Building HS2
Construction of the new, high-speed line is well underway, with work undergoing across 350 active sites between London and the West Midlands. Work has begun on two thirds of HS2’s viaducts and over half of its bridges. A third of tunnelling is already complete.
HS2 is the first new intercity railway to be built north of London in over a century. Construction of the line is well underway, with 30,000 jobs supported by the project and over 3,200 UK-based businesses helping to build it.
HS2’s construction will continue to support thousands of jobs, benefit UK businesses of all sizes, and lay the foundations for the arrival of more new rail services into the next decade and beyond.
Once operational, HS2’s British-built bullet trains will provide zero-carbon journeys between the UK’s two largest cities, Birmingham and London, with services continuing on to Manchester, the North West and Scotland using the conventional railway network, cutting journey times.
Facts & Figures
Trains
HS2 will consist of a fleet of high-speed, British built, bullet-style trains – to be designed, built and maintained in the UK.
- Two major depots – where HS2 trains will be maintained, and from which maintenance teams and equipment can reach the entire 194 miles (312km) of track.
Stations
HS2 will build four new stations as part of construction of the route between London and the West Midlands.
- London Euston Station in London
- Old Oak Common Station in West London
- Interchange Station in Solihull
- Curzon Street Station in Birmingham
Tunnels
HS2 will consist of 64 miles (102.9km) of dedicated high-speed rail tunnel, constructed in five separate tunnel drives along the London to West Midlands route, in a number of different locations.
- Euston Tunnel will be a 4.5 miles (7.3km) tunnel that will take passengers from Euston station to Old Oak Common station.
- Northolt Tunnel will be a 8.4 miles (13.6km) tunnel under London that will take passengers from Old Oak Common to West Ruislip.
- Chiltern Tunnel will be the longest and deepest tunnel will be the Chiltern tunnel measuring 10 miles (16km) long and will go as deep as 90 metres.
- Long Itchington Wood Tunnel will be a short 1 mile (0.8km) long tunnel under Long Itchington Wood, preserving this ancient woodland.
- Bromford Tunnel will be a 3.5 miles (5.8km) tunnel situated just outside Birmingham.
Viaducts and bridges
HS2 will build over 11 miles of viaducts and bridges, which will include more than 500 bridging structures and over 50 major viaducts which will stretch across valleys, rivers, roads and flood plains.
- Over 500 bridging structures will be constructed under and over the route.
- Over 50 viaducts measuring about 9 miles (15km) in length will be built.
- The UK’s longest viaduct will cross the Colne Valley. It will be over 2 miles (3.4km) long, which is just over half a mile longer than the Forth Rail Bridge.
- Delta Junction outside Birmingham is 5.9 miles (9.5km) long and consists of 7 bridges and viaducts spanning 3 rail lines, 8 roads, 5 rivers and canals and the M6.
Cuttings and embankments
HS2 trains need gentle gradients to maintain their high speeds by running above ground on embankments and below in cuttings.
- Over 70 cuttings will be excavated, measuring over 44 miles (72km) in total.
- The longest is the Calvert Cutting at 2.5 miles (4.1km) with a maximum depth of 9.7m.
- The deepest is Lower Thorpe Cutting at 30.5m deep.
- Over 110 embankments, measuring about 38 miles (61km) long , will be constructed.
- The longest embankment will be Grendon Underwood at 1.8 miles (3km) long.
Archaeology
The largest archaeological programme ever undertaken in the UK – more than 1,000 archaeologists, specialists, scientists and conservators are revealing over 10,000 years of British history.
Trains
HS2’s state-of-the-art fleet of high speed trains a major boost for UK train-building.
Stations
HS2 stations will be some of the most environmentally friendly buildings in the UK.
Tunnels
We're creating 65 miles of dedicated high-speed rail tunnels between London and the West Midlands.
Headhouses and Ventilation Shafts
HS2's tunnels ventilation shafts to regulate airflow and provide emergency access.
Viaducts and bridges
HS2 will build over 500 bridging structures, including over 50 major viaducts.
Cuttings and embankments
HS2 trains need gentle gradients to maintain their high speeds by running above ground on embankments and below in cuttings.
Archaeology
HS2's archaeology programme is one of the largest ever undertaken in the UK.
Environmental Sustainability
HS2 is protecting and enhancing woodlands, habitats and wildlife as we build the railway.
Design
HS2 is for everybody, and world-class design can help achieve this.
Innovation
HS2's innovation in the design and build will improve productivity.
How to build a railway
How to Build a Railway is a twelve-part podcast series exploring the story behind the construction of the UK’s new high speed rail line.
Learning Legacy
HS2 Learning Legacy is the collation and dissemination of good practice, innovation and lessons learned.
Further information
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