We went inside an HS2 viaduct in the West Midlands and it was oddly terrifying - and awesome

Between the parade of heavy machinery and heavy goods vehicles and the sea of orange high-vis coats lies the as-of-yet ongoing HS2 'Delta Junction' viaduct works.

The mammoth-sized project lies on the edge of Faraday Avenue, Sutton Coldfield, and can be seen peaking over the nearby hills and trees.

With Express and Star chief photographer, Tim Thursfield, we visited the worksite as part of an exclusive invite to see how the works are progressing and to see the ground-breaking technology they are utilising to forward the project. 

The works will see a faster-than-ever-before link between London and Birmingham built, providing the West Midlands with a near-direct link to England's capital city. 

On-site

Before entering the active worksite, we were made to go through an orientation process that involved a short talk about the statistics of the ongoing project and a short Q&A. 

To start the tour of the site, myself and my photographer donned our orange high-vis jumpsuits, and headed past the security gates into the work zone. 

The grand scale of the surrounding structures is what impressed me at first, a shockingly well-organised jungle of concrete, heavy cables, goods vehicles and towering concrete structures. 

As an environmentalist, the structure was a sharp contrast to the green surroundings, however, I couldn't help but be awe-struck at the scale of the operation, and the technology that helps realise this dream. 

High above the viaduct were huge metal cyberpunk-esque structures known as 'cantilever machines' -  towering structures that help to carefully place each concrete segment into place - a first of its kind in the UK.

Oddly terrifying in the HS2 tunnels

As we walked around the site, we finally got to the most exciting part of the visit, an invitation to go inside the viaduct, directly under where the platform that will carry the high-speed trains. 

Going into the structure was an oddly terrifying experience, it was relatively quiet with footsteps and voices echoing off of its concrete walls. 

The inside of the structure was both snug, but also spacious at parts, with PVC pipes and cabling running along its walls. 

What amazed me most though was how long it took to walk it's length. 

It seemed like 15 minutes that we were speed walking down the narrow hallway, however, when we eventually surfaced on the other side, we had only walked a few small meters. 

Going under the structure

The next and final stop before the end of our tour was walking directly under the towering structure. 

In contrast to being inside the viaduct, being underneath it wasn't as bad, however, I estimate that anyone who suffers from megalophobia [fear of tall buildings] may not agree.

As you walk back to the office building, you follow the underside of the train-carrying platform, weaving through barriers and passing the large struts. 

The size of them from the ground is what is most impressive, it's a rare sight being able to see a structure of this size still under construction, and an even rarer site being able to walk under them. 

Final thoughts

My final thoughts on the process are thus. As much controversy as the HS2 works have received, it's still an impressive grand structure with a dedicated team of engineers who want to see the process realised. 

The engineers on site seemed happy to be working there, appreciating the treatment of the HS2 group and its Midlands contractors Balfour Beatty VINCI.

It's a gargantuan project whose scale is rarely seen in the West Midlands, and through talks with the lead engineers on site, one that utilises technology that has never been seen before in the UK.