Firms from Swindon’s burgeoning railway industry are being encouraged to find out more about how they can share in contracts worth £10bn-plus linked to the planned HS2 (High Speed Two) London-to-Manchester and Leeds rail link.
Hundreds of firms will help build Britain’s long-awaited north-south high-speed line – and those behind it want to ensure the economic benefits are felt around the country by encouraging business from across the UK to bid for work. 
Seven firms from Swindon and Wiltshire have already signed up to attend one of HS2 Ltd’s two supply chain conferences being held in London and Manchester next month. The events are taking place as HS2 moves towards construction, planned to start in 2017.
They are joining 20 firms from the South West employing almost 30,000 people and ranging from industry giants employing up to 5,000 people to some employing fewer than 10. Opportunities offered by the construction of HS2 range span archaeological fieldwork to software development, engineering and design.
With its proud rail heritage and strategic position on the railway network linking London to Wales and the South West, Swindon is increasingly attracting railway infrastructure businesses, particularly those contracted to work on the electrification of the London-Bristol line.
HS2 will be Europe’s biggest construction project, planned to eventually link eight of Britain’s 10 biggest cities. It will support an estimated 100,000-plus jobs nationwide.
HS2 chief executive Simon Kirby said: “Building HS2 is a massive, long-term project; one that offers huge opportunity for large and small companies right across the country.
“To construct it and then bring it to life will require a vast range of skills and expertise, some of which we have and some we’ll need to develop. Put simply, HS2 is a huge transport, investment and economic opportunity.
“And to deliver a project of HS2’s scale and complexity we are committed to working with companies who share our collaborative values.
“We are also determined to build on Crossrail’s success where 97% of contracts were placed with UK-based firms. I would encourage all firms large or small to get involved.”
HS2 Ltd is a company wholly owned by the Department for Transport (DfT). The Government gave the go ahead for HS2 in 2012. It will be a Y-shaped rail network providing direct, high-capacity, high-speed rail links between London and Birmingham and onto Manchester and Leeds.
The HS2 supply chain conferences are in London on October 17 and Manchester on October 23). More information is available from SCC@hs2.org.uk
