High speed rail tunnel link reaches completion

Engineering teams have finished deep bore excavation work for the high speed rail project, successfully linking the route between London and Birmingham. Workers broke through into the Old Oak Common station site after crews dug out 100,000 tonnes of London clay using excavators. Rail Minister Lord Hendy visited the new super hub station to inspect the site following the milestone breakthrough.

Construction on the tunnels began from the Victoria Road crossover box site in May 2024. Unlike other excavations on the route that relied on massive tunnel boring machines, these specific sections were mined entirely through London clay using specialized excavators. Workers lined the passages with 30,000 cubic metres of sprayed concrete to secure the structure.

The recent breakthrough marks the completion of all deep bore tunnelling between London and Birmingham, alongside an 8.8-mile link stretching to West Ruislip. Officials said that more than 80% of major structures across the network are now either under construction or fully built. The completed transport infrastructure aims to connect the capital with the line's upcoming station at Birmingham Curzon Street.

When services eventually launch, passengers will be able to travel the distance of around 140 miles from the London hub to Birmingham in approximately 45 minutes. Organisers report that the high speed railway will more than double peak time seat capacity between the two cities. The Independent recently highlighted that a related three-acre meadow seizure cost UK taxpayers £10m.

Work on remaining track installations and station fit-outs continues across the corridor. Project leaders noted that engineering teams are pressing ahead with system integration works. Officials have scheduled further infrastructure assessments and testing phases to precede the eventual opening of the passenger services.