Tunneling has now begun in London (From New Civil engineer)
Contractors working on High Speed 2 (HS2) have powered up a 140m-long 2,000t tunnel boring machine (TBM) and started its 8km journey through West London from West Ruislip to Greenford.
Operated by SCS (Skanska Costain Strabag JV), TBM Sushila - named in honour of local teacher Sushila Hirani - is HS2’s first to commence tunnelling in the capital. An identical machine named Caroline - named after the first professional female astronaut Caroline Herschel - will be launched later this year and follow the same route, creating the twin-bored tunnel towards central London.
Both machines will bore for 22 months straight, only stopping on Christmas day and bank holidays. When they reach their destination at Greenpark Way in Greenford, they will be dismantled and lifted from the ground.
A separate pair of TBMs will be launched in the capital in 2023. These will start from HS2’s Old Oak Common site at Victoria Road and head out towards Greenway Park, where they will connect up with the tunnels being created by Sushila and Caroline. In total, the quartet of TBMs will create 13.5km of twin-bored tunnels between West Ruislip and Old Oak Common.
At a later stage there will be another 7.2km of tunnels bored beneath London to connect Old Oak Common to HS2’s Euston terminus.
HS2 chief executive Mark Thurston said: “The launch of the Tunnel Boring Machines on the longest section of tunnels through London is a significant moment for HS2, and one that demonstrates the momentum that has built behind Britain’s flagship levelling-up project.
“The construction of 170 miles of new high speed railway between London and Crewe is now in full swing, supporting 27,000 jobs, nearly 1,000 apprenticeships and contracts for over 2,500 businesses.”
SCS JV managing director James Richardson said: “Today we start one of the most complex parts of HS2, tunnelling from here at West Ruislip towards Euston beneath one of the busiest cities in the world. The huge team effort has enabled some of the most advanced TBMs ever built to be launched. Our team has brought together world class skills along with developing many new people to the industry working on this crucial national infrastructure project.”
Outside of London, HS2 has already launched three TBMs, with
two currently boring the Chiltern tunnels and another
having recently completed the Long Itchingdon Wood tunnel.
In total there will be 10 TBMs on the HS2 project - working to create 102km of tunnel between London and the West Midlands including major tunnels on the approach to London and Birmingham. Each TBM is operated by 15 people, working in shifts. A team of around 40 people assembled the TBMs, with 56 companies involved in getting the site ready and machines launched.