Two major milestones on the UK’s HS2 project

Old Oak Common excavation complete

Construction of HS2’s Old Oak Common station in west London has reached a new phase with the completion of the excavation of the huge underground box structure. The excavation has taken three years, after permanent construction to form the walls of the box began in June 2021.

BBVS, the joint venture (JV) comprising SYSTRA, Balfour Beatty Group Ltd, VINCI Construction UK Ltd and VINCI Construction Grands Projets SAS, working with their specialist structures contractor Expanded, completed the excavation section by section within the box, starting from the west and the east sides of the structure and meeting in the middle. Now the box has been full excavated, the team will be working to pour the final sections of base slab to fully complete the box.

The completion of this excavation is a significant milestone for the Old Oak Common project, for which the BBVS JV was named the Construction Delivery Partner in 2019, as it paves the way for the next construction phase which involves the building of the high-speed and conventional rail platforms and the station itself.

Nizar Awad, Old Oak Common Project Director, SYSTRA UK & Ireland

Six 450-metre platforms will be constructed in the underground box for HS2 services. Above ground, eight further platforms are being built, and will be served by the Elizabeth Line, Great Western Mainline services and the Heathrow Express.

Sustainable construction in action

All the steel used for the excavation was 100% responsibly sourced and most of the concrete used is produced by the London Concrete batching plant on site, which reuses rainwater in its mixes. Now the box has been fully excavated, the team will be working to pour the final sections of base slab to complete the box.

The four piers for HS2’s Bellingham Bridge successfully installed

Our teams have celebrated the completion of four huge piers for the 150-metre-long superstructure, the Curzon 2 viaduct, nicknamed the ‘Bellingham Bridge’ in honour of England footballer Jude Bellingham.

This is a significant construction milestone on the sequence of viaducts designed by the BBVS design joint venture with Mott MacDonald and Weston Williamson + Partners that will take high-speed trains in and out of Curzon Street Station in Birmingham. The bridge design celebrates the area’s industrial heritage and will carry trains over the existing Victorian brick rail viaduct, with a 25-metre-high curved truss.

This milestone is an outstanding achievement, and our teams are very proud to have contributed to it. Our work continues on the Curzon Street site, and we are pleased to support HS2 in the creation of the station approaches that will put Birmingham at the centre of the new zero-carbon high speed network.

Ian Johnson, HS2 Project Director, SYSTRA UK

Let there be light

The viaduct will include a unique light installation, designed by British artist Liz West, which will produce a dynamic colour palette to the apertures of the steel truss, framing views of the city. Titled Out of the Blue, the proposed public artwork will add a dramatic feature to Birmingham’s urban landscape.