has already begun on the project with geological investigation underway across the route, and ecological and archaeological work due to begin soon.

Mark Thurston went on to further comment:

“We are determined to deliver the project to new levels of safety and efficiency, with respect for communities, protection for the environment and value for money at the core of everything we do. The contracts we signed today will support 16,000 jobs and generate thousands of contract opportunities within the wider supply chain, spreading the benefits of this investment across the whole country.”

HS2 is an exciting time for rail professionals, with all these jobs being generated there is certainly going to be a high demand for skilled workers.

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