Rail deliveries of HS2’s tunnel ring segments in London remove a million miles of lorry journeys

Описание: HS2’s move to using rail for the delivery of tunnel ring segments to the West Ruislip Portal site in Hillingdon has removed one million miles of lorry movements from Britain’s congested roads.

Since February 2023, HS2’s London tunnels contractor, Skanska Costain STRABAG joint venture, has received deliveries of the tunnel ring segments by freight train rather than road – an option which became available once the two Tunnel Boring Machines, named Sushila and Caroline, had been launched and space to access the rail head on site became available.

HS2 Ltd is committed to move materials by rail or waterways where possible, reducing the impact on the UK’s congested road network.

Pacadar UK, based at Thamesport on the Isle of Grain in Kent, is manufacturing the tunnel ring segments for the Northolt Tunnel West, producing 60,000 segments which will form 8,400 rings, for 5miles of twin-bored tunnel. The Pacadar factory is strategically located to enable deliveries to take place by rail freight.

Over 100 trains have now done the journey between the Isle of Grain and West Ruislip, with an average of 5 trains per week delivering the tunnel ring segments. Each train delivers 144 segments, which when installed underground, makes up over 20 tunnel rings.

400 freight trains are expected to be used to deliver the tunnel segments over the period when the tunnel is being constructed. It is anticipated that this will reduce the carbon impact of the logistics operation by approximately 2,250 tonnes, all part of how HS2 and its contractors, are approaching construction in an environmentally sustainable way.

HS2 Ltd and its contractors are working closely with Network Rail and the UKs leading freight operators to move materials needed for construction using the rail network.

Early in 2024, two further TBMs will begin their journey to complete the Northolt Tunnel – an 8.4 mile tunnel being constructed by a quartet of machines. STRABAG will be manufacturing the segment rings for the Northolt Tunnel East at a new facility in Hartlepool. From there, the 35,000 segments will also be transported by rail.

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0:00 Introduction
0:15 What are Pacadar producing?
0:34 How are the segments transported onto site?
0:55 A collaborative operation
1:31 Moving material by rail
2:05 Meeting our targets
2:52 Outro

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