HS2’s contractor Mace Dragados Joint Venture (MDJV) have been in Stage One of the contract since 2021, working with HS2 Ltd to develop the detailed programme. Starting January 2024, they will deliver major earthworks to prepare the site for piling and foundations work in the Spring, with construction of the main station building due to start in the Summer.
During construction itself, hundreds of jobs will be created, including an estimated 100 new entrant roles, new apprenticeship positions and Restart scheme opportunities for unemployed people.
Work on the station façade will begin in Summer 2025, with construction of concourse steelwork and the roof due to start in Autumn 2025. The internal fit-out of the station will start towards the end of 2025 and finish at the end of 2028. Operational testing and commissioning will run from Summer 2026 to Autumn 2028.
HS2 worked with WSP and Grimshaw Architects LLP on the design for Curzon Street, which is inspired by the great arched roofs built by the Victorian railway pioneers. The design takes that inspiration into the 21st Century, ensuring accessibility and a focus on the open space and landscaping around it.
Once complete, HS2 will almost halve the journey time between London Euston and Birmingham to just 49 minutes, with trains running north via the existing rail network to destinations such as Manchester, Liverpool and Glasgow.
Trains will approach Birmingham through a series of structures being delivered by HS2’s main works contractor for the West Midlands, Balfour Beatty VINCI (BBV). This includes the 3.5 mile Bromford Tunnel and a series of five connected viaducts from Washwood Heath, and over the existing Victorian railway line, Lawley Middleway and Digbeth Canal. The final approach to the station - Curzon Viaduct No.3, also being delivered by BBV, widens from a single deck to four separate decks, spanning 65 metres at the wideset point, to carry seven tracks to the platforms.