One of five giant tunnels required for the London to Birmingham HS2 London project was lifted into position in Northamptonshire this week.
The last of the 5,020 reinforced concrete segments was set in place for the 1.5-mile tunnel being built inside the cutting at the site near Chipping Warden in Northamptonshire. The tunnel aims to blend the high-speed railway into the landscape and cut noise and disturbance for people living nearby.
Two of the other five tunnels in the scheme at Burton Green, in Warwickshire, and Copthall, on the outskirts of London, are close to being finished.
Assembled from precast concrete segments, Chipping Warden green tunnel is in an ‘M’ shape, with separate halves for northbound and southbound trains. With the precast wall installation now finished, the team are focused on completing the waterproofing and internal floor slab and all other internal works, including the emergency walkways that will run alongside the track.
To speed up construction, the tunnel was built in two parts, which joined together this week with the final segments lifted into position near the A361.
Sam Arrowsmith, HS2 senior project manager, said: “We’ve still got a long way to go, but with the tunnel precast structure complete, we can now focus on finishing the interior works and the earthworks and landscaping that will blend the railway into the surrounding countryside.”
