Bombardier Transportation & Hitachi Rail open new HS2 development centre at Millennium Point, Birmingham
Two British-based global rail giants have selected Millennium Point to develop their plans to build an iconic train for High Speed 2.
A team of up to 50 experts from Bombardier Transportation and Hitachi Rail, including engineers, designers and environmental specialists, have come together in the new HS2 bid centre to work up the proposals.
Based on level 4 of our building, overlooking Curzon Street and the planned site of HS2 station, they are already developing their concepts for what will be the fastest train ever operated in the UK.
Millennium Point (above) was the catalyst for regeneration in Eastside when it opened in 2001
The official announcement was made on Wednesday 12th September in our newly refurbished PLATFORM event space and was attended by ITV, Sky News and BBC West Midlands, amongst others.
Millennium Point was chosen from a national pool of more than one hundred potential sites. The two rail giants favoured the convenient location opposite the future HS2 site; the flexibility of the office and venue spaces on offer inside the building as well as our charity objectives, supporting science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) organisations, projects and initiatives through our company’s charitable arm–the Millennium Point Trust.
Our Commercial Director Rebecca Delmore, who spoke at the event alongside senior members of Bombardier Transport and Hitachi Rail, said:
“The opportunity to host Bombardier Transportation and Hitachi Rail to Millennium Point and support their bid is something we’re really excited to be involved in. HS2 will notably change the whole region, especially Eastside, and Millennium Point has a pivotal role to play as the facilitator, which starts now. Our commitment as both Millennium Point the building, and the Millennium Point Charitable Trust, to invest in and support into STEM developments across the region continues to help open doors for Birmingham, as we welcome major players like Bombardier and Hitachi to our doorstep.”
Millennium Point Commercial Director, Rebecca Delmore (above) opened the press conference on 12th September 2018, formally welcoming the joint venture into the building.
The development of the major new train fleet can help to boost regional growth while delivering the skills and training needed to realise the future export potential of the wider high-speed rail sector.
Britain’s bullet train will offer passengers an unrivalled travel experience as it runs at speeds of up to 360 kp/h on the new link between the West Midlands and London when it opens in 2026.
Bombardier Transportation and Hitachi Rail’s bid will also ensure that trains will be specially designed to make them ‘classic compatible,’ so that they are able to travel on the current network to serve cities such as York, Newcastle, Liverpool, Glasgow and Edinburgh.
The final bid is due to be submitted from the development centre stationed inside Millennium Point in February 2019, with £2.7bn contract to design and build 54 trains to be awarded in March 2020.
