Diggers make way for high speed rail depot
THIS is the scene in Birmingham where a new depot for high-speed rail line HS2 will be built.
The diggers have moved in to start clearing away the old LDV vans and Alstom site in Washwood Heath ahead of construction. The demolition covers a site of around 1.2 million sq ft and the work is being carried out by HS2 alongside contractor Birmingham-based LM JV.
High-speed trains will be maintained at Washwood Heath and activities there will include cleaning, servicing and routine repairs.
The depot will employ up to 500 staff working in shifts, either in jobs within the depot, maintenance and support workers, or train drivers who will start and finish their day there.
It will also be HS2’s only rolling stock maintenance depot for phases one and 2a of the new high-speed rail network.
More than 400,000 tonnes of material will be cleared, and much of which will be reused on site.
Mike Lyons, programme director of phase one in the Midlands, said: “As we prepare for the construction of HS2, there is a huge amount of work going on at sites in the Midlands, including land clearance, habitat creation, tree planting, demolitions, archeology, road improvement works and utility diversions.
“We currently have 62 live sites across the whole phase one route, servicing more than 250 work loca- tions. Over 7,000 jobs are supported by HS2, and over 300 companies in the Midlands are already working on the project.”
Phase one of HS2 will run between London and Birmingham and is due to be operational by 2026.
Phase two will operate between Birmingham and the North West, East Midlands and Yorkshire and is due to completed by 2033.