Government to award £1.88bn in contracts for HS2 power, track and safety works

The government will award two contracts worth £1.88bn for HS2 works including overhead power supply construction and safety equipment installation. High Speed Two, the government-funded company, is searching for successful bidders for the contracts covering the project’s first phase between London and Birmingham and phase 2a onwards to Crewe. The first contract, worth £1.55bn, covers construction and testing of the routes’ overhead catenary power system and 290km of rail. It also includes some building work at stations and in tunnels, as well as the provision of engineering trains to link work sites. A smaller £330m contract is for mechanical and electrical ventilation works, covering the design, installation, testing and commissioning of HS2 safety equipment including tunnel ventilation fans, lighting, handrails, fire safety equipment and tunnel alarm systems. “We’re looking for the smartest, most cost-effective solutions that the industry has to offer through these contracts, which form part of the overall railway system for HS2,” said HS2 chief executive Mark Thurston.