“ Once complete, HS2 will transform journeys between London and the West Midlands and free up space on the busiest part of the West Coast Main Line. Mark Clapp, HS2 Ltd’s Head of Delivery, said: Once complete, HS2 will help improve connections between London, Birmingham and the North while creating space on the most congested part of the existing West Coast Main Line.Įach Chiltern TBM is a 170m long self-contained underground factory, digging the tunnel, lining it with 56,000 concrete segments to form rings and grouting them into place as it moves forward.ĭesigned specifically for the geology of the Chilterns, the machines were launched in Summer 2021 from a site near the M25 and have already excavated approximately 2.8 million cubic metres of chalk and flint.Īs well as digging and lining the tunnels, engineers have also completed the excavation of four other shafts that will provide ventilation and emergency access near Chalfont St Peter, Chalfont St Giles, Amersham and Little Missenden with work now happening to create the internal structures and the headhouses on the surface. In total, HS2 will require 64 miles of tunnelling, with five Tunnel Boring Machines (TBMs) already in the ground, three more ready to go and another two due to be delivered next year. The enormous 2,000 tonne machines are now 90% of the way through their two-and-a-half-year drive between the M25 and South Heath in Buckinghamshire to create the twin-bore tunnel.
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