HS2 has officially commenced excavation work of the final tunnel bore on the 140-mile railway between central London and the West Midlands.
The last of 11 tunnelling machines purpose-built for the project has now begun its drive from Old Oak Common station in west London towards Euston, the railway’s terminus.
The TBM has been named Karen after a UK rail industry pioneer
© HS2 Ltd
This latest tunnel boring machine (TBM) has been named Karen after Karen Harrison, one of the first female train drivers in the UK. To mark the occasion; two female train drivers from Avanti West Coast were invited onto the machine to drive it alongside the engineers working on the project.
The launch follows the initiation of TBM Madeleine’s journey in January, which is the first of two machines being used to excavate the twin-bore tunnel.
TBM Karen will complete the second bore of the 4.5-mile Euston Tunnel, which will bring Britain’s fleet of high-speed trains directly in and out of the capital.
Rail Minister, Lord Hendy, said:
Today’s launch brings HS2’s journey to Euston another step closer to reality, as this Government presses on to deliver this project and with the transformational Euston station redevelopment.
We’re putting HS2 back on track, and taking the railway into central London is crucial to unlocking its full potential to deliver more jobs, more homes and a long-term boost to the whole British economy.
The TBM is the final machine to be launched as part of the HS2 project, completing the bored tunnels on the route between the West Midlands and London. Four other tunnels have now been completely bored – the Northolt, Chiltern, Long Itchington Wood and Bromford tunnels.
Two female train drivers marked the launch of TBM Karen
© HS2 Ltd
Euston is the second bored tunnel underneath the capital, following the Northolt Tunnel. It is being constructed by HS2’d London tunnels contractor, Skanska Costain STRABAG joint venture, whilst the TBM itself was manufactured by Herrenknecht AG, in Germany, before being shipped to the UK and reassembled in the underground station box at Old Oak Common.
Measuring 198-metres in length; the machine operates as a round-the-clock, underground factory, excavating the earth and installing concrete segments into rings, creating the tunnel. On both bores of the tunnel, 48,294 concrete segments will be installed, and 1.5 million tonnes of spoil will be excavated.