HS2 started its advance into central London yesterday as the first of two TBMs began work on the Euston Tunnel.
Rail minister Lord Peter Hendy and chief secretary to the prime minister Darren Jones turned on the 1,624-tonne machine at HS2’s Old Oak Common station in west London – starting its 7.3km journey under the capital to Euston.
The Euston Tunnel is the fifth and final deep twin-bore tunnel on the 225km HS2 route between central London and Birmingham.
TBM Madelaine was manufactured by Herrenknecht in Germany and shipped to the UK in 2024 before being reassembled in the underground station box at Old Oak Common. Engineers from HS2’s London tunnels contactor, Skanska Costain Strabag joint venture (SCS JV), have been preparing the machines for their tunnelling mission over the past 12 months.
The second TBM, named Karen, will be launched in about a month’s time.
The two TBMs will progress up to 150m a week, working at depths of 35-40m. They are expected to reach the Euston Cavern by late June 2027.
The tunnelling operation for the Euston Tunnel is being facilitated by a separate logistics tunnel which was completed in January 2024. The 853m Atlas Road Logistics Tunnel will allow the tunnelling team to access both machines, deliver construction materials including a total of 48,294 ring segments, and remove over 1.5 million tonnes of excavated spoil.
All the excavated material will be taken via conveyor to the London Logistics Hub at the Willesden Euro terminal Depot. From there it will be transported by rail for reuse in projects in Kent, Cambridgeshire and Warwickshire.
SCS JV managing director Richard Adams said he was delighted to be starting the final TBM drives.
“Our tunnel segments and excavated material will all be transported by rail and managed through our state-of-the-art logistics hub. This will remove over 70,000 lorry journeys the local road network, emphasising our commitment to being a good neighbour and greener construction,” he said.
“SCS JV has already driven 8.4 miles (13.5km) of twin bore tunnels under London, from West Ruislip to Old Oak Common, and our expert teams on site will work 24/7 to deliver these final HS2 tunnel drives with the highest levels of safety and productivity.”
The tunnel alignment will take the TBM beneath the final resting place of Isambard Kingdom Brunel in Kensal Green cemetery.
The first TBM launched has been named after the former president of the Women’s Engineering Society, Madeleine Nobbs. She lived from 1914-1970 and worked as a building services engineer.
The TBM launch comes as HS2 is at an advanced stage of a comprehensive reset led by HS2 CEO Mark Wild.
He said on his first day at HS2 he unveiled the Euston TBMs. “Just over a year on, we’re beginning to excavate the tunnel – a show of confidence that HS2 will be built into central London and kickstart economic growth.
“Over the past 12 months, I have been leading a comprehensive reset across HS2 to get it back on track and I am confident that we’re on the right path to delivering HS2 safely and efficiently. The start of tunnelling here today is a part of the strong foundations we can build upon to completing HS2 and deliver better journeys for rail passengers,” Wild said.
A new Euston Delivery Company will lead the delivery of the HS2 station at Euston – an integrated transport hub, including the new station, redevelopment of the existing station, and upgrades to the London Underground station, along with commercial development across the Euston campus.
The Euston Tunnel will complete the 44.3km of deep bore tunnelling on HS2 between London Euston and Birmingham Curzon Street. Thirty-seven kilometres of tunnel are already complete after the final TBM constructing the Bromford Tunnel finished its journey in October last year.
When complete, the high-speed railway will open in stages, with the first services running between Old Oak Common and Birmingham Curzon Street. HS2 will open all the way to Euston at a later date.
