How much of HS2 will be underground?

The vast system of tunnels that is being created to allow HS2 trains to pass through much of the countryside below ground is one of the most time-consuming and expensive parts of the project. Some 32.5 miles (52.5 km) of the route will be through tunnels, of which about 14 miles (22.5km) have been completed.



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Most of the HS2 route in London will run through newly constructed tunnels. Beginning underground at Euston, the route goes to Old Oak Common, before emerging just south of the Ruislip Golf Course in West Ruislip, and then continuing on the surface.

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The builders say the tunnels will help the high speed rail project protect the environment while improving connections between London, Birmingham and the North of England. Much of the HS2 project will be underground, in answer to a variety of environmental and engineering challenges.

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HS2 Ltd, the state-funded body responsible for delivering the line, failed to add enough contingency to its cost estimates after using a calculation method that was inappropriate for the early stage of the programme.

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For the 16 kilometer-long Chiltern Tunnel in the county of Buckinghamshire, Herrenknecht supplied the contracting joint venture Align (Bouygues Travaux Publics, Sir Robert McAlpine, VolkerFitzpatrick) with two project-specific Variable Density tunnel boring machines (Ø 10,240mm), which will bore two almost identical ...

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HS2 was originally envisaged to operate more trains an hour and higher speeds than any comparable high-speed line elsewhere in the world. It has been estimated that this pushed up costs by about 10 per cent.

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The main gain of HS2 is that it frees up space on the rail network for more freight services. This point has often been missed in discussions about the project. There is no doubt that there would be environmental gains. The passenger gains are less compelling and less urgent.

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High Speed 2 (HS2) Ltd is a non-departmental public body, wholly funded by the Secretary of State for Transport and sponsored by the Department for Transport. The HS2 project is one of the largest and most complex infrastructure projects ever undertaken in the UK.

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HS2 will provide more capacity, cut carbon and deliver better connectivity. HS2 will add vital capacity to the existing rail network by taking long-distance trains off it, creating thousands of extra seats and space for more local, commuter and freight services.

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