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Engineering vehicles & heavy plant
Engineering vehicles & heavy plantTunnel Boring Machine (TBM)

TBM Anne - HS2 Northolt Tunnel East

West London, UK (Victoria Road to Green Park Way) · 2024-2025 (Launched April 2024, completed July 2025) · £87.7bn - £102.7bn (HS2 project total, 2025 prices)

The judgement call

Account-gated at launch

TBM Anne was the fourth and final TBM for the Northolt Tunnel. Named after Lady Anne Byron. Completed its 5.5km drive under London, completing the tunnel excavation.

Key engineering challenges

Tunnelling under densely populated urban areas. - Managing ground movements and settlement.

Project facts

Client / owner
HS2 Ltd.
Lead contractor
SCS JV (Skanska Costain STRABAG Joint Venture)
Lead designers
Project type
new build
Scale
Tunnel length: 13.5 km (8.4 miles) twin-bore tunnel; Drive length: 5.5 km (3.4 miles)
Disciplines
civil; structural; mechanical; electrical; systems; tunnelling; geotechnical
Standards & frameworks
UK railway standards, CDM Regulations (implied).

Sources: HS2.org.uk (https://www.hs2.org.uk/building-hs2/tunnels/twin-bore-tunnels/northolt-tunnel/) - Skanska.co.uk (https://www.skanska.co.uk/about-skanska/news-and-events/press-releases/300281/Breakthrough-Our-HS2-team-completes-excavation-of-8.4-mile-tunnel-under-the-capital) - Railway-News.com (https://railway-news.com/hs2-tbm-anne-completes-final-stretch-of-northolt-tunnel/) - GEplus.co.uk (https://www.geplus.co.uk/news/hs2-final-tbm-completes-northolt-tunnel-after-straight-forward-drive-07-07-2025/)