The 84m long and 21m wide Aston Church Road Bridge in Saltley was built over the existing Birmingham to Derby railway line.

Work began at 10pm on Saturday 10 August and the bridge reached its final position at 3am the following day.

The operation was performed by Balfour Beatty Vinci, HS2s Main contractor for the construction work in the Midlands and its specialist contractor for bridge relocation MammothThe track was returned to Network railway five hours earlier than planned.

Mammoet moved the bridge with two self-propelled modular transporters, each with 128 wheels, over a mat base, which was Pod Trak to create a flat surface.

Steve Powell, HS2’s Head of Delivery, said: “This is another major construction milestone for HS2 in the West Midlands. Our teams are using the most innovative techniques to deliver engineering feats safely and efficiently.”

“It’s also a great example of how the new infrastructure we are building for HS2 is also improving the local road network.”

As high-speed trains arrive and depart Birmingham, the bridge will be positioned over the recently constructed HS2 tracks. The remaining structures around the bridge and the steelwork of the parapet panels are due to be completed in the coming weeks.

Last month, HS2 installed 83 concrete girders as part of a 91m bridge on the West Coast Main Line near Kenilworth, UK.