HS2 has announced it will hold its first Supply Chain Conference on November 5th.

Taking place at the International Convention Centre in Birmingham, it will see representatives from the high speed rail project meet with various businesses to discuss contracts worth more than £10 billion in total.

These schemes involve the various stages of HS2, including initial planning and design and later construction phases.

It claims Birmingham was chosen due to its central position along the planned line, which will run from between London and the West Midlands by 2026, with Manchester and Leeds connected by 2033.

Commercial director Beth West said: "HS2 is a multi-billion pound project to build Britain’s new high speed rail network, the supply chain conference offers businesses the chance to prepare themselves for the opportunities which will be generated by this exciting project."

The HS2 taskforce is currently visiting locations along the proposed line to discuss the benefits, recently attending Manchester. The group's chair Lord Deighton expects 70 per cent of the jobs created to be outside London along the rest of the route.