High Speed 2

Project summary

Client
High Speed 2 (HS2)

Project
High Speed 2

Timeline
2010 – 2035-2041

Value
£50 bn

Project story

HS2 is Britain’s new high speed rail line being built from London to the North-West, with HS2 trains linking the biggest cities in Scotland with Manchester, Birmingham and London. It is the largest infrastructure project in Europe and the most important economic and social regeneration project in decades.

HS2 trains will integrate with new lines and upgrades across Britain’s rail system to deliver faster travel to major towns and cities across Britain including Liverpool, Sheffield, Leeds, Nottingham and Derby. Major civil engineering works are now underway with £23 billion contracted into the supply chain and over 350 active sites between the West Midlands and London, supporting jobs and delivering benefits before a single train has started running.

170 miles of a new high-speed line is already under construction between Crewe and London. In total, the Government is planning over 260 miles of new high-speed line across the country.

Services Provided

Risk
Management

300,000+
Passengers

Europe's
Largest
Infrastructure
Project

60
Archaeological
Sites

500
Bridging structures

130 million tonnes of earth
excavated

The opportunity

  • Supporting Faithful + Gould as part of the CDC Contract, CMR have integrated into the HS2 Risk Management Team and are working in the various phases of HS2.
  • Providing dedicated risk management expertise at all levels, working both independently and as part of the integrated risk management solution.
  • To embed a proactive risk culture across the organisation and its stakeholders, to help understand potential issues before they arise, and capitalise on opportunities and innovation.
  • Improving data quality to inform decisions, risk mitigation and monitoring.
  • The Client was looking to understand and quantify their risk exposure to input into funding decisions for the overall HS2 programme.

The solution

  • Within the Main Works Civils portfolio, the CMR Risk Team developed a consistent methodology and streamlined risk information capture from Integrated Project Teams. This approach facilitated comparison, contrast, and assurance of deliverables during a re-baselining exercise.
  • Collaborating with the Chief Engineers’ Group and Delivery, CMR conducted workshops to create a fully quantified risk register and a forecasted QCRA, offering HS2 clear visibility of the cost implications of technical changes throughout the project’s remaining duration.
  • The CMR Risk Team has been instrumental in maturing the process and quality of risk information, ensuring that the Infrastructure Management Directorate can seamlessly handover a fully assured and functioning railway to the end operator according to schedule.
  • In the High-Speed Rail Systems portfolio, the CMR Risk Team initiated a risk workstream as part of a multidisciplinary approach, focusing on identifying efficiencies in tender risk submissions. Through in-depth analysis, CMR examined risk allocations across involved parties.
  • For Phase 2B, CMR played a crucial role in completing quantitative risk analysis, incorporating risks identified during the petitions process. This comprehensive evaluation has allowed the project’s true exposure to be accurately reflected and considered during governance.

  • "CMR has provided a team of dependable and competent individuals who have seamlessly embedded within the HS2 Risk Team. The team provided has demonstrated levels of commitment that has enabled the HS2 Risk Team to meet critical deadlines. CMR has contributed to HS2’s drive to enhance Risk Management through providing us with Risk Managers with a great attitude."

    Garnet Mulomo / Central Team Risk Lead HS2

The impact

  • CMR are now an essential part of the overall HS2 Risk Management solution, fulfilling key roles across the Programme, providing knowledge and competence.
  • Improved integrity and quality of the quantified risk data has provided confidence within the senior management team.
  • Through engagement, CMR has helped embed a positive risk management culture helping to mitigate risks before they occur.
  • Trust in the services provided has resulted in the CMR Risk Team growing 5-fold in 6 months.

For more info contact

John Lines

Lead Consultant

Rhys Owen

Lead Consultant