HS2 awards £856m contract for Birmingham rolling stock depot and control centre

HS2 Ltd has awarded an £856 million contract for the construction of its Rolling Stock Depot and Network Integrated Control Centre at Washwood Heath in Birmingham.

The contract has been awarded to a joint venture between Taylor Woodrow and Aureos and will deliver a major rail operations and maintenance hub on the 70-hectare former LDV and Metro-Cammell industrial site.

The development will include a state-of-the-art rolling stock maintenance building, carriage wash, automatic vehicle inspection building, overnight train stabling sidings and a dedicated test track for HS2’s high-speed rail fleet.

The site will also house the Network Integrated Control Centre, which will oversee rail operations across the HS2 network, including train dispatch, service management and communications systems.

Alongside the rail infrastructure, the wider masterplan includes office accommodation, operational facilities and land earmarked for future commercial development, green space and ecological enhancements.

Construction is expected to support around 500 jobs during delivery, while the completed facility is forecast to support approximately 1,000 long-term operational roles.

The Washwood Heath depot forms a critical part of the wider HS2 programme and will act as the operational heart of the high-speed railway once services begin running between London and Birmingham.

The site has a long industrial and rail engineering history, having previously housed train manufacturing operations before closing in 2005. Significant remediation and enabling works have already been carried out by HS2’s West Midlands construction partner Balfour Beatty VINCI, including demolition, ground remediation and associated rail infrastructure works.

The contract award comes as HS2 continues a wider programme reset focused on project delivery, cost management and long-term operational readiness.