First look at depot for hundreds of HS2 staff
Control centre will oversee entire high-speed rail network
THE first designs have been revealed of the planned new HS2 depot in Birmingham. The images showcase the new site in Washwood Heath, north of the city centre, which will be used to clean and maintain the high-speed trains when not in use.
The 74-acre site in Drews Lane was once home to train maker Alstom, formerly Metro Cammell, and latterly van manufacturer LDV before it fell into administration in 2009.
A maintenance building will be the primary hub of operations within the site, used to maintain trains along with space to store materials and equipment.
It will have offices, workshops and staff facilities, with about 250 people expected to be based there including fleet management staff, cleaners and depot drivers.
The Network Integrated Control Centre will oversee the whole HS2 network from a standalone building designed to accommodate the operational and management functions of HS2. More than 100 staff will be based there and it will include a control room, gym and canteen.
Another building will have facilities for train servicing teams and driver training and will be linked to the stabling storage yard area, where trains will be cleaned and replenished, ready for passenger service. About 200 staff will be based here.
The buildings will have a high level of natural lighting, solar roof panels, sustainable drainage and will reuse rainwater and there will be dedicated pedestrian and cyclist routes connecting with Birmingham’s future transport network.
There will be parking for cars, cycles and motorbikes and charging points for electric vehicles. Work on site to date includes the demolition of buildings and groundworks to prepare the site for the construction of the new depot and control centre.
Work on the first phase of HS2 between London and the West Midlands is well under way and will include two new stations in the capital, a site east of Birmingham Airport and a new station in Curzon Street in Birmingham city centre.
Later phases include connections with the East Midlands, Crewe in Cheshire, Manchester Airport and
Manchester city centre.
Two community information events are scheduled in July to give residents and businesses the opportunity to speak to members of the project team about the plans for Washwood Heath.
They are on:
Friday, July 8, 4pm to 8pm, at St Mark’s Church Hall, in Washwood Heath Road
Wednesday, July 13, 4pm to 8pm, at Leigh Primary School, in Warren Road, Washwood Heath
Richard Kirkham, HS2’s head of delivery project, said: “Our design team has been focused on ensuring sustainability is incorporated into our Washwood Heath depot site and it is a great example of HS2’s environmental ambitions.
“It’s also a pivotal site providing hundreds of crucial jobs for people in this area of Birmingham, highlighting the long-term economic benefits that HS2 is delivering for the region.
“We’re also working closely with Birmingham City Council and other key stakeholders to achieve aspirations for the wider area to the south of the Washwood Heath Depot site which provides the opportunity to create more jobs, connectivity, and environmental benefits.”