Posted 21st July 2014 | 9 Comments

Construction headquarters for HS2 is named

THE headquarters for the construction of Phase 1 of HS2 is to be based in Birmingham, it has been announced.

The move is expected to mean that up to 1,500 people will be employed in the city when the new HQ opens next year. A spokesman for HS2 told Railnews that the move is part of a wider regeneration scheme centred on the site of the future HS2 station at Curzon Street.

Transport secretary Patrick McLoughlin said the decision would mean many 'skilled job opportunities' in Birmingham, while the news has also been wlecomed by Birmingham city council leader Sir Albert Bore. He said: "Since the industrial revolution, Birmingham has been a national capital for engineering, so it is only natural that the HS2 construction HQ be based in Birmingham."

Patrick McLoughlin and HS2 executive chairman David Higgins are also meeting Sir Albert in Birmingham today for the launch of the Birmingham Curzon Urban Regeneration Company.

HS2 Ltd said the company will lead the development of over 140 hectares of land around Curzon Street. The redevelopment will create 14,000 jobs, 600,000 square metres of new employment floorspace and 2,000 homes, contributing up to £1.3 billion a year to the local economy.

The government-owned High Speed Rail developer will not be leaving London entirely. Some functions will still be carried out in the capital, particularly in relation to steering the necessary legislation through Parliament.

The HS2 spokesman added: "We need to emphasise that the Birmingham HQ will be about construction. Initially that means Phase 1 between London and the West Midlands, which is now being led by Simon Kirby. But some of us will be staying in London."

Reader Comments:

Views expressed in submitted comments are that of the author, and not necessarily shared by Railnews.

  • Roshan, Leeds

    Go on Editor, my son! The sooner HS2 gets done the better. I would really like to see them accelerate this project - can the WCML hold out for that long? Also, is there any possibility that they will utilise transport corridors through the Chilterns and consider the Wildlife Trusts proposal for nature restoration. This would certainly dry up the ammunition the antis have too.

  • Peter, Tonbridge

    This is fantastic news. It really will deliver on the pledge to make sure the majority of new hires will come from the areas HS2 will go to.

    I did laugh on seeing the editor kicking ass and taking names ;)

  • Melvyn Windebank, Canvey Island, Essex

    Birmingham is a good choice at HQ for HS2 as unlike some commentators believe Birmingham is at the centre of HS2 just like it was at the centre of our canal network and motorways !

    This will mean staff will be well located for stage 1 to London and then stage 2 to Leeds and Manchester . They will also be well located for any future extension be it to Liverpool or further north towards Newcastle or even a new route from Birmingham South west towards Heathrow and Wales and West Country !

    Anyone who thinks they have heard enough about HS2 well fact is it will still be ongoing in 10 years time !

  • Dave, Southport

    "HS2 ...will go from somewhere to nowhere." Even from up here deep in civilisation I would hardly count London as "nowhere."

  • Adam, Birmingham

    I think the three comments on this post are indicative of the typical responses non informed people give in general

    Like the Editor, I am too fed up with hearing the same old drivel:

    "HS2 goes from somewhere to nowhere" - London to Birmingham, North West, North East and beyond to Scotland is hardly somewhere to nowhere

    "..rest of the network is falling apart..." - quite a generalisation, I am glad the Editor pointed out the CP5 budget and again I point out that, as CrossRail currently is, HS2 won't be funded from the same budget. I don't hear people mention CrossRail funding with such vigour

    Such emotive drivel is good in newspapers but not in reality unfortunately

    Back on topic, I am glad HS2 will be based in my home town and so are Birmingham City Council and the Midlands economy as a whole

  • Mick Rogers, Cardiff

    To be fair to Lutz, only 1500 of the new jobs that the Curzon Street redevelopment is hoped to create will be down to HS2 - the rest will fill up the remainder of the projected 600,000 square feet of "employment floorspace". It remains to be seen how many of the remaining 12,500 jobs will indeed be new ones rather than the result of business relocation from elsewhere in the West Midlands or possibly further afield.

  • jak jaye, Sutton area

    Wonder if im the only one who is fed up to the back teeth of HS2 must you keep banging on about when the rest of the network is falling apart,i stood for over an hour at my local station waiting for a train to London that no-showed,along others following a lineside fire and that good old standby 'signalling problems'( what exactly are they?) the station hid while the endless stream of pre-recorded messages assured that only trains that are advertised will run(not) leaving dozens of unhappy confused punters gazing up at empty destination signs and its not as if these are isolated incidents especially in the south,so please give HS2 a rest its a vanity rail project that will cost billions and will go from somewhere to nowhere

    [Well, now you are trespassing on my territory. Sir: I will decide what is news and what is not. HS2 attracts tremendous interest and it is our job to reflect that. Even if I disapproved of HS2 completely I would still run the same amount of copy. Sorry to hear you've had some problems -- I believe the Wimbledon-Sutton loop could do better. I use railways a lot and simply cannot agree that the network is 'falling apart'. More needs to be done, it is true, and it is being done (CP5 budget for all purposes in £38.4 billion -- and that's nothing to do with HS2) but taken by and large the daily London rail commuter operation alone is a miracle of logistics, which is (rightly) taken for granted when all goes well.--Editor.)

  • Lutz, London

    I most cases, these 14,000 jobs will be relocations from elsewhere, not brand new jobs.

    [From, er, where? HS2 in London employs fewer than 600 people.--Editor.]

  • Mike pocock, berkhamsted

    Are you able to say what the route / what towns you will be going through ?

    [Is it me, or does this question make no sense in relation to this story? Please explain!--Editor.]