Switches and crossings for HS2 to be delivered from logistics hub in Hull

Hull has been chosen for the site of a new logistics hub for HS2, becausae it is one of only a few sites with sufficient land for long sidings connected to the rail network.

At around 100 miles from the nearest point on the new high-speed line, Hull will become the base for voestalpine, which has won a contract to supply high-speed switches, signalling technology and plant monitoring applications.

HS2 Ltd said: “The contract includes the design, manufacture and delivery of around 180 switches and crossings which will be installed between London and the connection with the West Coast Main Line at Crewe. “Designed to operate smoothly, reliably and safely at speeds of up to 360kph (223mph) and diverging speeds up to 230kph (143mph), the switches and crossings will be a vital and highly specialist part of the HS2 track systems.”

The contract negotiations between voestalpine and HS2 Ltd were successfully completed in March 2023, and the total order of almost £210 million represents the company’s most extensive project to date.

Ian Fillingham, Managing Director of voestalpine Turnout Technology UK, said: “This opportunity further strengthens

the position of voestalpine Turnout Technology UK within the UK rail industry, allowing us to create up to 50 new jobs and expand our facilities by building a new logistics hub to handle all the materials for HS2.”

The contract also includes around 77 rail expansion devices for track on viaducts and bridges, and around 70 lower-speed switches and crossings for the depots at Washwood Heath and Calvert.

The location chosen for the logistics hub in Hull sits alongside the main railway to Doncaster and Leeds, on land formerly used as sidings for the city’s once extensive fish docks.