The quartet of consultants will prepare preliminary designs to inform the hybrid bill documents that are due to be submitted to Parliament by the end of 2013.

The contract winners are:

Mott Macdonald – £13.2m London Metropolitan Area contract for the design of approximately 25 km of new high speed rail line from the redeveloped Euston station through North-West London. They will also work on the link to HS1 and a new 14 platform interchange station at Old Oak Common.

Atkins – £13.3m Country South contract covering the design of approximately 91km of the route through Buckinghamshire, Northamptonshire and Oxfordshire, which includes the Colne Valley viaduct and the Chilterns tunnelling.

Capita Symonds Ineco JV – £11.1m Country North contract covering approximately 78km of high speed rail through Warwickshire and Staffordshire, and the connection to the West Coast Main Line.

Arup – £11.4m West Midland Metropolitan Area design contract for approximately 22km of the route, Curzon Street Station complex; Birmingham Interchange Station; Washwood Heath Rolling Stock Maintenance Depot; and a people mover from the Interchange station to the NEC/Airport.

David Tonkin, Atkins UK chief executive officer said: “As well as designing a high-quality, cost efficient railway, we have to be very aware of how we minimise the impact the construction and operation of the line could have on the communities through which it will travel, and we will work closely with HS2 Ltd, rail systems designers, environmentalists and land referencing companies in order to achieve this.”