High Speed 2 (HS2) Rail Project

Photo credit: ALIGN

This is a UK government backed scheme to construct a second high speed railway in the UK. Phase one of the project involves the construction of 160 km of rail tracks, using twin-bored tunnels and green tunnels, viaducts and engineering earthworks to achieve a technically viable and environmentally sensitive solution.

ALIGN, a consortium consisting of Bouygues Travaux Publics, Sir Robert McAlpine, and VolkerFitzpatrick appointed Ingerop-Rendel, along with our design joint venture partner, Jacobs, to initially provide tender design services relating to High Speed Two Phase One - Main Works Contracts S2, C1, C2 and C3.

The services provided included: designs for viaducts and other bridges and structural elements; geotechnical modelling and ground risk assessments for tunnels and earthworks; soil-structure interaction analysis for shafts, underground and other earth-retaining structures; highway designs for road diversions, realignments, new junctions, new access roads, pavements, emergency hard standings, road drainage and vehicle swept path analysis; and track alignments. Rendel produced composite 3-dimensional models of the designs to meet the ultimate client’s BIM and data management requirements.

Following a lengthy tender process, the award of main works civils contract C1 was given to ALIGN, with Ingérop-Rendel and Jacobs again appointed to provide professional design services, this time for ECI Stage 1, involving the development of the existing Employer’s Design to Concept Design Stage and then Stage 2, Detailed Design and Construction.

Ingerop-Rendel have led the design of various assets, including the Colne Valley Viaduct, a 3.4km long balanced cantilever viaduct that when complete will be England’s longest railway bridge. Additionally, our bridge, structural, geotechnical, highways and M&E teams have been integral in the design development of deep shafts for the twin bore Chiltern Tunnel and its portal structures, various earthworks and the rerouting of public and private roads.