High Speed 2, Phase 2 – a flagship UK rail project

The largest infrastructure project in Europe, HS2 will play a major role in advancing connectivity between the UK’s major cities. It is the UK’s flagship levelling up project with the e vision to be the world’s most sustainable railway, providing zero carbon rail travel, and providing a sustainable alternative for road users and domestic air travellers. The project also has a focus on enhancing biodiversity and social value.
Ramboll is delivering work on all current delivery phases of HS2, including Phase 1 Enabling Works Contract (EWC), Main Works Civils Contract (MWCC) from London to Birmingham, and Phase 2B Civils Design and Environmental Services (CDES) from Birmingham to Leeds.
HS2 is predominantly a new railway, with a total route length of nearly 300 km across 350 active sites. The scale and complexity of HS2 is unprecedented within the UK. Nearly 100 km of the route between London and Birmingham is either underground or in cuttings, and half of the 58 km route between Birmingham and Crewe is in cuttings, and includes two tunnels, 12 viaducts and nearly 60 bridges. The new stations are equally challenging. Curzon Street will be one of the most environmentally friendly stations in the world operating as net zero carbon, Interchange will be one of the best-connected places in the UK, Euston will serve millions of travellers using the rail and tube network in London and Old Oak Common will be the largest new railway station ever built in the UK.
For Phase 1, Ramboll is part of a design joint venture providing designs for the EWC for both Birmingham stations as well as highways, bridges and delivering environmental surveys – representing over 50 work packages. In addition, our teams have then been working with various design joint ventures providing design support for the MWCC, including DfMA (Design for Manufacture and Assembly) bridge design, and performing Category II and III checking (including for Curzon Street Viaduct) with discipline expertise including bridges, geotechnical, drainage and environmental. For Phase 2b CDES, the team developed the consulted scheme into a preliminary design and completed an environmental impact assessment to support the HS2 hybrid Bill.
Phase 2b will treble the rail network capacity between Birmingham and Manchester and double the capacity between London and Manchester. When finished, nearly 26,000 passengers will benefit from faster journey times. HS2 represents an important economic and social regeneration project for the UK, benefiting the wider transport network serving the North of England and Scotland and will divert freight from highways to rail, decreasing emissions. With over 2,500 contracts awarded to UK companies, almost 30,000 people are working on HS2 across industries, supporting economic growth.
Our HS2 Portfolio serves clients including Arup, Balfour Beatty, J. Murphy & Sons, Laing O’Rourke, Systra and WSP.

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  • Helena Turner

    Director