Bid race starts for £3bn HS2 London stations

The search for construction teams to build the new HS2 stations at Euston and Old Oak Common has begun.

Client HS2 Ltd said it expected bidders for both London projects would be invited to tender by the end of the year, with contract award in autumn 2018.

It added that “market engagement” for the Birmingham Curzon Street and Birmingham Interchange stations had started as well, with the procurement process for these jobs set to begin early next year with contract award in 2020.

The successful bidders for the two London stations will work alongside HS2 Ltd and its designers, acting as “construction partners”, responsible for programme management as well as supply chain procurement, integration and management.

The short-listed design teams were announced last month, and include WSP, Arup and Arcadis, along with a shortlist of development partners – an Argent-led team, Landsec, Lendlease and Westfield – for the revamp of Euston, which was closed over the Bank Holiday weekend for HS2 preparatory works.

Eleven new platforms will be built at Euston’s HS2 station, in two phases, nearly tripling capacity. Almost 4,000 new homes are earmarked for the mixed-use development on the site.

At Old Oak Common, a new transport hub will be constructed, with the surrounding area redeveloped by the Mayor of London’s Old Oak and Park Royal Development Corporation, which aims to build 25,500 new homes.

HS2 Ltd chief executive Mark Thurston said: “Launching this competition is another major milestone for HS2. Over the next decade, the successful bidders will go on to build two of the most challenging and high profile elements of the project; a brand new transport hub at Old Oak Common that will kick-start the regeneration of the site plus a major expansion of Euston.”

The construction workforce for the two London stations will peak at around 4,000 during the build programme.

The four HS2 stations are scheduled for completion in 2026.