{"id":425876,"date":"2026-05-11T19:30:00","date_gmt":"2026-05-11T09:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/railuk.com\/?p=193183"},"modified":"2026-05-11T19:30:00","modified_gmt":"2026-05-11T09:30:00","slug":"hs2-depot-and-control-centre-deal-boosts-jobs-for-birmingham","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/?p=425876","title":{"rendered":"HS2 depot and control centre deal boosts jobs for Birmingham"},"content":{"rendered":"

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HS2 Ltd today confirmed that Taylor Woodrow Infrastructure Ltd and Aureos Rail Ltd (TWA JV) will build the high-speed railway\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

The contract \u2013 worth around \u00a3856 million \u2013 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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

The new depot will provide valuable highly skilled jobs, with around a thousand long-term jobs expected to be created at the site \u2013 as well as around 500 temporary roles during construction.<\/p>\n

The contract award underlines the scale of progress now being made on HS2 \u2013 the UK\u2019s biggest infrastructure project \u2013 as the programme undergoes a comprehensive reset to ensure it is delivered efficiently and for the lowest reasonable cost.<\/p>\n

In the run up to the award, HS2 Ltd\u2019s 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\u2019s review of HS2 governance, and Crossrail.<\/p>\n

Lord Hendy, Rail Minister said: \u201cWashwood 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.<\/p>\n

\u201cHS2 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Aerial view of the Washwood Heath depot site prior to the start of construction.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A recent study showed that the arrival of HS2 is already driving growth in the West Midlands, with a \u00a310 billion economic uplift expected around the project\u2019s two major stations and the depot over the next 10 years.<\/p>\n

The Washwood Heath site \u2013 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.<\/p>\n

Steve Cox, HS2 Ltd\u2019s Area Director commented: \u201cOnce complete, HS2 will transform journeys between Britain\u2019s two largest cities, freeing up space on the existing West Coast Main Line for more freight and local services.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe 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.<\/p>\n

\u201cTaylor Woodrow and Aureos have a great track record delivering complex infrastructure projects and I look forward to working with them over the coming years.\u201d<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Phil Skegg, managing director of Taylor Woodrow said: \u201cWe 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\u2019s expertise in delivering complex, safety\u2011critical rail and infrastructure schemes.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe look forward to working closely with HS2 Ltd and our supply chain partners to create a world\u2011class depot that will play a vital role in the operation of Britain\u2019s new high\u2011speed railway, while leaving a positive and lasting legacy for skills, employment and the local community.\u201d<\/p>\n

Darren James, chief executive officer of Aureos, added: \u201cWe are thoroughly pleased to be awarded the Washwood Heath contract.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis 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.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

HS2\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

Along the northern edge of the site, BBV engineers have recently completed a 750-metre-long \u2018retained cutting\u2019 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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Image credit: HS2<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>HS2 Ltd today confirmed that Taylor Woodrow Infrastructure Ltd and Aureos Rail Ltd (TWA JV) will build the high-speed railway\u2019s 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 \u2013 [\u2026]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[16550,1089,16017,343,47,16148,85],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-425876","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-depots","category-hs2","category-industry-news","category-infrastructure","category-rail-news","category-rail-projects","category-uk"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/425876","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/13"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=425876"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/425876\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":425878,"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/425876\/revisions\/425878"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=425876"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=425876"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=425876"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}