Consultants to provide detailed design for phase two of HS2 between Birmingham and Crewe

HS2

Arup, Mouchel and WSP Parsons Brinckerhoff have won design contracts worth a combined £150m for HS2 phase two between Birmingham and Crewe.

Client body HS2 Ltd has announced the firms have been appointed to provide detailed structural design and environmental services as part of plans to open the route between the two cities by 2027, one year after the opening of phase one between London and Birmingham.

Arup will provide civils design and environmental services on phase two, while WSP PB will provide railway systems design and Mouchel – the consulting arm of contractor Kier – will provide site access, land referencing and stakeholder engagement services.

Arup beat Aecom, Atkins and Hyder, part of Arcadis, to the civils and environmental services contract.

WSP PB won the railways system design deal ahead of Arup, Atkins and Capita, while Mouchel beat Aecom, Arup and WSP PB to the site access, land referencing and stakeholder engagement contract.

HS2 Ltd chief executive Simon Kirby said: “Bringing HS2 to Crewe six years early will dramatically boost connectivity and improve journeys for millions of people travelling between London, the Midlands and the major cities of the north.

“That’s why I’m pleased to confirm that we have appointed Arup, Mouchel and WSP Parsons Brinckerhoff to help us push forward with the next stage of the detailed design and help prepare the draft legislation we will need to get Birmingham to Crewe open by 2027.”

Commenting on his firm’s contract win, WSP head of rail Darren Reed said: “Our appointment is testament to the quality of the work delivered by our team for HS2 Phase 1, where we designed a safe, affordable and maintainable high-speed rail system that integrates effectively with the existing rail network.

“We will build on this success and use our extensive international high-speed rail expertise to deliver a design for Phase 2 that supports HS2’s vision of a world-leading, transformational rail system that will bring lasting benefits for many generations.”

Topics