Buckinghamshire Council has approved the construction of High Speed 2’s (HS2) advanced maintenance hub in Calvert, Buckinghamshire, UK. 

HS2 is the UK's new high-speed railway line. 

The Infrastructure Maintenance Depot (IMD) is intended to serve as the hub for personnel and equipment responsible for maintaining HS2's operations. 

Situated between the villages of Calvert and Steeple Claydon, the depot will feature workshops, offices, storage, training facilities, and a British Transport Police base.  

Efforts to reduce the depot's size by one-third have led to a simpler track layout, accelerating construction and minimising community disruption.  

This change also cuts down the site's excavation volume by 600,000m³.  

The design process has incorporated extensive landscaping and woodland planting to shield the depot from nearby Steeple Claydon, with plans to plant 15,000 trees and 20,000 shrubs. 

Sustainability is said to be integral to the design of the Calvert IMD, aiming for at least a Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Methodology (BREEAM) 'Excellent' rating.  

A fleet of On-Track Maintenance trains will be stationed at the depot, conducting maintenance at night when HS2 trains are not in service.  

The depot will also connect to East-West Rail, facilitating the delivery of heavy equipment and materials by rail. 

HS2 systems delivery director Iain Smith said: “Once complete, HS2 will dramatically improve journeys between our two largest cities and also free up space on the existing mainline for more local and freight trains. 

“The maintenance depot at Calvert will be at the heart of the HS2 project - keeping the new railway running smoothly every day and supporting around 300 jobs. It’s great to get the green light for the design, and we look forward to making the vision a reality.” 

The depot's design was a collaborative effort between HS2's design contractor WSP, architect Grimshaw, and Grant Associates.  

The latest announcement comes after Balfour Beatty Vinci achieved a milestone in the construction of the HS2 project last week.