Rail passengers and operators across the West Midlands are being advised to plan ahead as a key section of Birmingham’s Cross City line closes for three days in late May to allow HS2 engineers to install a major new viaduct near the future Curzon Street station.
No trains will operate on the northern section of the Cross City line between Birmingham New Street and Lichfield Trent Valley from Friday 29 May until Sunday 31 May, with normal services resuming on Monday 1 June.
During the closure, services on the southern section of the line, between Birmingham New Street and Redditch/Bromsgrove, will continue to run as normal.
Wider service impacts and replacement transport
To enable the safe delivery of the works, train services between Birmingham and Tame Bridge Parkway will also be affected. Rail replacement bus services will operate:
- Between Birmingham New Street and Lichfield Trent Valley
- Between Birmingham New Street and Tame Bridge Parkway
In addition, services to Rugeley Trent Valley will be diverted and are expected to take slightly longer than usual.
Passengers are being encouraged to check journey plans in advance, particularly those travelling across the northern Cross City route or connecting onto services beyond Birmingham.
HS2 viaduct installation over existing railway
The closure will allow HS2 engineers to install a 150‑metre‑long viaduct deck, which will eventually carry high‑speed trains into Curzon Street station, passing over the existing Victorian brick viaduct between Duddeston and Birmingham New Street.
The installation forms part of a series of complex engineering operations taking place in close proximity to live railway infrastructure. HS2 and Network Rail have adopted a ‘fully restrained’ installation process, allowing engineers to continue sliding the remaining section of the deck into place after the railway has reopened.
This approach follows the successful delivery of similar viaduct installations and is designed to significantly reduce disruption to passengers and freight operators.
Industry collaboration to minimise disruption
Patrick Cawley, director for On Network Works at Network Rail and HS2, said:
“We’re asking passengers to plan ahead of a three-day closure on the Cross City line between Birmingham and Lichfield, which is needed to safely install a new HS2 viaduct deck over the existing railway.
“Using an innovative engineering solution, we’ve worked to minimise the impact of this work on rail passengers as much as possible but urge those planning to travel on the affected dates to check www.nationalrail.co.uk for information about changes to journeys."
The works highlight the increasing complexity of delivering HS2 alongside one of the UK’s busiest mixed‑traffic rail corridors, requiring close coordination between infrastructure owners, operators and contractors.
Image credits: Network Rail
