HS2 has launched the last Herrenknecht TBM to bore tunnels for the new high speed railway in the West Midlands. The machine has started on its journey to excavate the second bore of HS2’s Bromford Tunnel, between the east portal at Water Orton in North Warwickshire and the west portal at Washwood Heath in Birmingham.
The 5.6km twin bore tunnel will take high speed trains in and out of Birmingham, with a series of viaducts between Washwood Heath and Curzon Street Station taking trains to the city centre.
HS2 Bromford Tunnel AH27
The first TBM, which launched in June 2023 and named ‘Mary Ann’ has completed around one third of her journey towards Birmingham. So far, the machine has tunnelled under the Park Hall Nature Reserve, is currently near the River Tame, and will continue adjacent to the M6 at a depth of 27m before breaking through at Washwood Heath later this year. The second TBM is due to finish its journey in Autumn 2025.
The full Bromford Tunnel programme is being delivered by around 450 people working for HS2’s contractor Balfour Beatty VINCI (BBV). A specialist tunnelling team working for BBV’s sub-contractors Tunnelcraft and Solihull-based Rorcon, are operating both TBMs 24/7, with each bore taking around 16 months.
Jules Arlaud, Tunnelling Director for Balfour Beatty VINCI said: “Today marks Balfour Beatty VINCI’s fourth and final TBM launch – an incredible moment for our tunnelling team who have worked tirelessly to achieve this milestone.
“As ‘Mary Ann’ continues her journey towards Washwood Heath in Birmingham, we’re now looking forward to having two machines underground, as this fascinating and complex stretch of the HS2 route inches another step closer to completion.”
Tunnelcraft have recruited nine tunnelling apprentices, including formerly unemployed people from the local area, providing a unique opportunity to learn new skills and start a new career.
Solihull-based company Rorcon were awarded a subcontract by BBV in 2023 to provide specialist tunnel labour for the Bromford tunnels. Around 60 people including one apprentice from the company are working on the Bromford Tunnel programme.
Both TBMs will remove a total of 1.87 million tonnes of excavated material, which is sifted at the on-site slurry treatment plant and reused on HS2’s nearby sites at Delta Junction, where a complex network of 13 viaducts is being built. HS2 has built dedicated roads between these construction sites, including an access off the M6/M42 link roads, in order to take lorries off public roads.
Working as an ‘underground factory’, both TBMs will put a total of 41,594 concrete segments in place, creating 5,942 rings to make the twin bore tunnel, with each ring weighing 49 tonnes. The segments are being produced at Balfour Beatty VINCI’s pre-cast factory at Avonmouth near Bristol.
Herrenknecht
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