HS2 Hits 20,000 Job Landmark One Year After Construction Begins

One year on from the Prime Minister formally announcing the start of Phase One’s construction (London-Birmingham), HS2 has announced that 20,000 people are now working on the high-speed rail project.

Tunnel Engineer inspects HS2's Chiltern Tunnel
Tunnel engineer inspects HS2’s Chiltern Tunnel

These employment figures highlight HS2’s role in the UK’s economic recovery. Companies across the country are forming part of HS2’s ever-growing supply chain with contracts already awarded to over 2,200 businesses, 97% of which are UK-based.

A further 25 billion GBP (29.29bn euros | 34.57bn USD) worth of opportunities are expected to flow out into the wider supply chain over the coming years.

HS2’s jobs boost is particularly benefiting those in need, with initiatives designed to upskill local people. Over 1,000 people who were formerly unemployed have now secured employment on the project, and that number is expected to increase in the months and years ahead as the pace of major construction work increases and HS2’s journey extends north.

Mark Thurston, Chief Executive of HS2 Ltd, said:

“We're enormously proud of the progress we’ve made on HS2 since the Prime Minister gave us the go-ahead last year, and despite the challenges of the pandemic. We’ve already launched our first two tunnelling machines, with more to launch in the coming months, and construction of our stations and depots are well underway.

“HS2 is moving forward, creating jobs, enhancing skills, benefiting UK businesses and building a low carbon, high-capacity railway that will change the way we travel in Britain.”

Alongside hitting the landmark of 20,000 jobs on the project and over 650 apprenticeships, HS2 has been making steady progress along the route since Boris Johnson visited the interchange station site at Solihull in September 2020.

Highlights include installing two large modular bridges at the interchange station in just two days, launching Florence – the first of ten tunnel boring machines (TBMs) and starting work on what will be the UK’s longest railway viaduct.

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