The joint venture of Skanska Costain Strabag (SCS JV) has signed the first of two contracts for the production of concrete precast tunnel segments that will be used to construct HS2’s London tunnels.
Pacadar UK will be manufacturing the tunnel lining at their factory in the Isle of Grain, Kent, by producing 58,000 individual concrete tunnel segments. It will be the largest contract the company has ever delivered in the UK and will support 180 jobs in the country.
The production will begin in January next year at the factory and the materials will then be delivered to HS2’s TBM launch site in West Ruislip by rail, reducing HGV movements on the road, where the construction of the twin bored, 8 km, Northolt Tunnel West will begin.
Over 160,000m3 of concrete will be used to make the segments which form a 9.5m outside diameter tunnel 0.35m thick. Each complete ring is made of seven segments and a key. Each segment weighs approximately seven tonnes. They will be fitted to line the tunnel by the first two of six 2,600 tonnes tunnel boring machines that are currently under construction by world leading TBM manufacturer, Herrenknecht, in Germany. They will operate for 22 months non-stop, except for Christmas Day and other bank holidays. The first TBM for the London tunnels will be delivered later this year and will be assembled for launch in 2022.
Pacadar UK, having just successfully supplied 12 km of tunnel segments on the Thames Tideway project, have the expertise, state of the art pre-cast factory combined with rail access for ease of delivery to support SCS -JV in delivering the London tunnels project.
HS2’s London tunnels from West Ruislip to Euston station will have a total length of 26 miles (42 km), the same length as Crossrail. The construction of the first tunnel will be completed in 2024.
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