Washwood Heath Depot and Network Integrated Control Centre
What the depot does
The Washwood Heath depot is the operational heart of HS2 and will create over 550 jobs in the local area.
Birmingham City Council recently granted Schedule 17 approval under the HS2 Phase One Act 2017 for the depot, which is located north-east of Birmingham city centre. This is where we’ll maintain, service and store HS2 trains when they’re not in use.
The site includes three main buildings: the maintenance building, the Network Integrated Control Centre (NICC) and the cleaners and drivers building. All have been designed to celebrate engineering and provide sustainable working environments with outdoor spaces for staff.
What the buildings do
Maintenance building
The maintenance building is the main hub where we’ll maintain the HS2 train fleet. It includes:
- office space
- workshops
- staff facilities
- storage for materials and equipment
Around 250 staff will work here, including facilities management, fleet management, production, cleaning and depot drivers.
Network Integrated Control Centre
The NICC will oversee the whole HS2 network. This standalone building will manage the operational and control functions for HS2. Over 100 staff will be based here.
Cleaners and drivers building
Located in the west of the depot, this building will house facilities for train servicing teams and driver training. It connects to the stabling yard area, where trains will be cleaned and prepared for passenger service. Around 200 staff will be based here.
Stabling yard
The stabling yard on the west side of the depot is where trains will be parked when not in operation.
Building the depot
We’ve completed demolition and groundworks to prepare the site for construction. We’ve also reached a milestone by excavating over one million cubic metres of earth.
We cleaned and reused this material to level the ground, ready for detailed design and construction of the depot and control centre to start in 2024.
Preparing to build the Washwood Heath Depot
Designing the depot
The buildings maximise natural light, reducing the need for artificial lighting during the day.
We’re using sustainable features including:
- solar roof panels
- rainwater harvesting from building roofs
- sustainable drainage
- renewable energy
- low carbon materials
- intelligent lighting
We’ve designed dedicated routes for pedestrians and cyclists that will connect with Birmingham’s future transport network. As well as car parks, the depot includes:
- electric vehicle charging points
- cycle and motorcycle parking
- parking for people with limited mobility
- taxi and delivery vehicle drop-off zones
Slide 1 of 10: Artist's impression showing view of Washwood Heath Depot and NICC.
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Slide 7 of 10: Artist's impression showing view of Washwood Heath Depot and NICC.
Slide 8 of 10: Artist's impression showing view of Washwood Heath Depot and NICC.
Slide 9 of 10: Artist's impression showing view of Washwood Heath Depot and NICC.
Slide 10 of 10: Artist's impression showing view of Washwood Heath Depot and NICC.
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