Cross City Line Blocked: Major HS2 Works to Cut Birmingham–Lichfield Trains

Rail passengers in the West Midlands are being warned of a full three-day shutdown on part of the Cross City line as major HS2 infrastructure is installed near Birmingham.

Services between Birmingham New Street and Lichfield Trent Valley will be suspended from Friday 29 May through to Sunday 31 May, with trains not resuming on the northern section until Monday 1 June. The closure is required to allow engineers to carry out the installation of a significant new viaduct linked to the HS2 project.

Despite the disruption in the north, trains will continue to operate as normal between Birmingham New Street and Redditch or Bromsgrove on the southern end of the Cross City line. However, routes between Birmingham and Tame Bridge Parkway will also face disruption during the works.

To keep passengers moving, rail replacement buses will run between Birmingham New Street and Lichfield Trent Valley, as well as between Birmingham New Street and Tame Bridge Parkway. Services heading towards Rugeley Trent Valley are set to be diverted, resulting in longer journey times.

The engineering work centres on the installation of a 150-metre viaduct, which will eventually carry HS2 trains into the new Curzon Street station. The structure will pass over an existing Victorian brick viaduct that currently links Duddeston with Birmingham New Street.

HS2 has coordinated closely with Network Rail to implement what is described as a “fully restrained” installation method. This approach allows engineers to continue sliding the remaining sections of the viaduct deck into position even after rail services resume, reducing the overall disruption window.

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 the National Rail website for information about changes to journeys."

Jonny Wiseman, customer experience director for West Midlands Railway, said:

“We want to thank passengers for their patience while this major piece of engineering work is carried out and the northern section of the Cross City Line is closed. Rail replacement buses will be running during the closure, and passengers are encouraged to check their travel before setting out.”

Image: Network Rail