HS2 Completes Three Viaducts on Approach to Solihull's Interchange Station

HS2 has structurally completed three viaducts on the southern approach to Interchange station in Solihull, marking a milestone for the high-speed line's West Midlands section. The Balsall Common, Marsh Farm and River Blythe viaducts now carry the alignment across roads, watercourses, floodplains and marshland ahead of the new station.

River Blythe is the largest of the three at 495 metres, built with extra care because the watercourse sits within a Site of Special Scientific Interest. Its deck rests on two abutments and 19 concrete piers, engineered with Y-shaped splits to reduce the amount of concrete used. The viaduct lies roughly 1.5 miles from Interchange station.

The 430-metre Balsall Common viaduct crosses Station Road, Truggist Lane, Bayleys Brook and the Heart of England Way; its main structure was finished earlier this year, though installing all 304 parapets will continue into spring 2027. Marsh Farm viaduct was the first of the trio to reach structural completion, in summer 2025.

"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," said Doug Barnett, HS2 Ltd's senior project manager.