HS2 has published a new set of figures outlining headway made by the project both above and below ground throughout 2025.

The year, which included a fundamental reset for the infrastructure programme, saw a peak production rate, with 23 miles of deep-bore tunnels having been excavated on the opening section of the railway between Old Oak Common and Birmingham Curzon Street.

HS2 marks a year of progress ahead of major reset

© Grimshaw Hufton Crow

70% of the project’s earthworks programme has now been successfully delivered, with almost 300,000 tonnes of steel used thus far – 69% of the total required for the railway itself.

In 2026, focus will shift to the completion of the civil engineering programme across the 140-mile route ahead of the next stage, which will see the installation of track, signalling and communication systems.

December marked the first anniversary of the appointment of Mark Wild as Chief Executive of HS2 Ltd.

Mark Wild, Chief Executive of HS2 Ltd, said:

I made a commitment to the Transport Secretary that I would address the failures of the past and get HS2 on track. It’s clear that we can only do so with a fundamental reset.

Over the last year we’ve been through the programme with a fine tooth comb and we’re now very close to establishing a clear path forward.

However, we’ve not stood still. We had to deliver a safe and productive year while HS2 was reset and I want to thank the 34,000 people working on the project every day for their tremendous hard work. The solid progress they’ve made in the last year gives us strong foundations to build upon. We’ve shown what can be done and I expect that to continue throughout 2026 and beyond as we deliver HS2 as safely and efficiently as possible and for the lowest reasonable cost.

Currently, HS2 has around 350 active work sites between London and Birmingham, with 2025 seeing an increase in the number of staff working in front-line construction roles in order to aid productivity.

The company has also begun to make more use of real-time information, introducing a traffic light system to identify where construction is on track – as well as where it is failing to match expectations.

Figures have shown that HS2’s construction partners exceeded a number of targets throughout 2025, including earthworks, which have seen 70% of total completion – nearly 105 million cubic metres.

Elsewhere, 69% of total steel needed for HS2  – almost 300,000 tonnes – has been used so far, the majority of which has been sourced from UK companies. 88% of the foundations for the railway have also been sunk – almost 23,000 in total.

During 2025, roughly 1,500 segments of viaducts have been installed – compared with 860 in 2024 (an increase of 75%).

Throughout the year, HST Ltd. has achieved a number of construction milestones, including:

• Installation of the very first high-speed platforms at Old Oak Common superhub station
• The heaviest and longest single-stage viaduct deck slide on the project so far. At 345 metres, the Small Dean viaduct stretches over road and a railway in Wendover
• A record first as engineers slid a massive 14,500-tonne box structure into position under the A46 Kenilworth Bypass. The structure, believed to be the heaviest of its kind in Europe, allows high-speed trains to pass under the dual carriageway
• Successful excavation of two twin-bore tunnels – the 8.4-mile Northolt Tunnel in London and the 3.5-mile Bromford Tunnel in the West Midlands – marking completion of excavation for all 23 miles of deep tunnels on the opening stage of the railway
• Completion of the project’s biggest natural river realignment. A 749-metre section of the River Cole near Coleshill was realigned to make way for new viaducts and embankments. The end result enhances habitats to maximise diversity
• A UK-first as the final stages of a 320-metre viaduct slide were completed with traffic flowing below. The three-stage operation over the M6 in the West Midlands was brought to a successful close earlier this month
• Completion of the 2.1-mile-long Colne Valley viaduct, which stretches over roads, lakes, the River Colne and the Grand Union Canal, north west of London. The giant pre-cast deck was completed last year and in 2025, engineers added the finishing touches, installing parapet sections, noise barriers, a structural health monitoring system and waterproofing and drainage

Following the Government’s June Spending Review; funding of 25.3 billion GBP was pledged to deliver HS2 between London Euston and the West Midlands over the course of the next four years, which, according to HS2 Ltd, provides stronger certainty to the project’s overall delivery with a focus on tunnels, viaducts, embankments and cuttings along the route of the railway.

With 2025 seeing a fundamental reset of the project, a number of changes have already taken effect, including:

• Toughening up of cost controls to ensure annual budgets are carefully managed – maximising the use of taxpayers’ money
• Establishment of a new construction schedule to prioritise completing the initial phase of the railway between Old Oak Common and Birmingham, including the completion of an initial 50-mile stretch first between HS2’s new network integrated control centre in Washwood Heath, Birmingham, and the Wendover green tunnel in Buckinghamshire so testing can commence
• Strengthening of the leadership team with the appointment of new chair, Mike Brown, and six new non-executive directors, whilst new executive appointments address critical skills gaps
• The reshaping of HS2 Ltd into a less bureaucratic, outcome-focused organisation

These measures were taken following an initial stocktake by Mark Wild at the start of the year, following which the Chief Executive provided advice to the Transport Secretary confirming that an estimated opening schedule of 2029/2033 could not be achieved.

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source= https://railway-news.com/hs2-achieves-peak-production-rate-across-2025/