News

The first of five headhouses that will provide ventilation and emergency access to HS2’s 16 km long Chiltern tunnel has gained planning approval from Buckinghamshire Council.

HS2 have completed sheet piling work by contractors Skanska Costain STRABAG Railways Joint Venture (SCS Railways) in Acton, West London, to enable the construction of the Victoria Road Crossover Box.  

On 4 January 2021, HS2 has received the go-ahead from Birmingham City Council to begin the transformative refurbishment of the Old Curzon Street Station.

On 18 December 2020, the first freight train has arrived at HS2’s main construction compound in Buckinghamshire, as work continues to prepare for the start of construction across the central section of Britain’s new high-speed railway.

On 8 December 2020, HS2’s first two Tunnel Boring Machines have arrived in the UK and will be ready to start work on the UK’s largest infrastructure project early next year.

On 23 November 2020, HS2 issued an invitation to tender to five bidders in the running to design, deliver and maintain almost 300 lifts and escalators for HS2’s four major new stations.

HS2 unveiled the use of an innovative onboard robot that will improve safety and efficiency on the high speed rail project’s first two tunnelling machines, set to launch early next year.

On 19 October 2020, HS2 revealed the latest designs for the Edgcote and Lower Thorpe Viaducts as the high speed rail project began a four week online engagement event for communities in Northamptonshire.

The new landmark station, set to be built in Solihull, was praised for its green credentials as Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council approved the design on 26 August.

25 August saw the first rail freight delivery of aggregate arrive at HS2’s Washwood Heath site in Birmingham, signalling the start of HS2’s major programme to take up to 1.5 million lorries off the roads to cut carbon emissions.

HS2 revealed the design for the Amersham vent shaft headhouse - one of five structures that will be built to provide ventilation and emergency access to the high-speed rail line’s 10 mile-long Chiltern tunnel.

On 11 August 2020 HS2 revealed the first images and publicly-chosen names of the first two completed TBMs that will excavate the twin-bore Chiltern tunnel on the first phase of the UK’s new high speed line between London and the West Midlands.

Work to install a 65 m bridge, spanning the width of the M42, was completed in just two days and ahead of schedule as the motorway reopened to road users on 9 August, 22 hours earlier than planned. The works near Interchange Station move Solihull a step closer to the arrival of HS2.

The new HS2 Curzon Street station is set to reduce carbon emissions by an unprecedented 55 %, will achieve net zero carbon emissions from regulated energy consumption and use a range of technologies to generate energy from renewable sources.

Construction of HS2’s West London interchange station has reached a new milestone as the Station Construction Partner, Balfour Beatty VINCI SYSTRA joint venture, took possession of the whole station site on 27 July 2020.