HS2 chief executive Mark Thurston was joined by representatives from SCS JV, Align JV, CEK JV and Balfour Beatty Vinci in a signing ceremony at the company’s Birmingham head office. The winning companies, whose names were released by the Department for Transport , will together build a new high speed rail line between London and Birmingham.
“HS2 is more than just a railway,” Mark Thurston said. “The contracts we sign today will provide much needed extra capacity and connectivity between our major cities, but it will also unlock huge opportunities for new jobs, homes and economic development and start to rebalance our economy.”
He added: “We are determined to deliver the project to new levels of safety and efficiency, with respect for communities, protection for the environment and value for money at the core of everything we do. The contracts we signed today will support 16,000 jobs and generate thousands of contract opportunities within the wider supply chain, spreading the benefits of this investment across the whole country.”
A team made up of Skanska, Costain and Strabag (SCS JV) will build the first section of the route which is in tunnel between Euston and Old Oak Common and onwards to Northolt.
Align JV, a team made up of Bouygues, VolkerFitzpatrick and Sir Robert McAlpine will build the next stage, including the Colne Valley Viaduct and Chilterns Tunnel.
The largely rural stages between the Chilterns Tunnel and Long Itchington will be built by a team made up of Carillion, Eiffage and Kier (CEK JV).
A team made up of Balfour Beatty and Vinci will complete the route, taking the line north past Birmingham Airport and into the new Curzon Street station in the centre of Birmingham, as well as onward to a connection with the existing West Coast Mainline at Handsacre.
The contracts are two stage, with the contractors spending the first 16 months working collaboratively with HS2 Ltd on the detailed design before construction begins around 2018/19. Preparatory work has already begun on the project with geological investigation underway across the route and ecological and archaeological work due to begin soon.
Area South
S1: Euston Tunnels and Approaches – SCS JV (Skanska ե֭ UK, Costain, Strabag) – £740m
S2: Northolt Tunnels – SCS JV – £1.1bn
Area Central
C1: Chiltern Twin Tunnels (15.8km long) and Colne Valley Viaduct (3.4km) – Align JV (Bouygues Travaux Publics, VolkerFitzpatrick, Sir Robert McAlpine) – £965m.
C2: North Portal Chiltern Tunnels to Brackley – CEK JV (Carillion, Eiffage, Kier) – £724m
C3: Brackley to South Portal of Long Itchington Wood Green Tunnel – CEK JV – £616m
Area North
N1: Long Itchington Wood Green Tunnel to Delta Junction and Birmingham Spur – BBV JV (Balfour Beatty, Vinci ե֭ Grands Projets, Vinci ե֭ UK, Vinci ե֭ Terrassement) – £1.32bn
N2: Delta Junction to West Coast Main Line Tie-In – BBV JV – £1.15bn.
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