Published on May 14, 2026
Engineers working on the UK’s High Speed 2 railway have completed construction of the Curzon 2 bridge, the tallest structure on the new high-speed network, and are preparing to execute one of the most technically demanding launch operations in the project’s history. The 4,200-tonne bridge forms part of the Curzon approaches, a sequence of five interconnected viaducts that together constitute the final mile of HS2’s route into Curzon Street Station in central Birmingham. Standing at a finished height of over 40 metres at the peak of its arched truss, the structure is the equivalent of a ten-storey building and will sit atop an existing Victorian railway viaduct that is itself 17 metres tall. The bridge’s striking 24-metre-high truss is assembled from 670 individual steel sections, welded into triangular units and built using weathering steel that will gradually darken over time, giving the landmark a distinctive industrial character designed to reflect Birmingham’s manufacturing heritage. A team of 250 engineers employed by HS2’s construction partner Balfour Beatty VINCI spent three years on the superstructure, beginning with the installation of 32 permanent foundation piles, each around 30 metres deep, in 2023. The project is part of the broader HS2 Phase One programme connecting London Euston to the West Midlands, currently in a comprehensive delivery reset led by HS2 Ltd Chief Executive Mark Wild to bring the remainder of the route in at the lowest reasonable cost.
A Landmark Moment for Britain’s Most Contested Infrastructure Programme
The completion of Curzon 2 arrives at a pivotal moment for HS2, a programme that has faced sustained scrutiny over cost overruns and the decision by the UK government in 2023 to cancel the northern leg of the route beyond Birmingham. What remains, the 140-mile London to West Midlands section, continues at pace, and milestones such as Curzon 2 offer visible evidence that delivery is accelerating. The Curzon approaches alone represent an intricate piece of urban infrastructure engineering, threading five viaducts through a constrained corridor between the River Rea and the existing Cross City rail network. The challenge is comparable in complexity to elevated urban rail work seen on major European projects such as the Grand Paris Express, where contractors have had to slide and launch heavy bridge decks through dense city environments with live rail operations nearby. In Birmingham, the three-phase launch of Curzon 2 will require a temporary closure of the Cross City line between Birmingham New Street and Lichfield Trent Valley over the weekend of 29 to 31 May 2026 to allow the 93-metre push over twin operational tracks. Network Rail and West Midlands Trains have been closely involved in planning to minimise disruption. The other four viaducts in the Curzon approaches are also progressing, with Duddeston Junction, Curzon 1, Lawley Middleway and Curzon 3 each at various stages of assembly, launch or deck completion, signalling that the final approach into Birmingham is now taking unmistakable shape. This progress comes as London’s rail infrastructure faces its own redevelopment pressures, highlighted by the renewed debate over the future of Liverpool Street Station’s expansion plans, where a revised proposal is now being considered after an earlier £1.5 billion plan was abandoned.
Project Fact Sheet
- Project Name: HS2 Curzon 2 Viaduct, Curzon Approaches
- Location: Birmingham, West Midlands, United Kingdom
- Project Value: Part of HS2 Phase One, estimated at approximately £45 billion for the full London to Birmingham section
- Client/Owner: HS2 Ltd (High Speed Two Limited)
- Main Contractor: Balfour Beatty VINCI (BBV) Joint Venture
- Key Components: 4,200-tonne weathering steel truss bridge; 24-metre arched truss; 150-metre deck; 670 individual steel sections; 32 foundation piles at 30 metres depth; three-phase hydraulic launch over 180 metres
- Finished Height: Over 40 metres at truss peak; resting over a 17-metre Victorian railway viaduct
- Construction Start: Foundation piling commenced 2023; superstructure assembly 2024 to 2026
- Launch Scheduled: Three-phase operation from late May 2026; final position by 5 June 2026
- Workforce: 250 engineers on the Curzon 2 superstructure alone
- Strategic Impact: Forms part of the five-viaduct Curzon approaches constituting the final mile into HS2’s Curzon Street Station terminus in central Birmingham
Project Team
- Client/Owner: HS2 Ltd (High Speed Two Limited)
- Main Contractor: Balfour Beatty VINCI (BBV) Joint Venture
- HS2 Head of Delivery, Curzon Approaches: Greg Sugden, HS2 Ltd
- Senior Project Manager, BBV: Onder Akin, Balfour Beatty VINCI
- Rail Coordination: Network Rail
- Train Operator Coordination: West Midlands Trains / West Midlands Railway
- Regulatory and Sponsoring Authority: UK Department for Transport
