Transport Secretary Mark Harper is visiting the West Midlands today (July 17) with his Australian counterpart Catherine King to see the construction of HS2's iconic new Curzon Street Station taking shape.
The Secretary of State and Minister King will walk on top of the 300-metre HS2 Viaduct at the key interchange in Birmingham and will mark a key milestone in the construction of viaduct as 15 of its 30 V-shaped piers are now fitted into place.
The visit comes as HS2 prepares to carry out the UK’s heaviest bridge drive to install a box structure beneath the West Coast Main Line near Lichfield. The 6,200-tonne structure, which has been built over the last six months, will allow the high-speed railway to pass beneath the main line. It will be slowly moved into place on the back of a transporter vehicle.
Once built, HS2’s Curzon Street Station will be one of the most environmentally friendly stations in the world and eventually welcome nine high-speed services per hour into the city centre. With seven terminal platforms, it will form part of HS2's opening phase, with the first services expected to run from West London into the station by 2033, serving around 25,000 passengers a day.
Transport secretary Mark Harper said: "The fantastic city of Birmingham is a hive of construction, with HS2 supporting thousands of high-skilled jobs and apprenticeships, as we gear up to bring its services into the city centre over the next decade.
"As Europe's largest infrastructure project, HS2 is being recognised globally and, alongside the Australian Transport Minister today, I take great pride in seeing this once-in-a-generation opportunity come to life, which will better connect our regions and grow the economy for years to come.”
Andy Street, mayor of the West Midlands, said: “I am pleased to join Secretary of State for Transport Mark Harper – and Australia’s Minister for Infrastructure, Transport & Regional Development Catherine King – to showcase the progress underway at the Curzon Street Station site.
“HS2 is already delivering tangible benefits for our region – creating jobs, drawing in investment and helping to drive up the number of cranes dotting the skyline.”
Curzon Street Station will be an intercity terminus and the focal point for HS2 in the Midlands, connecting the region to the network. The metro line will run underneath the station with better connections to Birmingham New Street and Birmingham International also currently being developed and designed. HS2 announced last week the procurement process for the automated people mover that will run from Interchange Station to Birmingham International.
Photo Credit: HS2
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