HS2 has confirmed that Taylor Woodrow Infrastructure and Aureos Rail (TWA JV) will build the high-speed railway’s control centre and rolling stock depot in Birmingham.

The contract – worth around £856m – will see the joint venture work with HS2 to develop the disused 70-hectare site of the former LDV and Metro-Cammell works in Washwood Heath.

Around a 1,000 permanent jobs are expected to be created at the depot and land freed up for development - plus, around 500 construction jobs during the build of the facility.

The contract award comes as HS2 undergoes a comprehensive reset – with outcomes now to be delivered by the end of the year. Details of the project reset had been due in March, but transport secretary Heidi Alexander tasked HS2 to explore options to remove complexity that could cut billions in costs and reduce delays for the project.

HS2 chief executive Mark Wild had been due to report back to the transport secretary before the summer recess, which begins on 17 July, alongside a progress update. But Wild said the new plan would now be completed by the “end of this year” in a fresh update on HS2's progress.

Wild said HS2 had achieved “many notable milestones” and 2026 had got off to a good financial start.

He added: “It’s essential to maximise the productivity we get for the amount of public money that we spent. Every day we are working very hard to be as productive as we can to make this railway a reality.

“We’re very, very clear of our priorities in the next four years and we’re on track to deliver the baseline schedule at the end of this year. As we’ve always said, it’s taking a couple of years to do this. Why is that? Well, we’ve got to get this right because this reset will the last time we do it to the end of the job.”

The new Birmingham depot will cover around 30-hectares and include a state-of-the-art rolling stock maintenance building, carriage wash, automatic vehicle inspection building and sidings where high-speed trains can be stored overnight as well as a test track.

Also on the same site will be the Network Integrated Control Centre (NICC), where staff will manage the dispatch of trains, communicate with drivers and ensure services run smoothly.

Separate buildings will house offices and facilities for cleaners and drivers. The remaining area will be released for commercial development and used to create new green spaces and wildlife habitat.

HS2 said the contract underwent scrutiny from CEO Mark Wild and an independent review panel, reflecting the lessons learned from the Main Works Civils contracts, James Stewart’s review of HS2 governance and Crossrail.

Steve Cox, HS2’s area director, said: “Once complete, HS2 will transform journeys between Britain’s two largest cities, freeing up space on the existing West Coast Main Line for more freight and local services.

“The new depot and control centre at Washwood Heath will be at the heart of our day-to-day operation and play a crucial role in the testing and commissioning of the railway.

“Taylor Woodrow and Aureos have a great track record delivering complex infrastructure projects and I look forward to working with them over the coming years.”

The contract will see the TWA JV work closely with HS2 and the operator to finalise the requirements for the site and complete the design. They will then build, test and commission the depot.

The partners have a strong track record delivering similarly complex infrastructure projects in the UK and Europe including Kings Cross and Whitechapel stations and the Elizabeth Line Depot as well as Old Oak Common on HS2. Together they employ more than a 3,000 people across the UK.

Phil Skegg, managing director of Taylor Woodrow, said: “This is a landmark project of national importance and a clear endorsement of Taylor Woodrow’s expertise in delivering complex, safety‑critical rail and infrastructure schemes.”

HS2’s construction partner in the West Midlands, Balfour Beatty VINCI (BBV), has already made a significant amount of progress at Washwood Heath, levelling the disused industrial buildings and cleaning the earth to remove harmful contaminants left from a century of heavy industry and preparing the site for the start of construction.

Work is also progressing to the west of the site, where BBV are building a series of viaducts that will carry services into the new Curzon Street station in the city centre.