HS2 Construction Updates - Birmingham Area

[Bald Rick]

DfT press Release, Rail Minisister, An Australian minister (no idea why)

She’s over here for a visit.

Entirely coincidental that the 4th Test starts tomorrow.

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

Wonder if we'll get any media about the Lichfield box movement this week

Links to photos and time-lapse video below:

HS2 celebrates UK’s heaviest bridge drive near Lichfield

Giant 6,200 tonne single span bridge structure driven into place under the West Coast Main Line Huge engineering feat is the next big milestone for HS2 in the West Midlands View and embed time-lapse footage of the 840 wheel transporter carrying out the 2 hour operation...

mediacentre.hs2.org.uk

HS2 has successfully carried out the UK’s heaviest drive to install an intersection bridge structure beneath the West Coast Main Line at Fulfen Wood near Lichfield.
The 56 metre long and 19 metre wide structure will allow Britain’s new high-speed railway to pass beneath the busy existing railway line, on its route going north of Birmingham Curzon Street Station up to Crewe.
The giant 6,200-tonne concrete structure, which was built adjacent to the WCML over the last six months, was slowly manoeuvred into place on self-propelled modular transporters. Specially designed for very heavy lifting, the 840-wheeled transporter with four carrier beams was controlled by a remote steering system.

 

[swt_passenger]

Links to photos and time-lapse video below:

HS2 celebrates UK’s heaviest bridge drive near Lichfield

Giant 6,200 tonne single span bridge structure driven into place under the West Coast Main Line Huge engineering feat is the next big milestone for HS2 in the West Midlands View and embed time-lapse footage of the 840 wheel transporter carrying out the 2 hour operation...

mediacentre.hs2.org.uk

Why do they always have to apply so much spin, such as “heaviest bridge drive”? I’d have thought the Werrington dive under was about twice as heavy. Does that not count in the record books because it was slid along rails? Or was it because it was curved?

 

[zwk500]

Why do they always have to apply so much spin, such as “heaviest bridge drive”? I’d have thought the Werrington dive under was about twice as heavy. Does that not count in the record books because it was slid along rails? Or was it because it was curved?

It's a different record. Like the 100m breast stroke being different from the 100m freestyle.

 

[swt_passenger]

It's a different record. Like the 100m breast stroke being different from the 100m freestyle.

 

[Yindee8191]

This item on the HS2 in your area map suggests that Mace and Dragados (the contractors building Curzon St Station) will be starting foundations work there on Monday! Considering the site has appeared cleared and empty for months, this is a big step forward.

Notice of preparatory works at Curzon Street Station - HS2 %

Mace and Dragados, known as MDJV will be carrying out early works on the Curzon Street Station site. Both Mace and Dragados are well regarded in the construction industry. MDJV will be starting preliminary works in preparation for the construction of HS2’s Curzon Street Station and the railway...

www.hs2.org.uk

 

[SCDR_WMR]

This item on the HS2 in your area map suggests that Mace and Dragados (the contractors building Curzon St Station) will be starting foundations work there on Monday! Considering the site has appeared cleared and empty for months, this is a big step forward.

Notice of preparatory works at Curzon Street Station - HS2 %

Mace and Dragados, known as MDJV will be carrying out early works on the Curzon Street Station site. Both Mace and Dragados are well regarded in the construction industry. MDJV will be starting preliminary works in preparation for the construction of HS2’s Curzon Street Station and the railway...

www.hs2.org.uk

Only ground investigations and sheet pilling for now, would imagine we're still a few months away from actual building foundations.

Good to hear works on the upper part of the site starting soon regardless

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

The HS2 corporate plan (p29) says this about progress at Curzon St station:

HS2 Corporate Plan 2023 to 2026

High Speed Two (HS2) Ltd’s Corporate Plan covers the three-year planning period 2023 to 2026.

www.gov.uk

The first stage of the two-stage design and build contract for Curzon Street is expected to conclude later this year, subject to agreement of an affordable
target price.
Foundation works are expected to begin by the start of 2024. With about 2,000 piles to construct, these works will continue well into 2024.
Once complete, the concrete slab that will form the basis for the station’s ground floor concourse can be poured in 2025, with works on the façade taking place in 2026.

There's evidently plenty to do before construction really starts.

 

[Snow1964]

Time lapse video of the new HS2 bridge under WCML

Impressive time-lapse video released after Trent Valley line upgrades

Major upgrades on the Trent Valley line to improve future rail journeys for passengers and freight services is now complete.

www.networkrailmediacentre.co.uk

 

[bib]

more flyover footage of Curzon st , delta Jn etc

 

[snowball]

more flyover footage of Curzon st , delta Jn etc

I think that's the same video in #39.

 

[bib]

Video showing some viaduct piers popping up around Water Orton, appears to be on the northern side of the delta junction triangle - approx location 52.513140, -1.721951

 

[Bald Rick]

Big closure of M42 and M6 there this weekend for bridge demolition.

 

[Yindee8191]

Big closure of M42 and M6 there this weekend for bridge demolition.

Which bridge is actually being demolished? I thought perhaps they were finally taking the Northway Island bridges down but that wouldn’t seem to affect both motorways?

 

[The Planner]

Which bridge is actually being demolished? I thought perhaps they were finally taking the Northway Island bridges down but that wouldn’t seem to affect both motorways?

Its the ones by Birmingham Business Park. The M6 closure probably allows work to be done on the new bridge that will cross by the M42.

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

Video showing some viaduct piers popping up around Water Orton, appears to be on the northern side of the delta junction triangle - approx location 52.513140, -1.721951

Some video from HS2 to mark the completion of the first pier of the Water Orton viaducts.
Presumably the completed pier is the one with an orange "collar" on the earlier video, and is part of the northern viaduct.
Eventually this will be the railway equivalent of Spaghetti Junction on the M6.
Good to see HS2 rising out of the ground like this, after a couple of years of unlovely groundworks along the route.
The more visible HS2 becomes, the less likely will be calls to abandon the project.

HS2 completes first giant pier for Water Orton Viaducts

First 18 metre tall pier completed for the two 1,400 metre long Water Orton Viaducts in Warwickshire Innovative ‘match-casting’ construction method will be used to build the viaducts, which are part of HS2’s complex Delta Junction over existing roads and rivers Download photos of the completed...

mediacentre.hs2.org.uk

 

[Yindee8191]

The new bridge for Aston Church Road has recently popped up by the side of the original one. Photos taken on Monday from the CrossCountry line. Currently no indication of when this is going to be installed but the timing seems about right for a Christmas blockade.

 

[The Planner]

The new bridge for Aston Church Road has recently popped up by the side of the original one. Photos taken on Monday from the CrossCountry line. Currently no indication of when this is going to be installed but the timing seems about right for a Christmas blockade.
View attachment 141603View attachment 141604

Not Christmas as far as I know.

 

[Sweetjesus]

Is this thread related to reduced services coming out from Euston? I'm curious about the engineering works and it appears that National Rail hasn't mentioned specifically what are the works being done today.

 

[snowball]

This Network Rail press release, on work done over the bank holiday, includes a reference to "HS2 work between Birmingham and Derby" and a picture of a new concrete-beam skew bridge over an existing double-track line labelled "HS2 work near Water Orton Station". Will that be the line that goes east from WO or the one that goes NE? Both need to be crossed east of the M42 and A446.

Bank holiday upgrades complete between London and Manchester

Network Rail has completed a range of essential upgrades to the railway between London Euston, the Midlands, and North West over the August bank holiday.

www.networkrailmediacentre.co.uk

Network Rail has completed a range of essential upgrades to the railway between London Euston, the Midlands, and North West over the August bank holiday.

Between Saturday 26 and Tuesday 29 August, teams carried out vital work on the railway to improve passenger and freight services on the West Coast main line – the Backbone of Britain.

Today (29 August) trains restarted after some sections of track closed so engineers could quickly and safely carry out the major improvements over the long weekend.

The £15m investment across the whole of Network Rail's North West and Central region saw:

Trackside drainage upgrades in Cheadle Hulme in Cheshire, and new track installed in Macclesfield
New railway lines installed in Altrincham
HS2 construction work between Birmingham and Derby
New West Coast main line track installed at Wolverton near Milton Keynes, and work above some of London Euston station’s platforms

 

[The Planner]

This Network Rail press release, on work done over the bank holiday, includes a reference to "HS2 work between Birmingham and Derby" and a picture of a new concrete-beam skew bridge over an existing double-track line labelled "HS2 work near Water Orton Station". Will that be the line that goes east from WO or the one that goes NE? Both need to be crossed east of the M42 and A446.

Bank holiday upgrades complete between London and Manchester

Network Rail has completed a range of essential upgrades to the railway between London Euston, the Midlands, and North West over the August bank holiday.

www.networkrailmediacentre.co.uk

The fast lines that go to/from Derby.

 

[bib]

Quite a cool timelapse of the Curzon street site, M6 looking busy.

On foot video of Aston church road bridge site

 

[bib]

Viaduct decks appear to be progressing at Curzon St

 

[Fazaar1889]

Viaducts just before Curzon St have started being poured.

 

[SCDR_WMR]

Really have got going on this section, looks good! Will be great to see the station section start up next year

 

[Fazaar1889]

What will this section of HS2 look like once phase 1 is built?
Will the track just abruptly stop in the middle of a field?
(image sourced from HS2 website)

 

[The Planner]

What will this section of HS2 look like once phase 1 is built?
Will the track just abruptly stop in the middle of a field?
(image sourced from HS2 website)
View attachment 147445

No, it will just be the earthworks.

 

[snowball]

Depends whether the government gets its way in its attempt to sell back the surplus land, which many oppose, and then on whether it's worth the farmers' while to buy it back.

 

[Fazaar1889]

Martina's back with footage around Birmingham including the beginnings of the Delta Junction

 

[chris2]

Thanks for posting. It’s good to see lots of progress on the northern length of the delta as this is the line that will carry trains from Curzon st to the north and seems to me could be in some jeopardy now. There’s lots of piers coming out the ground and really starting to take shape.

Interesting also to see the observation about the 2nd TBM having already launched despite no official announcement. Are there just so many now they don’t consider it news?

They really are threading a needle to get this railway into Curzon St. Really amazing work.

In the Martina vid above there are three weathered steel bridge segments lying around at the bottom of the first of the delta shots (2:25). This vid shows them being lifted onto a guide track and hooked together ready to pushed out over the piers.