HS2 celebrates launch of TBM for second tunnel bore
HS2 Ltd 's 125 metre-long 'Dorothy ' tunnel boring machine has launched for her second one-mile tunnel bore under Long Itchington Wood in Warwickshire, marking the next big milestone for construction on the northern section of Phase One.
After launching in December 2021, the Balfour Beatty VINCI (BBV) tunnelling team worked around the clock in shifts over seven months, with the TBM becoming the first on the HS2 project to complete a tunnel drive in July 2022.
HS2 's senior project manager for Long Itchington Wood Tunnel, Doug Barnett, said: “After celebrating HS2 's first historic tunnel breakthrough in July, this TBM reassembly and relaunch is another first for the HS2 project. One year after Dorothy launched for her first drive, she 's now set off for the second bore, and we look forward to seeing the next HS2 tunnel breakthrough in summer 2023. ”
This is the sixth tunnel launch on the project, but the first time a TBM has been reassembled and reused. Four other TBMs are currently in the ground, digging twin bore tunnels under the Chilterns and London. When the TBM breaks through next summer, Long Itchington Wood Tunnel will be the first twin tunnel to be completed on HS2.
Neil Johnson, Tunnels Delivery director for Balfour Beatty VINCI (BBV) said: “This has been an intense four months for the team, including an intricate logistical operation to safely transport the TBM 's giant cutterhead and tail skin back to the north portal. This is another fantastic milestone for BBV and a proud moment for our fantastic tunnelling team. ”
The tunnel, which preserves the ancient woodland above, forms a key element in how HS2 is managing environmental impacts through the design of the railway, protecting Britain 's precious wildlife habitats. Long Itchington Wood is classified as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) with complex ecosystems that have taken hundreds of years to establish.
The TBM is named 'Dorothy ' after Dorothy Hodgkin, who in 1964 became the first British woman to win the Nobel Prize in Chemistry.
Pictured: The BBV tunnelling team at the second launch of HS2 's Long Itchington Wood Tunnel TBM