Balfour Beatty VINCI has launched its last tunnel boring machine (TBM) to dig tunnels for HS2, the new high speed railway in the West Midlands. The 125 metres long TBM has started on its journey to dig the second bore of HS2’s Bromford Tunnel, between the east portal at Water Orton in North Warwickshire and the west portal at Washwood Heath in Birmingham. The 3.5 mile twin bore tunnel will take high speed trains in and out of Birmingham, with a series of viaducts between Washwood Heath and Curzon Street Station taking trains to the city centre. The first TBM, which launched in June 2023 and was named ‘Mary Ann’ – the real name of Warwickshire-born author George Eliot, has completed around one third of her journey digging towards Birmingham. So far, the machine has tunnelled under the Park Hall Nature Reserve, is currently near the River Tame, and will continue adjacent to the M6 at a depth of 27 metres before breaking through at Washwood Heath later this year. The second TBM is due to finish its journey in Autumn 2025. The full Bromford Tunnel programme is being delivered by around 450 people working for Balfour Beatty VINCI. A specialist tunnelling team working for Balfour Beatty VINCI’s sub-contractors Tunnelcraft and Solihull-based Rorcon, are operating both TBMs 24/7, with each bore taking around 16 months. Following the tradition of naming HS2 TBMs after famous women from the local area, pupils from Paget Primary School in Birmingham chose to call the machine ‘Elizabeth’ after Dame Elizabeth Cadbury, who spent her life campaigning for the education and welfare of women in Birmingham. The name was unveiled on site by Lucy Holmes – Forest School Lead at Paget Primary School, and Diane Donaldson – Birmingham City Councillor for Bromford & Hodge Hill Ward. Jules Arlaud, Tunnelling Director for Balfour Beatty VINCI said: “Today marks Balfour Beatty VINCI’s fourth and final TBM launch – an incredible moment for our tunnelling team who have worked tirelessly to achieve this milestone. “As ‘Mary Ann’ continues her journey towards Washwood Heath in Birmingham, we’re now looking forward to having two machines underground, as this fascinating and complex stretch of the HS2 route inches another step closer to completion.” Catherine Loveridge, HS2’s Senior Project Manager said: “It’s fantastic to see this last West Midlands TBM get underway, marking another key moment for HS2 in the region. We’re now at peak construction on the project, delivering these massive feats of engineering using many local companies and local skills. “Over a third of our total HS2 workforce are based at worksites across the West Midlands, and thousands more jobs are still to be created locally as work to build Curzon Street Station, Interchange Station and the Washwood Heath Depot gathers momentum.” Tunnelcraft have recruited nine tunnelling apprentices, including formerly unemployed people from the local area, providing a unique opportunity to learn new skills and start a new career. Cormac Hicks, Managing Director at Tunnelcraft Ltd said: “This massive feat of engineering is providing a unique opportunity for people from the local area to come and work with us, learning new skills and qualifications in the process. “At Tunnelcraft, we have a range of entry role positions still available and would encourage local people to get in contact. There has never been a more promising time to start a career in UK tunnelling.” Elliot Stanley, Tunnelcraft Tunnelling Apprentice said: “Looking back on what we have learnt in such a short space of time is incredible. HS2 is a massive project and when it’s finished I can say that I played a big part in making that.” Solihull-based company Rorcon were awarded a subcontract by Balfour Beatty VINCI in 2023 to provide specialist tunnel labour for the Bromford tunnels. Around 60 people including one apprentice from the company are working on the Bromford Tunnel programme. Terry Grogan, Managing Director of Rorcon Limited said: “As a family-owned SME based in Solihull, we’re delighted to be involved in a project so close to home. It’s a privilege to be part of the Balfour Beatty VINCI and HS2 supply chain on a project that will have such a positive impact on the local community for the coming generations, whether that be providing jobs to the local area or by those who utilise the rail network once complete – a real bonus for the West Midlands.” As part of Balfour Beatty VINCI’s school engagement programme, pupils at Paget School in Birmingham have named the second TBM ‘Elizabeth’ after learning about famous women from Birmingham. They chose the name after Dame Elizabeth Cadbury DBE, who founded the Birmingham Union of Girls’ Clubs, was Vice President of the Electrical Association for Women, and President of the United Hospital in Birmingham. Together with her husband – George Cadbury, the chocolate manufacturer – she participated in the reform of industrial working and living conditions through supporting the welfare, health and education of women and children in Bournville. For her public service Elizabeth Cadbury was made an OBE in 1918 and a DBE in 1934. Lucy Holmes, Forest School Lead at Paget Primary School said: “Our pupils have been learning about the importance of the Cadbury family in Birmingham, and we’re thrilled that we could name the TBM after Dame Elizabeth Cadbury. We’d like to thank HS2 and Balfour Beatty VINCI for their continuing involvement with our school.” Both TBMs will remove a total of 1.87 million tonnes of excavated material, which is sifted at the on-site slurry treatment plant and reused on HS2’s nearby sites at Delta Junction, where a complex network of 13 viaducts is being built. HS2 has built dedicated roads between these construction sites, including an access off the M6/M42 link roads, in order to take lorries off public roads. Working as an ‘underground factory’, both TBMs will put a total of 41,594 concrete segments in place, creating 5,942 rings to make the twin bore tunnel, with each ring weighing 49 tonnes. The segments are being

646 freight trains deliver a million tonnes of construction materials to HS2’s Quainton railhead, near Aylesbury, over 16 months – taking the equivalent of more than 101,000 HGV journeys off local roads… A small railhead near Quainton has helped HS2 take the equivalent of 101,000 HGV movements off local roads across Bucks, Oxfordshire and West Northants, it is revealed today. The company building Britain’s new high-speed railway confirmed that its construction hub at Quainton, Bucks, has now received more than a million tonnes of construction material by rail carried by 646 trains – offsetting the need to transport the material by road. Situated on an existing freight line north of Aylesbury, the railhead is expected to welcome an extra 1,400 freight trains over the next two years taking the total amount of material delivered to around 3 million tonnes. This is on top of a million tonnes already delivered by rail to previous railheads in the local area, meaning that HS2 has now taken a combined total of two million tonnes of material or 217,000 HGVs off local roads and saved 22,378 tonnes of carbon, the equivalent of 22,300 single passenger flights from London to New York. Once on site, most of the material – mainly aggregate used for construction – is stockpiled before being moved up or down the line of route of the new high-speed line on a series of dedicated haul roads to keep it away from local road users. The HS2 project is fast approaching the peak of construction, with breakthrough on the longest tunnels earlier this week. Once complete, the railway will almost half journey times between London and Birmingham while freeing up space on the existing west coast mainline for more local services. Welcoming the milestone, HS2 Ltd Senior Project Manager Ben Sebastian-Green said: “We know that the local community are concerned about construction traffic, so it’s great to be able to get so much material into site by rail. Not only does it take traffic off local roads, but it also saves carbon and helps to streamline our logistics. “Once complete, HS2 will improve journeys between London and Birmingham and free up space on the existing West Coast Mainline for more local services – and it’s great that, alongside delivering zero carbon journeys for passengers, we’re also cutting the amount of carbon in construction.” The railhead is managed by HS2’s main works contractor EKFB – a team made up of Eiffage, Kier, Ferrovial Construction and Bam Nuttall. EKFB are delivering the central section of the project, including 15 viaducts, 81 bridges and two ‘green tunnels’. They worked with a team from Network Rail who completed a series of alterations to enable freight services to operate in and out of the railhead at Quainton. EKFB’s Head of Logistics and Security, Paul Bedford, said: “Moving material by rail was always an essential part of our strategy to help deliver this project efficiently. The original strategy was to utilise existing railheads across neighbouring counties and move the material the last few miles to site by road. We quickly realised that there was an opportunity to establish our own railheads within the project area, and through the hard work of all involved, we turned this opportunity into a reality. “The railheads are now taking large volumes of HGVs off the local road network, reducing our carbon footprint through fewer road journeys, and helping to generate significant financial savings by using a more cost-effective distribution system.” The railhead is operated by Fishbone Solutions on behalf of EKFB with trains operated by DC Rail and GB Railfreight on behalf of Hanson. Director at Fishbone Logistics, Paul Clews, commented:“What started with an initial trial of 100,000 Tonnes to the first railhead at Calvert North, the support and cooperation from EKFB, HS2, the quarry and the rail logistics supply partners, to deliver the two millionth ton to the fourth railhead at Quainton Road, has been a fantastic collaborative effort.  Zero safety incidents, reduced carbon and transport costs, and more than 200,000 truck journeys taken off local roads is a great achievement by all involved.” Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals

Buckinghamshire Council this week gave the green light for HS2’s state-of-the-art maintenance hub, which will bring around 300 jobs to Calvert in Buckinghamshire. Taking its inspiration from the style of local agricultural buildings and the industrial heritage of the area, the Infrastructure Maintenance Depot (IMD) will house the people and equipment that will keep HS2 running smoothly and efficiently, day in, day out. The approval is a major milestone for HS2 – which will almost halve journey times between Britain’s two largest cities, while freeing up space for more local services on the most crowded part of the existing West Coast Main Line. Approved under schedule 17 of the HS2 Act, the depot will be halfway between the villages of Calvert and Steeple Claydon. It will include workshops, offices, storage and training facilities as well as a base for the British Transport Police. The main buildings will be clad with naturally aging red brick – as a nod to the Calvert brickworks which operated throughout most of the twentieth century before closing in 1991. Gently curved roofs, timber and low-reflection metal finishes will also help to reduce the visual impact of the buildings. During the design process, the size of the depot area has been cut by 33% with the track layout reduced and simplified in order to speed up construction and cut disruption for the community. This smaller footprint also means that there will be 600,000 cubic metres less excavation required. Recent design work has also increased the amount of landscaping and new woodland planting that will screen the depot from Steeple Claydon, with around 15,000 trees and 20,000 shrubs set to be planted amid new woodland paths, ponds and other wildlife habitats. Iain Smith, HS2 Ltd’s Systems Delivery Director said: “Once complete, HS2 will dramatically improve journeys between our two largest cities and also free up space on the existing mainline for more local and freight trains. “The maintenance depot at Calvert will be at the heart of the HS2 project – keeping the new railway running smoothly every day and supporting around 300 jobs. It’s great to get the green light for the design, and we look forward to making the vision a reality.”  Sustainability is at the heart of the design. The Calvert IMD will achieve a minimum of BREEAM ‘Excellent’ rating, under the world’s leading sustainability assessment method. Materials have been carefully selected for the building and landscaped areas; for their appearance, low maintenance and longevity, as well as low-carbon, sustainable considerations. The depot will operate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week with landscaping to block noise and light. A fleet of dedicated On-Track Maintenance trains will be based at the depot, accessing the mainline at night – while the HS2 trains are not running – to maintain the track and systems. Connections to East-West Rail (EWR) – which passes to the south of the site – will also allow heavy equipment and materials to be delivered to the depot by rail. To reduce disruption for the community and speed up construction, HS2 contractors also built two bridges, one underpass and 3.4km of adjacent earthworks for EWR where the two projects cross. Addison Road and Gawcott Road are both now reopen. The depot was designed by HS2’s design contractor WSP, working with architects Grimshaw and Grant Associates. The earthworks and landscaping are being delivered by HS2’s main works contractor EKFB, a team made up of Eiffage, Kier, Ferrovial Construction and BAM Nuttall. A separate contractor will be appointed to build the depot. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals

HS2’s London tunnels programme passed a major milestone as the third tunnel boring machine (TBM) being used as part of the project was launched. TBM Emily, named after Emily Sophia Taylor who helped establish the Perivale Maternity Hospital in 1937 before becoming Ealing’s first female mayor in 1938, will be used to dig almost half of the 8.4-mile Northolt Tunnel. She will bore 3.4 miles under Ealing from Victoria Road Crossover Box, near HS2’s new Old Oak Common station, to Greenpark Way in Greenford. HS2’s London Tunnels contractor, Skanska Costain STRABAG joint venture, assembled the TBM underground at the Victoria Road site after being lifted in parts and lowered into a shaft. Manufactured by world-leading tunnelling experts, Herrenknecht in Germany, TBM Emily weighs 1,700 tonnes and has a 9.11m diameter cutterhead. The TBM is an earth pressure balance machine, which is designed specifically for the soft London clay that will be extracted from the ground. Speaking about the next TBM launching in London for HS2, Malcolm Codling, project Client Director, HS2 Ltd, said: “We are working at peak construction on HS2, delivering the tunnels which HS2 trains will travel through under London. The preparation to launch TBM Emily has been complex and we remain on schedule to complete the Northolt Tunnel in 2025.” The Northolt Tunnel will carry HS2 trains in and out of London – extending between the new Old Oak Common superhub and the outskirts of the capital at West Ruislip. The twin-bore tunnel is being built in two sections. Two TBMs, named Sushila and Caroline, are already constructing it eastward between West Ruislip and Greenford. Another two – Emily and Anne – are being used to dig the tunnel in the opposite direction from Victoria Road Crossover Box to Greenford.   Emily and Anne’s tunnel drive will cover 3.4 miles of the tunnel in total – slightly less than those being used on the other section. Emily was launched today and Anne – the fourth and final Northolt TBM – will launch next month. The quartet of TBMs are all set to complete their journeys in 2025, when they will be extracted from the ground through giant shafts at Greenpark Way. The London Clay, that will be extracted to build the tunnel, will be taken away from Victoria Road Crossover Box by conveyor, and taken to the London Logistics Hub at Willesden Euro Terminal. From there, it will be taken by rail and reused at sites in Cambridgeshire, Kent and Rugby. James Richardson, Managing Director of Skanska Costain STRABAG joint venture (SCS JV), said: “The HS2 London Tunnels team are well on the way to delivering a new railway into the heart of London with the launch of TBM Emily. Next month, we will be launching TBM Anne who together with Emily will form the tunnel from old Oak Common to Greenpark Way Shaft where they will meet with TBMs Sushila and Caroline, who are already halfway to completing their journeys from West Ruislip.” HS2 is also making progress on preparations on the separate tunnel between Old Oak Common and Euston – the line’s ultimate central London terminus. The Atlas Road Logistics Tunnel breakthrough in January. The logistics tunnel is runs from the Old Oak Common Station box to Atlas Road logistics site and will facilitate the tunnelling operation to construct the Euston Tunnel. Two further TBMs will be delivered to Old Oak Common later this year, and placed into the underground box, ready to begin boring the Euston Tunnel. Following the Government’s Network North announcement in October last year, the funding and delivery arrangements for the Euston Tunnel are being reviewed. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals

HS2 has moved the first huge viaduct section into place over the motorway network in North Warwickshire, marking a milestone for the project’s Delta Junction as HS2 reaches peak construction in the region. Contractors working for HS2 have used a specialist push-pull technique to move the 84 metre, 300 tonne steel viaduct section into place over the westbound link road between the M6 and M42 near Coleshill. This is the first of two moves to install the deck for HS2’s ‘East Link Viaduct’, which is part of the triangular Delta Junction. The second operation in April will create the full 158 metre long composite deck over both westbound and eastbound motorway link roads. Further work, including in-situ concrete deck works and parapets installation will be undertaken to complete the structure. It was delivered by specialist steelwork company Victor Buyck Steel Construction (VBSC), working on behalf of HS2’s main works contractor Balfour Beatty VINCI (BBV). Using a push-pull jacking system which gives greater flexibility during the launch operation, it was the first time VBSC have used their specially designed technique in the UK. The team completed the move ahead of schedule in a total of 11.5 hours during a weekend closure of the motorway link roads. Working in close collaboration with National Highways, the roads were re-opened at 2.35am on Sunday morning. Before the end of this year, a similar two-stage operation will move the identical ‘West Link Viaduct’ which runs parallel to the East Link Viaduct. This section of the triangular Delta Junction enables high speed trains to travel between London, Interchange Station in Solihull and Birmingham Curzon Street Station. Stephen Powell, Head of Delivery – Area North at HS2 Ltd said: “Building the East Link Viaduct in the Delta Junction is not only a key milestone for the HS2 project in the Midlands but is also critical to our earthworks mass haul strategy to keep construction traffic off the local roads. “While we continue to construct HS2 in this area, it will provide a crossing route over the highway for construction vehicles to move excavated material from the Bromford Tunnel to other work sites in the Delta Junction, removing thousands of lorry movements from the local road network.” Alex Staines, Sub Agent – Composite Structures at Balfour Beatty VINCI said: “Delivering this milestone is a really proud moment for me and the team. We’ve worked very closely with our partners National Highways to make sure that this activity was delivered safely and efficiently. “By using an innovative launching technique, we were able to build the viaduct deck offline and move it into position over a weekend closure of the highway, greatly reducing the impact on road users.” Tibo Suvée, Project Manager at Victor Buyck Steel Construction said: “Our team were pleased to deliver this successful operation, which was the first time our push-pull jacking system has been used in the UK. The technique provides greater flexibility during the launching operation by allowing the bridge to be moved backwards or both ways if needed. “This is really the first milestone of four, and over the next eight months we look forward to delivering the second launch of the East Link Viaduct and the same two-stage operation for the West Link Viaduct, which will complete these first viaducts on Delta Junction.” National Highways Senior Network Planner, Frank Bird, said: “This has been a complex and collaborative effort to both minimise disruption for people using our roads but also enabling this engineering feat to take place. “We are pleased with how smoothly the operation went and are grateful to road users for their patience while this ambitious work took place.” The first launch takes the viaduct section to its halfway position over the westbound link road. Following completion of the first launch, three further steel girders will be welded to the back of the first structure, and 40 precast slabs will be installed on top of the girders. In April, this entire structure, weighing 1,100 tonnes will then be moved to its final position over both westbound and eastbound motorway link roads. The Delta Junction is made up of embankments, cuttings and a total of 13 viaducts taking high speed tracks over motorways, local roads, existing rail lines, rivers and floodplains. The viaducts include 6 precast segmental viaducts, 4 composite viaducts and 3 low viaducts. The layout of the Delta Junction triangle means the railway from London curves west on a spur towards Birmingham Curzon Street Station. As trains come out of Birmingham, the line heads north to meet the main HS2 line, which will then connect to the West Coast Main Line to Manchester. The third side of the triangle allows trains to run between London and Manchester without stopping at Birmingham. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals