HS2 Completes UK's Longest Rail Bridge

HS2 Completes UK’s Longest Rail Bridge

Posted by Admin September 9, 2024 Infra

HS2 Ltd has completed the Colne Valley Viaduct, which now holds the title of Britain’s longest rail bridge.

This record was set as the final deck segment of the 3.4-kilometre (2.1-mile) viaduct was lowered into place. Its length now surpasses the 137-year record previously held by the Tay Bridge in Scotland.

Aerial view of HS2’s Colne Valley Viaduct

Located near the M25 motorway and the village of Denham, the Colne Valley Viaduct will carry high-speed trains at speeds of up to 320km/h (200mph) between London and Birmingham when HS2 becomes operational between 2029 and 2033.

This viaduct is part of a network of 500 bridges and structures along the HS2 route, including footbridges, drainage culverts, and ‘green bridges.’

HS2 Ltd Senior Project Manager, Billy Ahluwalia, said:

“Lowering the Colne Valley viaduct’s final deck segment into place today marks the culmination of more than 10 years of planning, design, and construction. I pay tribute to the dedicated team that has delivered a bridge that is both the longest on HS2 and the United Kingdom’s longest railway bridge – taking a record that had stood for nearly 140 years. That is a historic achievement of which we can all be immensely proud.”

The construction of the viaduct began in May 2022 and was managed by Align JV, a collaboration between Bouygues Travaux Publics, Sir Robert McAlpine, and VolkerFitzpatrick.

Final deck segment of Colne Valley viaduct installed

The team used a balanced-cantilever method to assemble the bridge’s 1,000 pre-cast deck segments, each uniquely shaped to allow the viaduct to curve as it stretches across land and water, supported by 56 piers.

Align Project Director, Loïc Menard, said:

“The Align team, along with our supply chain partners VSL, who operated the launching girder, have worked very hard to get us to where we are today, ahead of plan. Working together as a truly integrated team, we have built the Colne Valley Viaduct, which will be the iconic feature of HS2.”

Once the civil engineering phase of this project concludes, the surrounding construction site will be cleared, and the area will be transformed into chalk grassland and woodland, contributing to HS2’s ‘green corridor’ initiative.

The next stage of the project will involve the installation of rail systems as HS2 continues towards full operation.

This milestone follows the recent completion of HS2’s Highfurlong Brook viaduct in Northamptonshire.