HS2 names £3bn track winners

Ferrovial BAM JV has been appointed as main contractor for the full 280-mile–track, and will be responsible for logistics and consents co-ordination..

The ‘rail systems’ contracts will be signed after the statutory 10-day standstill period.

The successful firms will design and then install the 280 miles of tracks capable of speeds of up to 225mph as well as power supplies and signalling equipment required for the safe operation of the railway.

A network of optical fibre cabling will form the railway’s central nervous system – providing signalling and communications for staff and passengers – and will stretch for more than 1,200 miles.

The main rail systems contractors will be brought together under a collaborative Rail Systems Alliance structure designed to manage the interfaces between them and resolve any conflicts in the programme. 

All members will collaborate on design, access, resources and logistics to achieve common goals for cost and schedule.

The initial design stage of the work will run parallel with the completion of the civil engineering – which is currently at its peak – so that the rail systems contractors are ready to mobilise to site as soon as the civils are complete.

• Ferrovial Construction / BAM Nuttall JV: Oversee design and construction of the track infrastructure, manage construction logistics and support the testing and commissioning phase. 
• Colas Rail Limited: design, manufacture, supply, installation, testing and commissioning of the Overhead Catenary Systems (OCS).
• Siemens Mobility Limited: Design, manufacture, supply, installation, safety authorisation, testing, commissioning and initial maintenance of the operational telecommunication systems and the route wide security systems.
• Hitachi Rail GTS UK Limited and Telent Technology Services Limited JV (TTJV): Design, manufacture, supply, installation, safety authorisation, testing, commissioning and initial maintenance of the systems.
• Siemens Mobility Limited: design, manufacture, supply, installation, supervision, inspection, safety authorisation, testing, commissioning and maintenance of Command, Control, & Signalling (CCS) and Traffic Management (TM) system until handover to trial operations as well as ongoing technical support services of the CCS & TM systems.
• Siemens Mobility Limited: design, manufacture, supply, installation, integration, testing, commissioning and maintenance of an integrated Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) solution that will be used across the whole network – and up to 25 years of technical support.

A separate contract to deliver the Washwood Heath depot and Network Integrated Control Centre, will be awarded next year.

It was recently announced during Labour’s inaugural budget that HS2 would be extended to London Euston with the 5.4-mile tunnel drive from Old Oak Common expected to cost around £1 billion.