HS2 Completes Construction of UK’s Longest Rail Bridge

The structure, one of the largest infrastructure pieces built for HS2, will carry trains across the valley alongside the M25 motorway and has been completed in just over two years, with construction starting in May 2022.

HS2 Ltd’s senior project manager Billy Ahluwalia stated, “Lowering the final deck segment of the Colne Valley Viaduct marks the culmination of over ten years of planning, design, and construction.”

“I commend the dedicated team that delivered a bridge which is not only the longest on HS2 but has now become the UK’s longest railway bridge.”

The new bridge surpasses the 3.3km Tay Bridge, which held the record for nearly 140 years. The Colne Valley Viaduct will now move into the rail systems installation phase, with the HS2 project expected to begin full services by 2033.

Construction of the viaduct involved placing 1,000 deck segments across 56 piers, with a 160-meter-long launcher used to position the uniquely designed segments.

Once the main construction phase in the area, including a ten-mile tunnel through the Chiltern Hills, is completed, HS2 will work to restore the construction-dominated area into chalk grassland and woodland.

The successful completion of the bridge is a positive development for the HS2 project, which has faced controversy over costs, delivery timelines, and environmental impact since its development began in 2009.

Most notably, former UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak halted half of the project when he canceled plans to extend the high-speed line from London and Birmingham to Manchester. A parliamentary committee later declared that this decision rendered the project “very poor value for money.”