The third Northolt Tunnel TBM Emily will bore 5.5 kilometers
The third Northolt Tunnel TBM Emily has been started by Skanska Costain Strabag (SCS), a joint venture supporting HS2 as its London Tunnels contractor. Dedicated after Emily Sophia Taylor, who was involved in the founding of the Perivale Maternity Hospital in 1937 and went on to become the first female mayor of Ealing in 1938, over half of the 13.5km Northolt Tunnel will be excavated.
Germany-based Herrenknecht produced the tunnel. It is made especially for the soft London clay that will be dug up from the ground since it is an earth pressure balancer. The TBM was erected underground at the Victoria Road location, close to the recently constructed Old Oak Common station.
“We are working at peak construction on HS2, delivering the tunnels which HS2 trains will travel through under London,” said Malcolm Codling, project Client Directora at HS2. “The preparation to launch TBM Emily has been complex and we remain on schedule to complete the Northolt Tunnel in 2025.”
HS2 trains will be able to enter and exit London via the third Northolt Tunnel from Old Oak Common to West Ruislip, which lies on the outskirts of the city. Two portions of the twin-bore tunnel are under construction. TBMs Sushila and Caroline are constructing it eastbound between West Ruislip and Greenford, while TBMs Emily and Anne will dig the tunnel from the Victoria Road Crossover Box to Greenford.
“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,” said James Richardson, Managing Director of SCS. “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.”
The four TBMs are expected for completion in 2025. They will then be extracted at Greenpark Way.