Uk news
Engineers assemble HS2 TBM ‘Lydia’ at Atlas Avenue, London
HS2 has acknowledged the construction of a 7.2km tunnel between its Euston and Ragged Oak Frequent stations is no longer going to begin subsequent year as previously planned.
A joint enterprise between Skanska, Costain and Strabag (SCS) is to blame for constructing the Euston Tunnel in London as section of its indispensable works civils contract. Closing year the JV changed into as soon as awarded additional funding for the tunnel work.
This week the SCS JV started preparatory work for the tunnel, launching its third tunnel slow machine (TBM) in London, which this will use to accomplish a tunnel between Ragged Oak Frequent residing and a logistics hub at Atlas Avenue in North Motion.
This 853m tunnel would possibly be veteran to bring provides, in conjunction with 8,010 tunnel section rings, to the hub to toughen the construction of the Euston Tunnel. A conveyor system would possibly be veteran to rob away excavated clay.
But HS2 confirmed that work on the Euston Tunnel, which had been ensuing from delivery in 2024, has been delayed following the federal government’s aloof decision to prioritise supply of the project between Ragged Oak Frequent and Birmingham Curzon Avenue. HS2 has no longer supplied a brand aloof expected delivery date.
A spokesperson for HS2 acknowledged: “The 2 TBMs constructing the tunnel on this share from the Ragged Oak Frequent Box in direction of Euston had been scheduled to begin in 2024, however this is now deferred.
“The Atlas Avenue Logistics Tunnel … is a precursor to this work and is unruffled persevering with. The preparation works for the starting up of the two TBMs will furthermore continue.”
Malcolm Codling, HS2’s project consumer for the London tunnels, acknowledged: “The Atlas Avenue Logistics Tunnel is key to how we are able to be establishing the Euston Tunnel between Ragged Oak Frequent and HS2’s Euston residing.
“The logistics tunnel enables us to rob 70,000 lorry journeys off the local roads that can otherwise had been required and may per chance per chance per chance unruffled minimize the influence of HS2’s construction on the local folk.”
James Richardson, managing director of the SCS JV, acknowledged: “This is our third TBM to begin in London and later this year we are able to appreciate five machines working.”
In aloof months doubts appreciate steadily surfaced about whether the Euston residing would possibly be built. It emerged in March that the residing’s projected fee has almost doubled to £4.8bn.
In January, chancellor Jeremy Hunt acknowledged he did no longer “look any that that that you may per chance judge of circumstance” by which HS2 would end anyplace else than Euston, following a document in the Solar newspaper that plans for the residing would possibly be cancelled or delayed.
But levelling up secretary Michael Gove no longer too lengthy ago acknowledged: “There is a debate on whether [HS2’s London terminus] would possibly be Ragged Oak Frequent or Euston.”
The high minister later insisted there is nothing “ambiguous” about HS2’s termination point.