90 new jobs for Derbyshire company in HS2 'green tunnels' deal

Artist's impression of how the 'green tunnel' at Greatworth will look.

Stanton Precast Ltd in Ilkeston currently employs around 180 people at their factory and this deal has enabled the firm to increase their workforce by around 50%.

The company’s managing director Colin Richardson said: “We are extremely pleased to be involved in this major project and with the opportunities it delivers for both us and those in our immediate supply chain. Having targeted the HS2 project over four years ago as an opportunity to not only grow our business but also provide a legacy for future manufacturing in the East Midlands, this contract delivers on both and is the culmination of a lot of hard work.”

Production sheds, casting and storage areas are being built at the factory on Littlewell Lane to accommodate the new work.

Stanton Precast and EKFB staff in front of some of the completed tunnel segments.

Stanton Precast will produce a total of 13,290 segments for the three tunnels, which will cover four miles in Northamptonshire and Bedfordshire. Segments will be shipped to the sites where they will be assembled then covered in soil and landscape.

Assembly is due to begin early next on the first ‘green tunnel’ that will stretch for 2.5km past the village of Chipping Warden in Northamptonshire and blend the high-speed rail link into the landscape. For this tunnel more than 5,020 individual segments will be produced by Stanton Precast as part of the contract awarded by HS2’s main works contractor, EKFB.

The first images have been released by HS2 of the Greatworth ‘green tunnel’ in Nottinghamshire, the longest of the three innovative tunnels. A similar structure will be built in Wendover in Buckinghamshire.

HS2’s project client Rohan Perin said: “Our green tunnels are a great example of what we’re doing to blend the new railway into the landscape and protect communities living close to the line. But it is also a major boost for Stanton Precast and their supply chain, showing how HS2 is creating jobs and opportunities across the UK right now.”

EKFB director Peter Bimson, said: “This is an exciting opportunity for all involved to demonstrate engineering excellence and leave a legacy that improves people’s lives."