With a two-month delay, HS2 has finally confirmed the three joint ventures that will deliver the necessary pre-civil engineering works of HS2 Phase One from London to Birmingham. These works will predominantly be related to archaeology, site clearance and other site compounds preparations.
The following joint-ventures have been appointed to convey the £900m Enabling Works Contracts:
- Costain Group Plc and Skanska Construction UK Ltd (CS JV) will work together on the South Area
- Morgan Sindall plc, BAM Nuttall Limited and Ferrovial Agroman Ltd (Fusion JV) will unite forces for the works on the Central Area.
- Laing O’Rourke Construction Ltd and J. Murphy & Sons Ltd (LM JV) will be in charge of the North Area.
It looks like the LM JV bid was more attractive than the one submitted by Balfour Beatty and Vinci JV, as the latter is not mentioned in today’s press release from HS2.
The three JVs will deliver a variety of activities in utilities, ecology, ground remediation, highways, instrumentation and monitoring, demolition, structural engineering and drainage.
HS2 Managing Director Jim Crawford has expressed his satisfaction today as the team moves one step closer to starting another critical phase ahead of the main construction programme.
The project should generate thousands of technical and engineering jobs and training opportunities in Greater London, the South East and UK-wide.
The works for Phase One of the £56bn railway are due to start in Spring 2017 with a view to open in December 2026.
On another note, after about two years of debates and discussions the government has also released the route for Phase Two of the HS2 line from Crewe to Manchester and from West Midlands to Leeds. Following complaints from Sheffield City Council, the newly proposed HS2 line will use the existing rail network that runs through Sheffield city centre. From now, people in affected regions can begin the process of claiming compensation by following this link.
The Phase Two high-speed line continuing up to Yorkshire, north-west England, and beyond, is planned to be completed by 2033.
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