The new depot will cover around 30-hectares and include a state-of-the-art Rolling Stock Maintenance Building, Carriage Wash, Automatic Vehicle Inspection Building and sidings where high-speed trains can be stored overnight as well as a test track.
Also on the same site will be the Network Integrated Control Centre (NICC), where staff will manage the dispatch of trains, communicate with drivers and ensure that services run smoothly.
Separate buildings will house offices and facilities for cleaners and drivers. The remaining area will be released for commercial development and used to create new green spaces and wildlife habitat.
According to 2021 Census data, Washwood Heath is ranked among the most deprived areas in the UK, with roughly 77 per cent of households experiencing deprivation in at least one dimension.
HS2 bosses say the new depot will provide valuable highly skilled jobs, with around a thousand long-term jobs expected to be created at the site – as well as around 500 temporary roles during construction.
The Washwood Heath site – which sits alongside the A47 Heartlands Parkway and the existing railway - was a hub of railway manufacturing for over a century.
The current Pendolino trains operated by Avanti between London and Birmingham, were among the last trains to be built on the site before it closed in 2005.
Steve Cox, HS2 Ltd’s area director said: “The new depot and control centre at Washwood Heath will be at the heart of our day-to-day operation and play a crucial role in the testing and commissioning of the railway.
“Taylor Woodrow and Aureos have a great track record delivering complex infrastructure projects and I look forward to working with them over the coming years.”
TWA JV work closely with HS2 Ltd and the operator to finalise the requirements for the site and complete the design.
They will then build, test and commission the depot.
The partners have a strong track record delivering similarly complex infrastructure projects in the UK and Europe including Kings Cross and Whitechapel stations and the Elizabeth Line Depot as well as Old Oak Common on HS2.
Together they employ more than a 3,000 people across the UK.
Phil Skegg, managing director of Taylor Woodrow, said: “We look forward to working closely with HS2 Ltd and our supply chain partners to create a world‑class depot that will play a vital role in the operation of Britain’s new high‑speed railway, while leaving a positive and lasting legacy for skills, employment and the local community.”
Darren James, chief executive officer of Aureos, said: “This project is the most complex and critical part of the HS2 infrastructure and Aureos brings deep rail systems and digital engineering capability to deliver a depot and NICC designed around data, automation and whole life asset performance from the outset.
“We are looking forward to demonstrating exemplar delivery of the contract by working closely with HS2, our JV partner, the supply chain and all other stakeholders.”
