HS2 Duddeston Viaduct Slid Into Place | Birmingham Launch Complete

HS2 says, and I quote: “The Duddeston Viaduct is a critical link for HS2, carrying trains from the east of Birmingham directly into the new Curzon Street Station. It spans 375 metres and must meet extreme tolerances for high-speed operation as trains decelerate into the city terminus.” HS2 has completed a major engineering operation in Birmingham, with the Duddeston Viaduct now slid into place over existing railway lines as part of the latest launch phase. This video shows the transformation from the launch yard to the viaduct’s new position across the railway corridor, including before-and-after footage captured during the operation. The launch involved sliding a 150-metre-long steel viaduct deck from temporary trestles towards its new alignment on the approach into Curzon Street Station. The Duddeston Viaduct is one of the most important structures on the Birmingham section of HS2. Once complete, it will carry high-speed trains from the Washwood Heath and Bromford Tunnel area towards Birmingham city centre and directly into Curzon Street Station. The structure forms part of a continuous elevated approach into Curzon Street, linking together several major viaducts and engineering structures across east Birmingham. Because HS2 trains will be slowing down as they enter the terminus station, the alignment and tolerances of the viaduct must be extremely precise. Constructing a major high-speed railway viaduct in this location is particularly complex due to the dense urban environment, existing railway infrastructure, industrial buildings and historic Victorian railway corridors that already occupy the area. This launch operation required careful planning and railway coordination as the structure was progressively pushed across live railway infrastructure using a controlled sliding system. At this scale, movement is extremely slow and difficult to notice in real time, but the before-and-after footage clearly shows how far the structure has progressed from the launch yard. The Duddeston Viaduct will eventually connect into the wider network of HS2 Birmingham structures, including the Curzon Street No.2 Viaduct (Bellingham Bridge) and the final elevated approach into Curzon Street Station itself. Although the structure has now been slid into place for this phase of the works, additional sections and future construction stages are still required before the full viaduct is completed. 📍 Location: Duddeston, Birmingham 🚧 Project: High Speed 2 (HS2) 🚁 Filmed from public land in compliance with UK CAA drone regulations (VLOS maintained) 📅 Filmed: 06.05.2026