HS2 Construction Updates - Birmingham Area

[swt_passenger]

Two more spans of Water Orton viaduct are due to be installed over the M6(T)/M42 this weekend, and it looks, (from the placement of the temporary working platforms around the piers), that both spans are intended to go on the Birmingham bound line, ie the south viaduct of the pair.

A video by JMPS shows the two viaduct sections waiting alongside the motorway:

 

[snowball]

And a similar video from a different pilot/cinematographer, Buzzin Drones:

Between 5:43 and 6:08 you can see in the background that the third viaduct extension kit seems to be approaching the end of its run, though it's difficult to judge at this distance and angle. It has received shockingly little coverage in drone videos. It is building a viaduct designed to carry two tracks (down fast & slow or down main & Leeds) on the northern part of the east side of the delta junction, and will in effect widen the first viaduct in the area, completed last year, from one track's worth to three.

The fourth kit is also in operation, building the viaduct intended to carry the easternmost track (up Leeds), but is well behind. It does not seem to be visible in this video and has received even less coverage.

In the original plan there would have been six tracks side by side (sometimes wrongly described upthread as five), but with the abandonment of phase 2 very few of them are likely to appear in my lifetime.

 

[swt_passenger]

And a similar video from a different pilot/cinematographer, Buzzin Drones:
[…]
In the original plan there would have been six tracks side by side (sometimes wrongly described upthread as five), but with the abandonment of phase 2 very few of them are likely to appear in my lifetime.

I think people had just counted the 5 parallel rows of piers where they run together, and hadn’t cottoned on to the fact that one set of piers was for a double track. Carrying tracks 2 and 3 of the 6 counting from the west to east

 

[MPW]

A new drone video showing the route from Curzon out to the Bromford tunnel portal

I know I've said it before but the industrial land to the right of the Curzon street site at the very beginning of video looks ripe for a new and improved new street station...

Some local lines could still serve the existing station.

 

[Cross City]

I know I've said it before but the industrial land to the right of the Curzon street site at the very beginning of video looks ripe for a new and improved new street station...

Some local lines could still serve the existing station.

All of that land is going to be used for residential and commercial development.

 

[MPW]

All of that land is going to be used for residential and commercial development.

I'll keep dreaming until I can see the developments on Google maps

 

[snowball]

the third viaduct extension kit seems to be approaching the end of its run, though it's difficult to judge at this distance and angle. It has received shockingly little coverage in drone videos.

Could Jim H24 have read my remarks and been prompted to make this new video?

It shows that the third kit has less than 2.5 spans to go. (Edit: may be much less now - I've just noticed that this was filmed on 1st Aug.) The fourth kit is only glimpsed in the distance.

I now hope someone will film the Coleshill triple box structure, which has not appeared in a video for many weeks. Three of its four "walls" were substantially finished by the end of 2025. I have seen claims (in the comments on other videos) than the traffic management on the M42 has been altered to allow construction of the remaining wall (the third counting from west to east). Beams are not due to be placed until summer 2027.

 

[Snow1964]

I now hope someone will film the Coleshill triple box structure, which has not appeared in a video for many weeks. Three of its four "walls" were substantially finished by the end of 2025. I have seen claims (in the comments on other videos) than the traffic management on the M42 has been altered to allow construction of the remaining wall (the third counting from west to east). Beams are not due to be placed until summer 2027.

Seems next weekend there are overnight motorway closures to allow preparation of Water Orton viaduct structures

M42, M6 westbound link road from M42 southbound at junction 8 to M6 northbound at junction 4a
What3Words- ///scarcely.trick.scrap to ///traded.enjoy.fries

Duration
The road will be closed overnight, from 9pm to 6am, on Friday 21 August and Saturday 22 August 2026.

What we are doing
A lane closure of M42 southbound carriageway from junction 9 to junction 8, leading into a full carriageway closure of the westbound carriageway of M42, M6 link road on each night, to undertake preparation works to progress construction of the Water Orton Viaduct structure.

Notice of overnight closures on the M42, M6 westbound link road, near Water Orton

Location M42, M6 westbound link road from M42 southbound at junction 8 to M6 northbound at junction 4a What3Words- ///scarcely.trick.scrap to ///traded.enjoy.fries Duration The road will be closed overnight, from 9pm to 6am, on Friday 21 August and Saturday 22 August 2026. What we are doing A...

www.hs2.org.uk

Also next weekend, the M6 motorway is shut junctions 4 to 4a for further slide of the south viaduct over the motorway

M6 full weekend closure between J4 and J4A northbound and southbound (including the M42 J7A link to M6 southbound).

Duration
From 9pm on Friday 21 August 2026 until 6am on Monday 24 August 2026.

What we are doing
As we progress with construction of the M6 South Viaduct in Solihull, traffic management will be in place to allow our workforce to safely continue sliding the west deck across the motorway.

M6 full weekend closure between J4 and J4A northbound and southbound

Location M6 full weekend closure between J4 and J4A northbound and southbound (including the M42 J7A link to M6 southbound). Duration From 9pm on Friday 21 August 2026 until 6am on Monday 24 August 2026. What we are doing As we progress with construction of the M6 South Viaduct in Solihull...

www.hs2.org.uk

Then following week, there are overnight closures on A446 where the north curve viaducts cross the road for parapet installation preparation

A446 Lichfield Road near Water Orton
What 3 Words: ///gates.slope.fades to ///juices.builds.sadly

Duration
Two overnight closures starting at 8pm each night and finishing at 6am each morning on both Monday 24 August and Tuesday 25 August.

What we are doing
Preparation works to install pre-cast concrete parapets to the viaducts spanning the A446 Lichfield Road.

Notice of overnight closures on the A446 Lichfield Road

Location A446 Lichfield Road near Water Orton What 3 Words: ///gates.slope.fades to ///juices.builds.sadly Duration Two overnight closures starting at 8pm each night and finishing at 6am each morning on both Monday 24 August and Tuesday 25 August. What we are doing Preparation works to install...

www.hs2.org.uk

So plenty of work going on in the area of the delta junction and the 4 track section south towards Interchange station.

I would assume once those viaducts are installed over the motorway, and parapets installed, and viaducts completed, the pre-assembly areas and work compounds can be removed and landscaped

 

[snowball]

Seems next weekend there are overnight motorway closures to allow preparation of Water Orton viaduct structures ...

I assume you are taking it as already known to readers of this thread that right now a stretch of the M42 is undergoing the third of four full weekend closures this summer, for the third of four batches of placing of beams for the twin box structure near Birmingham business park, and for the second of three batches of placing spans of Water Orton viaducts. The next such full weekend closure, to complete these jobs, will be 18-21 Sep.

Major HS2 motorway works planned across the West Midlands in 2026 – Key information

Major HS2 motorway works are planned across the West Midlands in 2026. Find key information on road closures, traffic management, diversions and travel impacts affecting drivers across the region.

www.hs2.org.uk

 

[swt_passenger]

I now hope someone will film the Coleshill triple box structure, which has not appeared in a video for many weeks. Three of its four "walls" were substantially finished by the end of 2025. I have seen claims (in the comments on other videos) than the traffic management on the M42 has been altered to allow construction of the remaining wall (the third counting from west to east). Beams are not due to be placed until summer 2027.

I definitely saw a couple of short videos that mentioned those traffic management alterations taking place, I’ll try and find them. Here you go, from about 3 months ago, the “Michael-61-n3l“ channel. His video taken from (I think) Gilson Drive overbridge, the new lane positions had just been marked out in advance of the traffic switch. At that point the reservation between the two southbound carriageways was not wide enough to commence the third wall of the four:

Then here’s an update a few weeks later after the traffic management had been altered:

 

[snowball]

I definitely saw a couple of short videos that mentioned those traffic management alterations taking place, I’ll try and find them. Here you go, from about 3 months ago,

Many thanks for that. I often avoid those short portrait-format videos, because some of them make my screen go black, but these two work perfectly.

Edit: I've just noticed that the video I posted in #547 was filmed two weeks ago, so the third kit may be very close to finishing by now.

 

[swt_passenger]

Many thanks for that. I often avoid those short portrait-format videos, because some of them make my screen go black, but these two work perfectly.

Edit: I've just noticed that the video I posted in #547 was filmed two weeks ago, so the third kit may be very close to finishing by now.

A good clear video of the overnight move of the two segments for the current Water Orton viaduct work:

And here’s another short video showing a daylight view of them almost in their final position:

 

[Snow1964]

Looks like Jim H24 has done a drone video of the western and southern junctions of Delta junction, clearly showing the almost complete flyovers, and earthworks linking the structures.

 

[snowball]

And a "day after" video of the Water Orton viaducts. A lot of scuff marks on the road.

 

[swt_passenger]

And a "day after" video of the Water Orton viaducts. A lot of scuff marks on the road.

I see there’s a road surface planer (the red and black machine at 1:34) been involved, with a few new asphalt patches applied. I wonder if the weight caused surface damage with the tarmac being warm?

Also shows they’ve been quick to remove the temporary reinforced working surface around the pier in the Gilson Road side embankment.

 

[stuving]

I spotted a couple of unfamilar names in those Water Orton videos. The SPMTs, though Mammoet-red, have "Fagioli" on them. But there are also hangings with Ceva-Fagioli; Ceva took Fagioli over earlier this year. And on some bits of the viaduct formwork there is the name "Coffrage&Quipage", though elsewhere that's coupled with CMC. And, in like fashion, CMC, Coffrage&Quipage, and C&Q Metal all merged last year to form Forkast group.

Nothing odd there, if a little confusing. If I put the old names into Google to find out more, I get links to URLs on www.fagioli.com and www.coffrageequipage.fr. But they all report back as "server not found", i.e. the sites have been closed down. I expect content to be found a new home on the owning group sites, but for the old links to intercept and pass on visits as well.

I wondered if there was a common reason for this - maybe an unintended consequence of some new EU legislation on on-line fraud? I could not think of where to go to find out, so I asked Google AI. All that produced was flannel, so I guess it doesn't know either. Can anyone else cast any light on it?

 

[takno]

I spotted a couple of unfamilar names in those Water Orton videos. The SPMTs, though Mammoet-red, have "Fagioli" on them. But there are also hangings with Ceva-Fagioli; Ceva took Fagioli over earlier this year. And on some bits of the viaduct formwork there is the name "Coffrage&Quipage", though elsewhere that's coupled with CMC. And, in like fashion, CMC, Coffrage&Quipage, and C&Q Metal all merged last year to form Forkast group.

Nothing odd there, if a little confusing. If I put the old names into Google to find out more, I get links to URLs on www.fagioli.com and www.coffrageequipage.fr. But they all report back as "server not found", i.e. the sites have been closed down. I expect content to be found a new home on the owning group sites, but for the old links to intercept and pass on visits as well.

I wondered if there was a common reason for this - maybe an unintended consequence of some new EU legislation on on-line fraud? I could not think of where to go to find out, so I asked Google AI. All that produced was flannel, so I guess it doesn't know either. Can anyone else cast any light on it?

fagioli.com redirects for me.

Coffrage&Quipage was dissolved. It's possible that whoever inherited the assets decided not to buy the brand out of the mess for some reason. It's equally possible that they just don't have a good relationship (or possibly any contact with) whoever was hosting the website for them, and have decided that redirecting isn't worth the hassle. The domain itself was renewed about 10 days ago, but that doesn't tell you much other than that the registration is being managed by somebody who is still settling bills from the registrar.

 

[stuving]

fagioli.com redirects for me.

Coffrage&Quipage was dissolved. It's possible that whoever inherited the assets decided not to buy the brand out of the mess for some reason. It's equally possible that they just don't have a good relationship (or possibly any contact with) whoever was hosting the website for them, and have decided that redirecting isn't worth the hassle. The domain itself was renewed about 10 days ago, but that doesn't tell you much other than that the registration is being managed by somebody who is still settling bills from the registrar.

It looks like I've added two plus two and got six; two unrelated issues (temporary for Fagioli).

Forkast does look like a genuine merger; the dissolution of the parts was just how the merging was implemented. And while the branding etc. was acquired, they do seem to be in an unseemly hurry to stop using it.

Some aspects of the merger do look rather suspicious to me, but then the legal manipulations involved in these "corporate actions" usually do. And the group's head office (as for its main shareholder as well) sits on a single house plot at the far end of S. Brévin-les-Pins (by the mouth of the Loire), which hardly looks reassuring!

 

[hwl]

And the group's head office (as for its main shareholder as well) sits on a single house plot at the far end of S. Brévin-les-Pins (by the mouth of the Loire), which hardly looks reassuring!

The French firm I worked for at one point had its head office in a farmhouse in Luxembourg (to start the tax minimisation process).

 

[Snow1964]

A new drone video, filmed 16th August, has been uploaded.

Starts at Faraday Avenue, Hams Hall, along the north to west viaducts, across M42 to the Bromford tunnel portal

Nearer Birmingham, HS2 has issued a media release with video links of launch of Duddeston Junction viaduct

HS2 engineers have completed the first major phase of work to launch the Duddeston Junction Viaduct over the Birmingham to Derby railway lines.

It marks the start of a huge operation to cross six railway tracks – three freight lines and three passenger lines - which is expected to conclude next summer.

Duddeston Junction is the first, and longest, in a series of five interconnecting viaducts – known as the Curzon Approaches - which weave through Birmingham’s industrial heartlands on the approach to Curzon Street Station.

While Curzon 2 is visually striking, Duddeston Junction Viaduct stands out for its geometry and complexity. The structure follows a varying horizontal curve and has a three percent gradient, rising from the ground to sit 12 metres above the existing tracks. This makes construction, logistics and alignment significantly more challenging.

This month, the engineering team behind the build and launch operation reached their first major milestone, as they successfully launched the first 170 metres of the 700-metre-long structure over two key freight lines that transport goods into the city

The weathering steel viaduct is formed of 14 spans, each around 55 metres long and cumulatively weighing up to 6835-tonnes. To successfully cross all six railway lines, the team must assemble and launch seven spans.

Each completed span is added to the rear of the structure, which is then pulled forward, using a tried and tested slide technique. After safely clearing the railway lines, the seven remaining spans will be lifted and lowered into place by crane on the opposite side of the railway.

A freight success: HS2 launches final viaduct on the approach to Curzon Street Station

Video footage shows the Duddeston Junction Viaduct, which is currently being built Images show how the Duddeston Junction Viaduct is taking shape

mediacentre.hs2.org.uk

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 20 Aug 2026 ==

And a new drone video, which shows the sections of South viaduct have now been extended to join the part moved over motorway last weekend

 

[swt_passenger]

And a new drone video, which shows the sections of South viaduct have now been extended to join the part moved over motorway last weekend

Well, they didn’t hang about with that short section of segmental construction. About 3 days?