HS2 | Consultant wanted to oversee design and delivery of next phase of railway

HS2 Ltd has launched the search for a design and delivery partner to manage the delivery of Phase 2a of the rail project.

The design and delivery partner contract is worth £500M.

The successful consultant will manage the delivery of Phase 2a within budget and programme. This will include the management and co-ordination of the design and construction of works from contract award until delivery.

HS2 Ltd is now seeking expressions of interest from suitably experienced organisations, with the capability of delivering a high profile and important professional services contract. The closing date is 23 July at 12pm.

Parliament gave the 57km extension of the high speed rail line the green light in February.

Estimated to cost £14bn, it runs from the West Midlands to Crewe and will form the first section of the western leg of HS2 phase 2, which will eventually run to Manchester. Phase 2a interfaces with phase 1 – from London to Birmingham – and with the existing West Coast Mainline, south of Crewe.

The route is largely rural, passing through farmland, but also includes residential areas and towns. It also passes through a number of local authority districts, including Stafford, Stoke-on-Trent and Cheshire.

Along the route there is around 2.5km of bored tunnel, 7km of viaducts, 19M.m3 of embankments, 20M.m3 of cuttings, 42 structures, overbridge and underbridges, and one combined Infrastructure maintenance depot.

HS2 Ltd launched the procurement process for the first Phase 2a major civils contract in November.

Known as “Early Civils Work – Package 2” (ECW2), the £50M programme includes a range of enabling works designed to reduce disruption during the main build stage of the project. This includes major highways works and associated utility diversions as well as a range of environmental and other surveys along the 58km route.

The work will be the first major preparatory activity to be carried out for the high speed rail line beyond its first phase, which is now being built between the West Midlands and London.

Meanwhile, Balfour Beatty won a £52M early environmental works contract for Phase 2a in April.

Environmental works include 61ha of new woodland and 220 new ponds.

As part of amendments added to the Phase 2a bill by the House of Lords, HS2 Ltd must consult with locals along the route about proposals to reopen abandoned railways which could connect with the line.

Following the government’s notice to proceed in April 2020, main construction on Phase 1 between London and the West Midlands began in September. Ecology and enabling work is currently underway and the civils contracts will start in spring, with the first tunnelling machine in ground in May.

Source HS2 | ‘Plenty to do’ for contractors before construction begins | New Civil Engineer

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