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A tranche of contracts worth 拢320m for work on the new 拢32bn high speed rail line will be shared out between 13 consultants.

The list of firms, which will share 20 contracts between them, follows the announcement that CH2M Hill had bagged the lucrative development partner role on the High Speed 2 project (HS2), worth up to 拢70m.

The contracts, which are part of an overall framework, have been broken down into four lots: civil and structural design services; railway systems design; environmental services; and land referencing services.

Alison Munro, HS2 chief executive, said the seven civil and structural design contracts would be the biggest, with each package worth up to 拢30m, while each of the five environmental packages would be worth about 拢10m. The remainder of the overall figure would be made up by the land referencing contracts and the railway design services work, she said.

She said the contracts would 鈥渂ring hundreds of jobs for the construction industry鈥�.

HS2 is expected to employ 9,000 people at its peak of construction. This initial framework represents the pre-construction phase of the scheme up until the end of 2014.

An eight-year construction phase is expected to start in 2017 ahead of the 2026 completion date for the first phase of the project. If approved, the second phase to Manchester and Leeds would complete in 2032.

The ultimate goal is to run the line up to Scotland to reduce the need for air travel within the UK and boost the scheme鈥檚 environmental impact.

Don Ward, chief executive of Constructing Excellence, said that the line to Scotland was vital: 鈥淥nly if we extend to Scotland will this project really stack up in terms of reducing car and plane usage.鈥�

A Department for Transport (DfT) spokesperson said the government鈥檚 priority was to deliver the initial stages of the line to Birmingham and then on to the north of England.

But he added that DfT intended to 鈥渟tart discussions with Scotland on the opportunities for possible extensions early, and we will work with the Scottish government on the development of the high speed network鈥�.

The list is as follows:

Lot 1 鈥� Civil and structural design services

Lot 2 鈥� Railway systems design services

Lot 3 鈥� Environmental services

Lot 4 鈥� Land referencing services