Laing O’Rourke Wins HS2 Solihull Station Contract

On 11 June 2022, HS2 Ltd has announced that Laing O’Rourke Delivery Ltd will build HS2’s new Interchange Station in Solihull, at the heart of Britain’s new high speed rail network. The contract, which is worth up to 370 million GBP, will see them work with HS2 Ltd in two stages to finalise the detailed design and then build the landmark station over the next few years. Contracts will be signed after the completion of the standstill period.

The construction site for the station covers an area of 150 hectares within a triangle of land formed by the M42, A45 and A452. Significant progress has already been made on the site, including construction of modular bridges over the M42 and A446 as part of a remodelled road network in the area to facilitate access to the new station. HS2’s Main Works Contractor Balfour Beatty VINCI are currently preparing the site where the new station will be built.

There will be up to five trains per hour passing through the station in both directions, with an estimated total of 175,000 seats per day, making this one of the best connected transport interchanges in the country and a new gateway to the UK. It is the first railway station globally to achieve the BREEAM ‘Outstanding’ certification at the design stage – a measure of sustainability for new and refurbished buildings – putting it in the top 1% of buildings in the UK for eco-friendly credentials.

This recognises the station’s eco-friendly features including maximising natural daylight and ventilation, a station roof design which can capture and reuse rainwater, and features to enable net zero carbon emissions from day-to-day energy consumption. Energy efficient technology will also be incorporated, such as air source heat pumps and LED lighting.

The huge growth plans around the site, being led by the Urban Growth Company, will support 30,000 jobs, up to 3,000 new homes and 70,000 m² of commercial space. These will form part of the UK Central Hub area plans for 70,000 jobs, 5,000 new homes and 650,000 m² of commercial space, and bringing 1.3 million people to within a 45-minute public transport commute of the station.