[VIDEO] UK’s longest rail bridge completed

HS2’s Colne Valley viaduct has fully finished construction, and is the longest bridge for rail use in the UK

The UK’s longest rail bridge has been completed for HS2, spanning 2.1 miles across the River Colne and the Grand Union Canal. HS2 trains will travel across this viaduct at up to 200mph.

Work on the bridge began in March 2021, with main works being undertaken by Align, a joint venture between Bouygues Travaux Publics, VolkerFitzpatrick, and Sir Robert McAlpine.

The UK’s longest rail bridge has a gentle curve

The bridge is built using 1,000 deck segments standing 10 metres tall, which are shaped to give the bridge a curve. The last deck segment was installed in September 2024, and the time since then has been spent finalising details, including parapet sections, noise barriers, waterproofing, drainage, and a structural health monitoring system.

Billy Ahluwalia, HS2 Ltd’s senior project manager for the viaduct, said: “The completion of the viaduct marks more than 10 years of planning, design and construction. I’m immensely proud of the level of dedication and professionalism shown by the whole team to maintain high standards of safety and quality, working over land and water to deliver.

“It’s a remarkable achievement. The viaduct is a structure of international significance – a stunning feat of engineering that will no doubt stand the test of time.”

Coralie Peroux, Align JV project director, said: “I’m immensely proud of the Align team and our supply chain partners, not just for successfully completing the UK’s longest rail bridge, but for the remarkable way they delivered it.

“Faced with the technical challenges in design and construction, they harnessed their expertise, worked as an integrated project team, and embraced collaboration. Their efforts have produced a striking HS2 landmark and created a valuable learning legacy for future designers, engineers and construction professionals.”

HS2 have been making strides

In August, HS2 saw the sliding of a bridge over Lawley Middleway completed four days ahead of schedule.

The bridge measures at over 112m long, and was moved between 15 and 22 August, moving 18-24 metres per night after being constructed on adjacent land.

The construction was intended to avoid traffic issues, meaning that over the course of two years of construction, traffic was only disrupted over 8 nights.

HS2’s head of delivery for the Curzon approaches, Greg Sugden, said: “This is a fantastic achievement for the team, and the culmination of two years’ work including detailed design, planning, construction and delivery of this highly technical launch operation.

“It is the first steel structure to be put in place for the one mile stretch of viaducts on the approach to Birmingham Curzon Street Station – a pivotal part of the high-speed railway now starting to take shape.”

The post [VIDEO] UK’s longest rail bridge completed appeared first on Planning, Building & Construction Today.