Network Rail is thanking passengers for their patience following the three-day closure of the Cross City line between Birmingham New Street and Lichfield Trent Valley, which enabled HS2 engineers to complete a major construction milestone on Britain’s new high-speed railway.

West Midlands Railway services resumed on Monday, 1 June, after the line was closed from Friday, 29 May to Sunday, 31 May. The closure allowed engineers to install a 150-metre-long viaduct deck near the site of the future Curzon Street station.

New drone footage released by HS2 highlights the scale of the Curzon 2 viaduct, with West Midlands Railway services seen operating beneath the structure on the Cross City line. Once complete, the viaduct will carry HS2 trains into Birmingham city centre, crossing the existing railway between Duddeston and Birmingham New Street.

The installation used an innovative, fully restrained engineering method, developed by HS2 with support from Network Rail, allowing sections of the viaduct to continue being moved into place after train services resumed.

The project forms part of a wider programme designed to deliver HS2 while minimising disruption and maintaining capacity on the existing railway.

“Thank you to passengers for their patience while we carried out this vital work to install the Curzon 2 viaduct. Over the last three days we’ve been able to deliver a complex installation of the new 4,200 tonne structure over the Cross City line safely and efficiently.

“The innovative method we’re using means we can continue installing the remaining sections of the viaduct while trains are running again, reducing the need for further disruption and keeping passengers moving.”

Patrick Cawley, director for On Network Works at Network Rail and HS2.