HS2: Full Speed Ahead

High Speed 2 (HS2), Britain’s single biggest infrastructure project of this millennium, cleared its final hurdle last week construction works will now begin in Spring.

The project received Royal Assent on 23 February and this Act of Parliament means the nine-year programme of works will start on time. Phase One sees the route between central London and Birmingham completed with connections to the North following on from that.

Phase one of the £56bn scheme is scheduled to open in December 2026 and David Higgins, Chairman of HS2, said:

“Achieving Royal Assent for phase one of HS2 between Birmingham and London with such significant parliamentary support, is a monumental step in transforming rail travel in Britain.”

Split into three sub-sections across the 140-mile route, Phase One’s enabling works are already awarded and because of the huge volume of the work, it has been shared between seven companies in three consortia:

• South Portion – CS Joint Venture (Costain and Skanska)
• Central Portion – Fusion Joint Venture (Morgan Sindall, BAM Nuttall, Ferrovial Agroman)
• North Portion – LM Joint Venture (Laing O’Rourke Construction, J Murphy & Sons)

Final confirmation of the project is brilliant news for investment in the West Midlands. The rail link will without doubt be a major catalyst in driving economic growth in the region and particularly around the planned Birmingham Curzon terminal pictured.

Reports suggest the project will unlock over £1bn in regeneration opportunities in a city which has recently had billions pumped into it for regeneration, including the development of the Smithfield area, the Southern Gateway and a new cultural quarter in the east of the city.

Major Specialist packages of work are out to tender on HS2’s enabling works now and are expected later this year for the Construction packages. Couple this with the additional investment in Birmingham and the surrounding areas and C-Link are forecasting massive opportunities for Specialist Contractors and Suppliers in the coming months.

Similar exciting projects across the UK are found on C-Link and Specialists are winning contracts daily on the platform. To understand more head over to the website www.C-Link.com now.

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About Paul Heming

Paul was a Quantity Surveyor who gained 10 years experience of managing £200 million worth of flagship UK projects, including 20 Fenchurch Street and Battersea Power Station. In 2015, Paul founded C-Link with the intention of sharing his expertise of managing major projects with the SME market.