Construction of Britain’s longest rail bridge enters final stretch

[@GrahamWoodward-ww1zf]

Am in my 60's and this level of work fascinates me, should have gone into this line of work when i was young.

[@Mikebigmike94]

Just turned 30. Just completed my first year in university doing a combined STEM degree. This year I really had to start focusing in on one path. I started staying towards software cos the amount of jobs but it’s just not me. Traditional engineer is where my hearts at. Reading your message it really makes me glad i have chosen engineering for the rest of my degree, gotta follow your heart👍

[@timllj1005]

The skipping stone design really works - congratulations!

[@Paul_Harper]

Completely agree. I've not made that connection before.

[@shaunwest3612]

Incredible work and engineering, congratulations 👌

[@simoncroft9792]

At last an official video on the Colne Valley viaduct! Never seen any detail about the tensioning before, thanks.

[@1chish]

This will stand the test of time and will just get more integrated as nature claims back the feeder roads. Nicely explained and some great interior video. Well done Sir (and HS2).

[@KevinTheCaravanner]

It’s certainly elegant and I see how it mimics a stone skipping over the water.

[@tomatobrush3283]

A very nice looking viaduct, especially over the water.

[@chen_490]

The precision and design are next level. Even the curvature of the earth is a factor!

[@SpiritmanProductions]

Indeed. With a 3.4km span, there's potentially a drop of 226.8mm (8.93 inches).

[@BillyKirbyUK]

As an ex-MICE I can only marvel at this level of engineering. A brilliantly designed and execute project, Fantastic!

[@FranzTraininand]

It looks stunning!

[@StephenWalker42]

Thanks for the update and video, what a wonderful piece of engineering, and that must be good glue.. We have been following the construction on Utube and the Face book site, Colne Valley Viaduct Collective and looking forward to seeing the train's running....👍👍👍....

[@BillyKirbyUK]

As for the glue I think it is the post-tensioning that does the real work...

[@chrismason9201]

Really good and instructional commentary and brilliant visual. Thank you

[@Planettransit]

It will be magnificent to see trains go 320 kph on this beauty of a viaduct

[@CRIMSONANT1]

@@Planettransit .. this viaduct (or concrete monstrosity) will be nothing more than a glorified cycle path by the time HS2 opens - in about 50 years time given the current rate of progress. As for trains travelling at 320kph .. I've got news for you - it ain't gonna happen . You obviously don't keep up with the latest news 😉

[@xaiano794]

@@CRIMSONANT1 2033 and 360kph, don't let facts get in the way of your hatred though.

[@paulefc1971]

​@@CRIMSONANT1you sound bitter

[@CRIMSONANT1]

@@xaiano794 .. nope, once again you've got your facts wrong. The opening is now expected to be 2042 at the earliest & in a desperate, cost cutting exercise, it's been revealed that train speeds will be severely curtailed now that the Northern leg has been scrapped. This from iNews .. "Britain’s £2bn HS2 trains would have to slow down by around 100mph and could cause a logjam for services across the north if the project is axed at Birmingham, experts have warned" The project WAS axed at Birmingham although it's such a shame that the rest of this vanity project didn't suffer the same fate 😉

[@CRIMSONANT1]

@@paulefc1971 .. EVERYONE should "sound bitter" over this. The money that's been wasted since day one & now we have blatant corruption within HS2 Ltd that's recently been exposed, proving that senior executives shredded documents & used misleading projections (lies), to ensure billions of pounds kept flowing into the project. Whistleblowers claim they were told by bosses to lie about the project’s cost & were sacked after speaking out. They say the government wasn't informed of the real cost of HS2 for years, all while voting on laws that approved its construction.

[@frasermitchell9183]

The HS2 gentleman has the same name as our doctor when we lived many years ago in Rugby, (Dr Ahluwalia). I look back on him with great fondness, a member of the Sikh community who has contribute so much to British life in peace and war.

[@carolinecleaveley-q1r]

Hi there. it has been facinating to watch this happen. well done. Caroline

[@Detail_Den_UK]

The only things about HS2 that have disappointed me have been that it's taken so long to get going (thanks NIMBYs) which has led to a huge delay in actually starting work, this has led to massive cost increases due to inflation, and now the result is various elements being cancelled due to cost, which means that HS2 isn't actually going to provide what it was meant to do. Imagine if we'd had this level of bureaucracy during the Industrial Revolution? We'd never have built anything. It's time to force planning law change, remove red tape, remove the need for endless consultations and get major infrastructure projects moving. Infrastructure projects turbo charge economies, look at America after the depression. HS2 is an awesome project, and should have been done 10 years ago. Now it's time to do a HS3.....get high speed rail linking North South and East - West. Imagine what business opportunities await if you could get a train from central London to Edinburgh in less that 2 hours. Imagine if a proper link existed from Heathrow/Gatwick to a High Speed line across the country. I'd vote for a government that could make these things a reality.

[@BillyKirbyUK]

Absolutely. Get ths stuff done I say and as for cancelling the northern legs, well that was ridiculous. Quite frankly it makes my blood boil and it would never be like this in France, or Spain, would it? Just think about it!

[@James-gc5if]

Maybe finish HS2 (in full) before moving on to HS3 etc? Old Oak Common to Birmingham just isn't good enough.

[@scottpeacock5492]

Well said, i think their should be laws to enforce the unnecessarily nimby brigade for delaying project like this. The start of building High Speed Rail in the UK should have started over 40 years ago, HS1 Between London and Dover Kent has proven a success as millions of passengers uses it every week, We should be improving rail infrastructure for the future,

[@AnastasiaMitsos]

Amazing engineering doing incredible job ❤

[@u1zha]

0:51 driver still hasn't learned which way the segment attaches jk good work nearing completion

[@callum8184]

Maybe costing a lot but the viaducts, tunnels and stations will be stunning once’s all is complete

[@trimley]

British engineering at its finest 👏

[@JamesWest-iu4jx]

Actually it's not

[@VickersDoorter]

The great British feat of squandering tax-payers money on useless vanity projects.

[@trimley]

@@JamesWest-iu4jx explain?

[@jasonlee4267]

@@VickersDoorter then scrapping them at huge expense so only the richer bottom half of the country get to benefit while the rest of us pay for it

[@bernardwarr4187]

@@JamesWest-iu4jxit Actually is!?

[@Mr-D-Rickman]

Pure quality

[@Chevy-jordan]

Looks so elegant weaving through the green English landscape! This is similar to what the romantic painters like Turner and poets like Wordsworth spoke of in their works during the time of the Industrial Revolution.

[@CRIMSONANT1]

"So elegant"? .. It's nothing more than a monstrous blot on the landscape & a complete & utter waste of billions of pounds. HS2 is an environmental disaster of epic proportions & Britain's biggest infrastructure mistake in half a century.

[@robbiegriffiths7197]

Beautiful

[@BillyBoy46]

Thanks. Well explained.

[@georgethompson453]

Absolutely beautiful

[@arg1000]

There's so much more to this project than just the Colne Valley Viaduct and the tunnels. Why can't we see more updates from the central EKFB and northern BBV sections? These hardly get a look in.

[@AnastasiaMitsos]

Congratulations 🎊 🎉

[@Mogs.W]

I watched an article on North West tonight saying that the HS2 trains will be shorter and have less capacity than the current pendolino trains on the west coast which is already struggling with capacity so not only will the new train only be high speed until Birmingham - less people are going to be able to get on the trains. Madness utter madness

[@xaiano794]

Remember that the cost of this project was more than doubled thanks solely to moaners complaining and delaying construction. They literally cost the nation tens of billions for nothing at all. An important fact next time you hear people criticising infrastructure projects.

[@CRIMSONANT1]

And remember, the original cost of this monstrous vanity project was "only" £37.5 million .. if it had been completed in full, that would have been £200 million down the drain! Within a decade of opening, (in about 50 years time given the current rate of progress), this viaduct (or concrete monstrosity as I prefer to call it), will be nothing more than a glorified cycle path. HS2 is an environmental disaster of epic proportions & Britain's biggest infrastructure mistake in half a century.

[@xaiano794]

@@CRIMSONANT1 Environmental disaster? I seriously doubt you care about the environment since cancelling this section (as has happened with the northern sections) means expanding roads, and since roads cover 5-8 times the area (depending on speed and type) that means vastly more countryside will be destroyed by cancelling this project, and that's before we even consider emissions. It's people like you complaining that have driven up the cost, you've harmed the british countryside and you've wasted billions to do it.

[@CRIMSONANT1]

@@xaiano794 .. "consider emissions"? You do realise that HS2 will NEVER be "green" during its entire anticipated 120 year lifespan? This massive white elephant has been a disaster since day one. The Golborne link - scrapped. The Eastern leg - scrapped. The Northern leg - scrapped. The disaster that is Euston station - "on hold" for two years & will only continue if private investment can be found. What's left is nothing more than a shuttle route between west London & Birmingham. "People like me" haven't driven up the cost .. that's been caused by the blatant corruption within HS2 Ltd that's recently been exposed. Senior executives shredded documents & used misleading projections & "facts" to ensure that billions of pounds kept flowing into the project. Whistleblowers claim they were told by bosses to lie about the project’s cost & were sacked after speaking out. They say the government wasn't informed of the real cost of HS2 for years, all while voting on laws that approved its construction. By the way, you really need to get educated .. your comment about "expanding roads" has always been a futile excuse used by HS2 fanboys .. complete nonsense of course 😉

[@cefnonn]

Giving moaners (as you call them) a voice is integral to democracy and long may they be heard.

[@xaiano794]

@cefnonn it isn't democracy to harm the majority due to the opinion of a minority, and as for speech, where is the line drawn? When do you just get on and do it? They delayed the project for 20 years, 20 years of inquests, 20 years of paying for staff to draw up countless revisions, to conduct study after study.

[@davidklyne5134]

The Ribblehead Viaduct of the future?

[@cefnonn]

At least Thatcher won't try to close this!

[@CRIMSONANT1]

​@@cefnonn.. no-one will need to "close it down" as within a decade of opening, it'll close because of severe financial constraints as a result of ludicrous ticket prices & very few passengers. Only the elite will be able to afford the tickets to travel on what will be nothing more than a shuttle service between west London & Birmingham. HS2 is an environmental disaster of epic proportions & Britain's biggest infrastructure mistake in half a century.

[@DavidKnowles0]

I wonder what glue they are using and how long does it last for?

[@-Osiris-]

Asking the real questions

[@RichardBacon-h5x]

Lovely work!

[@cityzens634]

Wow incredible

[@kennigt]

High speed rail line through 1/10 of the country... sums up state of English economy.

[@gordoncrowther7913]

I was thinking this was being built in the northern Colne valley

[@metalhead2550]

How long does it take to attach one segment?

[@maxspeed8322]

Would it not be practicable to paint it some or various shades of green to blend in with the environment?

[@M-wg2gd]

Stunning design and fascinating construction. Trouble is the cost of all the HS2. Never should have been built. Money should have been spent elsewhere, essentially the NHS, and everything else that is suffering through lack of money.

[@ubuntu_fan]

Its a very nice design

[@WaheedRafiq]

I hope everything was designed and made in Britain and second point how much are you charging for this ?

[@SuperBartet]

Nice looking viaduct, but it destroys a area of beauty.

[@JonathanPercival-smith]

What an eyesore

[@yamilikethisplsendme]

Would you prefer if it was a motorway overpass?

[@JonathanPercival-smith]

@@yamilikethisplsendme I would prefer lakes,forest and no concrete.

[@cmclewee9518]

Are HS2 going to air condition the insides of those segments when finished to stop the cables corroding. If not in 20 to 30 years that structure wil fall apart. Stressed steel and humidity will be its downfall. Look at forth road bridge after 50 years its effectively failled.

[@xaiano794]

the design allows for access inside and you can simply replace the cables one at a time as the others will support the structure. It's cheaper and easier to replace them than to air condition them.

[@MrAronymous]

Oh they hadn't thought of that. Gee thankfully they have this comment now.

[@Paul_C]

Eh, so is HS2 back on?

[@sirjohng1]

By the time it finally has trains running in a few years time there will likely not be enough electricity to run it when the sun don't shine and the wind don't blow.😎

[@patrickguinnane]

In the time the English have been messing around with HS2, the Chinese have built 10,000 miles of high speed rail. Just let that sink in..

[@heckmacbuff]

Luckily for them they don’t have to worry about environmental impact, citizens rights, compulsory purchase and workers rights. Let alone aesthetic considerations. They have also built up an astronomical debt which the railways will never be able to repay. But that’s how you get high GDP numbers. Those trains run on time too.

[@johnwolfe1890]

your right only problem is they fall down as quick as they build them

[@bringingverneyjunctionback9642]

@petertherock a guide to your favourite viaduct 😀

[@kevinknowles3365]

For such a high profile project such as this, it would be great if a few extra quid had been spent to make sure all the words were the correct English spellings.

[@charlottelarimore9261]

Japanese Builders just get the job done but British Builders just don't wanna work because they take the piss sometimes (not really though)

[@robtheplod]

I hope people spend the 20 mins they save on their trip wisely as its cost a fortune.....

[@derekthomson2108]

We should be proud of what we can achieve, rather than worrying about the financial costs and political gaming.

[@Joe90V]

Well you've fecked that countryside up for good. Straight across lakes while you tunnel under London. You bonus holes.

[@joe-vl3nd]

Waste of 100 Billion plus Should have cleaned up all stations and remodernized them across the UK Clean all bus stations Cost 30 Billion the lot 👎🇬🇧🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

[@hassanh9372]

What is the name of contractor?

[@goombacraft]

Align JV, but Billy Ahluwalia (the guy talking) works directly for HS2 Ltd.

[@TrevorWilliams-fq8mg]

Align is just a name given to the joint venture partnership. The Contractors are Robert McAlpine. Volker Fitzpatrick and someone else who's name escapes me.

[@10triumphs]

I used to sail on the lakes but we lost them to the build the swans,owls and water wildlife has all gone..

[@xaiano794]

They'll all come back when it's done. The lakes aren't even natural.

[@chen_490]

@@10triumphs the future isn't what it used to be!

[@CRIMSONANT1]

@@xaiano794 .. how do you know the wildlife will return .. are you a qualified naturalist now as well as a civil engineering "expert"? 😂 As for the lakes not being "natural" .. what on earth has that got to do with anything?

[@xaiano794]

@CRIMSONANT1 that site is a former open cast quarry, how do you explain wildlife getting there if, as you imply, it may not populate the area after construction? You seem to be woefully ill informed for someone so opinionated, you really are making a fool of yourself. I must thank you for your constant replies though, they really go to demonstrate the calibre of person who opposes hs2. 🤡🤡🤡

[@mattgoodchild8215]

What an absolute eye sore

[@xaiano794]

So I take it you'd prefer an 8-lane motorway bridge, right?

[@mattgoodchild8215]

@@xaiano794 no not at all I’d prefer it if us humans wasn’t so greedy and destroying our green spaces so that the fauna and flora was left as it was No amount of tree planting or so called environmental projects that the HS2 has planned will ever compensate for the irreparable environmental destruction they have caused over 40 ancient woodlands ruined ploughing through hundreds of ssi sites pushing nature aside for the sake of our ever expanding needs Already Billions over budget non of it adds up yet 2 decades before completion by which time it will be over capacitated and outdated check out what France or China did with their network less than half the time and cost Have a good day 👍🏼

[@xaiano794]

@@mattgoodchild8215 You seem to be very confused, your opposition of HS2 has led to far more countryside being destroyed, a single example is the the M11 south of Huntingdon, Built to accommodate extra traffic that could have gone along HS2 had the northern leg been constructed - it's 425ft wide, as opposed to the 80ft of HS2 and can't carry anywhere near as much traffic as HS2. It went over budget because of the endless legal challenges from people such as yourself - YOU cost us billions and gave us literally less than nothing to show for it. You sacrificed massive swaths of british countryside, destroyed for roads we didn't need had HS2 been allowed to continue.

[@mattgoodchild8215]

@@xaiano794 hahaha must admit that has made me laugh although borderline insulting you really are missing the point so let’s put it simply so you can understand Humans are multiplying faster than germs on a Petra dish bro and if we carry on the way we are things are not going to be good for future generations which is a fact that no one can deny and it’s a global problem there’s to many of us apocalypse here we come Anyway we are never gonna agree are we and like me u are welcome to your opinion I have seen the devastation and it’s frightening You go and enjoy your train with its 140 decibels of noise pollution Enjoy 👍🏼

[@xaiano794]

@@mattgoodchild8215 You seem to have issues understanding simple logic. HS2 covers less land than alternative modes of transport. That means you are advocating for MORE destruction of the british countryside. I'll try and simplify this so you can comprehend - It's like you have a water leak in your home, and you don't want to ruin your towel by using it to soak up the water so instead you let it go on the carpet and ruin that instead. By opposing HS2 you are forcing the alternative and the alternative is far worse. This isn't 'theory' or predictions either, this has already happened. Huge new roads have been built already, like the one I pointed out, to carry the traffic that would have been on HS2 I can't believe you bring up noise - It's like you have never left your living room. Are you bed ridden? Simply drive over to your nearest motorway and stand beside it, see how loud it is. Then go to your nearest rail line and do the same. I get the feeling you live at your computer and are just going by what you read on the internet because anyone could simply drive to these places and see for themselves.

[@Mrgingerdread1]

Amazing, how's anyone going to afford a ticket.

[@martinsloman6905]

High speed trains create more capacity on both the new and existing networks. With the demand / supply ratio reduced costs will fall. However, the railway has traditionally practised yield management. Basically fares are tailored to maximise revenue. So, business travellers at peak hours will pay far more than off-peak leisure travellers with railcards.

[@jagman84]

Have they announced the ticket prices already? Or are you simply repeating what others, opposed to the project, have made up? It'll be run by whoever is the franchise holder for the WCML at the point of it's opening. So it'll be Avanti or their successor. The West Midlands commuter services will be combined into a "Centro-esque" local PTE, as it was in the 1990s.

[@harrypenn611]

Those lovely lales ruined by that concrete crap

[@xaiano794]

I like how you think a former open cast mine is some sort of 'natural' landscape.

[@harrypenn611]

@@xaiano794did I say Natural .....think outside your small town brain

[@xaiano794]

​@harrypenn611 you're the one that isn't thinking, opposing structures like this means we are forced to build more motorways to carry the traffic. If you actually lived around her and weren't just talking about stuff you know nothing about, you'd know that this rail bridge is far, far nicer than either the proposed or existing motorway bridges.

[@jimwoodford3984]

Would have looked so much better if it was a traditional viaduct reflecting some of the great bridges we have built in the past. Instead we an awful looking, uninspriring concrete eyesore.

[@petercapon9878]

Cancel the whole bloody thing it's just a folly now

[@JohnJones-k9d]

Is this a chinese machine

[@carlosifer]

Money pit 😂

[@keithd5181]

No. FIBRE.

[@brianmorecombe2726]

Utter effing waste of money.Suits conned suits in parliament it would bring plenty of lucrative trade, level up the country and it would only cost 2 billion quid its now costing 200 billion and increasing.We are all paying for this nonsense railway and most of us arent benefitting from it

[@VickersDoorter]

Ghastly waste of money. Great vanity projector for engineers portfolios and £billions in dividends for construction companies shareholders. Disaster for the beautiful landscapes it has scythed through. Shame on you all.

[@xaiano794]

I'm confused, you oppose HS2 but you're advocating for far more destruction of the british countryside. I mean surely you understand that cancelling rail projects means more traffic by road, more roads being built and that roads are much, much larger than railways, right? This isn't theoretical nor is it a prediction either - it's already happened. Thanks to the cancelation of the northern leg, new roads such as the M11 south of huntingdon have been constructed, that road alone is 475ft wide, as opposed to the 80ft average of HS2. Furthermore more money has been spent by nimbys on 'studies' legal challenges to HS2 and inquiries than the entire build cost of the line, so I'm a little confused as to why you aren't angry at them (and you) for wasting money if cash was truly a key concern for yourself...

[@Fester_]

"Marvel" Trademark. Fair usage rights apply.

[@carltontweedle5724]

England's longest rail bridge Scotland's looks better.

[@conkers66]

I cant wait to go to Birmingham on this waste of money 😂😂😂

[@NathanMatthews.]

Can't understand the Indian

[@-Osiris-]

His English is pretty good, if you don't understand him maybe *your* grasp of English isn't very good. I recommend you enroll in a language school or something.

[@xaiano794]

I get that you're just learning, English is a tricky language to master but with some practice you'll become adept at understanding.

[@1chish]

He is British and speaks excellent English. So slope off and take your ignorance elsewhere.

[@shaunwest3612]

Incredible work and engineering, congratulations 👌