📋 Tender Overview
Major construction milestone as HS2 completes the first section of the 3.5-mile Bromford Tunnel linking Warwickshire and Birmingham
Tunnel boring machine Mary Ann travelled under the regions motorway network watercourses and key National Grid infrastructure without disruption
Specialist tunnelling teams spent 652 days and nights working underground to complete the mission
Photographs capture the breakthrough moment
Striking new images show the team at work underground
HS2s giant tunnelling machine Mary Ann broke through today [9th May 2025] marking the end of her mission to excavate the first bore of what will soon become the longest railway tunnel in the West Midlands.
The 125-metre-long machine began constructing the 3.5-mile (5.8km) Bromford Tunnel which starts at the Warwickshire village of Water Orton and extends to the northeast Birmingham suburb of Washwood Heath in July 2023. The TBM was named Mary Ann by the local community in a nod to the Warwickshire-born writer better known by her pen name George Eliot.
The tunnel breakthrough - HS2s first in Birmingham - is a significant milestone for the project which will almost halve journey times between Britains two largest cities whilst freeing up valuable track space on the heavily congested West Coast Main Line for more local regional and freight services.
The ground-breaking achievement comes as construction work on the giant structures being built to carry HS2 hits a peak with around 31000 people now employed on the programme across the 140-mile route. Despite recent progress HS2 is currently undergoing a fundamental reset to make sure the railway can be delivered efficiently and for the lowest feasible cost.
A 450-strong team supported the civil engineering feat. Men and women working on behalf of HS2s construction partner Balfour Beatty VINCI (BBV) worked around the clock for just under two years to complete the first section of the tunnel. The second bore is expected to be completed later this year by TBM Elizabeth. Following the excavation teams will begin fitting out the tunnel with cross passages concrete finishing works and base slabs and emergency and maintenance walkways.
During the 22-month-long mission the team on board the 1600-tonne machine worked at depths of up to 40 metres. They skilfully navigated Mary Ann under the Park Hall Nature Reserve the M6 motorway and the meandering River Tame - which they crossed four times with a headspace as low as five metres.
The Washwood Heath site where Mary Ann broke through will soon become the nerve centre for HS2s operations. Next to the tunnel portal HS2s Depot and Network Integrated Control Centre will be built. From this site trains will be serviced and stored and the real time operation of the railway will be controlled.
Mark Wild HS2 Ltds Chief Executive said:
Todays breakthrough is a significant milestone for the project and Im immensely proud of the men and women who have worked day and night to bring Mary Ann and her crew home safely.
Washwood Heath is set to become one of the most important sites on the entire HS2 network - the point at which the railway will be operated controlled and maintained using the very latest digital technology.
HS2s construction is transforming the West Midlands and the PS10bn investment boost it is already driving across the region will multiply in the years ahead.
Mary Ann excavated around one million tonnes of spoil during the tunnel drive. In line with HS2s sustainability policy the excavated earth is being reused to support construction of the nearby Delta Junction a complex network of 13 viaducts that will enable high speed trains to travel between London Interchange Station in Solihull and Birmingham Curzon Street Station. The excavated material is transported via dedicated haul roads to minimise the number of construction vehicles on public roads.
At peak production the TBM advanced at around 30 metres per day. The crew worked in tandem to navigate the giant boring machine ensuring the cutterhead sliced through the earth whilst simultaneously reinforcing the excavated tunnel with concrete segments - each weighing up to seven tonnes.
The precision-designed segments were manufactured at Balfour Beatty VINCIs pre-cast factory at Avonmouth near Bristol. The TBM lined the tunnel walls with 20797 individual segments making 2971 concrete rings to form the tunnel.
Jules Arlaud Balfour Beatty VINCIs Tunnelling Director said:
Todays breakthrough is a significant moment for Balfour Beatty VINCI as we celebrate the arrival of our first tunnel boring machine into Birmingham. Its been a challenging drive beneath critical live infrastructure and through complex ground conditions. Im incredibly proud of our entire team whose expertise dedication and resilience has made this possible.
This achievement follows years of design planning and preparation from BBV in close collaboration with HS2 and our partners. The team will now move onto the next phase of work inside and outside of the tunnel while our second TBM Elizabeth continues to make great progress on the second drive.
BBVs tunnelling team includes eleven local apprentices who were recruited and upskilled for the job in partnership with Solihull-based Rorcon and national tunnelling experts Tunnelcraft. Tunnelling is a recognised skill-shortage in the UK and HS2s drive to recruit and upskill local talent is helping to create the next generation of tunnellers.
In the West Midlands alone around 10000 people are currently supporting HS2s vast construction programme. 710 people from the region have secured an apprenticeship on the project and 1870 people who were out of work have started new careers. Local firms are also playing a major role in the construction programme with over 400 local businesses now actively engaged in HS2s supply chain.
Washwood Heath is one of three key HS2 sites in the West Midlands alongside the two new stations that will be built in Birmingham and Solihull. Coll
