HS2 engineers have installed the final roof segment on the 700-metre-long Burton Green tunnel.
The 16-metre-wide twin-box-shaped tunnel will carry high-speed trains beneath the village of Burton Green, near Kenilworth.
The internal wall will separate trains travelling north to Birmingham and south towards HS2’s two London stations in Old Oak Common and Euston.
Now structurally complete, engineers and ecologists will turn their attention towards the tunnel’s 500-metre-long ‘green roof’, to ensure the structure blends into the natural landscape.
Doug Barnett, senior project manager for HS2 Ltd, said: “With the main civil engineering complete, thanks to the hard work and dedication of the 150-strong team on the ground, we can now begin the next phase of this exciting project.
“We look forward to working with local communities to bring the bold design vision for Burton Green tunnel to life, maximising the potential of this new green space.”
“A strong focus has been placed on connectivity and access to the new green space for local communities – linking both sides of the village of Burton Green. Once fully complete, the Kenilworth Greenway will be reinstated close to its original alignment. It will run above the new tunnel to provide a link from Balsall Common to Kenilworth, via Burton Green, for walkers, cyclists and horse-riders.”
Excavated material from the tunnel is currently being reused for wider landscaping works, in line with HS2’s sustainability commitments. Large-scale planting of native trees and shrubs will provide biodiverse habitats for wildlife and re-establish vegetated connections to Black Waste Wood and Little Poors Wood.
Cromwell Lane, which links both sides of the village, was temporarily diverted during the construction. In October, following the completion of utilities works, it will reopen on its original realignment.
Recognising its significance to local communities, throughout the construction phase HS2 also created a temporary route for the Kenilworth Greenway. This starts at the site of the Burton Green Village Hall and then follows the existing field boundaries linking with Berkswell Station.
Burton Green tunnel is one of five ‘green tunnels’ being built on the controversial line, which is not set to be operational until 2026.
Some 54 kilometres of the 190km track between London and Birmingham will cut through the heart of Warwickshire, with a new station also being built near Birmingham Airport. Swathes of the county’s landscape has already been transformed by work on the line.
