HS2 Ltd today confirmed that Taylor Woodrow Infrastructure Ltd and Aureos Rail Ltd (TWA JV) will build the high-speed railway’s control centre and rolling stock depot in a deal set to transform a brown field site in Birmingham into a major new business and logistics hub supporting more than a thousand jobs.
The contract – worth around £856m – will see the joint venture work with HS2 Ltd to develop the disused 70-hectare site of the former LDV and Metro-Cammell works in Washwood Heath.
The new depot will cover around 30-hectares and include a state-of-the-art Rolling Stock Maintenance Building, Carriage Wash, Automatic Vehicle Inspection Building and sidings where high-speed trains can be stored overnight as well as a test track.
Also on the same site will be the Network Integrated Control Centre (NICC), where staff will manage the dispatch of trains, communicate with drivers and ensure that services run smoothly.
Separate buildings will house offices and facilities for cleaners and drivers. The remaining area will be released for commercial development and used to create new green spaces and wildlife habitat.
According to 2021 Census data, Washwood Heath is ranked among the most deprived areas in the UK, with roughly 77% of households experiencing deprivation in at least one dimension.
The new depot will provide valuable highly skilled jobs, with around a thousand long-term jobs expected to be created at the site – as well as around 500 temporary roles during construction.
The contract award underlines the scale of progress now being made on HS2 – the UK’s biggest infrastructure project – as the programme undergoes a comprehensive reset to ensure it is delivered efficiently and for the lowest reasonable cost.
In the run up to the award, HS2 Ltd’s readiness to proceed and contract management capability were assessed by CEO Mark Wild and an independent review panel, reflecting the lessons learned from the Main Works Civils contracts, James Stewart’s review of HS2 governance, and Crossrail.
Lord Hendy, Rail Minister said:
“Washwood Heath and the wider HS2 programme will create thousands of jobs across the West Midlands - from the construction teams transforming this former industrial site, to the skilled workforce who will operate this state-of-the-art facility for decades to come. Together, they will help deliver faster, more reliable rail journeys across the UK.
“HS2 continues to reach major milestones as we work to get the project back on track and unlock its full potential to drive economic growth, jobs, and homes across the country.”
A recent study showed that the arrival of HS2 is already driving growth in the West Midlands, with a £10bn economic uplift expected around the project’s two major stations and the depot over the next 10 years.
The Washwood Heath site – which sits alongside the A47 Heartlands Parkway and the existing railway - was a hub of railway manufacturing for over a century. The current Pendolino trains operated by Avanti between London and Birmingham, were amongst the last trains to be built on the site before it closed in 2005.
Steve Cox, HS2 Ltd’s Area Director said:
“Once complete, HS2 will transform journeys between Britain’s two largest cities, freeing up space on the existing West Coast Main Line for more freight and local services.
“The new depot and control centre at Washwood Heath will be at the heart of our day-to-day operation and play a crucial role in the testing and commissioning of the railway.
“Taylor Woodrow and Aureos have a great track record delivering complex infrastructure projects and I look forward to working with them over the coming years.”
The contract will see the TWA JV work closely with HS2 Ltd and the operator to finalise the requirements for the site and complete the design. They will then build, test and commission the depot.
The partners have a strong track record delivering similarly complex infrastructure projects in the UK and Europe including Kings Cross and Whitechapel stations and the Elizabeth Line Depot as well as Old Oak Common on HS2. Together they employ more than a 3,000 people across the UK.
Phil Skegg, Managing Director of Taylor Woodrow said,
“We are extremely proud to have been selected to deliver the Washwood Heath Depot and NICC for HS2. This is a landmark project of national importance and a clear endorsement of Taylor Woodrow’s expertise in delivering complex, safety‑critical rail and infrastructure schemes.
“We look forward to working closely with HS2 Ltd and our supply chain partners to create a world‑class depot that will play a vital role in the operation of Britain’s new high‑speed railway, while leaving a positive and lasting legacy for skills, employment and the local community.”
Darren James, Chief Executive Officer of Aureos, said,
“We are thoroughly pleased to be awarded the Washwood Heath contract.
“This project is the most complex and critical part of the HS2 infrastructure and Aureos brings deep rail systems and digital engineering capability to deliver a depot and NICC designed around data, automation and whole life asset performance from the outset.
“We are looking forward to demonstrating exemplar delivery of the contract by working closely with HS2, our JV partner, the supply chain and all other stakeholders.”
HS2’s construction partner in the West Midlands, Balfour Beatty VINCI (BBV), has already made a significant amount of progress at Washwood Heath, levelling the disused industrial buildings and cleaning the earth to remove harmful contaminants left from a century of heavy industry and preparing the site for the start of construction.
Along the northern edge of the site, BBV engineers have recently completed a 750m-long ‘retained cutting’ that will carry trains down into the Bromford tunnel on their way out of Birmingham. Excavation of this 3.5-mile-long tunnel was completed last year with the teams now focused on the internal concrete work and cross passages.
Work is also progressing to the west of the site, where BBV are building a series of viaducts that will carry services into the new Curzon Street station in the city centre.
Mark Wild, HS2 Ltd Chief Executive, is now leading the reset of the project to ensure the remainder of the route is delivered as efficiently as possible and for the lowest reasonable cost.
