HS2 | £100M cost hike on Birmingham Interchange Station revealed as bid race begins

HS2 Ltd has launched the procurement for its Birmingham Interchange Station.

The new Midlands station contract has been put out for tender, with interested parties now invited to submit their design and build proposals.

The new Interchange station is the penultimate station before the new high speed line terminates at Birmingham Curzon Street station.

It will also be connect to nearby stations and Birmingham Airport via an automated people mover.

The contract was originally billed at £270M, however it has risen by £100M following early contractor feedback and is now worth £370M.

Arup has been involved in early design work for the station which has been dubbed “one of the world’s most sustainable railway stations”.

The station, which will be at the heart of the HS2 network in the Midlands, recently became the first railway station globally to achieve the BREEAM “Outstanding” certification at the design stage  – a measure of sustainability for new and refurbished buildings.

The station’s design makes use of renewable technologies and, in operation, the station will use natural ventilation, daylight, harvested rainwater and solar energy to cut carbon.

The automated people mover will link to the NEC, Birmingham International Station and Birmingham Airport, carrying up to 2,100 passengers per hour in each direction, with a service every three minutes along a 2.3km route. The 20m long vehicles will travel entirely on a new viaduct which will be 12m off the ground at its highest point.

A tender notice adds: “The Contract will be for the design and build of the Interchange Station to budget and programme, including commissioning and associated works and services.

“As part of the Design Services to be provided under the Contract, the Contractor will be responsible for the design, including design to date. It is for the Contractor to satisfy itself of design suitability.

“Following the Station build, the Contractor will remain responsible for the site and for maintaining the works until delivery in to passenger service.”

Interested firms have until 4 July to complete their tender submissions. A construction partner is expected to be announced in 2022, with construction planned to start in 2024.

HS2’s Stations Director Matthew Botelle added: “The start of the search for our construction contractor is a significant step in the journey to build HS2’s Interchange Station in the Midlands. We’ve worked closely with our multi-disciplinary design team Arup to design the station to be net zero in operation, which is a key part of our strategy to reduce carbon and build the most sustainable railway in the world.

“The wider regeneration around Interchange Station is an even bigger prize, with thousands of jobs, new homes and commercial development set to transform the economic potential for people and businesses in the region.”

Source HS2 | £100M cost hike on Birmingham Interchange Station revealed as bid race begins | New Civil Engineer

Department of Civil Engineering Department of Civil Engineering – International Burch University (ibu.edu.ba)