HS2 Ltd has started looking for a contractor to build the Washwood Heath train depot and control centre in Birmingham.
The facility will be the high-speed railway’s central control centre and maintenance depot, which once built will employ in the region of 500 people. The contract is worth 275 million GBP.
The depot and control centre will be built on a 30-hectare brownfield site alongside the main line into Birmingham Curzon Street. This is where HS2’s fleet will be serviced and maintained 24/7.
- The depot will comprise a 40,000 square metre rolling stock maintenance building, a carriage wash, an automatic vehicle inspection building, and 14 sidings for overnight train storage
- The control centre – the Network Integrated Control Centre – will house the signalling and control systems; there will further be office buildings for cleaners and drivers
“The start of the search for a contractor to build Washwood Heath is a real milestone for the HS2 project and a huge long-term opportunity for the area. With main works civils construction now well underway, we are putting the specialist team in place to support operation of the new railway.
“Washwood Heath will be at the heart of the operation – and around 500 high skilled jobs based at the depot will be a major boost for the community.”
The site was home to the disused Metro-Cammell railway works, which closed in 2004. The buildings on the site were demolished last year to prepare the area for construction.
HS2 Phase 1 and 2a will have a fleet of at least 54 trains that will be based at Washwood Heath. Each 200m train can run in double formation and operate on trains outside of the HS2 network via the West Coast Main Line connection at Crewe.
Companies bidding for this contract will be shortlisted for the single-stage design and build contract this summer. The contract will then be awarded in 2023.
