Burton Green tunnel
A 'green' tunnel in Warwickshire
Burton Green tunnel stretches for 700 metres through Warwickshire at Burton Green and Kenilworth Greenway.
It is one of five cut-and-cover, or green tunnels, on the route, which are shallower tunnels that will be finished with trees, plants, and shrubs on top – helping them blend into the natural landscape that are being built.
Tunnel construction
An onsite team of 150 people, have built a 200 metre southern entrance of the tunnel with over 160 roof segments, each weighing over 20 tonnes. A series of underground structural elements are installed, these include 1,300 piles – concrete pillars built underground – using 33,000 cubic metres of concrete. Roof slabs and other internal structures are then installed.
The entrance to the tunnel has vents. These remove the pressured air wave created when the train passes through it.
Material from the tunnel excavation is kept on site and reused on the tunnel surroundings. This reduces the number of lorries on the roads, to remove the material. It will help to integrate the railway into the local area, reconnecting wildlife habitats and enhancing biodiversity.
Kenilworth Greenway
A key feature for this area is the realignment of the Kenilworth Greenway, which provides a link from Burton Green to Kenilworth and Berkswell for walkers, cyclists and horse-riders.
While the railway is being built, a temporary route for the Kenilworth Greenway has been created. It starts at the site of the new Burton Green Village Hall and then follows the existing field boundaries linking with Berkswell Station in the northwest. Once construction and landscape work is complete, the Greenway will be restored close to its original alignment, running across the top of the new tunnel.
Large-scale planting of native trees and shrubs will provide biodiverse habitats for wildlife, shield the Greenway visibly from the new railway, and re-establish vegetated connections to Black Waste Wood and Little Poors Wood.
Slide 1 of 8: Artist's impression of a bird's eye view of the Burton Green Tunnel and tunnel roof.
Slide 2 of 8: Cutting from the green tunnel's north portal with Greenway alongside the railway.
Slide 3 of 8: Artist's impression of Waste Lane Overbridge with Greenway alongside the railway.
Slide 4 of 8: Artist's impression of Kenilworth Greenway and Cromwell Lane underpass.
Slide 5 of 8: Artist's impression through the Cromwell Lane underpass.
Slide 6 of 8: Artist's impression of the South Portal and portal building.
Slide 7 of 8: Artist's impression of Kenilworth Greenway and Cromwell Lane underpass (3).
Slide 8 of 8: Artist's impression of Kenilworth Greenway from Cromwell Lane.
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