The three-year £240m contract splits work along the route into two separate packages with one contractor delivering the works on the northern sections and a separate contractor delivering works for the southern sections.

Given the similarity of scope for the north and south contracts, bidders must bid for both contracts but will not be able to win both packages for capacity and resilience reasons.

Activity will include land assembly; environmental mitigation; establishment of haul routes and site compounds and preparing the trace of the line – all of which will enable rapid mobilisation and the start of Main Civils Works in Summer 2024.

Advanced Civil Works is due to begin in Autumn 2022.

Today’s announcement follows HS2 beginning the search for the Phase 2a Design and Delivery Partner (DDP), when in June it published the PQQ for the £500m contract.

The winning bidder for the DDP package will work with HS2 to lead the delivery of the 36-mile route, including managing and co-ordinating key contracts for delivering the railway’s detailed design and construction, which includes 17 viaducts, 65 bridges and track along the route extending from Phase One in the Midlands to the southern outskirts of Crewe.

HS2 chief commercial officer, Ruth Todd, said: “Extending the Phase 2a route to Crewe will support 6,500 construction jobs and deliver new infrastructure that frees up capacity on the West Coast railway and shortens journey times together with an improved passenger experience.”