Following its five-mile drive underneath the capital, HS2 lifted tunnel boring machine (TBM) ‘Sushila’ out of the ground at the Green Park Way site in Greenford, West London.
The cutterhead, front and middle shield, weighting 850 tonnes, were lifted from the vent shaft in one piece on Saturday 15 March, using a 750 tonne gantry crane.
The TBM – with a cutterhead spanning 9.48m in diameter – was launched from West Ruislip in October 2022 and completed its journey in December 2024. TBM Sushila excavated over 1.2 million tonnes of earth and installed 4217 tunnel rings.
TBM Sushila was used to construct part of the Northolt Tunnel – an 8.4-mile tunnel being built by four TBMs which will take HS2 trains from Old Oak Common Station to the outskirts of the capital.
Do you have news for the international trenchless industry? Contact Journalist Gerald Lynch at gerald.lynch@primecreative.com.au
