HS2 speeds up
240 worksites now active on HS2‘s London-West Midlands Phase 1 route… as Chris Packham initiates a new petition opposing the line.
AS 2020 ticked over into 2021, some 240 worksites were active on HS2’s Phase 1 route between London and the West Midlands.
HS2 Ltd also revealed that more than 13,000 people are now employed across the schemes, with tens of thousands more jobs supported via the supply chain.
Other milestones achieved during the past 12 months included:
■ Contracts for up to £12 billion worth of work issued for tender.
■ Two Tunnel Boring Machines arrived in the UK.
■ 412 apprentices began working on the project.
■ 2,400 tonnes of structural steel made by Notts-based Caunton Engineering was delivered to the Chiltern Tunnel south portal.
Additionally, permission was given by Birmingham City Council on January 4 for HS2 Ltd to begin refurbishing the city’s original Curzon Street station, marking the start of the next stage of work at the site of the city’s high-speed terminus. Work on the Grade 1-listed building starts early next year, with LMJV (Laing O’Rourke
and J. Murphy & Sons) to carry out the revamp.
HS2 Ltd has also confirmed that the public space around the station will feature historic track alignments of the former goods yard that was once located there. The gardens and new eastern concourse façade have been designed to complement the architecture of the 1838-built building, with LMJV about to begin a 12-month works programme at the site.
The building, designed by Philip Hardwick, will be used as an HS2 visitor centre with flexible facilities for office space, exhibition purposes and catering.
“High-speed rail is a gamechanger for Birmingham and the wider West Midlands, bringing jobs, homes and opportunities to our city region. And for the HS2 Generation - the young people currently growing up across the city - this project will shape their lives and careers,” said Ian Ward, leader of Birmingham City Council.