Birmingham-based MPB Structures has secured a significant contract to build the substructure for HS2’s flagship Curzon Street Station. The award, from HS2‘s main works contractor Mace Dragados Joint Venture (MDJV), marks a major step forward in the station’s construction, with work set to intensify in 2025.
Following the current piling work by Keltbray, which involves installing 2,000 concrete piles, MPB Structures will begin construction of the station’s foundations in January 2025. A team of approximately 140 people from MPB will be on-site for the project. The work will involve significant earth removal (65,000m³), the use of substantial amounts of concrete (17,000m³), and the installation of hundreds of pile caps (417) and ground beams reinforced with over 4,700 tonnes of steel. MPB will also be responsible for waterproofing the concrete structures, installing drainage, and constructing rainwater attenuation tanks for recycling within the station.
Dave Lock, HS2’s Project Client Director for Curzon Street Station said: “This contract award marks the next stage of our construction programme to build the flagship Curzon Street Station, and we’re delighted to have MPB on board. Further contracts will be awarded in the coming months as we move towards starting on the main station structure next year.”
Patrick Boyle, Board Director and Business Owner, MPB Structures said: “We are delighted to have secured this prestigious contract on the Curzon Street Station build. Our business has a long and rich history of successfully delivering major projects for key clients across Birmingham and the wider West Midlands. We are fully committed to this project and to the opportunity to support and deliver a significant social value proposition for MDJV and HS2.
“In addition to local employment, one of our main aspirations is to create work placements and workless jobs starts for local people building on other successes we have had in this arena coupled with West Midlands Mayor Richard Parker’s ambition to create 20,000 jobs and opportunities within the region.”
Gerard Smith, Skills and Employment Lead at MDJV said: “We aim to offer opportunities for local people to join the team as work ramps up on the station construction programme. On this phase of work, there will be two placements per month, including training, offered for the duration of the nine-month contract. We’ll give successful placements a month work trial with a view to employment on completion.”
Further contracts for the station’s superstructure, including the floor slab, lift shafts, stairs, and viaduct support columns, will be awarded in the coming months. The viaducts themselves will be constructed from pre-cast concrete beams manufactured off-site. A subsequent contract will cover the station’s façade, walls, and glazing. The final design details, including the roof and internal fit-out, will be completed over the next year.
Curzon Street Station is intended to be a major transport hub, providing connections to Eastside and Digbeth and supporting wider regeneration in the city. It will offer seamless integration with local transport networks, including buses and the Midland Metro, and will feature new public spaces.
