'HS2 construction noise has been a living hell'

Construction of HS2's tallest viaduct has been a "living hell" for locals living near the site, who have said noise and disruption has become part of their daily life for the last two years.

The Curzon 2 viaduct is the tallest structure on the route and one of five that will carry trains into Birmingham city centre.

A brother and sister who live close to the site described hearing noise at night "that is so abrupt and loud", while during the daytime it distracts them from work.

HS2 said it engaged regularly with the local community and tried to minimise the local impact of the works.

The 25m high Curzon 2 viaduct crosses the Cross-City line near Duddeston.

Work on the four piers that support it began in autumn 2023 and completed in 2024, with work on the steel structure following.

For people living nearby, in flats off Vauxhall Road, the project is visible from their homes.

Hermon Demsas, 24, set up the Vauxhall Road Residents Association.

"You go to sleep hearing construction noises, you wake up at 03:00 with even more construction noises, the kind of noise that would wake you up out of your sleep that is so abrupt and loud, it is endless," she said.

"We cannot have visitors come around, because they find it difficult to find parking in our local areas, it is a massive nuisance."

Seam Demsas, 22, works from home and said it impacted his life during the day and at night.

"I think it has been a nuisance, a lot of the time when I am doing work, I cannot really do anything without hearing the noises.

"It is really distracting as well whenever I am trying to do meetings, it has been a living hell."

"As long as the noises go down, I am happy with that, but I think it is going to be something we have to live with."

Luke Nipen from HS2 Ltd said they were aware nobody chose to live close to the route of the high-speed railway.

"How we build HS2 and building it in the right way, in a manner that is sympathetic to the local community, is really important to us."

"We want to make sure all our activities respect the community, respect the places which we are working in," he said.

There are engagement managers keeping local people up to date, a community environment fund for those disrupted by the construction, and a 24-hour national helpline, he said.

"We are aware residents had concerns about car parking, so we have made sure we have two dedicated car parks for our staff and visitors so we do not impact on the local road network."

"We carefully plan our activities, so the least noisy works takes place overnight and into the evening, with noise monitors across the site," he added.

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