Project Name:   HS2 Phase 1 

Contract Value:  circa £36 million

Project Start Date:    2021

Project Completion Date:  2030

Scope:      303 Sliding Cross Passage Doorsets

Booth Industries are extremely proud to have been awarded a landmark contract direct with HS2.

The doors will provide fire protection between cross passages along Phases 1 of the HS2 route (London Euston to Birmingham), creating a safe means of escape in the event of fire.  The doors will ultimately play a crucial role in the operation of the railway, sealing off the cross passageways between the separate north and southbound tunnels and giving access in the event of an emergency.

When evaluating the tenders for the cross passage door package, HS2 decided that not only did they want the rail link to be the most reliable,  they also wanted it to be the safest. For that reason, they turned to Booth Industries as the market leaders in safety and quality.  Our vast experience in providing cross passage door solutions worldwide with guaranteed quality, safety and  high-performance was the reassurance needed for protecting the life-saving cross passage refuges.

What are the project complexities?

HS2 is a high-speed rail link that is one of the most demanding infrastructure projects in the world. Having already supplied the cross passage doors for HS1, and more recently for Crossrail, our experience will be key to delivering these extremely demanding door designs.

With trains capable of travelling at speeds of up to 250Mph passing within metres of the doors, the doors will not only need to provide fire integrity and insulation for up to two hours, but will also have to withstand a wide-range of challenging day-to-day environmental and fatigue pressures.  The doors will be capable of withstanding constant 14Kpa pressure cycles, along with 2hr Integrity and 2hr Insulation against fire – a world first and setting a new benchmark within the industry.

The initial phase of the contract will focus on developing and testing, and then manufacturing of the cast-in sub-frames. The first frames have already been delivered to contractors , with manufacturing and installation expected to start around 2025.

How we will succeed

This contract recognises Booth’s vast experience and capabilities in the sector, along with our ability to deliver a high-quality end-to-end service.  The award has enabled us to extend our main manufacturing facility with a new purpose-built wing, complete with improved welfare and testing facilities, whilst also creating up to 50 new skilled local jobs in the process.

Our dedicated HS2 design and project teams will work closely with the client to ensure a collaborative approach to success, and to achieve complete stakeholder engagement.  In May 2021, barely 6 months into an overall almost ten-year contract , Booth Industries were given confirmation of design acceptance by HS2 for the cross passage doors, a remarkable achievement for such a specialist and high-performance product – such is the trust placed in our expertise and capabilities.

Note:  Booth were also awarded around 8 x doors for the now-cancelled Phase 2a of the project.