HS2 Ltd’s headquarters in Birmingham have been officially opened by the Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin.
Up to 1,000 staff will be employed at HS2 Ltd’s offices in Birmingham’s Colmore Business District, from engineers who will help design the railway to procurement specialists.
The official opening coincided with the final week of petitions in relation to the HS2 Phase One hybrid Bill being heard in the House of Commons Select Committee. This marks a significant step towards the Bill, which will provide the planning permission for Phase One of the High Speed 2 (HS2) route between London and the West Midlands, being passed and construction starting on the line.
Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin said: "HS2 will rebalance our economy, helping make the Midlands an ‘engine for growth’. The official opening of the headquarters here in Birmingham is proof that HS2 is already boosting jobs and skills, and will continue to do so as we head towards construction.
"This week we have taken another step towards putting spades in the ground as the Commons Select Committee has been hearing the final petitions on the Phase One Bill. I would like to pay tribute to members of the Committee, as well as those who have brought forward petitions. We have listened to residents and communities and I am pleased that in many cases we have been able to make the changes they have been calling for."
Birmingham will be at the heart of the HS2 network, with new stations at Curzon Street and Birmingham Interchange when the Phase One route opens in 2026. Connections north to Crewe will open in 2027, with the lines to Leeds and Manchester due to be completed by 2033.
Phase One of HS2 between London and the West Midlands is estimated to support up to 14,600 construction jobs, 2,200 permanent operations and maintenance jobs, and 30,300 jobs supported by development around HS2 stations in Euston, Old Oak Common, Birmingham Interchange and Birmingham Curzon Street.
HS2 Ltd Chairman Sir David Higgins, said: "The arrival of HS2 in Birmingham will play a vital role in boosting jobs, skills, economic growth and regeneration across the city.
"Britain’s second city is at the heart of the HS2 network and I am delighted that the Secretary of State has today officially opened our headquarters at 2 Snowhill, as the project moves towards construction."
The petitioning process gives those affected by HS2 the opportunity to raise issues and voice concerns about the plans for the route between the West Midlands and London. Over the last 17 months, the HS2 Commons Select Committee, chaired by Robert Syms MP, has heard almost 2,600 petitions, many of which have led to changes to the Bill. This will ensure that HS2 is designed in the best way possible.
The HS2 Phase One hybrid Bill is expected to achieve Royal Assent by December 2016. Construction on the London to Birmingham route is due to start in 2017.
