By Two TBMs manufactured by Herrenknecht will embark on their journey, between London and the West Midlands, where they will be assembled and set to excavate a 16km long twin-bore Chiltern tunnel 9.1m in diameter next year.
“Florence” and “Cecilia” (both stretching for 170m) will run through the geology of chalk and flint under the Chilterns area of outstanding natural beauty (AONB).
Align JV (a team of Bouygues Travaux Publics, Sir Robert McAlpine, and VolkerFitzpatrick specialists) is assigned by HS2 to lead the tunneling work. Project operators suggested a three-year timeline to finish the construction work at M25.
The outstanding design and features applied to “Florence” and “Cecilia” has gained enormous recognition among TMB manufacturers globally. High level of innovation and technology to encounter potential ground challenges at the Chilterns site.
Daniel Altier, Align Project Director, said:” Florence and Cecilia incorporate the latest technology which will be essential to ensure an efficient and safe excavation of the twin-bore tunnel. This will be the first time that some of the innovations we are introducing will have been used on any TBM worldwide.”
At the final stage, the landscaping process using extracted material and soil will follow with the purpose of adhering to the local style of roads.
