Major HS2 construction work is taking place over the August bank holiday weekend in the Midlands – with work being carried out to install a section of the new Saltley Viaduct.

HS2 engineers will carry out work on the viaduct which spans the railway between Birmingham and Water Orton.

The existing viaduct is being demolished and rebuilt as part of the construction of the future high-speed railway into Birmingham. The replacement structure will be two metres higher and wider than the existing viaduct, creating the space needed for HS2 to pass beneath it while also improving facilities for pedestrians and cyclists. The work will impact CrossCountry services between Birmingham New Street from Saturday 29 until Monday 31 August.

Patrick Cawley, director of on network works for Network Rail and HS2, said: “This August bank holiday, HS2 teams will carry out another important phase of work to replace Saltley Viaduct, a structure which spans one of the busiest railway corridors in the Midlands. The existing structure is being rebuilt to make way for Britain's new high-speed railway into Birmingham.”

The work is being delivered in partnership with Network Rail by HS2’s construction partner, Balfour Beatty VINCI, and forms part of a wider programme of work in the Saltley, Washwood Heath and Nechells areas to prepare for the arrival of high-speed rail services.