HS2

Offsite production of the first of 68 precast concrete piers to support HS2's Thame Valley modular viaduct has begun. The UK subsidiary of Spanish firm Pacadar started manufacturing the piers yesterday (18 May) at an offsite factory (pictured) on the Isle of Grain. The 880-metre-long modular viaduct near Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire,…

The government has overruled a council’s bid to stop HS2 lorries driving on roads on safety grounds. Solihull Council had twice refused an application from contractor Balfour Beatty Vinci (BBV), on behalf of HS2, to allow construction lorries to travel to five different sites near the village of Balsall Common.…

An HS2 worker has died following an “industrial incident” on Thursday 27 April. The man, believed to be in his 70s, was employed by a subcontractor for Balfour Beatty/Vinci JV. The worker suffered a cardiac arrest following the incident, according to emergency services who attended the scene near Marston Green,…

HS2 chief executive Mark Thurston has admitted he did not know how much Euston Station would cost to build when a Dragados and Mace joint venture was appointed as construction partner for the job. Giving evidence to the Public Accounts Committee on the costs of Euston Station, Thurston said that…

HS2 has spent £7.9bn on tier two contractors – but only 4 per cent of these have been with companies based in North West England. The publicly owned rail project has said it is “helping to keep over 2,000 UK businesses afloat as they tackle difficult economic conditions”, adding that…

A viaduct designed by contractor joint venture (JV) EKFB for HS2 has been approved by Buckinghamshire council. EKFB – a JV made up of Effiage, Kier, Ferrovial Construction and Bam Nuttall – has overall design responsibility for the scheme. It worked with engineering JV ASC –Arcadis, Setec and COWI –…

HS2 has said the construction of a 7.2km tunnel between its Euston and Old Oak Common stations will not start next year as previously planned. A joint venture between Skanska, Costain and Strabag (SCS) is responsible for building the Euston Tunnel in London as part of its main works civils…

The chief executive of Jacobs, which is playing a key part in the construction of HS2, has suggested that political decisions about the future of the high-speed rail project should be better informed by data and analysis. Bob Pragada told the Telegraph that while he was “not close enough to…

HS2 helped construction activity rise in March, while materials availability massively improved, according to the latest Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) data. The rail megaproject was cited for the boost in civil engineering work – the fastest-rising category in the sector for the month, according to the survey compiled by S&P…

Levelling up secretary Michael Gove has admitted he does not know if the HS2 Euston station will ever be built. HS2 was approved by government 11 years ago and to date £458m of public money has been spent on its plans for the Euston station. Contractor Mace-Dragados is managing construction…