A major engineering milestone has been completed on the HS2 programme with the successful launch of a 130-metre steel viaduct across the Grand Union Canal near Ufton in Warwickshire. The 1.5-mile stretch of canal has now reopened to the public seven days ahead of schedule after engineers successfully slid the Read more…
The High Speed Rail Group is delighted to announce the appointment of former Rail Minister and Chair of the Transport Select Committee, Huw Merriman, as our Non-Executive Chair. Huw served as Conservative MP for Bexhill and Battle constituency from 2015 to 2024, and was Minister of State for Rail, HS2 Read more…
One of the lasting misconceptions about HS2 is why it was proposed in the first place. Many still believe it was all about cutting journey times, a bonus, yes, but never the primary goal. Others rightly highlight the aim to better connect the North and South of the UK – Read more…
Fifteen years on from its launch by Government, but still some way from completion, HS2 remains in the public eye. As this new book by first time author Sally Gimson shows, there is enough intrigue and political shenanigans to make Off the Rails – the Inside Story of HS2 a Read more…
A specialist HS2 engineering team is preparing to move a 112m long, 1,631 tonne steel structure over a section of Lawley Middleway – part of Birmingham’s ring road in August. Rather than building the bridge in situ, disruption to road users has been drastically reduced by constructing the steel span Read more…
HS2 has reached another significant construction milestone with the installation of the first high-speed rail platform at Old Oak Common station in West London. This marks the first platform completed anywhere on Britain’s new high-speed railway and provides a visible glimpse of what future passengers can expect. The new platforms Read more…
The construction of two parallel viaducts that will carry HS2 trains over the M6 near Birmingham Airport has taken a major step forward, with the first section of structural steelwork now complete. To reduce disruption for motorists, the twin 320-metre-long M6 South viaducts are being assembled to one side and Read more…
HS2 contractors have completed work on a pair of innovative extensions to the southern portal of its longest tunnel to eliminate the possibility of ‘sonic boom’ being created by high-speed trains entering at 200mph. The structures, built at the southern end of the railway’s 10-mile Chiltern Tunnel to the north-west Read more…
The HS2 lifted Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) ‘Sushila’ is out of the ground at the Green Park Way site in Greenford, West London following its 5-mile drive underneath the capital. The cutterhead, front and middle shield, weighing 850 tonnes, were lifted from the vent shaft in one piece using a Read more…
The construction of a bridge that will allow HS2 trains to pass under the A43 near Brackley has made progress with the structure’s steel beams lifted into position recently during a series of three weekend closures. The A43 links Oxford, Brackley and Northampton and provides access to Silverstone and connections Read more…