Giant beams installed on new HS2 rail bridge

More than 80 giant concrete beams have been lifted into place on the bridge structure

Giant concrete beams have been installed on a rail bridge structure as part of HS2 construction works in Warwickshire.

Work was completed over several weekends to lift 83 beams weighing more than 1,500 tonnes into position on the 91m wide Carol Green underbridge.

The structure, near Kenilworth, will now form part of a haul road for HS2 construction vehicles before railway tracks are laid.

Once operational, the bridge will carry the new high-speed railway diagonally over the existing West Coast Main Line.

The beams were installed by a team of more than 30 workers by HS2 construction partner Balfour Beatty VINCI.

Shamus Banaghan, senior project manager at the firm, said teams had worked "tirelessly" to install the beams over the existing railway track.

The bridge structure and embankments will take HS2 diagonally over the existing West Coast Main Line once complete

“It takes an immense amount of skill and precision to carry out such a challenging feat of engineering and to construct these colossal structures," added Jack King, HS2 project manager.

"We’re proud to have reached this stage of the bridge’s completion ahead of schedule, which is testament to the entire team."

The final phase of construction includes the installation of parapet walls and other landscaping works, with completion expected in Autumn 2025.