Government Gives Go Ahead on Starting HS2 Work

THE COMPANY RESPONSIBLE for delivery High Speed 2 new railway routes, HS2 Ltd has today issued a ‘Notice to proceed’ to construction joint ventures companies that will deliver its construction.

‘Notice to proceed’ marks the formal approval for the project to begin its construction phase and HS2 Ltd is now entering Stage 2 of the main works civils contracts, with each held by a specific joint-venture.

The joint venture companies will start work on new routes across the Midlands and North.

The government has given the green light for the work to provide a vote of confidence in construction companies and their supply chain, it says, during the pandemic crisis.

HS2 Minister Andrew Stephenson said the project will give construction workers and businesses “certainty at a time when they need it”.

Four Phase 1 Packages

The four work packages are for the design and construction of Phase One of the HS2 railway giving a pipeline of future work.

The joint ventures are:

• SCS Railways (Skanska Construction UK Ltd, Costain Ltd, STRABAG AG)
• Align JV (Bouygues Travaux Publics SAS, a subsidiary of Bouygues Construction, Sir Robert McAlpine and VolkerFitzpatrick, a subsidiary of VolkerWessels UK)
• EKBF JV (Eiffage Genie Civil SA, Kier Infrastructure and Overseas Ltd, BAM Nuttall, Ferrovial Agroman)
• BBV JV (Balfour Beatty Group Ltd, VINCI Construction Grands Projets, VINCI Construction UK Ltd, VINCI Construction Terrassement)

Tony Gates, Managing Director at Sir Robert McAlpine, part of the Align joint venture, said,“The notice to proceed is, of course, welcome news not just for Sir Robert McAlpine, but for the country as a whole. This is an investment not just into vital infrastructure, but into the creation of thousands of jobs for UK workers. The skills and experiences those working on the project will pick up will be hugely important for helping tackle future engineering challenges.”

HS2 C1 North West Route

The C1 package worth £1.6bn will be delivered by Align JV. The C1 route starts approximately 20km to the west of central London and runs across the Colne Valley and then through the Chiltern Hills to the north west.

It consists of 21.6km of high-speed rail infrastructure that includes a 3.37km viaduct across the Colne Valley and a 16.04km twin-bored tunnel with five ventilation shafts.

Jean-Pierre Margolin, Executive Director at Bouygues Travaux Publics and an Align Board Director said, “I am delighted with how the Align team has come together to develop the design and planning in close coordination with all stakeholders involved for what will be an iconic element of HS2. Each company involved in the Align JV is proud to be playing its part in delivering Europe’s largest infrastructure project.”

Daniel Altier, Align Project Director, added, “This is a complex project, however we have delivered some unique innovations to address the engineering challenges relating to both design and planned construction of the tunnel, the tunnel shafts and the viaduct. It’s both rewarding and exciting to get the construction element of the project underway.”