Installing the huge new A46 bridge this spring is one of HS2's 2025 highlights, it has been revealed.

The dual carriageway was closed in April to allow for the road surface to be removed and the new bridge slid some 64 metres into place.

The road was then rebuilt over it, with the HS2 line ultimately set to run under the bridge.

Weighing 14,500 tonnes, the box structure is believed to be the heaviest of its kind in Europe.

HS2 says it is currently at "peak production". All 23 miles of deep-bore tunnels have now been excavated on the opening section of the railway between Old Oak Common and Birmingham Curzon Street.

HS2 says it is now focused on "completing the complex civil engineering programme" across the 140-mile route, ahead of the next vital stage when the track, signalling and communications systems are installed.

This month marks the first anniversary of Mark Wild's appointment as Chief Executive of HS2 Ltd.

He 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."

Other highlights of 2025 for HS2 include:

• 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.
• 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
• 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.
• 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.