Laing O’Rourke signs Solihull station contract

The contract signing follows the obligatory standstill period following the announcement of the award in July.After an initial 12-month planning stage, Laing O’Rourke will start the detailed design in 2023, with Aecom as its design partner.HS2 main works contractor Balfour Beatty Vinci is currently preparing the site, ready for construction to start in 2024. The Solihull interchange station is due for completion in 2027 in advance of the railway opening between 2029 and 2033.The construction site for the station covers an area of 150 hectares within a triangle of land bounded by the M42, A45 and A452. 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 create access to the new station.The Solihull HS2 station is expected to be the catalyst for economic regeneration in the region, supporting 30,000 jobs, up to 3,000 new homes and 70,000 sqm of commercial space.Declan McGeeney, director of UK infrastructure at Laing O’Rourke, said: “We’re proud to have been appointed to such a significant project for HS2 and for the Midlands region. Our teams have delivered major rail projects across the UK and we’ll be drawing on our experience of using modern methods of construction (MMC) to ensure project certainty.“The ambition to make this one of the most sustainable stations in the world allows us to push the boundaries of MMC even further and it’s going to be an exciting project for all involved, including local and regional suppliers and especially for early talent who will join our team and use this experience as a springboard into construction and engineering.”Aecom managing director Richard Whitehead said: “A focus for our team will be to reduce embodied and operational carbon through our designs, ensuring a deliverable scheme that achieves its preliminary BREEAM ‘outstanding’ certification.”