High Speed 2 will use Olympics strategy

Construction of the proposed HS2 high speed rail link will borrow the same values and strategy to procure work that worked so successfully for the Olympic Delivery Authority, said the high speed rail link’s commercial director, Beth West.

Speaking to delegates at the CIOB’s annual conference near Leeds she said that the strategic themes for the project, which will reduce journey times from London to Birmingham to 49 minutes, would be about “much more than just focusing on delivering the programme on time and on budget”.

Construction on the London-West Midlands phase is expected to begin around 2017, assuming Parliament has approved the necessary powers, expected in 2015.

The onward legs to Manchester and Leeds could then start construction mid-way through the next decade, with the full line open by 2032-33.

The government says the whole HS2 project will cost £32.7bn at present values and deliver benefits worth £47bn, although opponents dispute these claims.

West said that the project would drive regeneration and provide local employment and training opportunities. The number of apprentices companies employed would be one of the measurement criteria for selection of its supply chain, for example.

She said that employing a more diverse work force was also a key aim, saying: “We want to make it cool for kids to work in infrastructure.”

West said the project would use modern methods of construction and technologies including BIM and Design for Manufacture. “We want to build as much offsite as possible and deliver to site to minimise disruption for local communities. We want to learn from the Olympics,” she concluded.