Inside HS2's longest tunnel

[@hpsauce1078]

For heavy-duty tunnel boring, it all looks surprisingly clean and clinical, very impressive.

[@iranair777]

A clean site in most cases = a safe site :)

[@bishwatntl]

Could you ask your video editor to tune down the music please? It started way too loud and it's out of balance with the spoken voice.

[@FirstDan2000]

Id like to add my voice to that. I can turn down my volume but then I can't hear what is being said. Otherwise, very interesting video.

[@DrJams]

Just don't put any background music into the video. It feels fake and like they are trying to over sell it

[@davidbirdsey6489]

Very encouraging progress being made. A very clear and concise presentation by an enthusiastic apprentice. Well done.

[@antonygreenwood4594]

Amazing that she's an apprentice! Just shows that major infrastructure projects enable young people to help make one of the biggest, most complex and ambitious projects happen.

[@philtucker1224]

Yes, I find a lot of vocational high level degree students and post graduates are also extremely articulate. (My daughter is one and she never stops talking ha ha!) 😊

[@philipcameron3784]

Excellent progress being made very impressive. HS2 is going to make an incredible difference to the United Kingdom 🇬🇧

[@stocktonjoans]

wanna buy a bridge?

[@allison47]

🙃Dump the background "music" its far too loud. When I set the volume to an acceptable l;level I can't hear Caitlyn and when I set it to her voice I get deafened by the noise. I do enjoy the progressive updates, keep them coming.

[@gavinsadventuresinterests.]

I'm liking the look of the construction work that has already been done so far. Good progress is being made on this Rail project from the look of it. I would like to use this HS2 railway service at some point in the future when it eventually gets completed & opens to the UK population.

[@ryans20981]

Very informative and well presented by Caitlyn

[@alanjohndyson]

An amazing video well presented by Caitlyn. These TBM s are absolutely massive. So annoying that the loud music spoils it. Turn it down or even better turn it off.

[@aphexHQ]

Great to see guys! And great to see apprentices absolutely smashing it!

[@mikehindson-evans159]

Thanks for the update on progress. It is great to see that the first shaft at Chalfont St Peter is now within reach. Despite the temporary blip of COVID, the country needs this extra capacity for long-distance green travel - along with the extra relief for the West Coast Mainline, the Midlands Mainline and the East Coast Mainline. Note to editor/producer: great music BUT DOWN TO HALF VOLUME PLEASE!

[@le0494]

Fantastic presentation ! Thank you

[@owensmith7530]

Music is far louder than the presenter, I have to choose between blasting out my eardrums or being unable to hear what the presenter is saying. Please get a better balance of audio levels in future.

[@noahbowie5985]

I'm still gutted they didn't call the TBMs Florence and the machine

[@andrewmarch7891]

Thank you Catlin brilliant explanation.

[@rcnitrodude999]

Such a hellacious amount of work and resources to help get vehicles from point A to point B

[@MrSillenomis]

Very good but the music is very annoying!

[@tedf1471]

It's so heartening to finally see Women Civil Engineers in an Industry that was so male dominated.

[@leel2228]

I've worked on hs2 doing various groundworks for last 12 months . The waste of money is criminal and the inept management on various levels is staggering. If I told you half the stuff that went on you wouldn't believe me.

[@petersmith785]

Excellent views and explanation

[@yorkshirepatriot2036]

Great video and a fantastic lady showing you round

[@johnturner4400]

Can you just keep tunnelling to Leeds? You don’t have to tell anyone until it’s done!

[@davidty2006]

Yes get to leeds and make sure the ECML has connections to it. Gotta make sure that profit is both in east and west.

[@lewissharp9235]

Very impressive.

[@transitcaptain]

I was surprised by how much I didn’t know. Geoff Marshall didn’t say any of this!

[@ThatCoalSoul]

He's more a 'member of the public', of course he has a kind of fame and yes a platform (ha ha) but this is a talk through with a worker who's doing the work. Just saying.

[@jasonharding9490]

Thanks for the look around. As a fluid power engineer it is great to see that big hydraulic motor make a cameo appearance there (the red thing at the front of the TBM - just could be the pump I guess, depending which way round we are looking there, but assuming it is the motor). How is the TBM powered? I'm guessing it has to be electric with a fairly substantial power cable making its way through the tunnel? Must take quite some power to cut through 30m per day plus all the associated services. Amazing to see that 'invert bridge', I have never seen that before, you tunnelling guys & girls really have this process down to a tee.

[@simoncroft9792]

Because of the amount of power it would be multiple MV cables, probably 11kV with a substation in the TBM. Multiple for redundancy, the worst thing would be to lose power while driving a tunnel. The pumping of groundwater , ventilation and positive pressure at the cutting head could be lost. Hence the prominent refuge chambers with their own life support food and water.

[@blackadderajr]

That hydraulic motor should be part of the drive system for the screw conveyor. The primary screw lifts the cut spoil from the base of the chamber at the back of the cutterhead up to the centre of the machine to enable it to be removed out of the tunnel.

[@highvoltageswitcher6256]

How deep are the tunnels under the M25, which looks close to the portals?

[@steamtrainmaker]

Hi Why are your videos so short in length.

[@EASYTIGER10]

It's all very impressive and well presented by Caitlyn, but why are we building a 10 mile tunnel under the Chilterns at massive cost? The Fréjus Rail Tunnel is only 8.5 miles long and dispenses with the entire Alps...

[@Geeves8612]

Seems crazy to say but mostly it's to please the environmentalists. The fact the tunnel is now miles longer doesn't seem to register. Least the "ancient woodlands" are safe.

[@frasermitchell9183]

In Phase 1 London-Birmingham ,there will be two very long tunnels between London and Birmingham, (1) Euston - Ruislip with a pause for a breath of fresh air at Old Oak Common station, and (2) the Chilterns tunnel. As well as these, there is a shorter bored tunnel at Long Itchington Wood near Southam, and a couple of cut-n-cover tunnels. In Phase 2a, to Crewe, there are two short tunnels, and in Phase 2b, a fairly long tunnel under Crewe, (just over 4 miles), then an 11 mile tunnel from a new Airport station to Manchester Piccadilly. This one is about the same length as the Chilterns tunnel. Originally there was to be no Ruislip tunnel, as there is a sufficiently wide formation on the surface, but tunneling means no need to buy properties, and these would have cost a fortune in this part of London.

[@EASYTIGER10]

@@Geeves8612 You're right. I'm all for reasonable environmental mitigation and support tree planting to offset those lost in construction but 10 mile bored tunnels is just crazy. Tunnels built partly so that the residents Buckinghamshire don't have their porcelain rattled too much has made the whole project so expensive that the people of Leeds and Sheffield won't get HS2 at all now, even though their taxes pay for it....

[@DavidKnowles0]

It mainly to please a few Tory MPs and their constituencies

[@mikehindson-evans159]

@@DavidKnowles0 Well, maybe just one Tory MP - who is now dead. This is a project for the future of our country, so we should actually be proud of how the democratic rights of the minority in the Chilterns have been scrupulously observed by the majority funding a £GBP10billion tunnel underneath them. This should be a cracking railway to ride when it opens - no commuter trains to hold up the long-distance highspeed fleet.

[@Anbregour]

Looks like an interesting video. Would've been nice to be able to hear what she had to say over the very loud music.

[@vwgolf9826]

Loud, annoying and repetitive.

[@philtucker1224]

Are you using parts of the tunnel boring equipment that was used on the Chunnel? 🤔

[@BaZzZaa]

Great presenter. She will go far!

[@mavicsteve9275]

What do you do with all of the spoil from the tunnel?

[@trevorwilliams632]

Could form landscaped embankments or where works are near rivers they could form artificial islands like they did with the Crossrail project.

[@mavicsteve9275]

Thanks for that, these guys should have worked on upgrading our motorways.

[@shannonokeeffe606]

@@trevorwilliams632, thats actually what is happening. Its remaining on site to become a landscaped embankment.

[@TalesOfWar]

A lot of it is actually used to make the concrete that lines the tunnel itself too. There are factories on site to reduce the need to bring it in over the road network.

[@andrewusher1115]

Are you looking to use Graphene enhanced concrete as I’ve seen it can be done better with amazing quality and cures better / quicker

[@carrot5610]

its not, its a 7 material combination concrete impregnated with steel fibres and activators. using a large kiln they are setting after 6 hours and reaching UTS in 30 days like most concrete items. in fault zone, areas requiring access or worse conditions surrounding rock they are also using steel reinforced cages to maximise FOS.

[@lsfornells]

A 16 km tunnel in a country without mountains? I mean, is that really needed?

[@PenzancePete]

It's to keep the nimbys and greenies happy. If it wasn't for them there wouldn't have to be so much expensive tunneling.

[@lsfornells]

@@PenzancePete Spain is the same (much worse actually). Search “tunel de pajares” that one is ridiculously 24 km long. Totally unnecessary by finding a slightly more elevated route

[@TheMiz_0]

My. Mate is one of the tbm mechanics there I left that project due to travelling distance

[@clevelandexplorer2221]

Hello, given the IRREPLACEABLE habitats the High speed railway (it is HS2, right?) removed without relocation or repercussion to the government to then cancel plans north of Manchester, are there plans to actually bring it to the remote north east which debateably needs it more? Will there eventually be fines for those involved in the major lack of ecological oversight for the project at any point?

[@davidty2006]

That leeds branch is needed to be done. Just to make sure the ECML gets the benefit as well.

[@clevelandexplorer2221]

@@davidty2006 what's ECML sorry? Idk what it's like in Leeds and I really do understand the need for a link to and from London, HOWEVER while I'm not speaking against a Leeds branch the government didn't consider us at all in the north east who are forgotten from the rest of the world culturally, logistically, economically etc etc and a direct line connecting hull to Middlesbrough area is very much needed, also the general north east. Billy Elliott film portrayed well how it was, were not like that anymore obviously as I'm ranting but since those days we've been proper cut off like a peninsula (m1 is the acception for motorists, and expensive and environmentally unsound) without a bridge

[@davidty2006]

@@clevelandexplorer2221 ECML is East Coast MainLine. Aka the other way to scotland.

[@clevelandexplorer2221]

@@davidty2006 ah right lol, thanks :p aye, and politicians not making promises they can't keep

[@gavinmccall7179]

Please more details and more videos - this is all really interesting! Can we see the cross-bore machine? More details of progress on all sites! ;)

[@RaysRailVideos]

You vibrate concrete to get the air out so when it dries it does not have air holes everywhere causing the concrete to be weak, its not to make it nice and smooth, please teach these uni staff some proper info

[@EdgyNumber1]

Britain becoming rather adept at tunnel boring. I hope they export this skill and service for use in other countries. Keep them fresh and up to date, and some big money from it.

[@TalesOfWar]

The irony is that we developed much of the modern boring techniques, expertise and technology here, but the French are actually now the masters on the global stage. Simply because they keep doing it and have large projects on the go all the time. We just don't do big projects like this as often as we should which is why they cost so much more and take so much longer. Not to mention there's actually a shortage of civil engineers in the UK to even do these projects which is why a large number of the team working on this are from overseas.

[@EdgyNumber1]

@@TalesOfWar UK has a very hollow education system, particularly with technical vocational stuff. I went the A-level and degree route but never really got good experience until I was on placement at Jaguar. I regret not taking up GNVQ Manufacturing (similar to BTEC at the time) and going the apprenticeship - and then the HNx/degree route. I would've built up so much more knowledge over time (and enjoyed it more,) rather than just cramming it in within a few short years in order to quickly develop a career. In fact, I think vocational activities should take centre place right from the very first year of primary school just like they do it in Switzerland, combined in with English and mathematics.

[@TalesOfWar]

@@EdgyNumber1 I guess it depends when you went through the system. It's been pretty crappy the last decade or so. When I was at college in the early 00's they seemed to have a higher emphasis on practical on the job learning in the trade type courses. City and Guilds stuff was highlly sought after by employees. A-Levels were more of an accademic focus, the GNVQ stuff was very much a hands on thing. A few of my friends did engineering courses as GNVQ's and got in to some pretty well paid positions right out of college doing skilled labour.

[@EdgyNumber1]

@@TalesOfWar Certainly I have noticed a lot of hollowing out of the education system in the last decade, its been really bad. In fact its been so noticeable that even expats who have come back home from places in Europe have noticed how lacking the country has become in the last few years. The UK so desperately needs to bring in critical thinking and vocational subjects right from an early age and maintain them throughout a childs educational career.

[@stainless2867]

White elephant

[@JackKing12.]

Having been in construction for 17yrs...I am glad I am out of it...good luck to all you youngsters

[@clpxm39]

Stupidly loud music compared to speech. Annoying.

[@ChrisPatrick-q6k]

Chalfont St Oxhey

[@jackchen7003]

Way more organized the California High Speed rail!!! 😂

[@tonyromano6220]

The music

[@paulw4834]

Biggest waste at public money and 87% of the country will never use it.

[@Christmascancelled]

Keir Starmer voted against new high speed rail infrastructure

[@TalesOfWar]

Good for him? So did most of the Tory party. This is only happening because the last Labour government passed it. Same with Crossrail. The current government have been trying to do all they can within the law to mess with both of them ever since. They got their way more so with the cancelling of the eastern leg.

[@paulfranklin8636]

Because he knows it#'s nothing ,nore than a tory vanity project, enriching their pals and destroying the environment. We donlt need to get from Birmingham to London 15 mins faster, we do need better more efficient local services so that people can get from Birmingham to Lichfield or Cardiff to Swansea faster

[@TalesOfWar]

@@paulfranklin8636 So, you don't actually know what HS2 is for then do you? The speed improvements are a bonus, the main point of it is capacity. The network is already full. Try getting local commuter services anywhere outside of the M25 and you'll see why the capacity increase is important. Also the Tory's don't want HS2 to happen, they've been against it from day 1, this is a Labour project from before the Tory's got in to power, it already passed in to law so they can't just stop it. Same with Crossrail. There have been no major infrastructure plans proposed never mind passed for this country since this lot came to power. They just hate spending money unless it personally enriches them or their friends.

[@greghulme6785]

Boring? Yes and No.

[@timlewis6749]

n interesting viseo ruined by the music

[@ZX7ROB]

Another heap of cash spent on the south of the U.K.

[@qyouwilber5734]

Very interesting video. Terrible editing. Her voice is very soft and the music is very loud and pounding. If you turn the volume down to make the music listenable then you can't hear a word she is saying. Appears to have been produced by a fledgling music video company.

[@johnnywalker7961]

Hs2 is going get rusted and not be used and no one wants it. Iam stop hs2 campaign.

[@AndreiTupolev]

HS2: making it quicker to go to Birmingham than ever before 🤔

[@mrglide7078]

HS2 will be the same speed in both directions - what's your point?

[@AndreiTupolev]

@@mrglide7078 *sigh* or from Birmingham. I'd have thought that was obvious

[@TalesOfWar]

Anything that makes it faster to get away from Birmingham is good! lol

[@mrglide7078]

@@TalesOfWaryeah if you say so... don't give up the day job eh?

[@jimmysavile69]

It's quite boring.

[@londondestruction5730]

A great technological achievement, but sadly still a waste of money. The Channel Tunnel was real progress, but this is so unnecessary, especially as it ruptures England's beautiful landscape. We should really wait for the Hyperloop.

[@TalesOfWar]

So... building tunnels to not destroy the landscape... and waiting for a pipe dream that isn't even practically useful in any imaginable way? You know the cost of a "Hyperloop" would be orders of magnitude more than this right? It's a maglev in a vacuum tube. Maglevs are already massively more expensive than typical high speed rail, now you want to put it inside a low pressure tube that spams hundreds of miles? Even if it were technically possible, the number of issues with maintenance make it a non starter, or the hilariously low capacity of the "pods".

[@andreablack3192]

This is very bad that i just found out why I countless sleepless nights from the resonance of my whole house. Its so so unbearable that sometimes i feel like i will vomit!!! At least you should of used logic and empathy how not to disturb people. It really feels horrid!! Where am i gonna get compensated for the stress???

[@davecooper3238]

Our Parrish Council has said they will pass on any issues. I think the idea is the more people come up with the same problem the more weight it will carry. Might be worth getting together with people who live round you & having them report it with you.

[@andreablack3192]

@@davecooper3238 the "good" idea behind inhabiting London with foreign citizens is that they are not reporting problems!!!

[@davecooper3238]

@@andreablack3192 Could your reply be interpreted as being just a tad racist ?

[@andreablack3192]

@@davecooper3238 i am a foreigner so i cant be racist! And thats why i lnow the facts! Besides, I did report to brent council that the main road in that line - let alone with our garden - sank in. The damage is so big given its a high way that it surely cause damage to cars at some point. That was 3 months ago I reported it, nothing was done about it!

[@davecooper3238]

@@andreablack3192 Anyone can be racist. Does not mater one jot where people come from. Sorry to hear about your council. I suppose out in the sticks we are closer to the council. Even know councillors when we see them in the street. If you are in an urban area you could perhaps use the problem to bring people together. In an urban area a group is more likely to have an effect than a voice in the wilderness. But if the council doesn’t want to know a group may make it easier to influence HS2 directly. You talk about Brent Council. I have checked the HS2 map. HS2 does not pass through or under Brent. So not sure your problem has anything to do with HS2.

[@DrJams]

HS2 is too woke

[@puffingtonsmythe8690]

A channel about the UK’s biggest white elephant contract, what a waste of taxpayers money 👎🏻

[@mrglide7078]

No taxpayers money has been spent. Cap ex funded by loans secured on future ticket receipts Pointless comment

[@paulfranklin8636]

@@mrglide7078 hahahaha...future ticket receipts....oh that's a good one.....Current fare B'ham to London £165.10 (using hours that would fit business meetings), how much do you think HS2 fares are going to be? and how many companies are going to say, "we caqn do that meeting on Zoom etc, for free rather than fork out £100's for you go to waste an entire day for a meeting"...it's a white elephant, a tory vanity project, it'll never ever pay for itself...current cost estimate is at least £98Bn.....how many centuries do you think it'll take to recoup that?....particularly as some of those "ticket receipts" will be siphoned off to swell the pockets of investors???

[@mrglide7078]

@@paulfranklin8636 Doesn't matter how long it would take to recoup. That's the arrangementl. It is what it is. As for it being a tory vanity project...more nonsense

[@davecooper3238]

@@paulfranklin8636 Investors. Expect a return. Why else would they put money in. Surprised you do not appear to understand that.

[@TalesOfWar]

@@paulfranklin8636 Infrastructure critical to the wider economy and population shouldn't really need to be a massive profit maker. The money this will bring to more areas of the UK will more than offset what it costs to build even if those pennies never directly go to it. It'll make commuting over longer distancess for more people easier and more practical. It'll also make it easier for people commuting around the areas with freed up capacity that no longer need to give way for these high speed trains that only stop a few times from one end of the country to the other as they'll have their own dedicated line.

[@freedomishealthy1086]

you forgot to mention that the whole thing is completely unnecessary, a massive waste of money to shave a few minutes off the train to Birmingham.

[@benstransport2189]

The fact that u say this is becuz u don't know what the project is about.

[@freedomishealthy1086]

@@benstransport2189 it’s about making money for tory party sponsors and their business partners

[@benstransport2189]

@@freedomishealthy1086 It's about putting less stress on the wesct coast mainline.

[@freedomishealthy1086]

@@benstransport2189 hmm

[@highvoltageswitcher6256]

🥱

[@djkelly7778]

Five massive shafts in the lovely village of Chalfont St Peter? The stunningly beautiful Misbourne valley scarred around Great Missenden? The lovely river Misbourne poisoned with chemicals dumped in the tunnel. And all so a handful of businessmen can get to a point outside Birmingham 15 mins quicker than before, and in this age of zoom and conference calls. And all you folks can complain about is the loud music drowning out the video.

[@nicolasblume1046]

It's mainly about capacity, not speed! (speed is a nice side effect) Moving intercity services to HS2 will free up a lot of capacity on the old mainline for local trains, so a whole lot of people along the route will benefet from better local services. There will also be free capacity for more freight trains, reducing the amount of trucks on the road. This would not have been possible by upgrading the mainlines further. They have already been upgraded for a lot of money. Building two extra tracks next to the existing tracks would be even more expensive and much more disruptive for the locals

[@johnhoward607]

You Dunce !

[@mrglide7078]

So you would prefer the tracks to carve a route at surface level instead through villages and countryside? Citation please on chemicals poisoning the river? The rest of your post is bobbins

[@TigruArdavi]

when will this stupid argument about the age of zoom calls stop being used🤦‍♂ HS2 is not for businessmen alone. There is a high and growing demand for mobility, partly business related, not all jobs can be done via zoom, partly leisure time related, people want to travel, visit relatives and friends, attend events in other cities. To meet that demand in the most sustainable way, the UK needs modern high speed rail. Also, it's not 5 shafts in Chalfont, it's 5 along the whole Chiltern tunnel. There are no chemicals dumped in the tunnel, HS2 meets high environment standards. It goes underground wherever viable to protect the landscape. Yes such a project costs a lot of money, resources and energy, but only to make travel better and more sustainable in the long run. New infrastructure is needed, and it will always affect its immediate surroundings during construction, HS2 is mitigating that as much as possible, but a project the whole country will profit from cannot be stopped because of the nimbies.

[@LiveFromLondon2]

What an annoying voice. Had to turn it off. And as for that diabolical music - so unnecessary.

[@mrglide7078]

But apart from that, you liked the video?

[@gomezz8531]

Amazing how out of all the thousands of men constructing this project that they have a 1% female to narrate the build..

[@dmdigital_minerdirectlyoni3744]

Suceess depends on the actions or steps you take to achieve it. Show me a man with no investment and I'll tell you how long it takes to fail. The investment creates a safe haven for the future. With the right investment choi noce that has at least a minimum risk of 2% and with expert advice, both profits and interest are 100% guaranteed.

[@dmdigital_minerdirectlyoni3744]

Digital _miner👈☝️