Balfour Beatty VINCI has reached the halfway mark in its work to build HS2’s 700 metre-long Burton Green Tunnel in Warwickshire.
Once built, the tunnel will carry high speed trains through the village of Burton Green, near Kenilworth, and will feature a green space above for use by the local community. It is one of five ‘green tunnels’ being built on the project – shallower tunnels which will be finished with trees, plants and shrubs on top, helping them blend into the natural landscape.
As well as Burton Green, green tunnels will be constructed at Copthall in Hillingdon, Wendover in Buckinghamshire and Chipping Warden and Greatworth, both in Northamptonshire.
Rupert Blake, project manager for Balfour Beatty VINCI, said:“As an engineer, it’s hugely rewarding to lead the delivery of the 700-metre-long Burton Green Tunnel in Warwickshire.
“This is a fascinating structure both in terms of scale and complexity, but its green characteristics are what really sets this tunnel apart. When it’s complete, the roof will be finished with trees, plants and shrubs, so it blends in seamlessly with the existing landscape.”
Delivered by Balfour Beatty VINCI, and designed by Mott MacDonald engineers from the Mott MacDonald SYSTRA Design Joint Venture, the Burton Green structure is being constructed using a ‘top down’ construction method, which involves building the structure from existing ground level.
This includes initially building the side walls and roof of the tunnel, with large openings to ease excavation. The tunnel is then excavated, and the tunnel base is constructed.
In the last year, work on the tunnel has ramped up and has seen the completion of the 200-metre-long Southern portal entrance and a series of underground structural elements, including retaining walls and over 1,300 piles – concrete pillars built underground – using 33,000 cubic metres of concrete in total.
An onsite team of 150 people will now focus on the next phase of the build ahead of full completion in Autumn 2026. This includes further tunnel excavation work – with excavated soil being reused as part of wider landscaping plans – and the installation of roof slabs, base slabs and internal structures.
Doug Barnett, senior project manager for HS2 Ltd, said: “We’re incredibly proud to have achieved the 50% completion mark here at Burton Green Tunnel and to be celebrating this milestone moment.
“Delivering a complex structure of this scale requires a huge amount of expertise and energy, which is thanks to everyone involved – from onsite engineers and machine operators, to design and support colleagues working behind the scenes.”
A key feature of the Burton Green Tunnel for people in the local area is the realignment of the Kenilworth Greenway, which provides a link from Balsall Common to Kenilworth via Burton Green for walkers, cyclists and horse-riders. Once construction and landscape work is complete, the Greenway will be restored close to its original alignment, running across the top of the new tunnel.
Main image: Aerial view of Burton Green Tunnel
Read next: Trick to smarter robots is in body not the ‘brain’
Are you a building professional? Sign up for a FREE MEMBERSHIP to upload news stories, post job vacancies, and connect with colleagues on our secure social feed.
