HS2

HS2 has settled a £500m lawsuit over allegations it had under-valued properties in central London that it acquired under compulsory purchase orders to make way for the new line. Construction News understands that developer Sydney & London Properties has withdrawn legal action it launched against HS2 Ltd in 2019 after…

The Old Oak & Park Royal Development Corporation (OPDC) has submitted revised plans for its redevelopment next to a new HS2 station in west London. The revised plans have been submitted after a Planning Inspector ordered the previous local plan for the area to be downgraded. In September 2019 the…

The High Court has ruled that HS2 did not incorrectly procure the £1.3bn Old Oak Common station contract. Losing bidder Bechtel had challenged the megaproject’s award of the contract to a Balfour Beatty / Vinci / Systra (BBVS) joint venture on the basis that its bid was abnormally low. Bechtel…

The government has announced £50m of funding to boost transport connectivity between HS2 and a new development near the rail line’s Birmingham Interchange station. The cash is aimed at new infrastructure including multi-storey car parking at the mixed-use development called Arden Cross. Plans were approved by Solihull Council in August…

A six-month review of corporate governance at the HS2 rail project is ongoing and is expected to last until April, according to the latest set of minutes published by the organisation today. Notes from the HS2 board meeting held on 25 November last year referenced the “commencement of a corporate…

A Keller/VSL International joint venture has won a £167m geotechnical package on HS2. The firms have been awarded the contract for the C1 section of the project, which will see the delivery of a viaduct and twin-bore tunnels under the Chilterns by the Align JV – made up of Bouygues…

HS2 is searching for firms to deliver a train maintenance depot and control centre in Birmingham worth £275m. The facility at Washwood Heath will be the sole maintenance depot for HS2’s rolling stock in phase one and 2a. It will include an integrated control centre where the operation of the…

HS2 is searching for a new non-executive director who will focus on the project’s communications. The latest addition to the project’s board will be expected to help HS2 improve its communications with people affected by the route as well as other stakeholders. The Department for Transport said the new director…

Phase 2a of HS2, the stretch of the project between the West Midlands and Crewe in Cheshire, has been approved by parliament. According to HS2, Royal Assent for this phase of the scheme means the 58km route will be built earlier than originally planned, and its opening can now be…

An anti-HS2 protester has locked himself to a concrete block at the bottom of a tunnel in a bid to avoid eviction, according to his supporters. Bailiffs working on behalf of HS2 have been trying to evict the group from Euston Square Gardens in front of Euston Station – the…