Thursday the 2nd of December saw HS2 CEO, Mark Thurston press the button to set HS2’s Tunnel Boring Machine on its one-mile trek below Long Itchington Wood in Warwickshire.

The special day marked the first Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) for the Midlands section of HS2 and has seen approximately 170 engineers working to build the massive 2,000 tonne, 125m long tunnelling machine.

The huge project will now see an expert tunnelling team working shifts, right around the clock to run the machine as it bores the one-mile tunnel which is expected to take around five months to complete.

HS2 Minister Andrew Stephenson said:

“This is yet another vital landmark in our journey towards a better-connected Britain and with the launching of Dorothy today in Warwickshire, shows real progress in helping transform journeys across our country.

“It also underlines how our £96bn Integrated Rail Plan – the largest ever investment in our rail network – is instrumental in creating jobs and economic opportunities, and ensuring more people reap the benefits of better rail journeys.”

The tunnel under Long Itchington Wood will be the very first HS2 tunnel to complete for the project with the TBM expected to break through its first bore on the south portal sometime in Spring 2022. Once complete the machine will be taken to pieces for delivery back to the north portal to undertake the digging of a second bore which should be complete during the early part of 2023.

In a bid to protect ancient woodland, the tunnel plays a major role in HS2 managing its environmental impacts through the railway’s design, whilst preserving vital wildlife habitats.

The woodlands are classified as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) as they feature unique and complex ancient ecosystems.

HS2 CEO Mark Thurston said:

“Today is another major milestone for HS2. You can see the real progress the project is making as we launch this TBM on one of HS2’s largest sites in the Midlands, contributing to massive job creation in the region.
“More than 20,000 jobs and over 650 apprenticeships are already being supported by HS2, which is set to transform transport links between Britain’s major cities, free up space on the rail network for more freight and local services, and support the UK’s transition to net-zero carbon emissions.”

During its burrowing expedition, the TBM will take out 250,000 cubic metres of mudstone and soil which will be carried to an on-site slurry treatment plant that will see the material sorted before its reuse for embankments and landscapes on the HS2 route.

Following a national vote, the TBM was named ‘Dorothy’ after Dorothy Hodgkin who discovered the structure of penicillin and her incredible work with insulin set the stage for large scale treatment of diabetes.

In 1964 Hodgkin became the first British woman to win the Nobel Prize for Chemistry. Sadly, in 1994, Hodgkin died in Shipston-on-Stour in Warwickshire. A student from Warwickshire College Group suggested Dorothy as the name for the TBM.

Michael Dyke, Managing Director of Balfour Beatty VINCI said:

“Today represents a significant milestone, culminating months of hard work and representing a vitally important moment in the delivery of Britain’s new high-speed railway line.”

“As Dorothy, our cutting-edge Tunnel Boring Machine, sets off on her one-mile journey, our work across the northern section of HS2 continues to progress at pace. Over the next few months, we’ll be building on our efforts to recruit the 7,000 people required across the Midlands to help us shape the UK’s future infrastructure landscape; those who will see their work enjoyed for many years.”

30 Kickstart placements will be created this year by Balfour Beatty VINCI (BBV) working alongside the Prince’s Trust as part of a commitment to supporting young people in the local area.

The Kickstart programme is aimed at 16 to 24-year-olds who are on Universal Credit and are at risk of long term unemployment.

To date, three Kickstart placements have lead to permanent positions with BBV one of those being Samuel from Tamworth who have originally wanted to be a mechanical engineer but lockdown meant he lost his job.

Samuel, who is now doing a Site Engineering Apprenticeship with BBV, said:

“It’s exciting knowing that I am working on a project as big as this – it’s a major project for my country that also aims to benefit local businesses. I hope to progress my career inside of Balfour Beatty VINCI and continue working on HS2 as a whole. If civil engineering is a career goal for anyone, then HS2 is one of the best jobs you can have on your CV. It’s a major project and from my experience the day-to-day scale of the job is very exciting. Every week looks different to the last.”

The south end of the tunnel will be a ‘green tunnel’, also known as a cut and cover tunnel which sees a soil roof built right around the tunnel entrance so that the portal blends with its natural surroundings.

HS2 will see 10 TBMs for Phase One and will create 64 miles of tunnels between London and the West Midlands.

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