A BUILDING contractor based in Haydock has secured a £12 million project related to HS2, the high-speed railway project.

Longworth Building Services, which specialises in building envelope services, will be supplying and installing an external zinc roof, wall cladding systems and associated facade works to the Chiltern Tunnel.

The Chiltern Tunnel will be the longest and deepest tunnel in the new, high-speed line, measuring 10 miles long and going as deep as 90 metres.

The contract will see the business install the works to four of the ventilation and intervention shafts on HS2 phase one, being delivered by Align JV, an infrastructure company.

Paul Smith, managing director of Longworth said: “It is a great privilege for Longworth to be part of building history.

“HS2 will bring new economic opportunities for the UK for generations to come, and right now, is one of the largest ongoing engineering projects anywhere in the world.

“For Longworth to have secured our largest-ever contact and bring our expertise to a small part of this amazing feat of engineering is a huge honour.”

The local business was chosen by the main contractor, Align JV because of their established reputation in the use of traditional metal products such as VM Zinc standing seam roofing and cladding, louvres and external doors.

Designs are based on agricultural buildings, as the rural locations mean the head houses have to fit in with the natural beauty of their surroundings.

With more than 50 operatives at the sites, as well as management staff, Longworth are working on the head houses which provide access and ventilation stats for emergency services at Chesham Road and the North and South Portals which service the tunnels from each end.

The project is aiming to be completed in March 2025, with the building of HS2 creating more than 30,000 jobs and being supported by over 3,200 UK-based businesses.

Longworth Building Services has also worked on projects such as the Wigan Bus Station, Paradise Street Student Accommodation in Coventry and the Red Hill CofE Primary School in Worcester.