HS2 have launched the search for a construction contractor to build its Birmingham Interchange Station in the West Midlands. Bidders are asked to put themselves forward for the £370m contract which could support up to 1,000 jobs at the peak of construction.

The latest search for contractors follows last month’s news that the Mace Dragados JV had won a £570m deal to build HS2’s Birmingham Curzon Street station.

The new Interchange Station will be one of the best connected stations on the new high speed network in the Midlands, and is set to pave the way for huge growth plans around the site being led by the Urban Growth Company that will support 30,000 jobs, up to 3,000 new homes and 70,000m2 of commercial space. 

These will form part of the UK Central Hub area plans for 70,000 jobs, 5,000 new homes and 650,000m2 of commercial space, generating £6.2bn GVA per year and bringing 1.3m people to within a 45-minute public transport commute of the station.

Arup has drawn up designs that aim to make Birmingham Interchange station one of the world’s most sustainable railway stations. The station is the first railway station globally to achieve the BREEAM ‘Outstanding’ certification at the design stage – a measure of sustainability for new and refurbished buildings – putting it in the top 1% of buildings in the UK for eco-friendly credentials.

This recognises the station’s eco-friendly features including maximising natural daylight and ventilation, a station roof design which can capture and reuse rainwater, and features to enable net zero carbon emissions from day-to-day energy consumption. Energy efficient technology will also be incorporated, such as air source heat pumps and LED lighting.

HS2’s stations director Matthew Botelle said: “The start of the search for our construction contractor is a significant step in the journey to build HS2’s Interchange Station in the Midlands. We’ve worked closely with our multi-disciplinary design team Arup to design the station to be net zero in operation, which is a key part of our strategy to reduce carbon and build the most sustainable railway in the world.

“The wider regeneration around Interchange Station is an even bigger prize, with thousands of jobs, new homes and commercial development set to transform the economic potential for people and businesses in the region.”

The construction site for the station covers an area of 150 hectares, and is located within a triangle of land formed by the M42, A45 and A452. Work so far has included construction of modular bridges over the M42 and A446, and remodelling of the road network in the area to facilitate access to the new station.

The tender shortlist for the contract will be announced later this year and the contract awarded in 2022.

Click here for further information and to submit prequel bids direct to HS2.

The deadline for submitting prequel bids for the Birmingham Interchange Station contract is 5 July.