High Speed 2 expects to award track contracts worth around £1.5 billion in the second quarter of 2024.
The deals come in three lots: Urban, including the Birmingham section (value estimated by HS2 in 2020 as £434 million), Central (£526m), and North (£566m).
Each deal has a different shortlist of the following contractors: BBVT joint venture (comprising Balfour Beatty, ETF and TSO); Colas Rail, Ferrovial Construction/BAM Nuttall joint venture; and Rhomberg Sersa/Strabag joint venture.
Other contracts expected to be awarded around the same time include the signalling and traffic management deal (estimated in 2020 at £540m with a shortlist of Alstom, Hitachi and Siemens), and the overhead contact system deal (£302m, BBVT and Colas shortlisted).
In addition, HS2 Ltd is tendering for the construction of Washwood Heath depot and the line’s Network Integrated Control Centre, which will also be located at Washwood Heath. HS2 estimates the contract’s value at £275m and has shortlisted three companies: Gulermak, VolkerFitzpatrick/VolkerRail, and Vinci Construction with Keltbray.
The Washwood Heath contract includes designing, constructing and commissioning depot buildings, stabling sidings (14 roads) and the control centre. The depot work includes a test track, overhead line equipment, wheel lathe, automatic vehicle inspection units, carriage wash, toilet emptying, train crew facilities, and a heavy cleaning facility.
HS2 said the depot would have around 250 staff, while the control centre would house over 100 staff. It will use the site of the old Alstom factory that built Avanti West Coast’s Class 390 Pendolino electric multiple units in the early 2000s.
Washwood Heath also marks the western end of HS2’s 5.6km (3.5-mile), twin-bore Bromford Tunnel from Water Orton. The first bore is being dug by TBM Mary Ann, which is 2km into its journey. HS2 launched the second machine, TBM Elizabeth, in March.
Elsewhere on HS2’s route between London and Birmingham, the company has begun work to build foundations for a bridge that will take the A43 over the railway at Brackley.
These foundations involve driving 52-metre piles that will support the 66-metre bridge deck that will carry the A43.
When the deck is complete, HS2 will move the road onto it and then dig under the deck to make space for the railway. To create space to drive the piles, HS2 has realigned the road’s carriageways to create an island between them in which to work.
Responsibility for building the 80km (50-mile) stretch of HS2 through Brackley rests with main works contractor EKFB, which is a joint venture made up of Eiffage, Kier, Ferrovial and BAM Nuttall.
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