Washwood Heath Depot

A rolling stock maintenance depot is a workshop where train maintenance is carried out. The project will require a depot for the repair and servicing of high speed trains. The Washwood Heath site in Birmingham is the preferred location because it is centrally located in relation to the completed HS2 network.

HS2 trains will be maintained at Washwood Heath, where activities will include cleaning, servicing and routine repairs of the trains. The depot will operate 24 hours a day, 365 days a year with up to 500 staff working in shifts, either in jobs within the depot, maintenance and support staff, or train drivers who will start and finish their day there. It is HS2’s only rolling stock maintenance depot for Phases 1 and 2a of the railway.

In addition to the main depot building a number of supporting facilities will be provided. These include; the network integrated control centre, gatehouse and access control, substations, cleaners facilities, drivers' facilities, storage, specialised workshops, waste management, water treatment, water storage, open air storage area, administration facilities and parking areas. In addition to the main stabling tracks the area will include access tracks, a test track, loading and unloading tracks, provision for future tracks and by-passing tracks.

The buildings in the depot will be designed and constructed to meet BREEAM excellent standards . The design intent for the overall site seeks to enhance social and environmental benefits for the surrounding community, provide an enhanced visual appearance for the area and improve west – east connectivity. A transition zone between the depot site and the surrounding communities will be established seeking to provide a smooth boundary wherever possible, public parking outside the security fence, sustainable drainage systems, flood risk mitigation, noise mitigation and visual screening.

For more information, please click on the links below:

Rolling stock depot and stabling

Infrastructure maintenance depot strategy

Demolitions at the former Heartlands Parkway site are covering over a 110,000sqm area. The site historically was home to a depot that measured approximately 782,622 cubic metres of buildings and structures, and these are now in the process of being demolished.

These structures are expected to produce a total of 412,464 tonnes of demolition materials (the equivalent weight of 68 BT Towers!) and this will be predominantly re-used on site, significantly reducing the need for landfill and lorry movements.

If you have any questions or comments please contact HS2enquiries@hs2.org.uk or call 08081 434 434 and refer to "HS2 in Birmingham".