First completed sections of HS2’s Curzon Street Station viaduct

[@TheRailwayDrone]

You can love or hate HS2, but there is no denying how fascinating the construction process has been. Excellent works.

[@jakehowie442]

Very slow expensive process

[@TheRailwayDrone]

@@jakehowie442 Very true.

[@TrevorWilliams-fq8mg]

It's inevitable it will take years when the entire length from London to Handsacre has got to be built piecemeal fashion. Divert a roundabout, build a bridge over a river, divert a power cable, build a new power cable and so on. If Britain was a new country with no infrastructure to build round it would have been built by now.

[@jakehowie442]

Should’ve started Manchester to Birmingham or in the North much cheaper land than in South, more space too

[@TheRailwayDrone]

@@jakehowie442 I have to agree, especially since London gets all the glory.

[@Samuel_J1]

The permanent structure looks fantastic. I can't wait to see the station come out of the ground - that'll be a really significant moment to see!

[@m.e.345]

High-speed rail is definitely the future of public transportation and it is good to see UK citizens working together.

[@jakehowie442]

It’s definitely not! HS2 line is pretty useless and doesn’t serve even 1/10th of the population. Very few people want to travel to Birmingham especially from London… More people want to go to Manchester and Liverpool, even Leeds, as well as North to South from these cities

[@1346crecy]

@@jakehowie442 So where do we start then? Your opinion on where from and to?

[@jakehowie442]

@@1346crecy Manchester to Crewe to Birmingham to London like planned, Liverpool to Manchester to Leeds / Sheffield to Newcastle to Edinburgh better served with high speed lines

[@1346crecy]

@@jakehowie442 Don't disagree with any of what you said. So on the premise of we cant do all this at once lets allow thirty years to completely upgrade our rail system. As soon as were nearly finished this bit ,I agree with you that the east coast should be next. Keep it rolling so we're not starting from scratch every time. Finally take the awarding of contracts away from the Treasury and appoint group of senior retired businessmen who have spent their lives in construction to peruse tenders and award contracts.

[@jakehowie442]

@@1346crecy nope, London and Birmingham do not need HS2. The North does. Very few commuters to London nowadays. Manchester UK's fastest growing city

[@VictorHHH7]

A great achievement by everyone involved, having trained all these young people it’s a shame to think after HS2 is complete most will have to take their experience to other countries to continue their careers, I wish the UK could be more forward thinking and find them work here where they learned their trade

[@DavidKnowles0]

If Labour get into power hopefully some of them will be able to work on Bakerloo line or some of the Northern Rail improvement works or even Crossrail 2.

[@VictorHHH7]

@@DavidKnowles0shame it requires us having a labour government

[@VictorHHH7]

I’m not convinced they have the ability to organise anything successfully

[@VictorHHH7]

Guess labour could squeeze the taxpayer, I think they might lose the election with the news of re nationalisation

[@janeknight3597]

Crossrail 2 is needed, but the priority should be the bits of HS2 the short sighted muppets cancelled.

[@HebrewsElevenTwentyFive]

Thank you to all involved. God bless 🙏🏾

[@mikewilson8513]

I live on the southside of the city. (closer to Bromsgrove than the city centre) I had no idea of this project. I mean I knew it was going on, but no idea of the scale of the construction. Must go and have proper look. Amazing feat of civil engineering. Will look incredible when its completed. Pity that HS2 terminates here. It should continue northwards.

[@TheFrogfather1]

The sheer scale of the project, even in its truncated form, is very impressive. I hope I'm still alive when it opens.

[@proskar3146]

Good work!

[@davidelsemeader6587]

Brillaint! Makes me feel proud to be British! Well done HS".

[@chrise2329]

Fascinated to see the changes whenever I go past.

[@gingertom2355]

The current rate of progress is fantastic to see. Just imagine how far along the station construction would have been if Government had quit the numerous bouts of prevarication and loss of nerve and just allowed the constructors to get on with it. Guess we'll need a different Government to get Euston built.

[@Kodakcompactdisc]

I just realized I’m watching this parked up next to an old brick built bridge from the 1860’s with just the piers left standing. Fascinating.

[@1346crecy]

Love it! Well done to all!

[@jamesmcdonnell5617]

This chap Stefan Skrakowski (sp?; Ap.) should be made the 'permanent' official spokesman for HS2 in future videos on updating the general public on completed, future or in-process construction works underway currently. He is articulate, knowledgeable and easy to listen to.

[@ianjoyce5120]

You should check out Jack from Bam Nuttall on the Coast Cams (KZbin) documentation of the Dawlish Sea Wall Upgrade project. Jack (and Network Rail et al.) show how community engagement should be done. Give a vidographer access to an expert who can explain in laymans terms what is happening and everyone is happy.

[@52robbo]

So incredibly short sighted by Sunak and his ‘government’; but I’m quite sure a high speed route will eventually get completed right through to Glasgow and Edinburgh and including all the great northern cities of Britain. Just a pity it will end up costing more. But all great infrastructure projects always run over cost projections, it’s in the nature of such works. Well done on the job so far.

[@1346crecy]

I agree I think another government regardless of it's political hue will pick this up and push it right the way up the country. It has to start somewhere right. With regard cost, I work in construction and material costs have pretty much sky rocketed since COVID. Also, unfortunately, The Treasury is staffed mostly with incompetents who are unsackable....In my opinion

[@TrevorWilliams-fq8mg]

​@1346crecy Did you know a budget estimate has never been produced ? The 32.70 billion figure everyone is trying to benchmark the costs against was a figure Boris Johnson said would get the go ahead so HS2 said it could be built for that.

[@1346crecy]

@@TrevorWilliams-fq8mg No I'm not having this blaming the politicians all the time. Its the Treasury's job to manage all public projects. My opinion is they are not up to it. Where did Johnson get that figure from did he just pluck it out of he air? Of course not. Typical bureaucrats fuck up, then hide behind the politicians be they Labour or Tory.

[@TrevorWilliams-fq8mg]

I'm told by someone who went to an HS2 presentation that they had carried out soundings in the government and felt 32.70 billion would be OK to proceed so HS2 confirmed it could be built for that figure. What normally happens is a Cost Consultant does a budget costplan and that's never enough because Cost Consultants don't have enough technical capability to understand what things cost. But in this case it would have been impossible to put a detailed budget costplan in place when no information existed.

[@1346crecy]

@@TrevorWilliams-fq8mg I've worked on and managed rail projects and Underground projects over the last 30 years . "Carried out soundings" is not a way to invite tenders for major Civil engineering projects on behalf of the public. As I said the people perusing the tenders have to have the detailed knowledge required, you cant just say give me a ballpark figure. I do understand that this is complex and if a " Cost consultant" doesn't have the relative knowledge then he is as much use as an ashtray on a motorcycle. The point I keep going back to, is that the Treasury seems unable to manage these things which is supposed to be their job. Therefore a new way of inviting tenders that is open and transparent needs to be formulated. These matters should not be resolved over a good lunch.

[@shaunwest3612]

Amazing achievement, well done 👍

[@oscarsands1237]

can't wait to see what the grafted artists will do when it's done

[@msteele4009]

Absolutely fabulous work......

[@garethelias6006]

Good progress! Keep the updates coming!

[@michaelcolllett9082]

As i make deliveries near by, amazing to see progress been make,as I have interested in civil engineering projects

[@brandywell44]

Have animation videos been made showing the completed rail network for all sections. I would Particularly like to see how the junction at Water Orton and the Attleborough Lane tunnels will look with trains running.

[@RichardBacon-h5x]

Great work, well done!

[@te4186]

I suspect I'm not the only one that is wondering this: When is a viaduct a viaduct... and not just a bridge ? Thanks for these update videos. Surprisingly interesting......

[@timmarsh4029]

Amazing!

[@MePeterNicholls]

Please will the government see sense at at least extend it to Crewe.

[@gorgu08]

There is zero chance that Crewe will not see this extended to there, irrespective of the political winds there is no other options it just will not be called hs2, watch out for a Crewe high speed bypass coming your way soon ;-)

[@gorgu08]

The funniest bit of all is the Tories will be powerless to avoid it

[@lg_believe333]

The sad part is so many people, here and abroad believe the misinformation being put out there about HS2 and our inability to build a world class high speed rail project. Well, HS2 Ltd have proven that’s untrue with video updates about its actual progress. High Speed Rail is the future. I just hope we have high speed rail connecting all of Great Britain, one day, when we can cut down on all the excessive bureaucracy that holds it back.

[@thorley1969]

Excellently put.

[@TrevorWilliams-fq8mg]

There are a lot of people out there who know nothing about the construction industry but have always got an opinion about it. Then they look silly. It's like me insisting NASA can build a rocket that can get us to the moo. In a day when I know nothing sbout space travel or rockets.

[@alanalmo5834]

Great commentary, which as a Brummie and Chartered Civil Engineer I find easy to understand. I also worked for VINCI until my retirement. But I just wonder if a more simple explanation is required? Or possibly a more detailed explanation of the complexities of soffit formwork for a bridge? When does the slurry poured into moulds become a hardened structure capable of carrying tremendous loads? I admire what is being done to assist public understanding of the great things we do in construction but think we need to do more.

[@LILC63]

I really like the HS2 project, it’s annoying that basically half of it has been cancelled.

[@tomlynch6176]

Looks amazing

[@thunderdemonlover]

Thank You.

[@theokr89]

Incredible feat and what an achievement so far. The only shame is that it will (currently) be ending in Birmingham only.

[@Macc1]

HS2. Always better late than never.

[@peteregan3862]

Happy to comment. Terminating railway stations in city centres are very inefficient, thus a huge waste of money. Like in the EU, the island of Great Britain needs a rail GRID which includes a loop around the coast. 'Grid' being a literal term. The grid will respond to population density, thus more grid lines in cities. With current rail automation systems in use in the world, the entire UK rail network can be automated (no drivers), trains sized to demand, and services operated when demanded with minimum service frequencies. There should be a price signal to peak demand.

[@johnson_street_IEMD]

I saw the piers on the way to Making Tracks Four... on the WCML .. Great work guys ... is there provision for future northbound hs2 in these pathways .. ?

[@RitaFarrow]

could i ask as to what you have now in length and what will be the over all length,of the platforms thanking you,great content

[@SirKenchalot]

When will you lay down the first piece of track? Will all 7 approach roads be laid down initially as it doesn't seem likely you'll need all 7 now that the rest of HS2 has been scaled back?

[@nicholashortonjustice4rebe378]

The Great Central Railway is Gonna use Pre-Fabricated Concrete Decks for their Bridging the Gap Project

[@stjepangorera941]

Good work I hope and Croatia will one day have HSRail who will streched through teritory. Good luck to HS2 in UK...🍃🌱🌿☘🍀🍂🍁🌺🌼🦕🦋🇭🇷🇬🇧🇪🇺🌍🍌🍇🍓🥦🌽❤☀️

[@PeterUn-h1i]

Ive anyone is wondering about the grave yard and the bodies dug up to make way for this, apparently they will be reburied at Witton cemetery.

[@peterwilliamallen1063]

Witton Cemettary is closed to new buriels, any thing like this usully go to Lodge Hill Cemetary in the Kings Norton area of Birmingham

[@PeterUn-h1i]

@peterwilliamallen1063 hi this is what I was told by HS2 after raising the question with them. If its not correct I would be extremely interested as I will raise it with my mp. Please let me know. Thanks

[@PeterUn-h1i]

Hs2, is it correct only 3 of the 7 platforms being built will actually receive trains ? as the other platforms that would have been used if the lines went further north has now been cancelled. Await your reply, thanks

[@thisisbob1001]

Blends in lovely

[@kennydeary957]

Who done the drawings for this project

[@peterpowis4145]

Can I ask when HS2 plan to start building the Curzon Street station itself?

[@miroslawpruszkowski8085]

how this the current structure fit in, it would have been nice to superimpose the plans and the linking parts, it currently looks a little lost without context imho

[@richardwills-woodward]

Will this be built to European gauge and future-proofed (I know the trains will be UK gauge for the foreseeable future) because if we do manage an option of some services on a closed network in future (distant future of course and I'll probably be dead by then) it would be good to have the option of wider and taller (double-decker?) trains.

[@peterwilliamallen1063]

No trains for use on HS2 will be built to the European UIC guge other ise they will not be able to run on the existing UK rail network

[@thomasfy4]

Il be surprised if this opens any time before 2040

[@chrisoddy8744]

Currently scheduled to be open before 2030

[@ElmerCat]

After Curzon, I expect the next will be Jadzia, followed by Ezri.

[@peterwilliamallen1063]

Curzon is the name of a street where the original Curzon Street Station was built and the new station is taking it's name

[@PeterUn-h1i]

Looks like its going to have alot of platforms, i wonder if they will all be built and finished now the railway stops there.

[@mbrough2799]

It won't stop there. The project will be reviewed and then continued because the capacity is required for the future. It is only Sunak and his government that cannot understand this, for some unknown reason.

[@peterwilliamallen1063]

This is only the terminus of HS2 in Birmingham, but the HS2 line also has another line that bypasses Birmingham to Handsacre in Staffordshire which will allow HS2 trains from Birmingham and London to go to Manchester and the North

[@mbrough2799]

@@peterwilliamallen1063 At the moment the project north of Birmingham is is disarray, mainly of this government's making. Presumably it will be sorted out when people who know anything about transport take over. The French must be laughing at us, really. They have had high speed rail for decades. In the meantime, the British, or at least the Conservative government and its adherents keep pretending that they can stay behind the wheel on an ever expanding road network indefinitely, which of course will be impossible.

[@u1zha]

0:36 no link, but otherwise great video

[@neilcurson4505]

The railway from nowhere to nowhere now the northern line was cancelled, should have been London to Edinburgh

[@nigelgarrett7970]

Second largest city in Britain = nowhere, really?

[@neilcurson4505]

@@nigelgarrett7970 I meant the main line.

[@peterwilliamallen1063]

@@neilcurson4505 It is the main line from Birmingham and Handsacre to London Euston what else would it be

[@richardwills-woodward]

@@nigelgarrett7970 3rd in urban economic reality. It is also far poorer than Manchester now unfortunately.

[@mrglide7078]

@@richardwills-woodward Nice try 😂Citation please

[@WaqasIdrees-c3d]

How do I get a job with hs2

[@johnhodges7891]

Look lovely when all the graffiti artists are allowed in .. trust me they will

[@DavidKnowles0]

They will need a dedicated team to clean it off.

[@daranphilipson1025]

Unfortunately the piers will be decorated with graffiti before too long.

[@beecee2205]

good, it should read this is an expensive pile of shit

[@davidgraham6872]

It's the M11 allover again 😮

[@peterwilliamallen1063]

@@beecee2205 So what would you spend this on, it is not for you but the fiture generations who will want to travel at high speed by rail

[@beecee2205]

@@peterwilliamallen1063 local links. Unlike all the fools on this thread I live in Warwickshire. I live 1.5 miles from Nuneaton. Its on thw west coast mainline. I do not need HS2, which will be over priced. And lets not forget the parking eh ? High speed ? Train from Aston to Acton is high speed ? Please. Do we need a high speed link ? Ever hear of the internet. Its a lot quicker.

[@peterwilliamallen1063]

@@beecee2205 Definetly shows you know nothing about HS2 or Birmingham, for a start HS2 goes no where near Aston, Birmingham Curzon Street Station is in the heart of Birmingham City Center then it runs through the Vauxhall and Duddeston area of Birimingham, then Saltley, Washwood Heath and finaly under Bromford to Water Orton but no where near Aston I am afraid to say and then terminating in London Euston again definaetly not Acton. We in Birmningham, the West Midlands Manchester, Liverpool and Scotland definately need this HS2 high speed link and Nuneaton and the existing WCML will get a slower train service as most of Avanti West Coast services will trnsfer to the HS2 route when it opens and where do you get the over priced bit from, maybe where you got the idea of HS2 terminating in Aston. I suggest you get an AtoZ map of Birmingham a trace the HS2 route on it before making silly comments, and yes I live in Birmingham near where HS2 runs

[@PeterUn-h1i]

Somewhere for the homeless to keep out of the rain, i guess. Shame some money wasn't spent on building them proper shelter instead

[@peterwilliamallen1063]

This area will be full of transport sites such as taxi ranks, Bus stops and a tram stop

[@PeterUn-h1i]

@@peterwilliamallen1063 yes your probably right, if had gone to New Street station instead of terminating in Digbeth, there would be no need for taxis or buses

[@peterwilliamallen1063]

@@PeterUn-h1i Again sorry to correct you HS2 doesn't terminate in Digbeth, you are thinking of the National Express Coach Station, HS2 runs into Curzon Street Station from the Vauxhall area of Birmingham with the Birmingham Curzon Street Station Main Entrance being on Moor Street Queensway in the City Centre next door to Birmingham Moor Street Station, even if you went into New Street Station in most cases you require to get the Tram, Bus or Taxi to your final destination

[@cwmbc]

It great to see the station being built. Just a pity it could not of been a through station instead of a dead end. Would of made train movement far easier....and lost less time.

[@peterwilliamallen1063]

Train movements will be easy due to the Delta Junction at Water Orton which will allow trains from Birmingham Curzon Street to go south to London and North to Manchester and the North but will also allow trains from London to Manchester to by pass Birmingham. A through station would of been too time consuming, costly and problomatic with in the City Centre and Birmingham New Street has not the capacity for HS2 services plus other services hence the reason to build a new station for HS2 services

[@johnevans2044]

Unlike many UK cities that are centred on river valleys, Birmingham city centre, where New Street station is located, is on a hill. Curzon Street is actually the original terminus of the London and Birmingham railway, and the railway stopped there because the cost of actually putting the terminus in the city centre was considered at the time (1838) to be too great for the company to bear. Only later was the railway extended to the city centre through a costly tunnel, and the station had to be built in a deep, restricted width cutting. When other railway lines reached Birmingham, they too had to approach New Street station via expensive tunnels. The constricted approaches to New Street station and the restrictions on the size of the station have caused problems ever since. It's just not economically or environmentally viable to expand New Street station to accommodate HS2. Also the existing line northwest from there, via Wolverhampton to Stafford (where it joins the Trent Valley diversionary line) goes through 20 miles of urban area, and once again, the environmental disruption of widening that route to accommodate HS2, and the cost of doing so, would be far more than that of the route now being built to the east of Birmingham. The new Curzon Street station and approaches to it are sited on old railway marshalling yards and abandoned former industrial areas, so the build cost is relatively much lower, and the environmental impact is much less. I hope that adequately explains the decision to built a terminal station at Curzon Street.

[@paulhendry13ph]

Why a viaduct? Why not ground level?

[@peterwilliamallen1063]

Because the station main entrance is higher than the ground level near the original station and for the line to enter Curzon Street Station it has to cross at high level the Birmingham to Derby Railway Line and the Cross City Line before entering Curzon Street Station

[@ldcclan220]

Love or hate humanity those pillars will stand for hundreds of years “my great great great grandad built HS2” 😂😂😂

[@gordonholding5621]

Beneath the decks would’ve been an ideal car parking spot for rail customers with a mini tram to get from car park to station. Too late now to build it into the design.

[@peterwilliamallen1063]

A tram service from Curzon Street to Digbeth and the City Centre is being provided by the Midland Metro

[@zizapeg18]

I go to different sites on H2s and the amount of destruction on the country side is enormous.The scale you can not comprehend,from warickshire through country side and the split from the M42 running up to lichfield main line and what for ? So you can get to and from london 30 mins earlier and it will cost you more.Biggest white elephant in our history.

[@richardwills-woodward]

Incorrect. It has nothing to do with time. If you understood railways you'd know the network is full. There is no other solution that is viable. Beyond that, if you support mass migration we'll need to repeat it.

[@briangreenlee181]

Just like Boston's Big Dig and California's HSR, Sad that they seem to grossly under bid the initial costs to get it started and then beg for more and more funds.

[@briangreenlee181]

@cjjk9142 didn't you have the same issue with Crossrail?

[@Back2TheBike]

From nowhere to nowhere, £120Bn. Looks like that money funds the positive reviewers in these comments too.

[@nigelgarrett7970]

So the second largest city in Britain is nowhere then? Given how often I see the same comment I wonder who is funding them?

[@thoughtsonnarrowboatingwit3882]

Just another horrible lifeless precast unit waiting to be tagged!

[@Joe90V]

Underneath; a concrete wasteland. You'd have thought Birmingham would have learnt by now.

[@DavidKnowles0]

It central government that decided to put tunnels in empty country side rather than a tunnel and underground station here.

[@Joe90V]

@@DavidKnowles0 and you don't think Birmingham Council had any say in it? You have no clue.

[@1chish]

Its not a wasteland. Its where people can walk and ride bikes and get about in an open and well lit area. It has a use so not wasted.

[@1chish]

@@DavidKnowles0 Well not true but have you any idea of the subterranean structures under Birmingham from the last 200 years that would have had to be either shifted or negotiated around? Curzon Street station will sit above ground rather than in a huge hole underground. More daylight and easier access and less costly.

[@ZDtue]

Huh? 1:40

[@Leon-lt5gv]

Its run out of money ' tories over budgeting 'ie overpricing to rip the tax payer off ' now it will be sold to a billionair tory friend ' so now its gonna cost you more money to use ' thats privatisation in action ' paid for by the people ' owned by billionairs 🤷🤑🤔

[@mrglide7078]

You lost me in your word salad. Please, again in English..?

[@Leon-lt5gv]

@@mrglide7078 go back to school 😂

[@jimwoodford3984]

Concrete overpasses are the worst of all structures in cities.

[@jasonking6892]

50 Billion over Budget on a who Knows 100 Billion project or More Shocking from London to Birmingham Big Deal Complete Waste of Money 😅😅😅👎🇬🇧

[@Leonard_Smith]

Since when did a human need to say "Number" after a number in everyday speech? 🤣

[@TomGB-81]

That's how construction management tend to speak, been like that for at least a couple of decades that I've been an electrician.

[@Nick-ye5kk]

I didn't even notice but now I notice every time.

[@ncooper8438]

Impressive civil engineering, but maybe using tunnels would have been aesthetically more pleasing.

[@johnevans2044]

I'm sure the engineers who planned the HS2 route and the construction works have considered the possibilty, but it's likely that the height contours of the approach from the east mean a tunnel would not be a sensible design. It's not a good idea to make trains (even modern ones) have to go up a rising gradient out of a station from a standing start. The line into Euston was built in a cutting going downhill into the station, and this proved to be a problem from day one when trains leaving the station had to immediatley negotiate a rising gradient. Much better to construct railway lines to be as level as possible, particularly at stations.

[@mrglide7078]

and very expensive

[@petercrossley1069]

You're not "stood" you are "standing". Learn English.

[@Afc1987]

Waste of money

[@mrglide7078]

what is? Your device for posting inane comments with?

[@beecee2205]

white elephant

[@mrglide7078]

black bear... tabby cat...

[@samplechannel2fiyd5idjfufjfud]

slow af

[@leo1314ok]

Oh yippee. How much did we waste on this then?