Washwood Heath depot is a planned depot in Washwood Heath, Birmingham for High Speed 2 (HS2), a high-speed railway line under construction in the United Kingdom. Planning permission for the 14 road site was granted in early 2023.

Washwood Heath
Location
LocationWashwood Heath, West Midlands, England
Coordinates52°30′00″N 1°51′03″W / 52.5000°N 1.8509°W / 52.5000; -1.8509
Characteristics
OwnerHS2 Ltd
TypeEMU storage and maintenance facility
Roads14
Routes servedHS2

History

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Part of the site was previously occupied by factories for LDV Group and Wolseley Motors. Manufacturing ceased in 2009.[1]

It was also previously occupied by the Washwood Heath Railway Works, which was later used by Metro-Cammell and last used by Alstom.[2][3] The land was acquired along with other properties by St. Modwen Properties from Alstom in 2002, who leased it back to companies including Alstom and Network Rail. The 50-acre (20-hectare) was sold to the government in December 2016 for an undisclosed amount.[4] The Railway Works was cleared in 2019.[3]

The site was identified as the favoured location for a depot by HS2 in 2011.[5]

In 2018, a row of houses and a motor workshop on Common Lane were compulsory purchased.[6] In February 2021, HS2 began seeking bids for an estimated £275 million contract to build the depot.[7] In early 2023, Birmingham City Council gave planning permission to build the site.[8]

Infrastructure

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The site is expected to have 14 sidings, a maintenance building which will cover 40,000 square metres (430,000 sq ft), and network control centre (the NICC - Network Integrated Control Centre).[8][9]

Usage

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The site will contain a rolling stock maintenance depot, storage area, control centre, and facilities for drivers and cleaning staff. It will be the only depot for phases 1 and 2a of the project.[10]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Rowswell, Glenn (2 March 2018). "Historic LDV Drews Lane complex disappears". Classics World. Retrieved 3 July 2021.
  2. ^ "First look at HS2's Washwood Heath depot site". GOV.UK. 22 February 2019. Retrieved 3 July 2021.
  3. ^ a b "Birmingham: Washwood Heath train factory demolished". Rail Engineer. 19 February 2019. Retrieved 3 July 2021.
  4. ^ Jones, Tamlyn (6 December 2016). "HS2 depot site sold by St Modwen". BirminghamLive. Retrieved 3 July 2021.
  5. ^ Griffin, Jon (27 January 2011). "£200m rail depot site raises hopes for ex LDV and Alstom workers". BirminghamLive. Retrieved 3 July 2021.
  6. ^ Elkes, Neil (6 February 2018). "HS2 give residents 3 months to leave - but they 'want better deal'". BirminghamLive. Retrieved 3 July 2021.
  7. ^ "HS2 begins search for Washwood Heath train depot contractor". Global Railway Review. 17 February 2021. Retrieved 3 July 2021.
  8. ^ a b Clinnick, Richard, ed. (April 2023). "HS2's Washwood Heath train depot gets the green light". Rail Express. No. 323. Horncastle: Mortons Media. p. 10. ISSN 1362-234X.
  9. ^ Harris, Nigel, ed. (10 March 2021). "HS2 seeks bids for Washwood Heath". Rail Magazine. No. 926. Peterborough: Bauer Consumer Media. p. 27. ISSN 0953-4563.
  10. ^ "Washwood Heath Depot". High Speed 2. Retrieved 3 July 2021.