Committee visits Colne Valley viaduct
19 September 2023
On Wednesday 6 September, the Select Committee on the High Speed Rail (Crewe – Manchester) Bill visited the construction site for the Colne Valley viaduct as part of its consideration of proposals for the new high-speed station at Manchester Piccadilly.
The High Speed Rail (Crewe – Manchester) Bill makes provision for the construction of a viaduct and embankment between the Manchester Tunnel and the new high-speed station at Manchester Piccadilly. After hearing concerns raised by the Greater Manchester Partners (Manchester City Council, the Greater Manchester Combined Authority, and Transport for Greater Manchester) in a series of hearings in June, the Committee decided to visit the Colne Valley viaduct building site to provide context to the arguments for and against the proposed viaducts in Manchester.
The Committee visited Manchester Piccadilly station in June and visited the construction site for the new Old Oak Common station in July.
The Colne Valley viaduct is the longest being constructed on the HS2 route and provides an example of the type of structures and techniques which could be employed in Manchester. The Committee had a briefing on the project from site managers, toured the construction site and viewed completed sections of the viaduct.
The Committee was accompanied on the visit by representatives of the Greater Manchester Partners as well as engineering experts from HS2 Ltd and officials from the Department for Transport.
Further information
Image credit: UK Parliament