HS2 engineers have completed the final of over 2,000 concrete piles that will underpin the foundations of Birmingham’s Curzon Street Station.

Main construction of Curzon Street, which will stretch for more than 400 metres between Moor Street station and Millennium Point, is now well underway.

Piling work first began in September 2024, and was carried out by HS2’s construction partner Mace Dragados joint venture (MDJV), working with Keltbray. The project saw the installation of an 8m high retaining wall at the western end of the site, as well as the excavation of 47,000 cubic metres of material, creating a level base for the station.

CFA piling rigs were brought in to install the reinforced concrete piles following the completion of earthworks, and, following a short pause whilst Network Rail delivered essential maintenance to the railway viaduct alongside the site, all final piles were installed during late February and early March 2026.

Stay in the loop

Receive a curated round-up of the latest news from Railway-News.

By subscribing you agree to receive communications from Railway-News and to our privacy policy.

With piling now complete, preparations are now underway for the Digbeth extension to the West Midlands Metro – which will stop under the station on New Canal Street – as well as completion of the remaining foundation works.

In total, over 19,000 tonnes of reinforced steel and 69,000 cubic metres of concrete are needed for sub-surface work, with 7,000 tonnes of reinforcement already having been installed and 29,000 cubic metres of concrete poured.

Once construction is complete; the station will eventually include seven platforms, all of which will be covered by a large arched roof inspired by railway architecture from the Victorian age.

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.

New images released show a number of recent landscape design refinements that have now been 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 the new tree-lined promenade with landscaped terraces that stretch along the side of the building, as well as a second entrance at the other end of the station, which gives access to both 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.

A new square will be situated 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 that will serve as the nerve centre for the next phase of construction is being put into place, with more than a thousand people expected to be employed to continue the Curzon Street project, both directly and via Mace Dragados’s UK supply chain. Progress is now also being made on viaducts to carry HS2 services into the city centre, with the Curzon 2 viaduct nearing completion and 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.