CONSTRUCTION headquarters for HS2 will be based in Birmingham, at the heart of the high speed rail route.
The new HQ will house up to 1,500 HS2 Ltd employees and the first phase is expected to open in 2015. Some employees will move their base from London to the new HQ but the majority will be new highly skilled jobs for the city. These will include the engineers and designers responsible for detailed construction plans for the track, stations and signalling as well as the staff needed to support their work.
Transport Secretary, Patrick McLoughlin, said, “HS2 is a vital part of our long-term economic plan. By locating the new HS2 engineering HQ in Birmingham we are bringing skilled job opportunities into the area, spreading HS2’s benefits beyond those using the new rail line.”
HS2 Chairman, David Higgins, added, “The lasting impact of HS2 will, in the end, be determined by how successfully local authorities and regions use it as a catalyst to transform and develop not just their economies, but also the look and feel of the areas it touches. The Birmingham Curzon Urban Regeneration Company will, therefore, be hugely important both for Birmingham and the rest of the West Midlands, and also as an example to the rest of the cities along the route. I acknowledge and applaud the work that has gone on to get this far and wish it every success in the future.”
