'Milestone' as giant HS2 machine tunnels into Brum

HUGE PIECE OF EQUIPMENT NAMED MARY ANN AFTER FAMOUS NUNEATON AUTHOR

- JAMES CARTLEDGE

A GIANT HS2 boring machine has broken through to complete the first section of a 3.5-mile tunnel on the route's approach into Birmingham.

The 125-metre long, 1,600-tonne machine, named Mary Ann by the local community in a nod to the real name of Warwickshire-born writer George Eliot, broke through on, Friday, May 9, after 652 days and nights of construction work.

The tunnel is the first of two bores of the Bromford Tunnel, running from Water Orton in North Warwickshire to Washwood Heath, and passing under the area's motorway network and the River Tame.

The tunnel breakthrough - HS2’s first in Birmingham - was described as a significant milestone for the line, which will almost halve journey times between Birmingham and London, whilst freeing up track space on the West Coast Main Line for local, regional and freight services.