Landmark Early Works Contract On Second Stage Of HS2

On 8 July 2021, HS2 confirmed that Kier Construction Limited will be appointed to deliver a major programme of highways and utility work on Phase 2a of the project, which will take the UK’s new high speed railway north of the West Midlands. Phase 2a will carry trains bound for destinations such as Glasgow, Liverpool, Manchester and the north west, speeding up overall end-to-end journey times and freeing up space on the existing network.

Known as ‘Enabling Civils Works - Package 2’ (ECW2), the 50 million GBP programme will be awarded in two stages and includes a range of early 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 36 mile stretch of route. The second stage of the work will be awarded in 2022.

Today’s contract award also follows the start of procurement for the Design and Delivery Partner for 2a earlier last month and the award of the Early Environmental Works contract earlier this year. Together, they underline how extending HS2 to Crewe will help secure jobs and help the UK to build back better from the pandemic. More than 16,000 jobs and 650 apprenticeships are already being supported by the project, which is set to transform transport links between Britain’s major cities, free up space on the rail network for more freight and local services and support the UK’s transition to net zero carbon emissions.