HS2 in Solihull
Britain's new high-speed railway
Solihull sits at the heart of the new high-speed railway. HS2 trains pass through Balsall Common, Berkswell, Hampton-in-Arden, Bickenhill and Chelmsley Wood.
Interchange station will have two 415m-long island platforms with four platform faces, and two central high-speed through lines for non-stop services.
Trains will reach Old Oak Common station in west London in 31 minutes.
Interchange station connects to the NEC, Birmingham International rail station and Birmingham Airport through our automated people mover (APM). This will make it easier to switch between trains, buses and planes.
Programme reset
We’re making sure HS2 provides the best value for Britain by carrying out a full review of the programme for the government.
Our CEO Mark Wild is resetting HS2’s cost and schedule. He successfully led Crossrail’s recovery in the wake of major challenges. This led to the successful opening of the Elizabeth line – now the busiest in the UK.
What we're building in Solihull
Balsall Common viaduct
The HS2 route will travel along a viaduct as it passes Balsall Common on the north-eastern side of the existing Network Rail line.
A45 overbridge
The new high-speed railway passes under the A45 Coventry Road as it approaches Interchange station in Solihull. This section of the A45 Coventry Road is near Bickenhill, between Stonebridge roundabout and M42 Junction 6.
We’re building the A45 overbridge in two sections. Preparatory works to build the eastbound section started in spring 2025 and we’ll complete it in early 2027. We’ll then build the westbound section from early 2027 until summer 2028.
To safely build the A45 overbridge, we’ll move traffic across the carriageways and put traffic management restrictions in place.
River Blythe viaduct
We’re building a 475m (1,558ft) low-lying viaduct that will cross the River Blythe and Meriden Road.
Interchange station
Interchange station will serve Solihull, Birmingham Airport and the NEC. We’ve designed it to be sustainable.
Automated people mover
A new automated people mover (APM) will connect Interchange station to Birmingham Airport, Birmingham International rail station and the NEC.
M42 Box structure
The M42 twin box structure will carry the new high-speed railway across the M42 near Birmingham Business Park and Birmingham Airport. The new structure will be about 300m long by 25m wide and will cover about 130m of the M42.
We’ll build the structure while keeping three lanes of traffic open on the M42.
The design uses prefabricated concrete blocks to build the structure’s walls and will cut the construction time significantly. We’ll install 295 beams to bridge the gaps between the walls before installing the bridge deck and rail systems.
M6 south viaduct
The M6 south viaduct will carry the new high-speed railway over the motorway and slip road near Birmingham Business Park and Birmingham Airport, between junctions 4 northbound and 4a southbound.
We’ll build the viaduct using the incremental launch method. This involves welding steel girders together on site, then pushing them across each pier span. The girders will be anchored off the abutment and launching foundations.
Work started in spring 2024 and will be ongoing until summer 2026.
Current work in the area
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