November 2025
Colne Valley Viaduct Wins IABSE Award
Photo credit: IABSE
We are delighted to share that the HS2 Colne Valley Viaduct received the prestigious IABSE Award in Zurich, at the 2025 IABSE Project and Technology Awards. The viaduct won in the ‘Large Road and Rail Bridges category’.
Managing Director Vardy Jones and Market Sector Director for Rail George Kapos attended the ceremony alongside members of the Align JV and subconsultants on the scheme.
The CVV is a landmark infrastructure project in the development of HS2. Spanning 3.4 km, it is the longest railway bridge in the UK and a critical link in the HS2 network, crossing a diverse stretch of countryside in the Colne Valley. Once operational, it will carry high-speed trains traveling at up to 320 km/h (200 mph).
The viaduct’s design was led by Align D, a collaboration of Jacobs, Rendel Limited, Ingérop, Align JV, and Grimshaw, from tender through to scheme and detailed design. Construction was undertaken by the Align JV, comprising Bouygues Construction, Sir Robert McAlpine, and VolkerFitzpatrick Ltd, with support from subcontractors including VSL International Ltd., Kilnbridge, and KVJV, among others.
Earlier this year, Rendel Limited received the New Civil Engineer award for ‘Bridge Consultant of the Year’ for it’s work on the viaduct, and the Align JV Colne Valley Viaduct Team recently won the Project Team Excellence Award at the 2025 British Construction & Infrastructure (BCI) Awards.
We are extremely proud that the work delivered by the Align JV and Align-D integrated project team has been recognised internationally by experts across the globe. Congratulations too all involved in the project from its initial inception through to construction completion.