High Speed 2
High Speed 2 Ltd has completed its biggest demolition challenge to date, clearing a vast swathe of land in west London from where two of the HS2 tunnel boring machines (TBMs) will be launched.
The 42,000 square metre site – equivalent to the size of six football pitches – is located to the west of where Old Oak Common station will be built. It will be used to construct the Victoria Road crossover box, an underground structure designed to allow trains travelling south towards London to change tracks before entering Old Oak Common station. This requires the tunnels to be joined together to provide sufficient space for the crossovers. The underground box is being designed and will be built for HS2 by SCS Railways, a joint venture between Strabag, Costain and Skanska. It will consist of a 130-metre-long box 25 metres underground made up of concrete diaphragm walls anchored by piles. Three headhouses at ground level will provide maintenance and emergency access.
