Building the HS2 Colne Valley Viaduct
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- čas přidán 24. 07. 2024
- Stretching across a series of lakes and waterways between Hillingdon and the M25, the Colne Valley Viaduct will also be the longest railway bridge in the UK that carries the the new high-speed line. It’s on the outskirts of London, and I popped down on aa press day for a look at it being constructed ...
More on the HS2 Website here : www.hs2.org.uk/building-hs2/v...
What always fascinates me is how the engineering requirements change the faster you go. All these weird physics things that the Victorian engineers would never have had the need to even consider.
They just built things to last 🤔🤔
@@johnhehir508They threw bricks and workers at a project until it stayed up and then added another layer of bricks and workers just to be sure.
@@MichaelTavaresso true
@JagoHazzard Can you imagine that Brunel would have much trouble getting to grips with modern engineering, material science and the vast array of information available today (then again, he probably didn't have to put up with quite so many carpetbagging skinflint investors and smart alec politicians that think they know better than experts.)
@@smokerjim Of course he did, bureaucracy transcends scientific endeavour in every single field
Different hard hat colours mean different thing, general people have white and site managers have black. Blue is specially reserved for those who need help with their gloves.
In practical use, I used whatever is in the gangbox on that day. The colors are mostly theoretical. I tried to use the same one every day, but whatever...
I'm retired now.
Back in the day it used to be yellow for the people doing the actual work and white for the gaffer.
Black = Sith
@@firesurferI feel like colour coding hats is much more of a thing now than it was a few years ago. I don’t know if insurers decided on it, or the HSE decided it was needed, but if feels like it has gone from not happening to nearly universal. Perhaps it is common nowadays, but wasn’t when you were working?
Dad just walked in as I started watching this and wondered why I was watching a video with Rob in it! Turns out he worked with him, he thinks when he was on cross rail- but my dad was a H&S manager for many railway projects, so could be another project. What a small world!
Delays in government planning and cutting back the Northern ends of HS2 I have some problems with, but the actual engineers on the ground when left to do their job are doing fantastic work.
The level of engineering on HS2 is seriously impressive, a huge viaduct followed almost immediately by a 16km twin tunnel 🤯👏, all around 200mph on this section, looks stunning too, just a shame, planning etc has taken this long since the inception of the idea of the line. Suspect this will be forgotten when the benefits are realised though, like most other projects
Yes indeed, but when will it reach Leeds and Newcastle, or even Golborne?
I’m all for HS2 but it makes no sense going just to Birmingham. The further north it goes, the more useful it becomes. Ultimately to Newcastle and who knows even Edinburgh one day? Less need for domestic air travel as a result.
@@leighmartin8672 100%. If this receives proper public ownership and the low fares that entails, this would kill domestic air travel stone dead around where it serves.
@@leighmartin8672 The current East coast Mainline should be turned to high speed, it is always jam packed, and would help the over used commuter towns from Peterborough to London.
There's a huge amount of HS2 works near where I live in Staffordshire, but I think it's worth it if the end result is as impressive as I hope it will be.
I pass this twice a day whilst I commute to and from work. Its great to see a bit more of an in depth video of what is actually going on. From the outside it just looks like a giant concrete factory. Which it is, to be fair. I look forward to more videos on this topic. Good work Geoff!
Been watching this bridge go up in thirty second intervals at 100mph from the Chiltern line over quite a few years now. Really cool to get a closer look.
The contributors were tremendously knowledgeable.superb vid thanks.
I live right next to this in Hillingdon but regularly commute through here. Over the years I’ve seen it go from nothing to what it is now, and as beautiful as it looks, what really isn’t shown is the disruption that has been caused as a result with closed roads, traffic, work traffic.
Not to mention the destruction of uncountable numbers of trees and natural habitats, with the accompanying disruption to wildlife. And all those poor people who have lost land, homes, and money, plus the many whose sleep is disturbed every night, despite reassurances to the contrary.
Lovely to see some nice Bridge work again. Your safety equipment is far nicer than Mine from the late 70s and 80s. Lighter and more comfortable.
Far more educational than almost all of the official HS2 films. I'm all for more engineers sharing science-based insights with your viewers. Thanks!
The useful analogy of the porous portal would be the suppressor on a rifle, which reduces the noise produced by the bullet leaving the barrel. It works in exactly the same manner.
thinking exactly the same thing - a whole load of air pushed along by a train is much the same as the expanding gases behind a bullet
Thats a very good looking bridge, very aesthetically pleasing
Architect's renders always make it look far better than reality
I live in the area in Harefield so been watching it come along very informative video and shows you what a massive engineering project it is thanks Geoff!
I live here too. Such a shame what they've done
@4:25 Geoff "it's like a motorway". Rob "eff off - it's a cool bridge" !
love your vids geoff, learnt so much more about the tube/ trains from you =)
Thanks for this Geoff; amazing progress and about time that we saw the new railway rising up.
This would be history about 8 + years later 😮!! Then we come back and say, WOW THIS IS HOW THEY CONSTRUCT THE HS2!!
they'll probably still be building it in 8 years. So slow
Yet another great insider video from you, always a pleasure
I like the efficiency of your videos.
Can't wait till this railway is operational
I went to have a look myself last week and you have made a fantastic video to go with my visit, thank you Geoff, brilliant timing...👍👍👍
Another great video Geoff. Always look forward to them. Looking forward to travelling to UK.
Great engineering, going to be amazing to look at when it's finished
Nice, I was lucky enough to have a tour around the site back in November, it amazes me how far the viaduct has come since then, you can barely see that launching girder from the road
As both a train and a canal fan, it’s interesting watching the differing opinions on HS2. :)
Gorgeous engineering. Makes me proud.
I know this area very well this has decimated the whole valley the railway line is at head height with the trees where swans, owls and other bird life fly. This should have been a tunnel but oh! That would have been to expensive.
Looks huge! Can't wait to ride it some day.
The scale of HS2 is absolutely bonkers. To think this is just one of goodness knows how many construction sites along its length is pretty mindblowing.
If only HS2 was not something to admire, but the standard set for all UK rail networks. Imagine Edinburgh to London express service in two hours.
Was going to be bigger...
@@heidirabenau511 It should be huge. The idea that we are not considering high speed rail to one of our fastest growing cities (Leeds) in all of this any more is absolutely absurd. How can we expect cities (not London) to grow if we can't even get high speed rail between them. It isn't like we are a big country
@@FranzTraininandThe line from East Midlands Parkway - Sheffield needs to be electrified first before going to Leeds.
@@FranzTraininand Because according to the beliefs of the government, their "sponsor" megacorporations and much of the general public, if you don't want to / can't afford to drive everywhere then you're a loser who doesn't deserve to be part of society. They couldn't get away with denying the need for new high speed rail lines forever, but now they've been forced to start building it they're doing everything they can to stifle, shrink and delay the project, making it look as bad as possible to ensure nobody dares to suggest building a high speed line (or any sort of railway project for that matter) ever again. Just more lanes on the motorways for us.
Hi Geoff, Wow what a impressive video of the HS2 which is massive project, the huge Viaduct is absolutely brilliant with how the deck gets laid, all the engineers on site are doing a amazing job…..once again many thanks for sharing with all of us, you are truly a huge inspiration to us all! 😊👍
When you can go from Manchester to London in just over an hour (down from over 2 hours) all the opposition to HS2 will go quiet and be forgotten. Amazing project!
More so when more trains can be run on some lines to London including more freight, hopefully taking trucks off the road.
Doubt it. There’s always going to be opposition to it. I don’t see the point in it but I live in the Northwest of Scotland I’m sure there’s plenty feel the same.
why are people in a hurry? what's wrong with it taking over 2 hours to go that distance? that's actually not too bad, trains from my neck of the woods take ages and usually involve connections.
@@trevorelliston1 “hopefully taking trucks off the road” as an HGV driver, that’s not exactly a good thing.
@@JBFlytography we will still need HGV.
HS2 is absolutely mind blowing, like HS1 and Channel Tunnel. Thanks Geoff!
Haha, so "mind blowing" that it's going to end up as just another commuter route between London & Birmingham!
Eastern leg - scrapped.
Golborne link - scrapped.
Birmingham to Manchester line ‐ about to be scrapped.
Euston station - about to be scrapped.
It's going to take longer to get from Birmingham to central London than it does now but hey .. that's "progress" eh? 🤣
@@CRIMSONANT1 I was being a little bit naughty 😉. It’s just ridiculous that a high speed line will only go from London to Birmingham just to shave off a few minutes! It should go all the way to the North West and beyond. My reference to HS1 was it took 2 decades of dithering, well over budget whilst the French & Belgians were laughing at us. As a rule of thumb I always think a railway line brings growth, wealth and many other benefits to the areas along it. The short term pain will benefit generations to come. (Thank you the Victorians).
@LAGoodz .. within a decade of opening (in about 40 years at the current rate of progress), it'll be nothing more than a glorified cycle path .. its a monstrous vanity project that should never have seen the light of day.
There is an incredible vista that takes in the majority of the Colne Valley from The Old Orchard Pub in Harefield. There's no getting around the fact that the works have turned an area of outstanding beauty into an eyesore. I really really hope that in its completed state I can learn to love the engineering and find some kind of peace with the structure, because right now I'm far from that place. Skipping stones? Its a concrete behemoth.
What a stunning structure...!
impressive sure but not a sight to look at
@@finnyoungman2674
On the train it'll be a case of blink and you'll miss it.
Been down that road. On my way to The Coy Carp pub. The Viaduct looks amazing
Love these little updates Geoff. Great access.
that was really interesting thanks geoff.
PPE check, Gloves right side out. Thanks for referencing that again.
As someone who lives in Chalfont St. Peter and has always been interested in railway and architecture, having this built on my doorstep is one of the best things to happen to my local area in my lifetime!
Thanks!
Awesome Video Geoff
Really impressive
I hope you do a video on Curzon Station in Birmingham, there's a lot going on and you will be able to ask how they are incorporating the Grade I listed building from 1838 into the final design.
I went to view a house near Denham/ Iver a few weeks ago and F-me the traffic in that area was abysmal. Just queues and queues of lorries, temporary lights, roadworks. The road network round there is an example of how motorway building has destroyed local communities (M25/ M40/ A25 all coming together and all its slip roads etc/ a lot of duel carriageways and huge roundabouts) and building this has compounded the issue. Anyway, I crawled past in traffic where they were building the viaduct, and it’s so impressive to see, a marvel of modern civil engineering. However no way would I ever let my children out on their bikes on those super congested roads, so we’re not moving to that area.
Trains don't have Traffic jams or temporary traffic lights.
@@UnbelievableEricthegiraffe The construction work has had a profound impact on the surrounding area, streams of lorries etc all day long . Just Google Earth it, you can see how huge the construction site is. And that area is a shambles anyway with the road networks as they are. These used to be very cute, small villages; obviously no more.
@@UnbelievableEricthegiraffe The HS2 construction sites and supplemental works close local link roads, pushing the usual traffic on to the remaining link roads that are completely inadequate for the resultant traffic volume. Denham/Ickenham/Ruislip all get gridlocked semi-frequently by HS2 road closures.
Fascinating Geoff, great to see progress, your videos and those of HS2, help explain not just what's going on, the promise of a whole new additional transport network for the future, but just how many people around the country are reliant now and into the future for their livelihoods on this project, a fact seemingly lost to some of the present Government,
I got the feeling Rob wasn't amused by the glove shenanigans! 😂 Great vid though thanks Geoff - it's fascinating to see these big engineering projects coming together.
Its wild the level of design and engineering in this project, definitely could be done chesper with less infrastructure but this is all out
I'm desperately trying to write a comment that is not automatically axed.
I was trying to give some info about two examples of porous portals, one between France and Spain, the other in Northeastern France.
They are the "Perthus tunnel" and the "Tunnel de Saverne". Both are easily viewable from the satellite view of GMaps and are existing POI's with these titles.
The Perthus tunnel is located on the high-speed line between Perpignan and Figueres and is an international tunnel.
The Tunnel de Saverne is located 30 kilometers (as the crows fly) North-West of Strasbourg on the LGV Est between Paris and Strasbourg.
They respectively see trains running at 300 and 320 kph.
They both have different types of porous portals, and both have twin tunnels.
The Perthus tunnel has multiple "windows" that increase in size from the tunnel outward to the end of the portal.
The Saverne tunnel has two sets of two large vertical piston relief and dilution vents on each portal and both portals have a "crown" or "cap" of tube bars that also helps to brake and dilute shock waves.
Voilà
Great vid 🎉🎉
If you visit the denham grove hotel you can get a good view of the bridge construction from their grounds
Gosh it looks like a huge project.
The Man in Seat 61 in the minibus? When worlds collide!
Good Job 👍
I saw the stretch going over the Grand Union Canal and the lake east of that a couple of weeks ago - 4:30ish
Great video…. Please can you do a video quickly about the loss of ticket offices. We need to get out there the catastrophe loss to the the railway they will be if they go. People have done videos about this who have been on your channel but you have the large subscriber base and contacts at network rail and the Train Operating Companies to really get the message out there make a difference and help convince the government that this is a really bad idea and you have the ability to spread the word…. Cheers Geoff
Nice vid Geoff!
Great video Geoff - keep them coming. I support the idea of HS2 but know that the vision will not be realised for probably 50 years. We only have to look at the promise that HS1 and the Channel Tunnel provided yet I still have to fly to Switzerland on holiday rather than take a through train from London to Zurich.
At that distance, high speed trains are still not competitive time-wise even including security screening (which Eurostar also does and continental rail do not), so it will not be valuable to enough people. But the Channel Tunnel and Eurostar function as designed and provide competitive times London to Paris or Brussels with connections (2 changes) thru Germany and onto Zurich for those who prefer rail travel. Still I get your desire for something like the regular ICE Hamburg to Zurich in one train, about the same distance as London to Zurich.
Who couldn't love a Geoff Marshall video?
300k subs quite an achievement!
Can’t wait
I love the fact that they built a temporary concrete factory to service both the TBMs and the bridge construction machine.
I hope that the government reverses it's decision to throttle back on HS2 (or that we get a different government that agrees to extend HS2 to the East of England and Scotland) so that the temporary factory can be moved up north and reassembled (instead of just being scrapped).
I also hope that something useful can be done with that access deck that the van drove onto. I think it could be an awesome cycle path between towns in the area. But, if it's not allowed to stay, I hope it can be used to make a cycle route and walking route somewhere else.
Great!
It is a impressive viaduct, great video
I've been waiting for the HS2 update great video keep up with the great work
you can see where the money is going, the design of the viaduct is elegant, in Spain where they rolled out 1000s of miles of HS rail the viaducts are very rough and ready..and cheaper
I like your videos Geoff
Geoff you have put your gloves on the right way
The whole thing is incredible but look how long it’ll take
Seeing the viaduct being constructed here is the first time I’ve felt how real this project is now becoming. Tunnel breakthroughs are all very well but they’re all pretty similar and underground so you don’t get as much of a feel for the progress made compared to this. Great video.
Nice vid
Incredible piece of engineering- hope to one day travel on the line!
Geoff I love ur vids
Are you going to do anything on the east west rail project thats reconnecting oxford to cambridge?
“But how did he get run over?”
“We couldn’t see the bright orange man’s gloves…!”
MORE HS2, MORE HS2.
i cant wait to meet you at Thanet parkway
Your hs2 hat is the cool one.
i wish these videos were longer
Blimey, the Trans Pennine Express upgrade has got out of hand!
Oh? It's a different Colne Valley? As you were then.
This construction of HS2 is going to take as long to open to service as the Bakerloo line extension to Lewisham, provided it even goes ahead
I wish the Bakerloo went ahead first.
Cannot wait until High Speed 3 is built 😅
I hope you live a very long life in that case!!
@@rubberduck3y6 😂
Speakign of PPE my Uncle used to be in electrical sales and went to a clients workplace once in Alberta and they gave him a Cowboy hat shaped Hard hat as part of his PPE that he got to keep afterwords.
What holds each segment to the previous segment - at least until they meet in the middle?
Steel (tensioning tendons)
the company I work for has been working on some of the projects, I wonder if I can convince my boss I need to go down and see it for...technological purposes lol
Very C😎😎l & exciting!!! 🙂🚂🚂🚂
A video quickly giving an overview of the progress along the length of the HS2 route would be very much appreciated. 😊
I’m not a total fan of HS2, tbh, a bit of an HS2 Sceptic but, I love viaducts and that’s looking kike it’s going to be a lovely one
I tried to find this launching girder a few weeks back. I went to Denham and walked along the brambly "path" along the A412. I found the viaduct, but the launching girder had moved on since, and I got a bit caught out by the rural buses.
Where is the launching girder now? Is it on or near publicly accessible land and can I get there without driving?
Good morning.
Hey Geoff its TransportForLuka here, i've commneted many times on your videos and you have replied to many of them, my old channel name used to be called "SecuroServ" that was an ugly name from a game i used but i changes it now to an excellent name that really suits the transport content i post now, anyways good job with this one you made, love your videos as always, you got me into transport so I shall thank you, and one day i want to make a parody of secrets of the underground called "secrets of the buses" so when i do post it be sure to watch, it would mean the world to me if you enjoyed it, but i won't be making it any time soon though so stay tuned!
ill probably make a video on HS1 VS HS2 after this phase of hs2 opens
You've got a long wait ahead of you.
@@heidirabenau511 Yep
Always underpromise and overdeliver
Apologies for being off topic but I wasn't sure how else to get in touch. As a regular user of the Elizabeth Line I am becoming increasingly frustrated by the daily experience of cancellations and last minute rerouting of trains which make a mockery of the much vaunted improved service. Any chance of a video exploring this shambles?
The two analogies referred to about the Colne Valley Viaduct are pertinent. Geoff's observation of the structure (without parapets and all the other paraphernalia), 'it's like a motorway...cars are going to be here', is a rebuttal to claims of aesthetic elegance in the architect's alleged assertion that the design drew inspiration from the idea of skipping stones across a lake. Perhaps the claim for a stone-skipping analogy should be made with some caution - it may be read as a mandate for protesters to have a bit of fun by doing that, indulging in the popular summer evening activity, First to smash an HS2 train window wins
I guess the structure I can see. From the m25 is to do with the viaduct ?
How do they glue the deck sections together?
And there's me thinking momentarily that there's a new link going through Essex/Suffolk...
lol
Great engineering… gloves
The grand union canal runs past my flat in Leighton Buzzard
wow