Drone footage reveals scale of HS2 Kingsbury precast site

Work begins this summer on the production of almost 3,000 concrete segments for a network of nine viaducts.

These viaducts form part of the Delta Junction, a triangular section of line where the new railway curves west towards Birmingham and runs north towards Crewe.

Newly-released drone footage shows the scale of the 550,000 sqm site – equivalent to 74 football pitches.

In total, 2,742 segments will be produced from materials mixed at the on-site batching plant. At peak production, the precast yard is expected to turn out up to eight segments per day, weighing between 60 and 80 tonnes. The segments are built in two different sizes, with the larger design (2.6m length x 10.5m width x 3.5m height) used for the double track sections of the railway.

Balfour Beatty Vinci (BBV) expects production to begin this August, with on-site assembly of the segments for the Delta Junction viaducts due to start in summer 2023.

Jo Chell, head of delivery programme management at BBV, said: “It’s incredible to see the progress we’re making at Kingsbury to produce thousands of segments that will form the building blocks for nearly 7km of viaducts, known as the Delta Junction.

“These are world-class engineering structures and it’s a fantastic opportunity for our highly skilled workforce to play a part in their construction. We have embedded the principles of ‘modern methods of construction’, by creating factory conditions for manufacture and modularisation, providing us with a rich legacy of skills and learning for the future. “

Work is currently under way to assemble a 54 metre-long gantry crane that will lift each segment during the manufacturing cycle, ahead of their onward transport to nearby Water Orton and Coleshill ready for on-site assembly.

Got a story? Email news@theconstructionindex.co.uk