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Inside the Long Itchington Wood Tunnel.
Inside the Long Itchington Wood Tunnel.

Long Itchington Wood Tunnel

The Long Itchington Wood Tunnel is a 1 mile (1.6km), twin bore tunnel on the new high speed railway in Warwickshire.

The tunnel will run under Long Itchington Wood in Warwickshire – an ancient woodland – and is an important part of HS2’s environmental strategy to protect nature.

One tunnel boring machine, TBM Dorothy,  is being used to create the tunnel and is the first TBM on the Midlands section of HS2.

Tunnel construction

The giant 125m long TBM, which started its journey at the tunnel’s North Portal in December 2021, broke through the wall of the reception box at the South Portal site for the first time in July 2022. Relaunched in November 2022, it’s only took four months for the 2,000 tonne TBM to complete its one-mile second bore, making this the first complete twin-bore tunnel on the HS2 project.

After HS2’s first tunnel breakthrough by TBM ‘Dorothy’ at the south portal site in July 2022, the gantries of the tunnel boring machine, which weigh over 1,000 tonnes, were brought back through the tunnel and reassembled at the north portal. The huge cutterhead, weighing 160 tonnes and with a 10 metre diameter, was moved by road during an intricate night-time operation in September. The TBM’s 130 tonne tail skin and eight other large pieces from the TBM’s front shield and middle shield, were also transported by specialist equipment.

The tunnelling team worked around the clock in shifts to operate the TBM, which put 791 concrete rings in place, with each ring made from eight two-metre-wide segments that each weigh up to 8 tonnes.

Excavation of the twin bore tunnel produced around 500,000 tonnes of mudstone, which is being processed at an on-site slurry treatment plant. From there, it is separated out before being transported by a 254 metre conveyer to be used to build embankments along the route of the railway, removing the equivalent of around 30,000 HGVs from local roads, reducing impacts on the local community and cutting carbon.

Work will now begin to dismantle the shield from the TBM, while the rest of the machine will be pulled back to the start of the tunnel and disassembled, ready for transportation to East Birmingham. There, the TBM will be fitted with a new shield so that it can begin a 3.5 mile (5.6km) tunnel bore in early 2024, between Water Orton in Warwickshire and Washwood Heath in Birmingham.

This was the sixth tunnel launch on the project, but the first time a TBM has been reassembled and reused.

Long Itchington Wood Tunnel – key construction milestones

First reveal of HS2’s extensive Long Itchington Wood Tunnel north portal site in Warwickshire.

December 2020

Warwickshire residents and schools asked to name Long Itchington Wood Tunnel Boring Machine.

March 2021

Long Itchington Wood Tunnel launch site is ready for TBM assembly to begin.

April 2021

HS2 launches national vote to name Warwickshire Tunnel Boring Machine.

June 2021

TBM Dorothy, HS2’s first Midlands tunnelling machine, is officially unveiled.

October 2021

TBM Dorothy begins her first one-mile journey under Long Itchington Wood in Warwickshire.

December 2021

New conveyor at Long Itchington Wood Tunnel site begins operating.

June 2022

TBM Dorothy completes historic first HS2 tunnelling breakthrough.

July 2022

TBM Dorothy's cutterhead completes impressive journey back to start second dig in Warwickshire.

September 2022

TBM Dorothy begins second tunnel bore under Long Itchington Wood in Warwickshire.

November 2022 Watch TBM Dorothy being reassembled ready to begin her second tunnel drive.

Transport Secretary makes historic first journey through a completed HS2 tunnel

December 2022

TBM ‘Dorothy’ completes second bore of Long Itchington Wood Tunnel in Warwickshire.

March 2023

Protecting Long Itchington’s ancient woodland

Long Itchington Wood and neighbouring Ufton Wood are a single block of ancient woodland dating from at least 1600AD. They are a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) with very complex ecosystems that have taken hundreds of years to establish. This is only one part of our environment programme.  In the Midlands we’ve already planted over 340,000 trees and created 62 new habitat sites for wildlife which are already thriving.

Warwickshire conveyor belt network

The Long Itchington Wood conveyor will take over 750,000 tonnes of excavated material over the Grand Union Canal where it will be reused in other locations of the route.

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Explore the In Your Area Map

Archaeology

Archaeology

The map displays information about our archaeological sites along the route.

Green Corridor

Green Corridor

The map displays information about our environmental sites along the route.

HS2 funded projects

HS2 funded projects

The map displays information about our funded community and business projects along the route.

Keeping you informed of our works

Stay informed about the works

Stay informed about the works

Find information about HS2 works and activities taking place in your area.

Managing impacts of construction

Managing impacts of construction

Find out information about how we manage construction impacts.

Construction look-ahead

Construction look-ahead

Read our three-month lookahead for associated work in Warwickshire.

Find out what HS2 means for Warwickshire

This section provides you with information about HS2 works and developments in your area.

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Further information

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