HS2 started its advance into the heart of London today as the first of two giant machines began work on the Euston Tunnel.
In a crucial moment for the high-speed rail project, the Rail Minister, Lord Peter Hendy, and Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister, Darren Jones, turned on the 1,624-tonne machine at HS2’s Old Oak Common station in west London – starting its 4.5-mile journey under the capital to Euston.
The Tunnel represents the next stage of the HS2 project which will eventually see high-speed trains run directly to a new station in central London. Building the tunnel represents a crucial step in the wider regeneration of the Euston area, acting as a catalyst for investment and creating new homes and employment opportunities.
Rail Minister, Lord Hendy, said:
“It was brilliant to switch on the tunnel boring machine at Old Oak Common today – not just because it’s an engineering marvel – but because it brings HS2’s journey to Euston another step closer to reality.
“We’re putting HS2 back on track, and taking the railway into central London is crucial to unlocking its full potential to deliver more jobs, more homes, and a long-term boost to the whole British economy.”
Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister, Darren Jones, said:
“There’s nothing boring about tunnel boring. Today’s launch was a brilliant moment for the UK’s railways, building on six major rail tunnel and road milestones completed ahead of schedule last year.
“We're boosting the links between our big cities across the country to create more opportunities for people to trade, meet and socialise with each other, turning the corner on years of decline.”
The tunnel boring machine (TBM) launch comes as HS2 is at an advanced stage of a comprehensive reset – putting the programme’s construction in the right sequence and bringing certainty to the railway’s final costs and opening dates. The reset, led by Mark Wild, HS2 Ltd Chief Executive, is crucial to putting HS2 back on track and unlocking the project’s transformational benefits – vital new rail capacity and economic growth.
When complete, the railway will open in stages, with the first services running between Old Oak Common and Birmingham Curzon Street. HS2 will open all the way to Euston at a later date, which will be vital to delivering the full capacity and economic benefits that the railway offers.
HS2 Ltd CEO Mark Wild said:
“On my first day at HS2, I unveiled the Euston TBMs as they were being prepared to build the Euston Tunnel. Just over a year on, we’re beginning to excavate the tunnel - a show of confidence that HS2 will be built into central London and kickstart economic growth.
“Over the past 12months, I have been leading a comprehensive reset across HS2 to get it back on track and I am confident that we’re on the right path to delivering HS2 safely and efficiently. The start of tunnelling here today is a part of the strong foundations we can build upon to completing HS2 and deliver better journeys for rail passengers.”
The delivery of the new HS2 station at Euston will be led by a new Euston Delivery Company. Once established, the Company will lead delivery of an affordable and integrated transport hub - including the new HS2 station, the redevelopment of the existing station, and upgrades to the London Underground station - along with commercial development across the Euston campus.
Independent research commissioned by Camden Council in 2024 to assess the potential economic benefits of a locally led regeneration of Euston Station found it could contribute £41 billion to the UK economy by 2053 and support 34,000 new jobs.
The Leader of Camden Council, Cllr Richard Olszewski, said:
“Euston holds a once-in-a-century opportunity to boost the national economy, build much-needed affordable homes, and create new jobs for people in Camden and beyond.
“The start of tunnelling brings us a step closer to that future, adding new momentum and even-greater confidence in Euston’s potential to be a driver of national growth.
“In Camden we stand ready to lead the next chapter of Euston’s vibrant history through a new, locally led development corporation - working with the GLA and Government to make Euston a place that delivers for the country, the capital and our communities.”
The TBM was manufactured by Herrenknecht AG in Germany and shipped over to the UK in 2024 before being carefully lifted into and reassembled in the giant underground station box at Old Oak Common. Engineers from HS2’s London tunnels contactor, Skanska Costain STRABAG joint venture (SCS JV), have been working to prepare the machines for their tunnelling mission over the last 12 months.
The TBM is an underground factory – working 24/7 to excavate, install the concrete ring segments that form the walls, and grout them into place as it moves forward at an average speed of around 16 metres per day.
The tunnelling operation for the Euston Tunnel is being facilitated by a separate logistics tunnel which was completed in January 2024. The 853 metre Atlas Road Logistics Tunnel will allow the tunnelling team to access both machines, deliver construction materials including 48,294 concrete ring segments (combined total), and remove over 1.5 million tonnes of excavated spoil.
All the excavated material from the tunnel will be taken via conveyor to the London Logistics Hub at the Willesden Euro terminal Depot. From there it is taken by rail for reuse in projects in Kent, Cambridgeshire and Warwickshire.
Richard Adams, Managing Director of Skanska Costain STRABAG joint venture said:
“We are delighted to be commencing our final TBM drives to build the two 4.5 mile tunnels to Euston. During this work our TBMs will remove over 1.5 million tonnes of excavated material and place more than 8,000 pre-cast rings, built in a dedicated facility in Hartlepool.
“Our tunnel segments and excavated material will all be transported by rail and managed through our state of the art logistics hub. This will remove over 70,000 lorry journeys the local road network, emphasising our commitment to being a good neighbour and greener construction.
"SCS JV has already driven 8.4 miles of twin bore tunnels under London, from West Ruislip to Old Oak Common, and our expert teams on site will work 24/7 to deliver these final HS2 tunnel drives with the highest levels of safety and productivity.”
The journey to central London will see the TBM pass under the final resting place of Isambard Kingdom Brunel in Kensal Green cemetery. Brunel is widely celebrated as one of the world’s most ingenious figures in engineering history, and who also set standards for building a modern railway.
Following tradition of naming tunnel boring machines after women, the first TBM launched to build the Euston Tunnel is named Madeleine after the former president of the Women’s Engineering Society, Madeleine Nobbs. She lived from 1914 to 1970 and worked as a building services engineer. Her father dissuaded her from pursuing a career in engineering, but after her mother met Adria Buchanan, the first woman to become a member of the Institute of Heating and Ventilating Engineers, she told her husband he could no longer refuse to support his daughter in her ambition.
The Euston Tunnel will complete the 27.5 miles of deep bore tunnelling on HS2 between London Euston and Birmingham Curzon Street. 23 miles of tunnel are already complete after the final TBM constructing the Bromford Tunnel finished its journey in October last year.
