French specialist Matière to install HS2 cut and cover tunnels

Aaron Morby 3 years ago

HS2’s main works contractor EKFB has appointed French engineering specialist Matière to install the first three cut and cover tunnels in Buckinghamshire and Northamptonshire.

Stanton Precast will manufacture the five segments needed for each double section

Derbyshire-based Stanton Precast has also signed a deal to manufacturer over 13,000 precast concrete segments for 7km of ‘green tunnels’.

The precast firm will take on 100 staff at its Ilkeston factory, which is being expanded to deliver the big order. The pre-cast segments will then be shipped to site and assembled by a team from Matière, which has a strong track record in innovating bridges and tunnel structures.

The first big cut and cover tunnel will stretch for 2.5km past the village of Chipping Warden in Northamptonshire with assembly due to begin on site early next year.

Once complete, the structures will be covered with earth and landscaped to blend in with the surrounding countryside.

Green tunnels

Designed as a double arch, the tunnel will have two separate halves for southbound and northbound trains.

Five different concrete precast segments will be slotted together to achieve the double arch – one central pier, two side walls and two roof slabs. Each one will be steel reinforced, with the largest weighing up to 43 tonnes.

The Chipping Warden tunnel will be built in sections, with construction expected to be fully complete in 2024. A relief road has also recently been completed, which will take HS2 vehicles – and other local traffic – away from the centre of the village.

The Chipping Warden tunnel will be followed by two similar structures at Wendover in Buckinghamshire and Greatworth in Northamptonshire. All of the tunnels will have specially designed ‘porous portals’ at either end to reduce the noise of trains exiting the tunnel.

EKFB Director Peter Bimson, said: “The Chipping Warden ‘Green Tunnel’ is a demonstrable feat. It combines a myriad of innovative techniques, from promoting safety by taking the construction process off site to delivering an end-product that will benefit the surrounding environment.