HS2’S huge Warks site as big as 74 football pitches
JUST 16 months ago it was unspoilt countryside, albeit in close proximity to major roads such as the M42 and M6 Toll.
Today, it’s a 55-acre giant outdoor factory and fast becoming one of the most important hubs in the construction of the HS2 line from London to Birmingham.
Balfour Beatty Vinci, HS2’S civils partner for a 90km stretch of track that runs from south Warwickshire to north Staffordshire via Birmingham, have commandeered the 55-acre Kingsbury compound.
The infrastructure firm is using it to stockpile large volumes of materials and to produce its very own concrete.
Work will begin later this summer on the production of almost 3,000 concrete segments to create a network of viaducts that will form the Delta Junction, a triangular section of line where the new railway curves west towards Birmingham and runs north towards Crewe and beyond.
The vast site, accessed from the A4094, is also home to BBV’S newest Skills Academy where apprentices receive on-the-job-training in a variety of key roles.
We were invited along as BBV opened its Kingsbury doors to the media for the very first time.
Equivalent in size to 74 football pitches, the hub is already a hive of activity and will eventually be the workplace for around 1,000 people.
David Speight, client project director at HS2, said: “This site at Kingsbury is a fantastic demonstration of the importance HS2 Ltd puts on training and developing local talent to build the new railway. With the reveal of the site today we are turbo-charging the arrival of HS2 services into the West Midlands, bringing enormous capacity and connectivity benefits to the transport network around Birmingham.”
In total, 2,742 concrete segments will be produced from materials mixed at the on-site batching plant and, at peak production, the pre-cast yard is expected to turn out up to eight segments per day, weighing between 60 and 80 tonnes. Work is underway to assemble a 54 metre-long gantry crane that will lift each segment during the manufacturing cycle before they are transported to nearby Water Orton and Coleshill ready for on-site assembly.
HS2 says the short distances involved will help to reduce the number of vehicle movements in line with HS2’S environmental commitments. Efforts are being made at the hub to minimise further disruption to the local wildlife and habitats.
Empty brick-built properties have been converted into bat houses where all the windows have been boarded up to keep out sunlight. Perches have also been installed to make the local bat community feel at home.
Six large attenuation ponds have been created using storm water, some of which will be released back into local waterways. Each pond has flow controls and features allowing it to almost filter the water.
The water in the sixth and most purified pond is said to be so clean that schools of fish have migrated. The Skills Academy aims to ensure BBV’S workforce is expertly trained for the programme of work ahead.
Over 9,000 hours of training and 1,000 courses have been delivered since its bespoke indoor and outdoor facilities opened in February. The academy even has its own off-road 4x4 driver safety course so all members of staff feel comfortable driving such a vehicle in challenging terrain.
BBV’S first skills academy in Bordesley Green, Birmingham, focuses on upskilling people who are out of work or looking for a new career and getting them ‘job-ready’ in just four to six weeks. From there, they transition to Kingsbury which concentrates more on job-specific training, covering everything from working at height and in confined spaces to first aid and mental health awareness.
Bethany Williamson, an apprentice civil Engineer, said: “This project is opening doors for me that I could never had imagined before joining BBV. The wraparound support I’ve received and the training I’ve gone through has given me the perfect platform to launch my career from. Thanks to HS2, I can look forward to a career with endless possibilities.”
For all its benefits, HS2 has been plagued with problems; from inflated costs and unpopular road closures to noise and air pollution concerns, to name but a few.
Warwickshire is as affected as any county in Phase 1 of the project, linking London Euston with Birmingham Interchange and the new Curzon Street Station in Birmingham.
The line runs right the way through the county, from just east of Wormleighton in the very south to Kingsbury in the north. Warwickshire is also home to three of the ten tunnels that are being built in Phase 1.