Civil engineering firm MPB Structures has clinched a contract to build the substructure foundations for HS2’s flagship Curzon Street Station in Birmingham, UK.

HS2’s Curzon Street Station contractor, Mace Dragados Joint Venture (MDJV), is preparing for construction to ramp up in 2025 with the first of a series of major contract awards.

This follows Keltbray’s current piling operation to install 2,000 concrete piles supporting the station’s foundations.

Foundation works for the new Birmingham Curzon Street Station was started in January 2024. Following a deal worth up to £570m, Mace Dragados is working with HS2 in two stages to build the new Birmingham Curzon Street station.

A team of around 140 people from Birmingham-based MPB Structures will begin work at the station in January 2025.

They will build the complex substructure, including removing 65,000m³ of earth. The work involves using 17,000m³ of concrete to install 417 pile caps and 4,700+ tonnes of reinforcing steel for the station’s ground beams.

The civil engineering firm will also waterproof the new concrete structures, and build the drainage network within and around the station.

MPB Structures’ team will also construct attenuation tanks to store rainwater which will be recycled for use within the station.

MPB Structures board director and business owner Patrick Boyle said: “In addition to local employment, one of our main aspirations is to create work placements and workless jobs starts for local people building on other successes we have had in this arena coupled with West Midlands Mayor Richard Parker’s ambition to create 20,000 jobs and opportunities within the region.”

Further contracts will be awarded in the coming months for the construction of the station’s ‘superstructure.’ These contracts will include building the floor slab, lift shafts, stairs, and columns to support the viaducts.

The viaducts will be constructed using pre-cast concrete beams, manufactured off-site to save time and space.

A further contract will be awarded for the station’s façade, walls, and glazing.

Curzon Street Station project client director Dave Lock said: “This contract award marks the next stage of our construction programme to build the flagship Curzon Street Station, and we’re delighted to have MPB on board.”

Curzon Street Station will serve as a departure point for Britain’s new high-speed railway. It will enhance connectivity to Eastside and Digbeth, supporting wider regeneration.

The station will provide connections to local transport, including buses and the Midland Metro, with a tram line running alongside and under the station.