[VIDEO] Two key HS2 viaducts completed over Christmas

Two of the railway’s viaducts saw completion over the Christmas break near Water Orton, Warwickshire

The HS2 viaducts form a small part of the Delta junction, which is a large triangular intersection being built for HS2 near Birmingham.

The Delta junction will allow high-speed trains to travel over motorways and roads, rivers, and floodplains, connecting services to Birmingham and the mainline.

The junction will have over two miles of track

Due to the nature of the high-speed trains, which will travel up to 360km/h (223mph), the junction needs to be stretched out much further than a motorway junction. Therefore, including underpasses, flyovers, and viaducts, the track will stretch to 2.6 miles.

The two HS2 viaducts completed over Christmas, the Water Orton viaducts, are at the northernmost end of the junction and will allow southbound trains to join the spur into Birmingham.

The viaducts were completed by Balfour Beatty VINCI engineers over a five-day closure throughout Christmas, and now work can move to the viaducts over the A446 and M42.

Sam Hinkley, HS2 Ltd’s senior project manager, said: “It’s great to see the Water Orton viaducts in place across the railway and I’d like to thank everyone who gave up their Christmas to help us reach this important milestone and I’d like to thank passengers for their patience.

“These precast segmental viaducts form a key part of the Delta junction – one of the most complex parts of the HS2 project and I look forward to seeing more progress in the year ahead.”

Stephane Ciccolini, senior works manager at Balfour Beatty VINCI, added: “This complex section of the HS2 route has taken a major step forward, after BBV teams successfully erected two viaducts spans over an existing railway near Water Orton.

“We’ve worked around the clock during the Christmas period to deliver this incredible feat of engineering, using a specialist cantilever technique not seen in the UK before this project. This approach involves using a 22-metre-high mast and a 14-metre-high swivel crane to move each individual segment into place until the span is complete.”

2025 was a big year for HS2

A lot of work was completed for the HS2 project in 2025, including the sliding of a 4,600-tonne viaduct spanning across a section of the M6.

The sliding operation took 17 hours as the 315 metre long east deck of the M6 South viaduct was put in place. Using experience from a previous slide, the operation marked the halfway point for completion of the M6 South viaduct.

At the time, Caroline Warrington, HS2 Ltd’s head of delivery, said: “We believe this fully restrained slide was a first for the country, but most importantly it means we’ve been able to cut in half the number of times we’ve had to close the motorway. I’d like to thank everyone who worked so hard to make the operation a success.”

National Highways regional director for the Midlands, Victoria Lazenby, said: “Our key focus is the impact that these major construction works have on our roads – we must both ensure the safety of road users and minimise the disruption they face.

“So we are delighted that this innovative technique has meant that not only was this enormous structure slid into place without having to close the motorway during the day but also that the total number of closures needed has also been halved.”

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