Press Release

Balfour Beatty VINCI launches HS2's first Midlands giant tunnelling machine

3 December 2021

UK

  • Today HS2 launched its first tunnel boring machine (TBM) in the Midlands
  • The 2,000 tonne TBM has started on its journey to dig a one-mile tunnel under Long Itchington Wood in Warwickshire, preserving the precious habitats above
  • The TBM is named ‘Dorothy’ after Dorothy Hodgkin, who in 1964 became the first British woman to win the Nobel Prize in Chemistry.

Today HS2 CEO Mark Thurston pushed the button to start HS2’s tunnel boring machine on its one-mile journey under Long Itchington Wood in Warwickshire, marking the launch of the first TBM on the Midlands section of HS2.

Around 170 engineers have been working on the 2,000 tonne, 125m long TBM during its construction and assembly. An expert tunnelling team will now work around the clock in shifts to operate the machine for around five months as it excavates the first bore of the one-mile tunnel.

HS2 Minister Andrew Stephenson said: “This is yet another vital landmark in our journey towards a better connected Britain and with the launching of Dorothy today in Warwickshire, shows real progress in helping transform journeys across our country.

“It also underlines how our £96bn Integrated Rail Plan - the largest ever investment in our rail network – is instrumental in creating jobs and economic opportunities, and ensuring more people reap the benefits of better rail journeys.”

This will be the first HS2 tunnel to be completed on the project, with the machine set to break through its first bore at the south portal in Spring 2022. It will then be disassembled and taken back to the north portal to dig the second bore, which is due to be completed in early 2023.

The tunnel, which will preserve the ancient woodland above, forms a key element in how HS2 is managing environmental impacts through the design of the railway, preserving Britain’s precious wildlife habitats. These woods are classified as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and have complex ecosystems that have taken hundreds of years to establish.

HS2 CEO Mark Thurston said: “Today is another major milestone for HS2. You can see the real progress the project is making as we launch this TBM on one of HS2’s largest sites in the Midlands, contributing to massive job creation in the region.

“More than 20,000 jobs and over 650 apprenticeships are already being supported by HS2, which is set to transform transport links between Britain’s major cities, free up space on the rail network for more freight and local services, and support the UK’s transition to net zero carbon emissions.”

The machine will remove a total of 250,000 cubic metres of mudstone and soil which will be transported to the on-site slurry treatment plant where the material is separated out before being reused on embankments and landscaping along the route.

After a national vote, the TBM was named ‘Dorothy’ – after Dorothy Hodgkin, who in 1964 became the first British woman to win the Nobel Prize in Chemistry. Her discoveries included confirming the structure of penicillin, and her work with insulin paved the way for it to be used on a large scale for treatment of diabetes. She died in 1994 in Shipston-on-Stour in Warwickshire. The name was suggested by a student from Warwickshire College Group.

Michael Dyke, Managing Director of Balfour Beatty VINCI said: “Today represents a significant milestone, culminating months of hard work and representing a vitally important moment in the delivery of Britain’s new high-speed railway line.

“As Dorothy, our cutting-edge Tunnel Boring Machine, sets off on her one-mile journey, our work across the northern section of HS2 continues to progress at pace. Over the next few months, we’ll be building on our efforts to recruit the 7,000 people required across the Midlands to help us shape the UK’s future infrastructure landscape; those who will see their work enjoyed for many years.”

Working in partnership with youth charity the Prince’s Trust, Balfour Beatty VINCI has pledged to provide 30 Kickstart placements this year as part of its ongoing commitment to support young people from the local area into work. Kickstart is a Government funded initiative aimed at creating job placements for 16- to 24-year-olds who are on Universal Credit and at risk of long-term unemployment. It forms part of the Government’s Plan for Jobs campaign and is designed to support those who have been adversely affected by the pandemic.

Three Kickstart placements have now secured permanent roles with BBV, including Samuel from Tamworth, who had originally wanted to become a mechanical engineer but had been unemployed during lockdown.

Samuel, who is now doing a Site Engineering Apprenticeship with BBV, said: “It’s exciting knowing that I am working on a project as big as this - it’s a major project for my country that also aims to benefit local businesses. I hope to progress my career inside of Balfour Beatty VINCI and continue working on HS2 as a whole. If civil engineering is a career goal for anyone, then HS2 is one of the best jobs you can have on your CV. It’s a major project and from my experience the day-to-day scale of the job is very exciting. Every week looks different to the last.”

The final section at the south end of the tunnel will become a ‘green tunnel’ - also known as a cut and cover tunnel - where a soil ‘roof’ is built around the tunnel entrance to integrate the portal into the natural landscape.

In total there will be ten HS2 tunnel boring machines (TBMs) on Phase One, working to create 64 miles of tunnel between London and the West Midlands for Britain’s high speed rail project.

 

ENDS

Media enquiries to:
Vivienne Dunn
Balfour Beatty
+44 (0)203 810 2345
vivienne.dunn@balfourbeatty.com

www.balfourbeatty.com | follow us @balfourbeatty

All non-media related enquiries should be directed to +44 (0)20 7216 6800 or info@balfourbeatty.com 

Notes to editors:

  • Balfour Beatty (www.balfourbeatty.com) is a leading international infrastructure group with 26,000 employees driving the delivery of powerful new solutions, shaping thinking, creating skylines and inspiring a new generation of talent to be the change-makers of tomorrow.  
  • We finance, develop, build, maintain and operate the increasingly complex and critical infrastructure that supports national economies and deliver projects at the heart of local communities. 
  • Over the last 111 years we have created iconic buildings and infrastructure all over the world including: the £1.5 billion A14 improvement scheme - Britain’s biggest road project; Hong Kong’s HK$5.5 billion world-class harbour theatre project for the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority; and the 12.5 mile $429 million North Metro Commuter Rail line in Colorado, US.
  • Balfour Beatty’s Major Projects business deliver large-scale, innovative and complex infrastructure projects which keep the UK moving and the economy thriving. Employing over 2,000 people, the business operates within three principal markets; Transportation; Energy and Power and Major Infrastructure.
  • To maximise our offering on major infrastructure projects, we collaborate with the world’s leading international companies in joint ventures such as VINCI, Skanska and Mott MacDonald to complement our construction offering on mega-infrastructure projects.
  • Our current portfolio of major projects includes two design and build contracts for High Speed 2 in a joint venture with VINCI and London’s new major super-sewer through central London, in a joint venture with BAM Nuttall and Morgan Sindall.
  • In addition, Balfour Beatty is currently delivering the four-year Hinkley Point C nuclear power station tunnelling and marine works package on behalf of EDF Energy which in a first for the UK and created at Balfour Beatty’s innovative manufacturing facility in Avonmouth, is utilising pre-fabricated nuclear-grade concrete segments to ensure significant efficiency savings.
  • Iconic projects of the past include Heathrow Airport Terminal 2 departure lounges, the transformation of the iconic former London Olympic Stadium into a multi-purpose sporting venue and in a joint venture with VINCI the South West of England’s first Smart Motorway to improve journey safety and traffic capacity on the M4 and M5.

Vivienne Dunn

Senior Media & PR Manager