New bridge for HS2 Birmingham

HS2 has secured planning approval for a truss bridge that will carry trains into Birmingham’s new Curzon Street Station. 

HS2 has received Schedule 17 consent from Birmingham City Council for a new truss bridge that will carry high-speed trains into Birmingham’s Curzon Street Station. 

Balfour Beatty VINCI (BBV), HS2’s main contractor for works across Warwickshire and Staffordshire, will construct the 25m-high bridge over the 150m Curzon No.2 viaduct. 

Full scope 

The curved truss in weathering steel will wrap underneath the Victorian brick rail viaduct and form a visual connection to the steel girders of the adjacent structures. 

The nodes where the diagonal members meet will have curved corners to provide durability to the steelwork. 

Reaching 40m into the air, the bridge will sit 17m above the ground. 

BBV will install three parallel tracks into the bridge and over the existing east-west rail line. The track will split further to align with the seven platforms at the station. 

British artist, Liz West, will design a piece of light artwork for the bridge titled “Out of the Blue”. 

Birmingham City Council has asked HS2 to develop proposals in the art strategy for a separate Schedule 17 submission. 

HS2 elsewhere 

The viaduct will carry HS2 trains from Curzon directly to the Washwood Heath Depot, a site that will store, maintain and service inactive trains. 

The depot is expected to generate more than 500 jobs for locals in the Birmingham area. 

At the Buckinghamshire section of the project, HS2 is using off-site construction methods for the Thames Valley Viaduct. 

Concrete supplier, Pacadar UK, will construct 68 concrete piers at its manufacturing factory, which will then be transported to the site and slotted in place for the viaduct. 

Thames Valley is one of 15 viaducts designed by main works contractor EKFB, a team comprising Eiffage, Kier, Ferrovial Construction and BAM Nuttall. 

On the Curzon development, senior project manager for HS2 Ltd, David King, said: “Our job now is to start construction of the bridge on the ground before launching it into its final position over the existing Victorian brick rail viaduct at around 17 metres above the ground. 

“This is an exciting construction method, which we believe will be among the longest bridge launches of its type ever delivered in the UK.

HS2 was approached for further information. 

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