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…
We welcome the news that the HS2 project has received a four-year funding settlement from the Government in this Spending Review, marking an important step forward in rebuilding confidence and certainty around Britain’s biggest infrastructure project. This sort of funding agreement creates the platform from which HS2 and its suppliers 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’s giant tunnelling machine Mary Ann broke through in May – marking the end of her mission to excavate the first bore of what will soon become the longest railway tunnel in the West Midlands. The 125-metre-long machine began constructing the 3.5-mile (5.8km) Bromford Tunnel, which starts at the Warwickshire Read more…
Our 2025 Annual Conference, held in Birmingham, brought together senior leaders from across industry, government, and the wider transport sector to explore the future of high-speed rail, not just as a national infrastructure ambition, but as a practical route to UK growth and productivity. With the Spending Review on the 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…
HS2’s second tunnel boring machine (TBM), named Caroline, has completed a 5-mile tunnel drive under London. This is the second machine to reach the Green Park Way vent shaft in Ealing, and one of four giant tunnelling machines being deployed to build the railway’s Northolt Tunnel. The 2,050-tonne TBM broke 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…
The High Speed Rail Group has made a submission to the HM Treasury Spending Review consultation that identifies and advocates for a cost efficient and deliverable path forward for HS2. The focus is on maximising HS2’s concession value at minimum viable scope and cost, which will maximise the project’s economic Read more…
High Speed Rail Group members were given the chance to ‘see and feel’ the live works being undertaken at Old Oak Common on the HS2 programme with a visit hosted by SYSTRA colleagues from the Balfour Beatty VINCI SYSTRA joint venture (BBVS JV). Being able to see first-hand a live Read more…