UK: HS2 plans to complete the bulk of civil engineering between Old Oak Common and Birmingham Curzon Street in 2029, clearing the way for phased track and rail-systems installation.

HS2 Rail Systems Ramp-Up After 2029 Civils
HS2 Rail Systems Ramp-Up After 2029 Civils

The 2029 milestone matters because the shift to railway systems is already being prepared rather than waiting for all major civils to finish. HS2 says the initial design stage for its main rail systems contractors is running alongside civil engineering so teams can mobilise to site as sections become ready.

The core systems scope includes track, overhead electrification, signalling and traffic management, operational telecommunications, tunnel and lineside mechanical and electrical systems, high-voltage power and an engineering management system. The principal packages awarded in 2024 were collectively valued by HS2 at around £3 billion.

A 50-mile test area will lead systems installation

HS2’s revised sequencing is built around an initial test area of about 50 miles between Washwood Heath in Birmingham and the north portal of Wendover Green Tunnel in Buckinghamshire. Under the phased testing plan, track, power, signalling and communications systems are to be installed on this section first.

Static testing of the infrastructure is planned before dynamic testing brings trains, track and systems together. HS2 says testing can then expand while the remaining sections are fitted out, instead of waiting for civil engineering across the full Curzon Street–Old Oak Common route to finish before dynamic testing begins.

The two remaining test sections — Washwood Heath to Birmingham Curzon Street and Wendover Green Tunnel to Old Oak Common — are scheduled to follow after the relevant civil works and station-related preparations are complete.

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Core rail systems packages are already allocated

Ferrovial BAM is responsible for track systems across three route sections, including support for testing and commissioning. Colas Rail is delivering the overhead catenary system, while Siemens Mobility is responsible for command, control, signalling and traffic management as well as operational telecommunications and the engineering management system. Costain is delivering tunnel and lineside M&E, and the Siemens Mobility–Costain SMC JV is responsible for high-voltage power.

The supply-chain picture is not limited to those awarded packages. HS2’s current direct opportunities register lists the Train Dispatch System at invitation-to-tender stage with a Q4 2026 award date and a £50 million–£100 million value band. It also lists a £100 million–£250 million on-track-machine fleet package for Q3 2028 and a £50 million–£100 million package for management, operation and maintenance of those machines for Q1 2031; both are marked not started.

HS2’s programme reset is due to be completed by April 2027, while its current ambition is to open the railway between Old Oak Common and Birmingham Curzon Street in 2037 or earlier. That makes the 2029 civils milestone a transition point in a longer delivery sequence, not an opening date.

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