Big excavator sees the light after 19 months

BREAKTHROUGH MARKS THE COMPLETION OF TUNNELLING ON HS2

- ED CHATTERTON News Reporter

HS2 of workers at the completion of the digging of major tunnels on the route between Birmingham and west London

A GIANT boring machine has broken through to complete the final piece of excavation work along the 140-mile route of the HS2 railway.

The 125m long machine emerged yesterday after spending 19 months drilling a three and-a-half mile tunnel from Water Orton, in Warwickshire, to Washwood Heath, in Birmingham, progressing at an average speed of 10 metres per day.

It marked the end of tunnelling along the high-speed London to Birmingham route. Eight tunnel boring machines have been used on the project, together excavating 9.4 million tonnes of material.