HS2 begins tunnelling with giant machine set to work non-stop for three years
It will dig a 16 kilometre tunnel under the Chiltern Hills at a pace of 15 metres a day
Specialist firm Herrenknecht built the machine at its factory in south west Germany (Image: HS2/PA Wire)
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“The work has truly begun on taking HS2 northwards,” transport secretary Grant Shapps said in a statement. “The tunnels these machines dig will ensure the benefits of our new high-capacity, high-speed railway run to the great cities of the North and Midlands, forging stronger connections in our country, boosting connectivity and skills opportunities and transforming our transport links.”
The first two TBMs will be operated by HS2’s main works contractor, Align, a joint venture formed of Bouygues Travaux Publics, Sir Robert McAlpine, and VolkerFitzpatrick.
Designed for the mix of chalk and flints under the Chilterns, the identical TBMs will dig separate tunnels for north and southbound trains. The cutter head will rotate at up to 3.2rpm with the machine expected to cover 15.6m per day.
Paul Hamer
Sir Robert McAlpine fell to a £26.8m loss in its 2019/20 financial results, largely due to an expected rush of litigation over defects on old projects.
The company made a £14.8m provision because of issues uncovered in a risk review carried out “in response to the pandemic”, when the company also calculated how much it might have to pay in legal costs in respect of historic building defects. The firm said: “A further net increase of £14.8m in cost provisions was also made in respect of anticipated additional potential costs on old contracts, to help deal with the increasingly litigious environment in respect of defect rectification.”
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HS2 has launched the first of 10 tunnelling machines that will dig 64 miles of tunnels in phase one of the project.
The 170 metre-long Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM), named Florence, will operate 24 hours a day for the next three years to dig a 10-mile tunnel under the Chiltern Hills. The work will be managed by the Align joint venture comprising Bouygues Travaux Publics, Sir Robert McAlpine, and VolkerFitzpatrick, which is responsible for the C1 package of phase one civils works worth around £1.6bn.
The machine has been designed specifically to tunnel through the mix of chalk and flints under the Chilterns. Florence, and an identical TBM called Cecilia, will dig one tunnel each to cater for north and southbound rail. The TBMs are expected to dig and line the tunnels with precast concrete sections at a rate of 15 metres per day.