HS2 starts work on first ‘Green Tunnel’
Abstract
HS2 on Friday 10th June announced the start of construction at the site of its first 'green tunnel', designed to blend the high-speed railway into the landscape and reduce disruption for communities. Unlike a normal underground tunnel, the one-and-a-half mile Chipping Warden green tunnel in Northamptonshire is being built on the surface using a pioneering off-site manufacturing approach to speed up construction and improve efficiency. Chipping Warden is one of five 'green tunnels' that are being built on phase one of the HS2 project, which is designed to improve links between London, Birmingham and the north, help level-up the economy and provide a low carbon alternative to car and air travel. The tunnel segments are being made by Stanton Precast in Ilkeston Derbyshire as part of a contract which is set to create up to 100 local jobs. Similar green tunnels will also be built at nearby Greatworth as well as Wendover in Buckinghamshire and Burton Green in Warwickshire, stretching for a combined total of more than four miles. The tunnels will all have specially designed 'porous portals' at either end to reduce the noise of trains entering and exiting the tunnel, along with small portal buildings to house safety and electrical equipment. Tailored landscaping design plans will be developed for each tunnel, with thousands of native trees and shrubs typical to the local area such as Silver Birch, Oak, Beech and Willow planted to create new woodland areas around the portals and recreate the hedgerows and field boundaries on top of the tunnel.
