Curzon Street Station piling completed as HS2 moves ahead

Curzon Street Station piling is now complete. HS2 engineers finished the final installation in a programme of more than 2,000 concrete piles supporting the foundations of Birmingham’s new terminus, as reported by Railway-News.

In addition, main construction at Curzon Street — stretching for more than 400 metres between Moor Street station and Millennium Point — is now well underway.

HS2 Curzon Street Station foundation works and key milestones

Piling began in September 2024 and was delivered by HS2’s construction partner, the Mace Dragados joint venture (MDJV), working with Keltbray. For example, the early phase included building an 8m-high retaining wall at the western end of the site. It also involved excavating 47,000 cubic metres of material to create a level base for the station.

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Following completion of the earthworks, CFA piling rigs were brought in to install the reinforced concrete piles. A short pause followed while Network Rail carried out essential maintenance on the railway viaduct alongside the site. All final piles were installed during late February and early March 2026.

Sub-surface work: reinforced steel, concrete and station readiness

With piling finished, work is progressing on the remaining foundation package and other sub-surface tasks needed for the station build. In total, over 19,000 tonnes of reinforced steel and 69,000 cubic metres of concrete are required for sub-surface work. Also, HS2 says 7,000 tonnes of reinforcement have already been installed and 29,000 cubic metres of concrete poured.

Once construction is complete, the Birmingham Curzon Street Station layout is planned to include seven platforms. It will sit beneath a large arched roof inspired by Victorian-age railway architecture, as shown on the HS2 project page. HS2 Ltd’s Senior Project Manager, Alistair Morgan said:

Once complete, Curzon Street will be a new landmark for Birmingham – and provide a fitting city centre terminus for a railway that will improve journeys and free up space on the existing West Coast Main Line. These new images also show how it will be integrated into the rest of the city – with new green spaces, better accessibility and onward public transport links.

It’s great to see how much progress has been made on the foundation works and I’d like to thank everyone who’s been working so hard to get the job done. But we’ve still got a lot of work to do before the first passengers arrive, and I look forward to seeing more significant progress in the year ahead.

Digbeth extension West Midlands Metro and city integration plans

At the same time, preparations are also underway for the Digbeth extension to the West Midlands Metro, which will stop under the station on New Canal Street. New images released show landscape design refinements submitted to Birmingham City Council for approval, including improvements to the management of rainwater drainage and the integration of cycling and walking routes connecting the station to the wider city.

Also shown is a new tree-lined promenade with landscaped terraces along the side of the building, plus a second entrance at the other end of the station. That entrance is intended to improve access to Digbeth and the east side of the city and will include a tram stop and taxi drop-off points as well as improved cycle access. Plans also include a new square by the eastern entrance, which will face the old, disused Curzon Street station building first built in 1838.

Elsewhere on the site, a new temporary office block is being put in place to serve as the nerve centre for the next phase of construction. More than a thousand people are expected to be employed to continue the Curzon Street project, both directly and via Mace Dragados’s UK supply chain.

Separately, progress is being made on the viaducts to carry HS2 services into the city centre. The Curzon 2 viaduct is nearing completion and is set to be slid into place this summer.

Construction of these structures is being handled by HS2 contractor Balfour Beatty VINCI, with a total of more of 33,000 jobs currently supported by HS2’s construction. The wider Birmingham Eastside plans for serving Digbeth and the HS2 station are outlined by the West Midlands Metro programme.

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