The TBM’s size and weight meant the cutting wheel, shield, thrust unit and tailskin were shipped by sea. They were loaded in the Port of Kehl, on the Rhine River, and travelled through Antwerp, before reaching their destination at the Port of Tilbury.
The gantries were transported by lorry from Germany to Rotterdam. There the lorries were loaded onto a ferry and then delivered the grantries to the construction site.
A Ferrovial BEMO JV will deploy the mixshield machine to build a 2.2km tunnel under the River Thames to replace the existing tunnel constructed in the 1960s.
Tunnelling will face challenging geological conditions including strong flintstones, water pressures of up to 4.5 bar and high ground permeability.
The Grain to Tilbury electricity upgrade project is a critical part of National Grid’s The Great Grid Upgrade which is designed to future-proof the UK’s electricity transmission network.
