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voestalpine Railway Systems secures major high-speed contract in Great Britain

9 March 2023 | 

High Speed 2 (HS2), the new British high-speed rail line that will run from London to the northwest of England, is currently the largest infrastructure project in Europe. voestalpine Railway Systems, the world's leading supplier of system solutions for railway infrastructure, is supplying a comprehensive package from its railway portfolio for the construction of this cutting-edge railway line – from high-speed switches and signaling technology to plant monitoring applications – which is being expanded by a stand-alone logistics solution, consulting, training and maintenance. For this ambitious megaproject, voestalpine Railway Systems also developed an entirely new turnout geometry.

The contract negotiations with High Speed Two Ltd., a British company, was successfully completed on March 7th 2023. For the participating voestalpine Railway Systems companies in Austria, Germany and Great Britain the total order volume of almost GBP 210 million (approx. EUR 236.56 million) represents the most extensive project in history to date.

This record order once again confirms our strategy and our global competence in this segment. The railroad infrastructure segment has been developing extremely satisfactorily for years,

says Herbert Eibensteiner, CEO of voestalpine AG and Franz Kainersdorfer, member of the board of voestalpine AG and head of voestalpine Metal Engineering Division, adds "I am delighted that HS2 has trusted voestalpine Turnout Technology UK to participate in such an important project for the country. Utilising the wealth of experience voestalpine Railway Systems has gained from delivering high speed railways across the world, I am confident the project will be a resounding success."

© High Speed Two Ltd 2023
Günter Neureiter, CEO of voestalpine Railway Systems is pleased.

voestalpine Turnout Technology UK will deliver a complete system of Turnouts, point machines, Rail expansion devices and condition monitoring as well as professional and technical services to support HS2 throughout the entire lifecycle of the railway

Günter Neureiter, CEO of voestalpine Railway Systems is pleased.

"This opportunity further strengthens the position of voestalpine Turnout Technology UK within the UK rail industry allowing us to create up to 50 new jobs and expand our facilities by building a new logistics hub to handle all the materials for HS2. Our team is excited, and we look forward to spending the next years collaborating with HS2 and its contractors to deliver a safe and efficient railway for the future," adds Ian Fillingham, Managing Director of voestalpine Turnout Technology UK.

voestalpine Railway Systems: Solution Provider and development partner

The high speed trains of HS2 will connect London with the West Midlands at unprecedented speeds of up to 360 km/h. The largest switches see branch speeds at of up to 230 km/h will be to enable frequency goals of 18 trains per hour in each direction. This design required the development of a new turnout geometry. The supply contract is therefore preceded by an extensive design contract for a new high-speed turnout: the world's largest turnout ever developed in compliance with all European standards for acceleration and jerk values.

A combination of factors secured the contract award: our high-quality and broad product portfolio, our commitment to sustainability, successful past projects in Taiwan or Germany, and the fact that voestalpine Railway Systems is a supplier of complete railway infrastructure systems. HS2 has a commitment to protecting the landscape through world-class engineering in the interests of the local community and to keep the project's carbon footprint to a minimum.

The new rail line will be constructed in two phases from London (Euston) to Birmingham and on to Crewe and Manchester. A line of 170 miles (about 274 km) of the new high-speed link between London and Crewe is already under construction, and HS2 currently employs about 25,000 workers to build the line. Other HS2 objectives are to ensure the highest value for taxpayers' money and to develop a flagship project in collaboration with suppliers and partners working together for the UK's positive future.

From a single source: design, product, assembly, service

© High Speed Two Ltd 2023

The first switch installations on the track are scheduled for the 3rd quarter of 2024. For the first section of the line from London to Birmingham and for the extension to Crewe, which was also included in the tender, voestalpine Railway Systems will supply approximately 250 high-speed, low-speed and depot switches, over 70 rail expansion devices, around 1,200 ECOSTAR point machines and IE2010 end position detectors, approximately 60 UNISTAR HR point machines and the monitoring equipment, signaling systems (DLD/S) and the complete Asset Condition Monitoring System. The contract also includes a 20-year service contract with the option of two 10-year renewals.

 

 

The entire know-how of the Railway Systems business unit will flow into the project and the focus will be on the sustainable product life cycle of all components. Transport will be carried out in an environmentally friendly manner by rail. For this purpose, a depot with rail connection is being built in the United Kingdom. This trans-shipment center with rail connection offers optimal assembly and service possibilities for HS2 and represents an important future aspect for voestalpine in the UK. Furthermore, voestalpine plans to create 50 additional jobs in the UK. With this major order of historic proportions, voestalpine Railway Systems is once again strengthening its position as the world market leader and full-range supplier of railway infrastructure systems.