THE managing director of Network Rail’s infrastructure projects is to take up the position of chief executive of construction for the HS2 project.

Simon Kirby will join HS2 in June and become chief executive in September with a basic salary of £750,000.

The current construction chief executive, Alison Munro, will continue in that role until September when she will become managing director of development to oversee the passage of the Hybrid Bill through Parliament and the development of Phase Two of the project.