HS2 has released footage of workers lifting fifteen huge bridge beams into position at its Interchange Station in Solihull in the West Midlands.

The team of twenty used a 650-tonne crane to hoist the concrete beams, which weigh a total of 565 tonnes, into place on existing abutments and piers.

The beams form the ‘building blocks’ of a 63.5-metre bridge that will carry a two-lane road taking cars and other vehicles over the high-speed railway and to the station car parks.

The next phase of constructing the bridge will involve placing a concrete deck on top of the beams, followed by installing parapet walls and surfacing work.

Work on the bridge is due to be completed early next year.

The bridge is the most significant structure built so far in the development of the new station, which will stand on a 150-hectare site in a triangle of land between the M42, A45 and A452. 

The new station will serve passengers taking the 38-minute journey by HS2 to London, as well as those travelling to destinations in the north.

HS2 hopes that Interchange station will be a “catalyst for huge growth in Solihull, driving economic transformation for the region”.

The Urban Growth Company is leading the plans, which will support thirty thousand jobs, up to three thousand new homes and seventy thousand square metres of commercial space.

The station will enable passengers to easily access the nearby National Exhibition Centre, the redeveloped Birmingham International Station and Birmingham Airport via an elevated mass transit system known as an Automated People Mover (APM).

HS2 awarded the contract to build Interchange station to Laing O’Rourke last year, and design work has started.

HS2’s main works civil contractor for the West Midlands, Balfour Beatty VINCI (BBV), is preparing the site and carrying out preliminary civil engineering work, so that full construction work can start in early 2026.

This bridge is one of more than five hundred bridging structures being built along HS2’s route, which range from small footbridges to major viaducts.

“We’re very proud to mark this engineering milestone and I’d like to thank everyone involved for delivering the operation safely and precisely during particularly challenging weather conditions.

“As we approach a new phase of construction, we are excited to bring our plans for Interchange Station to life. Interchange will be transformational for the Midlands, providing new jobs and supply chain opportunities, and becoming one of the best-connected transport hubs in the UK.”

Ailsa Waygood, HS2 Ltd’s Project Client for Interchange Station