Contract for development partner on high speed project worth between £50-70m

CH2M Hill has snapped up the lucrative role of development partner on the £32bn High Speed 2 rail project.

The US-based consultant will provide engineering, design and environmental work on the proposed line between London and the West Midlands.

The contract was one of the largest on the market for consultants, worth between £50-70m.

CH2M Hill overcame competition from shortlisted Turner & Townsend, Mace and Parsons Brincerhoff for the job.

In a statement HS2 Ltd said the experience of CH2M Hill’s UK-based engineering subsidiary Halcrow on HS1 and Crossrail had helped it win the job.

HS2 chief executive Alison Munro said: “Now that HS2 is up and running, it’s time to bring new people on board and I’m very pleased to welcome CH2M Hill as our development partner for the next phase of this exciting project - we will now be able to move forward without delay.

“The appointment means that we will have world class project managers and technical experts working alongside us to deliver the design, engineering and environmental work necessary for the hybrid bill.

“They will bring, in particular, their highly regarded experience of working on HS1 and Crossrail, two major UK infrastructure projects that have direct relevance to our work.”