HS2 Ltd selected Laing O’Rourke Delivery the winner of the contract to build high-speed line’s new Interchange Station in Solihull, in West Midlands.
Under the GBP 370 million (EUR 438 million) contract, Laing O’Rourke will work with HS2 Ltd in two stages to finalise the detailed design and then build the landmark station over the next few years.
The construction site for the station covers an area of 150 hectares within a triangle of land formed by the M42, A45 and A452. Significant progress has already been made on the site, including construction of modular bridges over the M42 and A446 as part of a remodelled road network in the area to facilitate access to the new station.
HS2’s main works contractor Balfour Beatty Vinci are currently preparing the site where the new station will be built.
The new station will maximise the natural daylight and ventilation, its roof can capture and reuse rainwater and is designed to enable net zero carbon emissions from day-to-day energy consumption. Energy efficient technology will also be incorporated, such as air source heat pumps and LED lighting.
The huge growth plans around the site, being led by the Urban Growth Company, will support 30,000 jobs, up to 3,000 new homes and 70,000m2 of commercial space. These will form part of the UK Central Hub area plans for 70,000 jobs, 5,000 new homes and 650,000m2 of commercial space, generating GBP 6.2 billion (EUR 7.34 billion) GVA per year and bringing 1.3m people to within a 45-minute public transport commute of the station.
The station is the first railway station globally to achieve the BREEAM ‘Outstanding’ certification at the design stage, a measure of sustainability for new and refurbished buildings, putting it in the top 1% of buildings in the UK for eco-friendly credentials.
HS2 has worked with Arup to develop the eco-friendly station which “has been designed to be net zero in operation, which is a key part of HS2’s strategy to reduce carbon and our ambition to build the most sustainable railway in the world,” Lee Holmes, HS2’s Stations Director said.
The Interchange Station will be used by up to five trains per hour in both directions, with an estimated total of 175,000 seats per day, making this one of the best connected transport interchanges in the country and a new gateway to the UK.
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