HS2 Launches 705-Metre Duddeston Viaduct In Birmingham

BIRMINGHAM, UK – HS2 and joint-venture contractor Balfour Beatty VINCI launched the first 170 metres of the 705-metre Duddeston Junction Viaduct in Birmingham in August 2024, clearing two active freight lines. The operation initiates the crossing of six operational rail tracks that carry more than 200 daily passenger and freight trains into the city centre. Track-spanning operations across the entire corridor are scheduled to conclude by summer 2025.

What Is the Full Scope of This Project?

The Duddeston Junction Viaduct contract encompasses the assembly and progressive launch of a 705-metre, 14-span weathering steel structure weighing 6,835 tonnes to elevate high-speed lines 12 metres above existing rail infrastructure. The alignment incorporates a varying horizontal curve and a three percent longitudinal gradient, rising from a retaining wall in Saltley following trains’ emergence from the Bromford Tunnel and Washwood Heath cutting. Substructure components include one abutment, two steel piers, four portals, and eight reinforced concrete piers positioned within an active industrial corridor. Civil preparation required Balfour Beatty VINCI to divert utilities, remediate contaminated land, and construct the Duddeston Mill Road Underbridge to shift two freight lines, creating a 20-metre construction clearance zone. The engineering plan splits installation into seven launched spans pulled via hydraulic sliding jacks across the tracks, followed by seven spans erected by mobile cranes on the opposite approach.

Key Project Data

How Does This Compare to Similar Projects?

Duddeston Junction Viaduct is the longest of the five Curzon Approaches structures at 705 metres, exceeding the 300-metre Curzon 1 viaduct by more than 400 metres and running alongside the Curzon 2 bridge, which requires four 16-metre-high piers (Source: Premier Construction News, 2024). The entire Curzon Approaches viaduct package is scheduled for structural completion in 2026, aligning directly with the timeline for the terminus at Birmingham Curzon Street station (Source: Rail Pro, 2024). Station civils began with major earthworks continuing through 2025, while concourse structural steelwork and roof installation run from autumn 2025 through late 2028 (Source: Rail Business UK, 2024). Operational testing and commissioning across the Birmingham approaches are slated to run from summer 2026 through autumn 2028 before commercial revenue service begins between 2029 and 2033 (Source: Rail Business UK, 2024). Specific standalone construction costs for Duddeston Junction Viaduct were not disclosed by HS2 Ltd, as civil packages are bundled within Balfour Beatty VINCI’s regional main works civils contracts.

Editor’s Analysis

Executing incremental bridge launches over operational multi-track corridors reflects the civil engineering precision required to route high-speed rail into congested urban centres without crippling domestic logistics. Protecting existing track capacity is critical as global rail freight traffic is projected to expand from USD 370.0 billion in 2025 to USD 534.6 billion by 2034 at a compound annual growth rate of 5.5% (Source: Market.us, 2025). Finishing the Curzon Approaches structural works by 2026 ensures that track installation and traction power contractors can access the corridor on schedule ahead of Curzon Street’s fixed 2026–2028 commissioning window.

FAQ

Q: When will the entire Duddeston Junction Viaduct structure be completed?
A: The launched spans crossing all six live railway tracks will conclude in summer 2025, followed by the crane erection of the remaining seven spans. The wider Curzon Approaches civil structures are scheduled for overall completion in 2026 (Source: Premier Construction News, 2024).

Q: How much did the construction of Duddeston Junction Viaduct cost?
A: The standalone value for this viaduct was not disclosed by HS2 Ltd. The structure forms part of Balfour Beatty VINCI’s wider West Midlands Area North civil engineering package.

Q: How will the viaduct construction affect current train schedules in Birmingham?
A: HS2 and Network Rail arranged offline sliding launches and scheduled possessions during bank holidays to maintain operations for over 200 daily services. Realignment work on the freight tracks was completed in 2023 via the Duddeston Mill Road Underbridge to preserve rail traffic.