Section of line being worked on by Balfour Beatty Vinci team
Jobs are under threat on another part of HS2 mothballed by the government earlier this year, Building can reveal.
Work on a section of the planned route between the HS2 station at Birmingham Curzon Street and Handsacre in Staffordshire, where the railway is set to join the existing West Coast Main Line, is being slowed down in the wake of transport secretary Mark Harper’s announcement in March.
This has seen the government prioritise the route between Old Oak Common in west London and Curzon Street.
As well as the plug being pulled on work at Euston, which is seeing that site being mothballed with the 1,400-strong number of staff being whittled down to a skeleton workforce, construction of Phase 2a between the West Midlands and Crewe is also set for a two-year delay.
The latest work to be affected is on phase one and runs across a 30km-long stretch between Curdworth in north Warwickshire and Handsacre and is being carried out by the Balfour Beatty Vinci (BBV) joint venture, two of the three firms building the new station at Old Oak Common.
Earthworks and preparatory works that are already underway, such as utilities diversions, will be completed while some new work will also start.
But in an email sent out last week, and seen by Building, BBV staff were told that a “HS2 instruction informs BBV that we are to stop, or not start, a number of work packages in Mainline North. We understand that the works which are to stop, or not start, are to be deferred for approximately two years.”
The email adds: “The instruction also directs that we stop design activity on assets we’re not continuing to work on.
“Having now received this instruction, we are required to act responsibly and at pace. This means that work must safely stop on a number of assets.”
It adds: “Given this, we need to work through the specific impact this instruction will have on colleagues working on Mainline North activity. We will be in touch directly as soon as we’re able with this information. [We] do recognise that this news may be unsettling for some and we are committed to supporting you.”
The number of jobs under threat has not been spelt out but in a statement, a HS2 spokesperson said: “Some work on this section will be rephased but construction works that are already underway, critical utility works and the majority of earthworks will continue as planned, in addition to new work starting. We are working closely with our supply chain to implement these changes and will keep local communities informed. We are continuing to work with our contractors to understand the impact on roles on the project. Where possible, redeployment is the preferred option.”
Firms working on Euston have already begun paring back costs with reports surfacing days after Harper’s announcement that job losses would happen as a result of his decision.
Grimshaw, which was working on the design of Euston, has already confirmed it is making redundancies as a result of the mothballing with up to 100 roles thought to be at risk. A spokesperson for the architect said it was nearing the end of a consultation with affected staff but declined to say how many jobs would go.
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