HS2, the project promoter of the High Speed 2 (HS2) high-speed rail (HSR) line, has started tunnelling works for the second 1.6 km tunnel under Long Itchington Wood in Warwickshire as part of the northern section of the first phase. The works are being carried out with a 125 m tunnel boring machine (TBM) named Dorothy. The tunnel, which preserves the woodland above, forms a key element in how HS2 is managing environmental impacts through the design of the railway, protecting the UK’s wildlife habitats. Long Itchington Wood is classified as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) with complex ecosystems that have taken hundreds of years to establish. The excavation of the twin bore tunnel will produce around 500,000 t of mudstone and soil, which is being processed at an on-site slurry treatment plant and separated out before being transported by a 254 m conveyor to be used to build embankments along the line section.
