British Tunnelling Society

2025 ANNUAL BRITISH TUNNELLING SOCIETY DINNER More details for this year's British Tunnelling Society Annual Dinner can be seen in the official flyer below. 📅 Friday 23rd May, 19:00 GMT 🗺️ The Brewery on Chiswell Street, London, EC1Y 4SD The UK tunnelling industry will once again come together to celebrate the people who have driven the industry forward over the last 12 months. The black-tie evening kicks off with a champagne reception, before a fabulous meal and drinks, with this year's after dinner speaker Reverend Richard Coles. This year's event sponsors is once again Jacobs Click here for full details and to book: https://lnkd.in/emcuEMti Follow the British Tunnelling Society for the latest insight on tunnel-related matters To learn about the benefits of joining the British Tunnelling Society click here: https://bit.ly/3r0MPoU #BritishTunnellingSociety #civilengineering #undergroundconstruction #tunnelling

TIDEWAY ACTIVATES SUPER SEWER TO PREVENT SEWAGE POLLUTION IN THAMES Tideway London has activated the new super sewer in London, UK, designed to stop sewage from entering the River Thames. After 10 years of construction, the final of 21 connections was made between the Victorian sewers and the 25km Thames Tideway Tunnel. This brings the system online, preventing sewage pollution in the tidal Thames. Tideway London, owned by a consortium of investors, is delivering the Thames Tideway Tunnel. The 25km-long super sewer connects to the existing 6.9km Lee Tunnel, a Thames Water asset, forming the London Tideway Tunnel (LTT) system. The full system went online in autumn 2024. Construction began in 2016, with work taking place across two dozen sites from Acton in west London to Abbey Mills Pumping Station in east London. Over 20 deep shafts were built across London to divert sewage flows and lower tunnelling machines underground. The first giant tunnelling machine began work in 2018. Primary tunnelling on the 25km main tunnel and two smaller connection tunnels was completed by 2022. By autumn 2023, secondary tunnel linings were finished across all tunnels, with the heavy civil engineering work wrapped up by spring 2024. Read more online: https://lnkd.in/gXGKycSZ Follow the British Tunnelling Society for the latest insight on tunnel-related matters To learn about the benefits of joining the British Tunnelling Society click here: https://bit.ly/3r0MPoU #BritishTunnellingSociety #civilengineering #undergroundconstruction #tunnelling

BARHALE WINS CONTRACTS WORTH £10M TO UPGRADE LONDON’S WATER INFRASTRUCTURE Barhale Ltd has been awarded contracts worth £10m as part of Thames Water’s efforts to enhance London’s water infrastructure. The contracts have been awarded for two water main upgrade schemes, the phase two works at Victoria Station and work in the Regent’s Park region. They bring the company’s total contractual value under the Asset Management Period 7 (AMP7) conditional allowance trunk main scheme to more than £30m. Barhale Ltd said the works under the contract, both at Victoria Phase Two and Regent’s Park, are expected to be completed by November 2025. The contract for Victoria Phase 2 follows the completion of Victoria Phase 1, which upgraded the water main running beneath the streets around Victoria Station. In the second phase, Barhale Ltd will rehabilitate the existing 30” cast iron water main that runs 400m under some of the busiest areas of London, from Eaton Square to Pont Street. Read more online: https://lnkd.in/eSK7zVy3 Follow the British Tunnelling Society for the latest insight on tunnel-related matters To learn about the benefits of joining the British Tunnelling Society click here: https://bit.ly/3r0MPoU #BritishTunnellingSociety #civilengineering #undergroundconstruction #tunnelling

HARDING PRIZE 2025 FINALISTS The British Tunnelling Society are thrilled to announce the finalists for this year's Harding Prize lecture. 📅 March 20, 2025 18:00hrs GMT 🗺️ Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE), One Great George Street, Westminster, London SW1P 3AA The finalists and their papers are: Christopher Prince – Align JV – Innovation sustainability – water treatment in tunnelling drawn from experiences of recycling water whilst constructing the Chiltern Tunnels Sidhant Kaul – HOCHTIEF-MURPHY Joint Venture (HMJV) – TBM transition through Kidbrooke Shaft, engineering challenges and solutions in the London Power Tunnels Phase 2 Project The Harding Prize is an annual (or biannual) highlight of the BTS calendar and is awarded to the best original paper and presentation by a tunnelling engineer under the age of 33. The content can be any aspect of tunnelling which the entrant considers to be of interest to others in the tunnelling industry. The Harding Prize is named after the founder Chairman of the Society, Sir Harold Harding. Two finalists will be presenting their papers who were shortlisted from all applications by the BTS Sub-Committee. Attendance is open to all to come and enjoy the lectures and support the finalists. Post-event refreshments will be sponsored by TUNNELCRAFT LTD. Follow the British Tunnelling Society for the latest insight on tunnel-related matters To learn about the benefits of joining the British Tunnelling Society click here: https://bit.ly/3r0MPoU #BritishTunnellingSociety #civilengineering #undergroundconstruction #tunnelling

FEBRUARY EDITION OF TUNNELS & TUNNELLING INTERNATIONAL We are pleased to share below a pared-down version of the February 2025 edition of the official British Tunnelling Society publication - Tunnels and Tunnelling International. The edition features a special focus on Drill & Blast tunnelling. The edition includes an in-depth chat with British Tunnelling Society Immediate Past Chair Rod Young as he reflects on his tenure and objectives around promoting Microtunnelling, better regional connections and the importance of in-person meetings post-COVID. They also heard again from ITACUS - the ITA Committee on Underground Space Steering Board Member Mahak Agrawal on the stakeholder dynamics in underground space. There is also an interview with Alastair Biggart which looks back on a civil engineering career, which began in 1958, when FL22 Clay Spades were still in use through to working on the Channel Tunnel on the most advanced TBMs available. We also share progress reports on a number of drill and blast tunnelling projects globally including the Stad Ship Tunnel and the Coire Glas pumped storage project. See it here: https://lnkd.in/eGsFkHMA Follow the British Tunnelling Society for the latest insight on tunnel-related matters To learn about the benefits of joining the British Tunnelling Society click here: https://bit.ly/3r0MPoU #BritishTunnellingSociety #civilengineering #undergroundconstruction #tunnelling

HS2 COMPLETES FOUNDATIONS FOR NEW STATION AT OLD OAK COMMON IN LONDON Balfour Beatty VINCI SYSTRA Joint Venture (BBVS) has completed the foundation work for the HS2 (High Speed Two) Ltd project’s Old Oak Common high-speed railway station. The 850m underground station base features six platforms for high-speed trains. It was built with 76,000m³ of concrete and 17,000 tonnes of reinforced steel. The base slab covers 45,000m2, or over six football pitches. At its deepest point, it reaches nearly 2m thick. Construction began in April 2023, with 91 concrete pours to complete the project. Upon completion, the station will have six underground platforms and services running further north via the existing railway. Eight surface-level platforms will provide interchange to the Great Western Railway, Elizabeth Line, and Heathrow Express. The excavation of the box was finished in summer 2024, with 1.3 million tonnes of London clay removed. London Concrete, part of the Holcim Group, supplied over 90% of the concrete for the base slab from a dedicated on-site batching plant. Tunnelling work to connect the station to the HS2 network is underway by HS2’s London tunnels contractor, Skanska Costain STRABAG Joint Venture. Read more online: https://lnkd.in/e5THahWS Follow the British Tunnelling Society for the latest insight on tunnel-related matters To learn about the benefits of joining the British Tunnelling Society click here: https://bit.ly/3r0MPoU #BritishTunnellingSociety #civilengineering #undergroundconstruction #tunnelling

It was a pleasure to host our friends from MinSouth for our annual joint lecture at the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) today. Thanks a lot to Jeff Hawman, Ashley Poulter, Tom Wootton & Callum Fryer for their presentation on Anglo American's Woodsmith Project. Thanks are also in order to STRABAG UK for sponsoring the post-lecture refreshments.

BIRMINGHAM FC CHAIRMAN PROPOSES £20M TUNNEL FOR NEW STADIUM The proposed £20m project involves building a 1.5-mile (2.5km) tunnel beneath existing railway lines, and includes a connection to the HS2 (High Speed Two) Ltd rail line, which will link Birmingham and London. The proposed tunnel project entails a £20m investment, a part of a broader £3bn investment for establishing a sports and entertainment hub in East Birmingham. It will connect the New Street station, a central hub of the British railway system, with the new sports complex, planned to be built in the Bordesley Green area. The club would use electric buses in the tunnel to transport large numbers of fans between the city centre and the stadium. Birmingham City FC chairman Tom Wagner, who co-owns the club with former NFL player Tom Brady, said that extending the city’s tram network has been their preferred solution. However, he urged for the tunnel project to be considered as a practical alternative. According to Wagner, local and regional authorities support the project, but it requires the central government funding. Read more online: https://lnkd.in/gdu32Xb2 Follow the British Tunnelling Society for the latest insight on tunnel-related matters To learn about the benefits of joining the British Tunnelling Society click here: https://bit.ly/3r0MPoU #BritishTunnellingSociety #civilengineering #undergroundconstruction #tunnelling

BTS TUNNEL DESIGN & CONSTRUCTION COURSE 2025 OPENS FOR REGISTRATION The 2025 annual five-day British Tunnelling Society Tunnel Design and Construction Course will be held at the University of Warwick, Coventry, UK. The course aims to provide a comprehensive introduction to all aspects of tunnelling. 📅 Mon 30 June to Friday 4th July Designed to cover key aspects of underground project development, the course includes worked examples and workshop sessions to enhance interaction between delegates and speakers. It is aimed at professionals involved in tunnelling, including engineers, project clients, tunnel operators, and members of the financial and insurance sectors with an interest in tunnelling enterprises. The provisional programme includes sessions on project development, soft ground tunnelling, tunnelling technology and materials, sprayed concrete linings, and hard ground tunnelling with risk management. Registration is now open, with fees structured for residential and non-residential delegates. BTS members receive discounted rates, and sponsored places are available for students and apprentices. The programme also includes a social evening, a sports event, and a three-course dinner. Read more online: https://lnkd.in/erPiBgwz Follow the British Tunnelling Society for the latest insight on tunnel-related matters To learn about the benefits of joining the British Tunnelling Society click here: https://bit.ly/3r0MPoU #BritishTunnellingSociety #civilengineering #undergroundconstruction #tunnelling

FEBRUARY 2025 BTS EVENING LECTURE This week's British Tunnelling Society evening lecture will focus on The Woodsmith Project and be delivered in collaboration with MinSouth. 📅 Thursday 13th February 2025 at 18:00 GMT 🗺️ Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE), 1 Great George Street, London, SW1P 3AA The Woodsmith Project in North Yorkshire is a landmark Anglo American mining development featuring a 37-kilometre tunnel to transport Polyhalite from Whitby to Teesside via conveyor. In 2023, the Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) set a world record with a 25.8-kilometre single drive; now surpassing 29 kilometres. This presentation will provide an overview of the TBM cutterhead maintenance using timber heading techniques, showcasing STRABAG’s engineering innovations, ongoing progress on 1,600-metre shafts at the mine site and how challenges have been addressed since the 2021 BTS presentation. It will also detail the innovative construction of two 380-metre shafts, through faulted geology and groundwater pressures, using the UK’s first blind boring method at Lockwood Beck and Lady Cross. Speakers: Jeff Hawman – Woodsmith Mine Manager, Anglo American Ashley Poulter – Deputy Project Director, STRABAG UK Tom Wootton – Construction Manager, STRABAG UK Callum Fryer – Construction Manager, STRABAG UK Notes 1: This is an in-person lecture but will also be streamed live on Zoom: https://lnkd.in/ePpNi32Z 2: Tea & coffee will be served from 17:30 hrs onwards. 3: Post-lecture drinks and food will be served at the ICE bar. Follow the British Tunnelling Society for the latest insight on tunnel-related matters To learn about the benefits of joining the British Tunnelling Society click here: https://bit.ly/3r0MPoU #BritishTunnellingSociety #civilengineering #undergroundconstruction #tunnelling