Update on Meriden Road – Daytime Closures Now Expected 23rd Feb until 8th March

Dec 18, 2025

Update on 17 February 2026

The following information is now available to residents:

Following notification that the bridge will be closing in Hampton in Arden by HS2, service 82 will be omitting the village while the works are ongoing.

In response we have procured a minibus to operate from Solihull station – Solihull town centre – Catherine de Barnes – Hampton in Arden.

The minibus will follow the 82 route and provide the village with links to Solihull.  It will be operating free of charge.

For travel from Hampton to Coventry, we are recommending the use of the train.

I have attached the timetable for the shuttle service.

Click here to view the shuttle timetable.

The dates for the shuttle service will be:

23rd Feb to 08th March

 13th April to 17th April

20th April to 24th April

01st June to 06th June

Update on 11 February 2026

The Parish Council is involved in almost daily communication with TfWM, Hs2 and Solihull Council regarding the proposed diversion that is required during this road closure.

The Parish Council have expressed a number of concerns regarding that which TfWM have stated and have raised that directly with them and Ward Councillors.

Transport for West Midlands are currently stating the following: 

As part of the ongoing HS2 works to construct the River Blythe Viaduct, Meriden Road will close from Monday 23 February 2026 until Friday 6 March 2026. The closure will be in place between 8am to 6pm Monday to Friday.

As a result, service 82 will be diverted between Catherine de Barnes and Meriden and will not serve Hampton in Arden. However, we expect that vehicles operating on this route will be able to maintain scheduled times between Meriden and Solihull.

So that residents in Hampton in Arden are not cut off from Solihull, our Bus Services Team are in the process of trying to procure a shuttle bus to operate between Hampton in Arden and Solihull.  As the team are still working on this, we are unable to share any details at this time, however, information will be shared on our website as soon as an update is available.

In terms of arrangements to assist disabled passengers, any shuttle bus will be an accessible bus in the same way that the normal 82 buses are.

HS2 Update 

Please click here for more information directly from HS2.

Previous Update

Following a meeting with Solihull Council earlier today, Councillors have been informed of the following:

The Meriden Road closure dates are 23rd Feb until 8th March, daytime closures only between 8am and 6pm.

The Parish Council have raised further queries regarding various logistics. Once we receive an update we will notify residents accordingly.

Original post:
Update on Meriden Road – Daytime Closures Now Expected
The Parish Council wants to update residents on the latest information regarding HS2’s planned installation of the bridge beams over Meriden Road.
From the outset, we have done everything within our power to avoid daytime road closures. Solihull Council repeatedly assured us that they would do the same in their communications with HS2, stating that a full daytime closure would be avoided wherever possible.
Despite these assurances, we have now been informed that HS2 will not be able to complete the works without closing Meriden Road during the day. Their current intention is to undertake the beam installation over a 10-day period, working during daytime hours. HS2/Solihull Council will be issuing further details in the coming weeks, and we will share these as soon as they are available.
This update is frustrating for the Parish Council, especially after earlier expectations were raised to us that closures could be avoided. We want to reassure residents that the Parish Council challenged this at every stage, but Solihull Council has confirmed that daytime closures are now unavoidable.  We are raising this issue with Ward Councillors.
We have, however, secured a commitment that Diddington Lane will remain open throughout the closure to support local access. The strategic diversion route will use the new A4545, A45, and A452.
HS2 remain committed to reopening Meriden Road to two-way traffic as soon as is possible, though no dates have yet been provided. We will continue to monitor the situation closely.
We will keep you updated.