NEWS |


HS2 sees TBM launch for logistics link tunnel


Hinkley C shafts start


UK – Two jack-up vessels have been working off the coast of Somerset, in England, to construct six vertical shafts more than 20m into the sea bed for the UK’s newest nuclear power station, Hinkley C, being built for energy company EDF. Work to install the shafts will continue into the third quarter. The shafts are to install components for


the power station’s cooling water system, which involves 10km of tunnels Once the shafts are installed, miners will dig a horizontal connection between the bottom of the shaft and the cooling tunnels. This is the first part of linking the intake and outfall heads with the tunnels. These large structures were lowered onto the seabed in mid-2022. Area delivery director Jonathan Smith


Above: Assembly of HS2 TBM ‘Lydia’ for Atlas Road Logistics Tunnel, west London


UK – Skanska Costain Strabag joint venture (SCS JV) launched the third TBM, ‘Lydia’, in the London section of the HS2 project to build a 6.2m i.d. logistics tunnel. The 853m-long Atlas Road


Logistics Tunnel will be used to deliver concrete segments and materials and also help with spoil removal logistics of HS2’s twin- bored Euston Tunnel – the start of tunnelling for which has been delayed. Two TBMs had been due next


year to start boring on the 7km- long Euston tunnel. They would bore from Old Oak Common, in west London, towards Euston in the centre of the capital. However, while those main works have been delayed the project owner wants preparatory works to continue, including construction of the logistics tunnel. SCS JV launched the 847-tonne


Herrenknecht TBM ‘Lydia’ from the Atlas Road site, in North Acton, from where it will build the logistics tunnel to the Old Oak Common Station site. It will start 5m below ground and reach a depth of 20m. The Herrenknecht TBM has been


repurposed using components from a machine previously used on Crossrail project, in London – TBM ‘Ellie’, which worked on dug two


8 | June 2023


sections of the project: Limmo Peninsula, in Canning Town, to Royal Victoria Dock; and, between Pudding Mill Lane and Stepney Green. It bored almost 3.6km. Herrenknecht designed the TBM specifically for HS2’s requirements and remanufactured components, including the shield and the cutting wheel. The logistics tunnel is to be


completed in around six months, using 4264 concrete segments – produced by Pacadar, in Kent – to construct 533 concrete tunnel rings. The TBM was launched around


the same time the project client confirmed that tunnelling to HS2 project’s Euston Station terminus has been deferred. Since the UK Government’s


announcement, in March, that it was delaying some aspects of the large project because of inflationary pressure and increased costs, the project owner has prioritised delivery of the high-speed railway outside of London. The project owner said that the


preparation works for the two TBMs for Euston Tunnel would continue. Malcolm Codling, HS2’s project


client for the London tunnels, said the Atlas Road Logistics Tunnel was key to constructing the Euston Tunnel.


said: “This is one of the final stages of our offshore operations, which will see teams from EDF, Balfour Beatty and New Wave Solutions working together to deliver yet another incredible feat of engineering. The cooling water system is critical to the power station.” Balfour Beatty project director Roger


Frost said the vessels’ arrival marked another significant step on the project. “We now look forward to utilising our unique capability and unrivalled expertise to continue with the linking up of the six miles of tunnels which are buried below the Bristol Channel.”


Sandvik upgrades roadheaders INTERNATIONAL – Sandvik has upgraded two of its tunnelling roadheaders – the MT721 and MT521 models. The MT series roadheaders, equipped


with geometrically optimised transverse cutterheads, can excavate a range of underground works. The upgrades to the two roadheader models is to future- proof them with further digitalisation and automation features. The upgrades include a new machine


control system able to fully integrate all future digital services, including tele- remote operation as well as Racoon for machine telemetry data collection and the digital customer services platform SmartMate. Both roadheader also have CUTRONIC


automated cutting technology for geometrically complex tunneling applications. The new boom control includes new optimised machine control software and upgraded hydraulics.


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