HS2

The government has clashed with HS2 Ltd over a “very significant upwards revision” in the estimated cost of the high-speed rail scheme. Transport minister Huw Merriman challenged new figures from the publicly owned rail company, which put the cost of phase one – from London to the West Midlands –…

Balfour Beatty has promoted its project director at Old Oak Common station to oversee all major projects on the HS2 route. Nigel Russell is currently in charge of the Old Oak Common station project for BBVS, a joint venture between Balfour Beatty, Vinci and Systra. But in January, he will…

Realtime data from earthmoving machines is being used to cut costs and carbon emissions at a key stage in the delivery of HS2. According to EKFB, the main-works civil engineering contractor for HS2’s central section, around £25m has already been saved by using telematic data from the 700 machines used…

Bam Nuttall had a “satisfactory” performance for its UK and Ireland division during the third quarter of 2023, according to its parent firm. In a trading update, Dutch-based Royal Bam Group said its UK civil engineering arm has “good results supported by a high activity level”. But the performance was…

Sally Cox has been appointed as managing director of EKFB, the joint venture between Eiffage, Kier, Ferrovial Construction and Bam Nuttall. She will be responsible for overseeing 80km of HS2’s first phase between the Chiltern Tunnel and Long Itchington Wood. Cox said: “It’s an engineer’s dream to work on a…

A local authority in the North of England is calling for compensation from the government over its decision to scrap the northern leg of HS2. Cheshire East Council wrote to rail minister Huw Merriman and communities secretary Michael Gove seeking compensation totalling £11.2m, to cover a sum invested by the…

The government hailed a raft of smaller transport schemes as it announced the much-rumoured cancellation of parts of HS2, but those plans have done little to cushion the blow “I am cancelling the rest of the HS2 project. And in its place, we will reinvest every single penny – £36bn…

The government has declined to confirm whether existing contracts on the HS2 Euston build will still be valid under new plans for the station. Meanwhile, the UK’s largest contractor, Balfour Beatty, which has not yet won work on that part of the megaproject, was represented at a meeting to discuss…

The Department for Transport (DfT) has spent more than £1.25bn on services relating to the cancelled second phase of HS2, according to newly analysed invoices. The largest beneficiary was Arup, which received £272.8m from March 2016 onwards for land referencing, design services and environmental services. Invoices paid by the project’s…

Contractors involved in Phase one of HS2 have expressed their dissatisfaction at prime minister Rishi Sunak’s decision to cancel Phase two of the project, while emphasising the need for effective delivery of the government's alternative rail investment plans. Mace Group chief executive Mark Reynolds, who also co-chairs the Construction Leadership…