Green light for £275m HS2 Midlands nerve centre

The site north-east of Birmingham city centre is where HS2 trains will be maintained, serviced and stored when not in use, and includes the Maintenance Building, Network Integrated Control Centre (NICC) and Cleaners and Drivers Building.

A contractor for the job is due to be chosen this autumn from a shortlist of Turkish construction giant Gulermak Agir Sanayi Insaat and JVs of Vinci/Keltbray and VolkerFitzpatrick/VolkerRail.

Demolition and groundworks on the site is currently being carried-out by a Laing O’Rourke/Murphy JV.

Kay Hughes, HS2’s Design Director said: “Good functional design has been a vital part of developing the plans for the Depot, including ensuring this new large-scale facility contributes to improving a significant area on the outskirts of Birmingham, and streamlining operations for the railway.

“Our design team have worked closely with the Council to make sure we deliver the right design for the local area, which we can all be proud of.”

The Maintenance Building will be the primary hub of operations within the site, used to maintain the HS2 train fleet along with facilities to store materials and equipment.

It includes office accommodation, workshops and staff welfare facilities. Around 250 staff will work in the building, including facilities management, fleet management, production, cleaning, and depot drivers.

The Network Integrated Control Centre will oversee the whole HS2 network and is located centrally within the Washwood Heath depot site. This will be a standalone building, designed to accommodate the operational and management functions of the HS2 network. Over 100 staff will be based here.

The Cleaners and Drivers Building is located in the depot’s western area and will host facilities for train servicing teams and driver training. This building will be linked to the stabling yard area, where trains will be cleaned and replenished, ready for passenger service. Around 200 staff will be based here.

The Stabling Yard area is located towards the west side of the depot site and will be where the trains are parked whilst not in operation.