Earthworks
What are earthworks?
Earthworks are man-made slopes we build to create level or gently sloping paths for the railway through hilly terrain. They include cuttings (below ground) and embankments (above ground).
High-speed trains travel up to 225mph across different landscapes. They need gentle gradients to maintain high speeds, so we’re building embankments above ground and cuttings below ground to deliver smooth, reliable journeys.
Embankments and cuttings provide a stable foundation for high-speed track. We’re landscaping them to reduce our impact on communities and the environment, and to hide the railway from view. This will also reduce noise.
Earthworks in numbers
72 cuttings and 111 embankments
Cuttings
Cuttings take trains below ground level. We’re building over 70 between London and Birmingham, measuring over 72km (44 miles) in total.
The deepest cutting is Lower Thorpe Cutting at 30m deep. The longest runs from Barton to Mixbury at 4.1km (2.5 miles). We’ll excavate over 1.3 million cubic metres here alone – enough to fill the Royal Albert Hall over 10 times.
Each cutting is unique because of different ground geology. Beneath the topsoil are complex layers of soil and rock formed over millions of years. We excavate and test soil and rock before laying track foundations.
Embankments
Embankments raise the railway above ground and often connect with viaducts and bridges. The longest embankment on the London to Birmingham route is Grendon Underwood, at 3km (1.8 miles) long.
We reuse more than 95% of material excavated from cuttings, mostly to build embankments. We use topsoil for planting along the HS2 green corridor.
We’re moving materials by rail, dedicated haul roads and conveyors. This reduces lorries on roads, cuts carbon emissions and protects neighbours.
Watch our cuttings and embankments video
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