HS2 Ltd has completed the first sections of the Curzon Street station viaduct that will bring high-speed trains into Birmingham’s new station.
This is one of five viaducts on the HS2 route into Birmingham. These are Duddeston, Curzon 1, Curzon 2, Lawley Middleway and Curzon 3 – which connects to Curzon Street station.
The completed six-metre-high sections of the Curzon 3 viaduct widen the structure from a single deck to four separate decks. The structure spans 65 metres at the widest point, enabling it to carry the tracks to the Curzon Street station platforms.
“It’s fantastic to see the first sections of this viaduct revealed, giving a clear view of how HS2 trains will approach Birmingham city centre. Now visible, you can see how the separate deck sections maximise daylight underneath, and the V-shaped piers take up less room at ground level, providing opportunities for a usable public space that will add to the life of the city.”
HS2’s Midlands contractor, Balfour Beatty VINCI, is constructing the viaducts with a workforce of more than 200 people. The viaducts are designed by a Design Joint Venture of Mott MacDonald and SYSTRA with architects Weston Williamson + Partners.
The concrete for the first Curzon 3 viaduct decks was poured in November 2023. Since then, the team has completed all deck work, attached the parapets and removed the shuttering and scaffolding for the first sections.
“We’re entering a really exciting phase of the project now, as this iconic viaduct in the centre of Birmingham begins to take shape. These images revealed by HS2 demonstrate the enormous progress we’re making at our Curzon Street site.
“Using this momentum, we’re currently installing four parapets each day, while following the same process to complete the remaining deck spans, which we expect to finish in 2026.”
3,700 cubic meters of concrete have been used to construct the four sections of the viaduct, connecting to the future station platforms.
Currently, 88 concrete parapets have been installed to form the side barriers, with a total of 176 needed for the entire structure. Each parapet measures between 1.6 and 2.9 metres high and weighs between four and five tonnes.
