Engineers have begun assembling the two Herrenknecht TBMs that will dig the final 7.2km of underground high-speed railway – carrying…
Searching for HS2
HS2 reaches halfway point on key ‘green tunnel’
Work to build HS2’s 700m long Burton Green Tunnel in Warwickshire has reached the halfway mark. It is one of…
HS2 Euston Tunnel funding confirmed in UK budget
In the UK’s Budget today, Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rachel Reeves has confirmed funding will be made available so that…
British Tunnelling Society 2024 Conference: an industry ready for change
The British Tunnelling Society (BTS 2024) Conference and Exhibition brought together clients, contractors, consultants and suppliers to talk about some…
HS2 segment casting complete at Isle of Grain factory
Production of concrete segments used to construct HS2’s 8km long Northolt Tunnel has been completed in a major milestone for…
HS2’s Bromford Tunnel TBM reaches halfway
The 1,600 tonne, 8.62m diameter Herrenknecht TBM, ‘Mary Ann’ digging the first bore of HS2’s 5.6km long Bromford Tunnel –…
HS2’s Northolt Tunnel half way there
HS2’s tunnelling team are celebrating completing half of the 13.4km twin bored Northolt Tunnel underneath London. Four Herrenknecht TBM are…
HS2 Old Oak Common station box excavation complete
Construction of HS2’s new super-hub station in west London, Old Oak Common, has moved into a new phase as workers…
Why be a BEV first mover?
Removing fossil fuels from sites is a must if countries – and companies – are serious about decreasing the carbon…
HS2 completes Bromford Tunnel portal
Work to build HS2’s 5.6km Bromford Tunnel bringing high speed trains into Birmingham has taken a leap forward as excavation…
Final TBM joins HS2’s ‘Northolt four’
Construction of the UK’s HS2 line has hit another major milestone with the launch of the fourth – and final…
Waterproofing cross passages
Interfaces in construction projects often introduce risk. And cross passages are, by definition, interfaces between main tunnels. We asked some…
HS2 final TBM breaks through on Chiltern Tunnels
The second 10.25m diameter Herrenknecht TBM building HS2 under the Chiltern Hills has broken through at the tunnel’s northern portal,…
Final HS2 TBM in the West Midlands starts boring
HS2 has launched the last Herrenknecht TBM to bore tunnels for the new high speed railway in the West Midlands….
Historic breakthrough for HS2’s longest tunnel
HS2’s first TBM which launched almost 3 years ago – broke through today at the end of her 16km journey…
HS2 launches third Northolt Tunnel TBM
HS2’s London tunnels programme has passed another major milestone following the launch of the section’s third TBM. Herrenknecht 9.11m diameter…
HS2’s Euston logistics tunnel breakthrough
HS2 has celebrated the breakthrough of a TBM into its underground Old Oak Common station – marking a key milestone…
HS2’s ‘Florence’ and ‘Cecilia’ reach Chesham Road
HS2 has confirmed that ‘Florence’ and ‘Cecilia’ – the two TBMs digging the project’s longest tunnels – have reached the…
HS2’s next London Tunnels segments delivery starts
Deliveries of tunnel segments for HS2’s London Tunnels have begun from Hartlepool, using the UK’s rail network to minimise road…
HS2 positions second Bromford Tunnel TBM
Assembly has been completed of HS2’s Herrenknecht TBM that will start digging the second bore of the 5.6km Bromford Tunnel…
HS2 Chiltern tunnel cross passages reach halfway
The construction of HS2’s longest tunnels – stretching for 16km under the Chilterns – passed a key milestone this week…
HS2 digital concrete test to cut carbon
A successful trial of a ground-breaking digital measuring system for concrete has led to a roll-out across multiple sites on…
HS2’s next Northolt Tunnel TBMs head underground
Major components of the first of the second pair of Herrenknecht EPBMs that will bore HS2’s 13.4km long Northolt High…
HS2 extension beyond Birmingham scrapped
UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, in his Conservative Party Conference Keynote has officially cancelled the extension of HS2 northwards from…
Work begins on HS2’s longest green tunnel
The UK’s HS2 has begun assembling the project’s longest ‘green tunnel’ – designed to blend the high speed railway into…
Battery Electric Vehicles and the risk of fire in tunnel construction
What are the fire risks when deploying battery electric vehicles (BEV) in the construction of tunnels? This is a question…
HS2’s Florence and Cecilia reach Little Missenden shaft
HS2 has confirmed that ‘Florence’ and ‘Cecilia’ – the two 10.26m diameter Herrenknecht TBMs boring HS2’s longest tunnels – have…
HS2 London tunnelling passes one mile mark
HS2’s first two TBMs in London, Sushila and Caroline, have completed the first mile (1.6km) of twin bored tunnel in…
Strabag HS2 tunnel segment production begins
The production of the concrete tunnel segments for HS2 has begun at a new facility at Hartlepool docks. STRABAG were…
Acciona invests in SAALG Geomechanics software
Acciona has become the lead investor in SAALG Geomechanics, a software and engineering startup that predicts real ground movement during…
SOC submitted for new DLR extension under the Thames
Transport for London (TfL) and its partners have submitted a Strategic Outline Case (SOC) to Government for a plan to…
HS2 unveils Bromford Tunnel TBM
HS2 has revealed the first images of the TBM that contractor Balfour Beatty VINCI JV will use to bore the…
HS2 launches third TBM in London
HS2 has once again begun tunnelling under London, launching its third TBM under the city. The 853m long, 6.2m i.d….
HS2 Long Itchington TBM breaks through
The UK’s HS2 tunnelling team of Balfour Beatty/VINCI (BBV JV) has celebrated the milestone breakthrough of its 10m diameter Herrenknecht…
HS2 leg and Lower Thames Crossing face two year delay
The UK’s Secretary of state for Transport, Mark Harper, has announced that HS2’s Birmingham to Crewe leg will be delayed…
HS2’s ‘Florence’ and ‘Cecilia’ TBMs pass Amersham
The UK’s HS2 project today confirmed that ‘Florence’ and ‘Cecilia’ – the two 10.26m diameter Herrenknecht TBMs boring HS2’s longest…
HS2 Chiltern Tunnel TBMs reach halfway
The UK’s HS2 Ltd has confirmed that HS2’s main works contractor, Align – a joint venture of Bouygues Travaux Publics, Sir Robert…
RFQ soon for Hudson Tunnel Project Delivery Partner (PDP)
The Gateway Development Commission (GDC) has announced that it will release a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) for a Project Delivery…
HS2 smashes Diesel-free sites target
On its journey towards fully diesel-free construction sites by 2029, the UK’s HS2 project has announced that 10 sites are…
HS2 launches TBM for second Long Itchington bore
HS2’s Herrenknecht TBM ‘Dorothy’ has launched for her second 1.6km long (one-mile) tunnel bore under Long Itchington Wood in Warwickshire,…
HS2’s 2.7km spoil conveyor begins operation
A 2.7km (1.7 mile) long network of conveyors has begun operating in West London, and will move over five million…
Fifth TBM launched on HS2
HS2 Ltd has launched the fifth TBM, ‘Caroline’, that will be constructing tunnels for the HS2 railway through London. The…
New speakers announced for BTS Conference and Exhibition 2022
New speaker additions to the BTS Conference and Exhibition 2022 can now be announced with the confirmation of a host…
HS2 completes first tunnel cross passages
The construction HS2’s longest tunnels stretching for 16km under the Chilterns has begun a new phase with the start of…
HS2 celebrates historic first tunnelling breakthrough
The UK’s HS2 Ltd is celebrating the very first tunnelling breakthrough on Europe’s largest infrastructure project. A 2,000-tonne Herrenknecht TBM…
HS2 reveals successful hydrogen generator trial
An HS2 construction site in London has held successful trials for two zero-emissions hydrogen fuel cell-based electricity generators – cutting…
HS2 offers tunnelling career trial
HS2’s construction partner, Balfour Beatty VINCI (BBV), is offering the chance to trial a new career working on the tunnelling…
HS2 starts work on first pioneering ‘Green Tunnel’
The UK’s HS2 has announced the start of construction at the site of its first innovative ‘green tunnel’, designed to…
HS2 TBMs reach Chalfont St Peter ventilation shaft
The UK’s HS2 this week confirmed that the two 10.26m diameter Herrenknecht TBMs digging the high speed rail project’s 9.1m…
HS2 unveils ‘green tunnels’ images
The UK’s HS2 project has revealed the first images of the longest of three innovative ‘green tunnels’ that will be built across…
HS2 celebrates 2021 and looks ahead to 2022
HS2 Ltd has released a suite of new images and a video celebrating the massive progress made on the project…
HS2 Launches First Midlands TBM
Today [2 December] HS2 CEO Mark Thurston pushed the button to start HS2’s TBM on its 1.6km journey under Long…
Construction start for HS2 Old Oak Common station
Work to construct the 850m-long station box at HS2’s Old Oak Common station in London began last month as concrete…
HS2 shortlist for Phase 2a DDP
HS2 Ltd has shortlisted bidders to become the Phase 2a Design and Delivery Partner (DDP) for the new section of…
HS2 Chiltern Tunnels reaches the one mile mark
HS2’s first TBM currently working on the 10 mile long, 9.1m i.d Chiltern twin tunnels has passed the one mile…
First segment contract for HS2’s London tunnels awarded
HS2’s contractor delivering the London tunnels, Skanska-Costain-STRABAG Joint Venture (SCS JV), has signed the first of two contracts for the…
HS2’s London ‘superhub’ station construction commences
Wednesday 23rd June saw HS2 Ltd commence permanent works on its west London ‘superhub’ station – Old Oak Common. The UK…
HS2 launches first of its ten TBMs
A historic moment has been reached on the UK’s HS2, with the launch of the project’s Herrenknecht TBM, Florence, on…
HS2 north portal TBM launch site complete
Excavation has been completed on the north portal site of HS2’s Long Itchington Wood Tunnel, ready for the launch of…
Keller VSL JV awarded £167M HS2 contract
Keller Group plc (‘Keller’) and VSL International announce their 50:50 joint venture (KVJV) has been awarded a £167M contract to…
HS2 completes sheet piling for Victoria Road Crossover Box
The UK’s HS2 project has completed sheet piling work by contractors Skanska/Costain/STRABAG Railways Joint Venture (SCS Railways) in Acton, West…
HS2 reveals TBM launch portal’s first images
HS2 has revealed the first images of one of HS2’s largest construction sites in the UK’s Midlands, which is being…
HS2 reveals robot assisted Chiltern Tunnels TBMs
The UK’s HS2 has unveiled the use of an innovative onboard robot that will improve safety and efficiency on the…
HS2’s first London TBMs officially awarded
The contract for the first two TBMs for London’s HS2 tunnels has been signed with HS2’s Main Works Civils Contractor,…
First HS2 TBMs prepare to ship to the UK
HS2 has today (Tuesday 11th August) revealed the first images of the first two completed TBMs that will excavate the 9.1m diameter twin-bore…
UK clients look to new procurement routes
Contractor Skanska rounded up some heavy hitters from the UK’s infrastructure clients to look at how the construction industry is…
HS2 preparation milestone for TBM arrival at Chiltern Portal
Preparation for the arrival of the UK’s first TBMs for HS2 passed a major milestone with the completion of the…
HS2 to provide payment protection to supply chain
The UK’s HS2 Ltd has taken a further step to support companies in its supply chain and has approved the…
A brace of milestones for HS2
HS2 has reached two significant milestones this week with key works completed that are pivotal in preparing London Euston for…
HS2 reveals first images of TBMs launch site
The UK’s HS2 project has revealed a series of striking new images showing preparation for the arrival of the project’s first TBMs,…
First images of HS2 TBMs revealed
The UK’s HS2 has revealed the first images of its first two TBMs set to be launched on the project…
HS2 launches first TBMs names vote
The UK’s HS2 has launched a national vote to pick the names of the first of 10 TBMs that will excavate more than 56km of tunnel on the first phase of the…
Covid-19 Update: HS2 issues ‘Notice to Proceed’
Following the decision to proceed with UK’s HS2 earlier this year, HS2 Ltd has today (15 April 2020) marked the next step for the project…
Boris Johnson announces HS2 to go ahead in full
HS2 will go ahead the UK Prime Minister, Boris Johnson has confirmed. In a statement to Parliament he set out…