Last part of HS2 civils work to be finished

[absolutelymilk]

As I understand it, tracklaying will not start on HS2 until all the civils work (except for the stations) is complete. I haven't seen anything due to finish after 2025 - is that right and what will be the last piece of civils work to be completed?

 

[The Planner]

As I understand it, tracklaying will not start on HS2 until all the civils work (except for the stations) is complete. I haven't seen anything due to finish after 2025 - is that right and what will be the last piece of civils work to be completed?

Absolutely no chance of all the civils being done within 18 months.

 

[absolutelymilk]

Absolutely no chance of all the civils being done within 18 months.

Yes I suspected there might be some delays! I think the tunnels and the Colne Valley Viaduct should be done by then, but maybe there are more civils to be done once the tunnels are bored

 

[hux385]

If the tracks aren't being laid til the civils are done, it sounds like a great opportunity to reimagine the project and turn it into a giant guided busway?!

 

[swt_passenger]

I can believe this for an individual contract area, ie track laying after handover of that area, but I don’t believe all the civils contracts are going to be handed over at the same time.

 

[Snow1964]

Yes I suspected there might be some delays! I think the tunnels and the Colne Valley Viaduct should be done by then, but maybe there are more civils to be done once the tunnels are bored

I think the majority of trackbed is scheduled to be done between Old Oak and Curzon Street.

All the tunnelling should be done by this time (mid year) next year. The green tunnels are already being backfilled, so that with deal with lot of the temporary mounds of dirt and allow landscape restoration to commence.

There are huge stacks of viaduct segments for the Birmingham area although so far little viaduct, many piers are now built

There are some bridges to complete, where an existing route, or temporary diversion needs removing, which is currently blocking trackbed, but these should generally be sorted within next 18 months, although my own hunch is trackbed won't be complete until early 2026

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

To the best of my knowledge, no contracts have been let to build the actual railway (track, OHLE, signalling etc), not least because of cost inflation.
So it's not clear when that part of the project will start.
Tunnelling (excluding Old Oak-Euston) is 69.4% complete (50.6km out of 73km).
The most laggardly TBM is Elizabeth, boring the north bore of Bromford tunnel, which has 5.3km more to do - this might take 18 months or so at present rates.

The three stations (again excluding Euston) are not really started yet, although huge preparations are under way.
HS2 Ltd are keeping very quiet at the moment - no PR and no contract news (possibly waiting for ministerial approval).
The first progress report to the new parliament, due in September, will make fascinating reading.

 

[Nottingham59]

tracklaying will not start on HS2 until all the civils work (except for the stations) is complete

Why would that be necessary?

 

[DJ_K666]

If the tracks aren't being laid til the civils are done, it sounds like a great opportunity to reimagine the project and turn it into a giant guided busway?!

Yuck

 

[Skie]

Why would that be necessary?

We havent yet invented levitating tracks.

 

[jammmmmsssssss]

We havent yet invented levitating tracks.

No I think they meant that not the entire route has to be finished for the tracks to start being layed in some places

 

[Nottingham59]

No I think they meant that not the entire route has to be finished for the tracks to start being layed in some places

Yes, that's what I meant. There will be completed sections where track laying could start, even when civils are still ongoing elsewhere.

 

[InOban]

Presumably they could work out in both directions from the place where HS2 and EWR cross

 

[absolutelymilk]

Yes, that's what I meant. There will be completed sections where track laying could start, even when civils are still ongoing elsewhere.

I think they could start slightly ahead, but someone else said that they prefer to do it so that everything can be brought in by rail and done in a linear way rather than doing separate sections at once. Not sure about the wisdom of that but that's what they said!

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

I think they could start slightly ahead, but someone else said that they prefer to do it so that everything can be brought in by rail and done in a linear way rather than doing separate sections at once. Not sure about the wisdom of that but that's what they said!

Last thing I read was the opposite of that, with the haul roads being used to supply materials for railway construction, as sections became available.
But as the railway contracts have not been let yet it could all change, as they will be looking for the most economical way to do it.
I also got the impression that the rail access at Calvert (for the infrastructure maintenance depot) would be one of the later deliverables.

 

[The Planner]

There will be four locations where rail systems will get delivered I suspect, Copthall, Calvert, Berskwell and Washwood Heath. Considering none of those has a rail connection yet, temporary or permanent, its still going to be a while.

 

[Greybeard33]

Observed from the WCML, it appears there has been no civils work on the site of Handsacre Junction since the "pause" of March 2023. New vegetation has recolonised the previously cleared land around the abandoned portacabins.

I imagine it will be a considerable time before this end of the line is ready for rail systems installation.

 

[chris2]

I think I’m right in saying when HS2 opens initially it will just be a captive route between OOC and Curzon St and services to the north would come some years later.

The connection onto the WCML at Handsacre is also held back by uncertainty over the design and the fact that the legislation doesn’t make provision for a connection onto the fasts.

So it’s not surprising and in some ways not a dire problem that work hasn’t progressed here recently. Indeed it does create an opportunity in that an expensive and disruptive flying junction is not committed to yet and avoiding doing so could become a cost-saver for those seeking to build a case for reinstatement of the HS line beyond handsacre to Crewe.

 

[The Planner]

I think I’m right in saying when HS2 opens initially it will just be a captive route between OOC and Curzon St and services to the north would come some years later.

The connection onto the WCML at Handsacre is also held back by uncertainty over the design and the fact that the legislation doesn’t make provision for a connection onto the fasts.

So it’s not surprising and in some ways not a dire problem that work hasn’t progressed here recently. Indeed it does create an opportunity in that an expensive and disruptive flying junction is not committed to yet and avoiding doing so could become a cost-saver for those seeking to build a case for reinstatement of the HS line beyond handsacre to Crewe.

The fasts are highly unlikely be the option anyway, its much more expensive and disruptive.

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

The connection onto the WCML at Handsacre is also held back by uncertainty over the design and the fact that the legislation doesn’t make provision for a connection onto the fasts.

On the TV4 section, all four lines at Handsacre are 110/125 until Armitage, so there is no difference on where HS2 trains land or leave.
There's then about 7 miles until the sort-out at Colwich for Stoke/Manchester trains.
That's presuming nothing changes on the WCML before HS2 opens.

 

[Greybeard33]

On the TV4 section, all four lines at Handsacre are 110/125 until Armitage, so there is no difference on where HS2 trains land or leave.
There's then about 7 miles until the sort-out at Colwich for Stoke/Manchester trains.
That's presuming nothing changes on the WCML before HS2 opens.

Although the Up Slow is only 75 for nearly 6 miles from Colwich to Armitage. More than a minute slower than non-tilt on the Up Fast (110/EPS125). Not a good look for HS2 services.

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

Although the Up Slow is only 75 for nearly 6 miles from Colwich to Armitage. More than a minute slower than non-tilt on the Up Fast (110/EPS125). Not a good look for HS2 services.

You wouldn't have thought it would be too difficult to raise that to 110, unless the River Trent bridge span is a problem.
Using the Slows takes capacity from freight though, and the LNR stopper at Rugeley.

 

[absolutelymilk]

Maybe a year ago I saw a fly through of the entire HS2 route showing how it was starting to take shape from above. Has there been a more recent version of that?