HS2 engineers have completed a trio of viaducts in the West Midlands - Balsall Common, Marsh Farm and River Blythe, all in Solihull.

In the coming days, engineers working for HS2’s construction partner, Balfour Beatty VINCI, will install the final parapets on the River Blythe Viaduct – the largest of the three bridges that carry the high-speed railway through Solihull, and the closest to Interchange Station – approximately 1.5 miles away.

Marsh Farm Viaduct was the first of these neighbouring structures to reach completion in summer 2025. The main structure of Balsall Common Viaduct was finished earlier this year and all 304 parapets will be installed by spring 2027.

Doug Barnett, HS2 senior project manager, said: “Our engineering teams are making fantastic progress on the Interchange Station approach, and it’s a significant achievement that all three viaducts in the Solihull borough are now structurally complete. The design and landscaping solutions were of upmost importance to local residents, and we worked extremely hard to get that right.”

Matthew Parkes, construction manager at Balfour Beatty VINCI, said: “The structural completion of these viaducts is a huge another achievement for Balfour Beatty VINCI and its supply chain partners. All three viaducts span a range of diverse landscapes and environments, including wetlands, foodplains, SSSIs and water courses – making this achievement even more remarkable.”

The HS2 route has more than 500 bridging structures – including more than 50 major viaducts which will stretch for a combined total of 15km (9 miles) across valleys, rivers, roads and flood plains.