Siemens Mobility secures £560 million HS2 contracts

Siemens Mobility has been awarded four huge contracts worth over half a billion pounds to deliver major infrastructure and long term maintenance for HS2 Ltd.

The large firm will now play a crucial role in delivering and operating the new 225km British high-speed railway that will connect London to the West Midlands.

At the centre of Siemens’ work to fulfil these huge contracts will be its planned £100 million factory and research and design centre on the southern edge of Chippenham.

Late last year Wiltshire Council approved a planning application to build the facility at Southpoint Business Park.

Siemens has since appointed British contractor Bowmer + Kirland and work is expected to begin at the site in early 2025.

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Plans for HS2 (Image: Siemens Mobility) It is hoped the development will be operational by 2026 when the lease on the firm’s current Chippenham base at Langley Park ends.

Rob Morris, Joint CEO of Siemens Mobility UKI, says Chippenham will now play a key role in one of Europe’s largest infrastructure schemes, which is set to transform the country’s rail travel.

He said: “HS2 is going to transform rail travel in Britain, and we’re delighted to be playing a key part in delivering it.

“Our work for HS2 will help in sustaining British jobs and skills from our UK based workforce, and in our 2,500 strong supply chain.

“We’re already committed to investing £100 million in a brand-new digital engineering, manufacturing and research and development centre in Chippenham which will now play a key role in delivering HS2.”

The four contracts Siemens has secured include delivering and engineering management system, high voltage power supply systems, and operational telecommunications and security systems.

The planned Chippenham factory (Image: AHR) The company will also be responsible for command, control, signalling, and traffic management.

All contracts are expected to begin in 2025 and will include long term maintenance agreements alongside potential additional options.

The orders are in addition to a £47 million HS2 contract already awarded to Siemens in 2024.

Siemens’ history in Chippenham dates back 125 years and the firm currently has a workforce of around 800 people in the town.

It is hoped that the planned factory will solidify its presence in the area and sustain local jobs for generations.

The project was approved by Wiltshire Council and supported by Chippenham Town Council.