HS2 appoints joint venture to deliver Washwood Heath depot

HS2 Ltd has appointed a joint venture between Taylor Woodrow Infrastructure Ltd and Aureos Rail Ltd to deliver its Washwood Heath depot in the West Midlands.

The 30-hectare site will become a major operational hub for HS2 and will include:

• A Rolling Stock Maintenance Building

• Carriage Wash facility

• Automatic Vehicle Inspection Building

• Train stabling sidings

• Test track infrastructure

  
  

The development will also house the Network Integrated Control Centre (NICC), where staff will oversee train dispatch, operations and service management across the HS2 network.

Additional buildings will provide office accommodation and operational facilities for drivers and cleaning teams, while parts of the wider site will be released for future commercial development and new green space.

The Washwood Heath site has a long railway heritage and was previously used for train manufacturing for more than a century before closing in 2005.

Under the contract, the TWA JV will work alongside HS2 and the future operator to finalise design requirements before progressing through construction, testing and commissioning phases.

Enabling and preparation works are already well advanced by Balfour Beatty VINCI, which has been delivering HS2 works across the West Midlands.

Recent progress at the site includes:

• Ground remediation and site preparation

• Completion of a 750m retained cutting connecting to Bromford Tunnel

• Ongoing viaduct construction towards Curzon Street Station

  
  

The depot appointment marks another significant package award as HS2 continues major infrastructure delivery across the Midlands corridor.