[VIDEO] Deck assembly completed for HS2 Coleshill viaducts

Four key parallel viaduct decks have been completed at the Birmingham intersection

More than 1,000 concrete deck segments have been installed to create the HS2 Coleshill viaducts, over 600m in length.

The Coleshill East and West viaducts are located near Birmingham between the M6 and M42, Warwickshire.

The viaducts form a part of the Delta junction

The Delta junction is a massive intersection for HS2 formed of interconnected viaducts, flyovers, and underpasses which will carry trains over motorways, local roads, railways, rivers, and floodplains.

At the Coleshill viaducts, the railway will split while crossing a local road and the river Cole’s floodplain. This split will allow four tracks to be built running north and south, and two smaller viaducts on either side will carry trains to and from Birmingham Curzon Street station.

Caroline Warrington, HS2 Ltd’s head of delivery, said: “HS2 will transform journeys between our two largest cities, while freeing up space on the existing West Coast Main Line for more freight and local services.

“The Delta forms a key part of the project and it’s great to see it starting to come together. I’d like to thank everyone involved in the Coleshill viaducts and look forward to seeing more progress in the year ahead, as the focus turns to completing the robust kerbs and parapets.”

Work is progressing rapidly on HS2 infrastructure

Earlier this month, HS2 announced the completion of portal extensions to the longest tunnel on the HS2 line, the Chiltern Hill tunnel. These extensions, known as ‘porous portals,’ are specially created to prevent a sonic boom from being created by full-speed trains travelling at 200mph.

Mark Clapp, HS2 Ltd’s head of civils, said: “I am extremely proud of the team because they rose to the challenge of constructing these unique porous portals at the Chiltern Tunnel’s southern end – and then built on the experience to do even better by delivering identical structures 10 miles to the north in a little over half the time.

“They have clearly demonstrated the benefits that flow from retaining skilled people by providing a steady stream of work because this helps drive efficient project delivery – in short, they haven’t had to reinvent the wheel.”

Furthermore, the last tunnel to be dug for the project, the Euston tunnel, is now underway with the tunnel boring machine having begun its journey from Old Oak Common.

The tunnel will make the final 4.5 miles on the 140-mile-long route. Two Tunnel Boring Machines (TBMs) are required for the dig, with the second TBM to be set off when the first has completed its stretch.

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