Passengers are being thanked for their patience after a three-day closure of the Cross City line between Birmingham New Street and Lichfield Trent Valley, allowing HS2 engineers to complete a major milestone in building Britain’s new high-speed railway.
West Midlands Railway services resumed this morning (Monday 1 June) on the northern section of the Cross City line after a closure between Friday 29 May and Sunday 31 May, which allowed engineers to install a new 150-metre-long viaduct deck close to the site of the future Curzon Street station.
Stunning drone footage captured by HS2 has been released, showing the scale of the impressive structure and West Midlands Railway services operating beneath it on the Cross City line.
The new Curzon 2 viaduct will carry future HS2 services into the city centre, crossing over the existing railway between Duddeston and Birmingham New Street.
The complex installation was delivered using an innovative ‘fully restrained’ engineering method, developed by HS2 and supported by Network Rail. This approach means engineers can continue to move sections of the viaduct into place even after trains have resumed running – helping to minimise disruption for passengers.
The work forms part of a carefully planned programme to build the new high-speed railway, while keeping existing railway lines open as much as possible.
Patrick Cawley, director for On Network Works at Network Rail and HS2, said: “Thank you to passengers for their patience while we carried out this vital work to install the Curzon 2 viaduct. Over the last three days we’ve been able to deliver a complex installation of the new 4,200 tonne structure over the Cross City line safely and efficiently.
“The innovative method we’re using means we can continue installing the remaining sections of the viaduct while trains are running again, reducing the need for further disruption and keeping passengers moving.”
Jonny Wiseman, customer experience director at West Midlands Railway, commented: “We are grateful for our passengers’ patience while this complex installation was carried out over the past three days. The Cross City line has now reopened as planned and our normal timetable is in operation.”
The installation of the viaduct is a key step in the delivery of HS2 in the West Midlands, helping to increase capacity on the existing railway and support more reliable journeys for passengers and freight in the future.
Image credit: Network Rail