Watch: HS2 completes two huge viaducts in Warwickshire

Engineers working on Britain’s flagship high-speed rail project say the heavily-delayed scheme has taken a huge step forward, following the completion of a key piece of infrastructure.

A five-day closure over the Christmas period saw contractor Balfour Beatty VINCI complete two parallel viaduct spans over the existing Birmingham to Peterborough railway line, set to connect the southbound HS2 line with Birmingham Curzon Street and the rolling stock depot at Washwood Heath.

HS2 says the bridges at Water Orton in Warwickshire form part of the huge “Delta Junction”, described as the railway’s Spaghetti Junction, a triangular intersection being built to the east of Birmingham for the high-speed railway.

Work on the next sections of the viaducts over the nearby A446 road and the M42 motorway will get under way this year.

Stephane Ciccolini, Senior Works Manager at Balfour Beatty VINCI, said completion of the “complex” section of the route was a “major step forward” for the scheme.

“We’ve worked around the clock during the Christmas period to deliver this incredible feat of engineering, using a specialist cantilever technique not seen in the UK before this project,” he said.

The 32 concrete piers that support the Water Orton viaducts are up to 20m tall and cast in situ using bespoke formwork and reinforcing cages manufactured at nearby Coleshill.

All 2,742 concrete segments needed for the viaducts are being manufactured at a temporary factory at nearby Lea Marston.

Sam Hinkley, HS2 Ltd’s Senior Project Manager said: “I’d like to thank everyone who gave up their Christmas to help us reach this important milestone and I’d like to thank passengers for their patience.

“These precast segmental viaducts form a key part of the Delta junction – one of the most complex parts of the HS2 project and I look forward to seeing more progress in the year ahead.”