Time-lapse video shows 6,000 tonne HS2 bridge sliding into place in Warwickshire

• Watch the above timelapse footage of the bridge being put into place in Warwickshire.

A nearly 6,000-tonne HS2 bridge has been moved into place in Warwickshire 27 hours ahead of schedule.

A team of 250 people have worked to move HS2's huge 5,600-tonne bridge into place under the Coventry to Leamington Spa railway.

The 22-metre-long and 11-metre-wide bridge took more than five hours to get into place.

Five 3.8-tonne jacks on a sliding surface, allowed the bridge to be jacked on a guiding raft slab over a distance of 47 metres.

It moved at around nine metres per hour, being put into its final position at 3:30am on Monday 31 July.

This construction method allows the bridge to be moved in one movement, which dramatically reduces disruption for rail passengers.

The structure will allow HS2 to pass underneath the existing Coventry to Leamington Spa line.

In the short term, it will also allow construction traffic to pass under this line, reducing the number of lorries on public highways. The structure also features an adjoining access bridge for a nearby farmer, which will start construction shortly.

This is the third major bridge move undertaken by HS2 in the last two weeks, as construction ramps up on all the structures, including bridges and viaducts, where HS2 will intersect with existing railway lines and roads in the West Midlands.

HS2 Project manager, James Briggs said: "This is another great example of HS2’s world-leading approach to engineering and shows the vast progress we are making to bring high-speed rail to the Midlands and the North. Over 3,000 UK businesses and almost 30,000 people are helping to build HS2, providing a vital boost to the economy."

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