Tunnels
The new high speed rail tunnels will form part of the HS2 network that will help connect the country, create thousands of jobs and rebalance the UK economy.
In total, around 65 miles (105km) of tunnel will be created between London and the West Midlands, and 130 million tonnes of earth will be excavated, enough to fill Wembley Stadium 15 times.
Ten giant tunnel boring machines (TBMs) will be used, in five separate tunnel drives, to dig HS2’s twin-bore tunnels. In addition, six cut and cover, or ‘green’, tunnels will also be built.
HS2 tunnels in numbers
Twin-bored tunnels
Ten giant tunnel boring machines (TBMs) will be used, in five separate tunnel drives, to dig HS2’s twin-bore tunnels between London and the West Midlands.
- Euston Tunnel: 4.5 miles (7.3km)
- Northolt Tunnel: 8.4 miles (13.6km)
- Chiltern Tunnel: 10 miles (16km)
- Long Itchington Wood Tunnel: 1 mile (1.6km)
- Bromford Tunnel: 3.5 miles (5.8 km)
Green tunnels
Six cut and cover, or ‘green’, tunnels will also be built between London and the West Midlands.
- Copthall Green Tunnel: 0.55 miles (0.8km)
- Wendover Green Tunnel: 0.9 miles (1.1km)
- Greatworth Green Tunnel: 1.6 miles (2.7km)
- Chipping Warden Green Tunnel: 1.5 miles (2.5km)
- Long Itchington Wood Green Tunnel: 0.1 miles (0.1km)
- Burton Green Green Tunnel: 0.5 miles (0.7km)
Our high-speed tunnels
Find out more about tunnelling on HS2
We'll connect Britain with new high-speed tunnels
Longest tunnel The Chiltern Tunnel measuring 16km (10 miles) long.
Deepest tunnel The Chiltern Tunnel at 90 metres deep.
Total length of tunnel 65 miles of tunnel between London and the West Midlands.