A long-term contract to provide the high-voltage electrical network for the complete HS2 line between London and the West Midlands is to be awarded to a joint venture between Siemens Mobility and Costain Joint Venture.

Included in the contract is the design, manufacture, supply, installation, testing, commissioning and maintenance of HS2’s high-voltage power supply network.

The joint venture will be part of the Rail Systems Alliance structure and collaborate with other industry partners to deliver HS2.

After the design and build contract has expired, the joint venture will be awarded a separate seven-year maintenance contract, with the total contract value expected to be approximately £300m with optional contract extensions.

There will also be a separate maintenance contract valued at £32m.

Both companies have experience in major contracts, including the Elizabeth line, the East Coast Main Line Power Supply Upgrade, and many others.

The Joint Venture will benefit from having a range of skills and capabilities, including project management, digital coordination, systems integration, equipment manufacturing, and supply chain collaboration.

To power HS2, traction and non-traction substations will be built alongside the line to supply power to the line’s stations, shafts, portals, depots, and railway systems.

High-voltage power will be supplied from the national grid to enable zero-carbon energy from the line’s first day of operation.

A spokesperson for Siemens Mobility commented that the work on HS2 will help to sustain British jobs and skills from the company’s UK-based workforce and in its 2,500-strong supply chain.

It is already committed to investing £100 million in a brand-new digital engineering, manufacturing and research and development centre at Chippenham in Wiltshire, which will now play a key role in delivering HS2.

As well as this joint venture, Siemens Mobility Limited has won contracts to deliver HS2’s operational telecommunications and security systems, Command, Control, Signalling & Traffic Management, and Engineering Management System, and has submitted a tender for the train despatch systems.

“This new contract continues our long-standing involvement with the UK’s largest strategic investment programme and reflects our excellent collaborative relationship with HS2. It also marks the start of a new partnership with Siemens Mobility and its team of experts who share our values and ambitions.
“Providing a safe, reliable power system will be critical to the success of a new transport route which will be one of the lowest carbon ways to travel in the UK, freeing up more capacity on the existing rail network and helping to take cars and lorries off the roads. Rail electrification remains a crucial part of the UK’s decarbonisation plans and HS2’s power supply will set new standards for the infrastructure industry.”

Alex Vaughan, CEO, Costain