Work officially starts on the HS2 rail project with creation of 22,000 jobs

The high-speed rail project, which will initially link London, Birmingham, Manchester and Leeds, has begun construction after government approval was granted in April.

HS2 is expected to deliver around 22,000 jobs over the coming years, with opportunities confirmed in Warwickshire, Greater London, Birmingham and West Midlands through contractors or direct with HS2 Ltd.

An estimated 400,000 supply chain contract opportunities for UK businesses will be created during Phase One of HS2, supporting thousands of jobs on site and many more around the country. It is estimated that around 95 per cent of those contract opportunities will be won by UK based businesses and around two thirds of those will be small and medium sized businesses.

HS2 will also integrate the existing network serving stations into Scotland, creating hundreds of thousands of extra jobs and an estimated 90,000 homes around HS2 stations.

David Thomson, head of external affairs at APM says: “As the chartered body for the project profession, we welcome this step forward for HS2, and the value it will bring to the economy, particularly in the post-coronavirus economic environment. HS2 represents one of the largest and most complex projects ever undertaken in the UK so it's important it is successfully delivered with the expected economic and social benefits.”