High-speed rail on a low-impact viaduct

Paul Bigland heads to Buckinghamshire, to view progress on HS2’s Thame Valley viaduct.

In this article:

• The Thame Valley viaduct is a 880 metre-long structure, over halfway completed, designed to reduce carbon footprint with off-site manufacturing of most components.
• Innovative design features, such as large U-shaped beams and precast connections, allow for faster construction and reduce the amount of on-site concrete and steel.
• Despite environmental protests, the viaduct construction aims to minimize disruption, blending into the landscape once complete, with wildlife adapting to the reduced on-site activity.

When completed, the new HS2 railway will contain some iconic and impressive structures, such as the elevated Delta Junction near Birmingham or the Colne Valley viaduct near Denham.

Other structures with less public access, but still impressive in their own way, will remain unsung.

One such is the Thame Valley viaduct that is being built at Fleet Marston, near Aylesbury in Buckinghamshire.

It’s an arrow-straight 880-metre-long structure. The underside of the viaduct will sit just three meters above a floodplain, using 36 spans to cross water meadows and the meandering Bear Brook.

There are no public footpaths in the immediate vicinity, and its location is obscured from view by hedgerows and trees. At the moment, the only visual giveaway is the sight of two massive yellow cranes that are used to lower the bridge beams.

Want to read more? Subscribe today and never miss an issue of RAIL. With a Print + Digital subscription, you’ll get each issue delivered to your door for FREE (UK only). Plus, enjoy an exclusive monthly e-newsletter from the Editor, rewards, discounts and prizes, AND full access to the latest and previous issues via the app.