First big beams for HS2 station lifted into place

A large deck that will help support the seven platforms at Birmingham's new HS2 railway station has started to be built.

The first of more than 550 concrete beams, horizontal and up to 34m long, has been lifted into position.

The beams, weighing between 14 and 58 tonnes, are being made at a factory in Ireland, with their arrival in the Curzon Street Station area timed for early in the morning.

HS2 said an 8m-high wall had been built at the western end of the site and construction teams would soon start moving into a new temporary office block opposite Millennium Point.

A total of 47,000 cubic metres of material has been excavated to create a level base for the platforms.

At the peak of the work, more than 1,000 people were expected to be employed on the Curzon Street project, HS2 stated.

It was announced last month the high-speed rail line between London and Birmingham would not open until a period between 2036 and 2039.

Despite costs being estimated to reach up to £102.7bn, the government has vowed to deliver the project "to completion".

On Wednesday, HS2 said the programme was now undergoing "a fundamental reset" led by chief executive Mark Wild to ensure "the railway is delivered as efficiently as possible and for the lowest reasonable cost".

HS2 Ltd project client for Curzon Street Jonathan Berry stated it had been "making good progress with the construction of the station, but up to now, it's mostly been beneath the ground".

"That's why it's great to see the first beams in position," he added.

For most of their length, Curzon Street's seven platforms will be built on a viaduct-like structure supported by 188 concrete piers.

These will form a 13,370 sq m deck, the size of two football pitches, which will support part of the platforms.

The station would be covered by an arched roof the size of that at London's St Pancras International, HS2 said.

The Birmingham facility will stretch for about 450m between Moor Street and Millennium Point.

A new tram stop is to be constructed under the station as part of the line being built towards Digbeth and the site of Birmingham City's new football stadium.

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