Demolition of Washwood Heath site going ahead in preparation for HS2

As preparation for HS2 is underway the Washwood Heath Depot site in Birmingham has been demolished to make way for a train maintenance site.

The over 10,000sq m site is being cleared in preparation for HS2 infrastructure by Birmingham-based contractor LM JV. The site, previously run by Alstom, will be used to maintain HS2 trains, with space to conduct cleaning, servicing, and small repairs.

The clearing of the former railway works has produced 412,464 tonnes of demolition material, which will be recycled in the construction of the new depot to avoid waste. The site was chosen because of its central location the planned HS2 network, equidistant between the London to Birmingham and Manchester to Leeds lines.

Mike Lyons, Programme Director of Phase One in the Midlands, said: “As we prepare for the construction of HS2, there is a huge amount of work going on at sites in the Midlands, including land clearance, habitat creation, tree planting, demolitions, archaeology, road improvement works and utility diversions.”

“We currently have 62 live sites across the whole Phase One route, servicing over 250 work locations. Over 7,000 jobs are supported by HS2, and over 300 companies in the Midlands are already working on the project.”

It is expected that the new depot will employ 500 people when it is fully operational. It will be the only rolling stock maintenance site for Phase One and 2a of the high-speed rail.

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