Businesses of all sizes from North Wales have been urged to make the most of the contract set to be made available for work on Britain’s high-speed rail network HS2.

More than 100 firms attended a supply chain roadshow, organised in conjunction with Construction Futures Wales, to find out how they could bid for work on the project, which is predicted to create some of the highest-value contracts in construction history.

More than 580 people have so far attended similar events in Liverpool, Leicester, Milton Keynes, Leeds and Newcastle to learn about taking advantage of billions of pounds worth of opportunities.

Construction of HS2 is set to begin next year at a cost of around £56 billion, with the first phase of the project from London to Birmingham forecasted for completion in 10 years’ time.

It is thought that phase two, which will run as far as Crewe, will open in 2027, followed by an extension to Manchester and Leeds finished by 2033.

In total, the project will create around 25,000 jobs in construction, together with some 20,000 apprenticeships.

Earlier this year, construction got under way on the two sites of the National College for High Speed Rail in Doncaster, in South Yorkshire, and Birmingham.

Thousands of workers will attend the college when it is opened in September 2017 to learn essential skills that will allow them to build and run the high-speed rail line, as well as infrastructure projects of the future.

Roadshows similar to the one held in North Wales on June 29 will now be held Bristol, Cambridge, London and Coventry.

Small, medium and large businesses are encouraged to attend to learn as much as possible about HS2.

UK Transport Minister Robert Goodwill said: “Our government’s ground-breaking HS2 programme provides a fantastic opportunity for businesses across the UK, including those in Wales. It will create some of the largest value contracts in UK construction history and job opportunities throughout the supply chain.

“With billions of pounds worth of contracts on the table, we hope Welsh businesses will take full advantage of this event, which will set out how firms can compete for work on this vital infrastructure project.”

Companies can obtain more information about HS2 Ltd’s procurement process by emailing
SCC@hs2.org.uk.