Press release
12 November 2024Construction contract following the successful completion of 2.5 years of design - Two lots valued at c. £5 billion, about €5.75 billion - More than 200 engineering structures over 90km near Birmingham
The 50:50 joint venture between Balfour Beatty and VINCI* has been awarded the HS2 lots N1 and N2 phase 2 contract (construction) on 1 April 2020. Lot N1 and Lot N2 are between the Long Itchington Wood Green tunnel to the Delta Junction / Birmingham Spur and from the Delta Junction to the West Coast Main Line tie-in respectively.
Phase 1 for these contracts had been awarded in July 2017 for the design of the West Midlands area. More than 500 engineers and technicians, including the joint venture’s designers, worked successfully to reach this milestone today and enable the project to switch from design to construction.
Spanning on approximately 90km, the delivery of Lot N1 and Lot N2 will include an impressive number of engineering structures, tunnels and earthworks: 51 viaducts and boxes totalling over 14km and 76 overbridges, 7.5km of twin tunnel, 35 cuttings reaching over 30km, 76 culverts and other underbridges, 66 embankments reaching over 33km, 4 motorway crossings requiring box structures, and 6 interfaces with existing rail requiring both dive-under and overbridge structures. Lots N1 and N2 comprise a total of 1.8 million cubic meters of concrete and 32 million cubic meters of cut and landfill.
Work will start on site in summer 2020 with all the sanitary and safety rules that prevail according to the Covid-19 pandemic and would last 74 months. At the peak of activity, the project will employ 10,000 people.
The contract awards reflect the innovative and collaborative nature of this long-established and successful joint venture. Balfour Beatty’s in-depth knowledge and expertise of British transport is complemented with VINCI’s major project expertise, including the recently completed SEA Tours-Bordeaux high-speed line in France and rail infrastructure projects in the UK.
Balfour Beatty - VINCI teamed up with Systra and Mott MacDonald and was awarded in September 2019 by HS2 the contract for the construction management of Old Oak Common station in London.
*VINCI is represented by its subsidiaries: VINCI Construction Grands Projets, VINCI Construction UK and VINCI Construction Terrassement.
