James paid a visit to Whitcombe Pipelines in Rowley Regis today, a local business that were successfully awarded a £2m contract earlier in the year to complete reinstatement works for gas pipelines for Britain’s new high speed railway line.
Whitcombe Pipelines, which was founded in 2018 and has grown from five to over 150 employees and work closely with Wolverhampton-based National Infrastructure Solutions (NIS) a transport and construction training provider. This has allowed them to up skill their workforce and take on a greater number of projects, such as HS2.
HS2 is the largest infrastructure project in Europe, and will link Birmingham with London and the North West, creating extra capacity on the rail network and providing a boost for economic regeneration in places like the West Midlands.
Yesterday (24th November) saw Transport Questions in the House of Commons in which James was able to raise the visit with the Secretary of State Mark Harper MP, who agreed with James that the construction of HS2 can bring benefits to many local businesses across the country.
“I have always been a supporter of HS2, not just for the long-term economic benefits it brings but also for the benefits it can bring to local businesses like this one now as the construction on the project progresses", said James.
“As well as learning about the contact for gas pipeline reinstatement, it was great to hear about other projects that Whitcombe Pipelines are involved in and how their work with NIS has opened up new opportunities. They have gone from strength to strength in such a short space of time, starting from scratch to become a medium sized enterprise.”
Damian Whitcombe, Managing Director of Whitcome Pipelines Ltd, said “Showing James around our business is a real boost for everybody involved in what is a real Black Country success story. In just a few short years we have enjoyed fantastic growth and the recognition from our MP is tribute to everybody’s efforts.”
Matt Wright, Operations Director for NIS added “Government investment in infrastructure such as HS2 and transport improvements provide a real opportunity for businesses in the West Midlands. NIS is delighted we have been able to partner with Whitcombe Pipelines to strengthen their skills with in order to help them win work on HS2 and it is great to have James’s support.”
