Bauer-Keller Joint Venture Awards € 110 MM Contract for HS2 High-Speed Line Work

The 50:50 joint venture between Bauer and Keller UK has been awarded a contract by EKFB – a joint venture of the four international infrastructure companies Eiffage, Kier, Ferrovial Construction, and BAM Nuttall – to deliver geotechnical work as part of the C23 package on High Speed 2 (HS2) in the UK. The contract award is worth € 110 MM (£95 million) and at peak production, the works will require over 200 highly skilled experts in ground engineering and foundations, working in a number of varied site locations.

A visual illustration of the new HS2 train station at Birmingham Curzon Street.

EKFB is building the C23 section of the new high-speed line between London and the West Midlands. The C23 section consists of 80km of high-speed rail infrastructure, including 15 viaducts, over 80 bridges, 7km of green tunnels, and 30 million m3 of excavation.

BKJV’s scope of work is to construct piled foundations for the structures, as well as the construction of secant piled and slurry walls and the installation of pressure relief drains. For this purpose, initial preliminary pile testing work has already been completed and teams are focused on a mobilisation to site to commence main works in April this year.

The contract is expected to be completed in 2024.

“After two and a half years of working collaboratively with EKFB in the planning phase of this project, we are excited to make a start in April on the main works of this section, for what is Europe’s largest infrastructure project. Bauer and Keller have great synergy and a similar culture which makes us perfect partners for each other,’’

Michael Jones, Managing Director, Bauer Technologies, commented.

Jim De Waele, Keller President Europe, adds: “BKJV is a return to our successful partnership with Bauer having previously worked together on the London Underground and Crossrail station projects. We’re excited to bring our complementary geotechnical capabilities, experience, and capacity to one of the most demanding and exciting transport projects in Europe.”

Chiara De Paoli
Chiara De Paoli
Editor at HeavyQuip Magazine and International Operations Manager for V22 Media