Do you know how a tunnel boring machine works? I tell you. They stand the machine in front of a hill or mountain, and it starts telling it very old bad jokes and stories. When the hill is boring enough, it will start yawning. When the mouth is big enough, they put the ring segments inside very quickly, and voilá, the tunnel is finished.
@@JJAACCOOOOOBBBBB .. and the rail links into and out of HS2 have not even been considered, even though they are almost certainly vital for its success.
This tunnel constrction site is right on my doorstep and being able to walk over to it and the Chalfont St Peter vent shaft kept me amused during lockdown, as did the HS2 Construction trains on the Chiltern Main Line. For people who ask my why I support HS2 I say "Having the longest viaduct and longest tunnel in the UK under construction on my doorstep is something I cannot fail to be enthusiastic about"!
I really like trains but I feel the environmental damage caused by this just isn’t worth it. I hope I’m wrong and this, in the end will be justified but I just can’t see it. People will still use cars. So what will be the poling of this? A few minutes shaved off a journey from London to Birmingham for a handful of people.
@@grahamlive the point is more that it frees up space on the WCML for local and freight services, which means less lorries (and hopefully also less cars) on the roads, which will massively reduce CO2 emissions and also potentially cheaper shipping in the UK. The Government has also pledged to replant several times the amount of woodland it will be destroying so in the long term hopefully any damage will be reversed by this.
Its crazy how quick this all went up. The gantry cranes in the storage yard, I delivered some of the top beams which allow it to go side to side, I think they were 30m long from memory. This was only at the beginning of the year. Was still a full building site, to see it now is crazy. They’re working fast!
@@jetterjohn You don’t pay tax, you have to earn enough money for that, meaning a skilled profession that’s obviously beyond you. It’s people like myself that waste our tax on your hospital bills when we could and should just get rid of subhumans
@@jetterjohn What the **** does it have to do with Geoff? Why would 𝒉𝒆 pay anyone anything? Your constant bleating, about things that don't concern you, is getting really tired.
I was lucky enough to deliver some steel reinforcement in my truck to the south portal right next to where the tunnel entrance were supposed to be but they hadn't been started yet. I've deliver to many construction sites in the last 5 years and I can say this is an Impressively large site.
I have been involved in several tunnel projects where the segments are cast onsite, my father was general foreman on the Hadley Wood to Potters Bar tunnels for BR back in the 1950s, segment were transported by a narrow gouge rail system from the factory to the tunnels. The Suez road tunnel, Denmark's Storebaelt rail tunnels, Cairo Wastewater tunnels also had a purpose built factory though not onsite and it supplied the different contractors employed. Other than that a precast concrete company would be given the contract and cast the segments in their own yard, under client supervision. As for the timber packer robot, we used a long metal rod to pull the packers to the side for lifting off by hand, well away from the track, plus a lot less to go wrong. Thanks for showing us around,
I’m just retired now but when I was in the early stages of my electrical career I watched the channel tunnel being constructed from start to finish. Another massive site and just the area where the men had their sleeping quarters looked as big as a town. (I wonder if sourcing construction engineers is as easy nowadays?) perhaps someone can elaborate on that subject…..🤔
Very interesting 👍🏼 I’ve seen this site but had no idea of the scale of it. I remember going to France on a day trip with high school in the 90s. We drove past the entrance to where Chunnel was being dug. It was awe inspiring
My son's primary sits right in the middle of the building site of the HS2. We have seen every single combination of traffic cones, traffic diversions and traffic complications over the last 3 years. Sometimes tree goes over the day, sometimes new trees appears over the night. All fun
Another public infrastructure masterpiece in which Irish Talent played an important role. Geoff -There is no end to your talent - Keep on Railing. Congrats to all involved.
People also want to look out of the window when on trains, and if all they see is darkness of a tunnel then they wouldn't be too happy, at least I know I wouldn't.
what you have to ask is why bother making it at all??? The money would have been better spent on the existing rail infrastructure. and saved the environment. Scandalous.
@@PhilMozchops1974 any work to existing infrastructure will do nothing as impactful as building a brand new high speed line unfortunately. Priority is taking more trains off the mainline to then add stuff like more freight trains, removing countless trucks off of the roads. In our rail situation, one over the other isn't gonna cut it anymore.
Superb video Geoff. Your stuff is always interesting but this one especially so. Well done. I'd like to see something about the bridge over the Colne Valley. Well done. Simon T
@@geofftech2 I'll definitely look forward to seeing more HS2 videos! It's great that you get so much detail into your videos it's like being there in person! Keep up the good work!
This is fascinating stuff. I've been following the project off and on from afar across the pond. What's interesting is while the technology is modern and automated, the process is still the same as it was over 150 years ago. Brunel would be proud of this project and the tunnel building in particular.
Nearly got a job on the Channel tunnel project (TML) back in the day, as one of over 100 Geologists on the project. Unfortunately after being informed I had been successful, the funding for the job was pulled and I never actually joined the project. Spent 31 years of my life in a completely different industry in the end. Funny how life turns out.
Very impressed with the factory! It completely contrasts in my mind with the lax goings on at the Wormit foundry where they were casting the components for Bouch's Tay Bridge.
I think I might have a feeling that it’s gonna be delayed again… like crossrail. I just don’t know why Looking forward to be going on this when it finally opens in 2026 Hopefully
my guess is it will before schedule.. Crossrail issues are software given the computer system were asked not only to do tickets but also a host of other tricks including security. HS2 has no need for such complex software- even the signalling given it is a one way track with no slow trains or freight will be relatively straightforward.. alerts in case a train has stopped for a reason.
@@88kristina shrinking it would save a miniscule amount of money (relatively speaking) whilst also detrimentally affecting the service for generations to come. The line is designed for 18tph, and this can only be achieved reliably with 11 platforms for HS2 at Euston. Any less and you have to reduce the number of trains running on the line, which would mean fewer places get the benefits, and the line as a whole would be over-engineered for a higher number of trains that simply wouldn't end up using that capacity. Conclusion: don't shrink Euston to make a quick buck for a long-term cost.
@@Tealice1 where I work it's some commuter rail expansion, nothing very exciting and very much using 1900s approaches (level crossings, wooden ties, single track)
It's amazing to think there will be zero trace of this construction site when the line is finished, much like Samphire Hoe at the Channel Tunnel or Beechbrook Farm on HS1.
Ehh? Samphire Hoe? Invisible? I've no idea what the 100,000 visitors a year are looking at then. It's a nature reserve. As for Beechbrook Farm, I suggest you visit the website of the dog-friendly caravan site!
No trace of HS2 at all in the Chilterns AONB. Why don't you vome and see what the "no trace" looks like? Have a fun game of count the ripped out trees, or maybe look at all the highly environmentally friendly concrete, or the helicopter patrols, and enjoy the massive traffic disruption for years.
@@matthewlewis2072 I think you'll find I said "when finished". It's quite hard to construct a new railway line without vehicles or a worksite you know.
I remember when they built the Chanell tunnel near folkestone.the rings were made miles away on the Isle of Grain!!, they also used the spoil from the dig to increase a part of an island, and at the end the TBM was driven into the side of the tunnel and buried. it cost Millions to make and just dumped as too expensive to get out!.
@@freddien7 The Moscow one will be interesting whenever out of completion hell, moscow was built on marshland much like Mexico City so they've only got one chance to do it great in fear of destabilizing more of the area surrounding moscow so they've decided its gonna be giant massive, they'll surely bury that one too into the marsh below. Largest one ever built even lager than the alps one. I dont think mexico city will ever be able to have one there marsh land is so bad
Yes and when old oak Common Station is finished, GWR, crossrail and Heathrow express will join into it making it a massive interchange to the North,West And east.
I walked the Chorleywood to Penn sections of the Chiltern Way last week and came across one of the vent shafts to the south of Amersham and the west of CSG. A bit of a blight to be honest. I hope they will be sympathetically landscaped in due course.
Whatever your views about the merits or otherwise of the HS2 project you cannot be anything but impressed by the engineering processes and initiatives being used to process the project. A waste of money, maybe, but as with Concorde necessity is the mother of invention.
I wouldn't exactly call it a waste of money either, as it is not only speeding up long distance journeys, but also freeing up much needed capacity on the existing railway network, which is currently near or at capacity on several key routes. With any luck, it may also convince some people to switch to it from cars and planes as well, thus helping the environment.
@@matthewlewis2072 I disagree about the concorde comparison a bit. One was a series of machines with a pretty limited lifespan, but if all goes well a tunnel like this will last centuries. You should measure their economic viability over some fixed time span, but in the back of your mind remember that it’ll be here for a very long time. And most of that time is not included in business cases.
It's got to be the longest tunnel in Britain, but there'd be so many caveats it would end up like What Did The Romans Ever Do for Us? in The Life Of Brian. Yet considering how the Severn Tunnel and those through the Peak District were constructed, this is very impressive indeed, and twice as long.
No HS2 isn't going to make a Mega Hub with Kings Cross and St Pancras, the HS2 terminal at Euston is just rebuilding the old Post Office Platforms to the left of Euston Station looking North with the existing Station being upgraded like Birmingham New Street was, the Mega Hub will be the massive HS2 station in Birmingham City Centre, Birmingham Curzon Street which will have it's entrance adjoining Birmingham Moor Street Station
I like the GU Canal. And I don't mind a new bridge over it. Maybe they will stick a viewing platform and a cafe on it, so we travel enthusiasts can watch the future flash past, or pootle past, depending on where you look!
Why are these tunnels necessary? Wouldn't some cuttings and embankments have done it instead and much more cheaply? HS lines in Europe are noted for steep gradients such as 1 in 40, and I've felt the positive and negative 'G' as the HS trains down to the South of France rise and fall at 200mph. Is it just for the Chiltern Nimbies? If so, whither the M40 that cuts a massive, constantly noisy, and polluting scar through those hills?
Thank you for a fascinating visit to the HS2 construction site in the summer of 2021. It may have already been stated, but Florence and Cecilia - the two TBMs - launched at different times because the UK Highways authority wanted to minimise the risk of disruption up above, on the M25. Thanks for the video documentary: a nice little bit of history. Mike
Amazing to see this project get started! Hoping this starts a new era of railway investment across the UK - and scale can help find new efficiencies to bring the cost down.
Seeing building sites like this gives you perspective as to why it is going to cost so much money (and well over budget), the extra capacity that it will add, by freeing up other lines as well as adding these lines, will make it worth the money in the long term (assuming there is a long term given the climate change report suggesting impending doom within two/three decades)
@@owenstockwood5040 HS2 will do no such thing. For example, I live in Greater Manchester. but, even supposing I wanted to go to London (which I do not), HS2 would be of no use to me, because the time penalty and inconvenience I would spend going to the Manchester terminus to join it (or the Airport) would far exceed that it takes to join a London train at Stockport. In any event, I don't want to travel South, I want to go to Leeds, York, Sheffield, Liverpool, Hull, Newcastle, Blackpool, Sheffield, Nottingham, Derby, Oxford, Cambridge, and other nice places. Stop assuming everybody wants to go to London or Birmingham. Also stop assuming saving a few minutes on a journey makes it any better, or more attractive! Moreover, HS2 will make travel more expensive: it will be a premium service, which will be of no benefit whatsoever to normal people, who want cheaper and more reliable, not more expensive travel.
@@allenwilliams1306 I was more talking about places like Glasgow or Edinburgh, where one hour's savings would allow the train to become faster than the plane door to door. Anyway, HS2 will free up capacity on the existing lines, making it easier to get to the other places you want to go to. Anyway, it is likely that HS2's fares will be no more expensive than those on the main network, as making them more expensive would be politically undesirable to the government. Also, it is likely that HS2 would likely speed up your journey to several of these places, as you would likely have to change in London anyway. So you need to stop assuming that HS2 only benefits London and Birmingham.
@HighHopesBass You do realize that extra suburban traffic is the exact point. How is extra commuter trains a bad thing? If you have more commuter trains, that means you are likely to have a shorter wait at your local station, thus also saving time. Anyway, most jobs cannot be done from home, many office workers will likely go into the office part time, and there will still be leisure traffic, so do not overestimate the effect of working from home on rail traffic. Anyway, if less people commute, then we can perhaps encourage those who are still travelling out of their cars and onto trains.
we are planning to change over to high speed rail between Quebec & Ontario in the next few years. i wonder if any part of our rail network will be underground. fascinating look at the tunnelers and infrastructure
Great video Geoff! As a native of the Chilterns it's interesting to see the progress that's being made although. I live near several of the shafts and it's clear that construction has really accelerated over the past year (new roads being built to the shaft etc.). Surprised to see that my hometown of Gerrards Cross has been renamed Denham Golf Club on the map at 7:26 xD Keep up the great content Geoff!
Nothing's confirmed yet sadly, but various rolling stock manufacturers have put forward proposed designs (there's a few youtube videos and news articles if you're interested) and they all look excellent, so quite frankly whenever ends up operating on HS2 will be good.
@@YouNeedM3 seriously? Who will use it? And the cost...makes the national insurance rise for social care look like peanuts. Most people will never use HS2 but we will all use social care at some point. Also it delays well used trains in some areas, the co2 emissions from construction are off the charts, ancient woodlands lost, bridleways gone and the trains aren't even that fast or will be speed limited in places - seriously, if you're going to do something so expensive, disruptive and devisive at least make it impressive!
@@thebrowns5337 Well you haven't read much on HS2 have you, " Who will use it you ask", well every one travelling from Birmingham to London will use it be it business people or tourist going to London as 99% of trains when it is opened will travel from Birmingham Curzon Street to London Euston leaving Birmingham New Street for the use of other trains as what will happen from Manchester when it is opened, The trains will travel anything upto 300MPH on the whole of the line if they are running non stop, other trains from B/Ham to London may only stop at two stations, Birmingham Interchange and London Old Oak Common, so yes a lot of people will use HS2.
I had no idea the project was on this scale. One question. They need the concrete rings at the front of the boring machine. How to they get them there with the machine in the way?
They pass them through the machine. Kind of like a production line. Waste is excavated and sent out and the panels are sent in, all through the same machine.
On the map you provided near the end I thought it was rather amusing you put a second Denham Golf Club Station instead of Gerrards Cross! As you know Denham Golf Club is the only railway station named after a Golf Club in the UK so for the first time ever we've seen a map with two "Golf Club" Stations!
Might be the only one now, but before Beeching the coastal town of Cromer had 3 stations, Cromer Beach, Cromer High and Cromer Links, used by the golfers who were staying at the hotel on site.
Like Cicelia the most as it is my mum's name :D As a surveyor noticed the prism at the entrance of that tunnel. Wouldn't surprise they're using that for the build.
Do you know how a tunnel boring machine works? I tell you. They stand the machine in front of a hill or mountain, and it starts telling it very old bad jokes and stories. When the hill is boring enough, it will start yawning. When the mouth is big enough, they put the ring segments inside very quickly, and voilá, the tunnel is finished.
Hahaha
your jokes are no better than the project itself!
With all else sadly going on in the world at the moment we tend to forget about the UK HS2 railway line project. Keep up the good work and stay safe.
We're glad you enjoyed the site tour Geoff!
Amazing as always, Geoff! This really shows how much effort and time it takes to build a new railway, especially a high speed one.
such a shameful waste of time and effort, MY MONEY PAYING FOR THIS.
@@jetterjohn 🥱
I just wish they were working as hard at both ends... it's gonna be 20 whole years before Manchester is connected 😭
bloody dad jokes 🤣
@@JJAACCOOOOOBBBBB .. and the rail links into and out of HS2 have not even been considered, even though they are almost certainly vital for its success.
Hurrah! A video about HS2 with no politics!!! Just HS2 itself.
This tunnel constrction site is right on my doorstep and being able to walk over to it and the Chalfont St Peter vent shaft kept me amused during lockdown, as did the HS2 Construction trains on the Chiltern Main Line. For people who ask my why I support HS2 I say "Having the longest viaduct and longest tunnel in the UK under construction on my doorstep is something I cannot fail to be enthusiastic about"!
this is the right attitude!
Let us hope Henry that the aquifer and chalk streams in the Misbourne and Chess valleys are not damaged irreparably
I really like trains but I feel the environmental damage caused by this just isn’t worth it. I hope I’m wrong and this, in the end will be justified but I just can’t see it. People will still use cars. So what will be the poling of this? A few minutes shaved off a journey from London to Birmingham for a handful of people.
@@grahamlive the point is more that it frees up space on the WCML for local and freight services, which means less lorries (and hopefully also less cars) on the roads, which will massively reduce CO2 emissions and also potentially cheaper shipping in the UK. The Government has also pledged to replant several times the amount of woodland it will be destroying so in the long term hopefully any damage will be reversed by this.
@@grahamlive let's never build anything again by this logic.
Its crazy how quick this all went up. The gantry cranes in the storage yard, I delivered some of the top beams which allow it to go side to side, I think they were 30m long from memory. This was only at the beginning of the year. Was still a full building site, to see it now is crazy. They’re working fast!
Thank you Geoff, great video. You are humble and a true professional.
yeah well done Geoff when you going to pay me and every other tax payer back for this bullshit rail line?
@@jetterjohn You don’t pay tax, you have to earn enough money for that, meaning a skilled profession that’s obviously beyond you. It’s people like myself that waste our tax on your hospital bills when we could and should just get rid of subhumans
@@jetterjohn What the **** does it have to do with Geoff? Why would 𝒉𝒆 pay anyone anything? Your constant bleating, about things that don't concern you, is getting really tired.
@@jordangould4763 Maybe a little harsh Jordan: fair, but harsh.😂👍
I was lucky enough to deliver some steel reinforcement in my truck to the south portal right next to where the tunnel entrance were supposed to be but they hadn't been started yet. I've deliver to many construction sites in the last 5 years and I can say this is an Impressively large site.
7:21 am I the first to notice there are 2 Denham Golf Clubs? Did nobody tell Geoff that double Denham has been uncool since the 80s?
🙌
Double Denham?
I have been involved in several tunnel projects where the segments are cast onsite, my father was general foreman on the Hadley Wood to Potters Bar tunnels for BR back in the 1950s, segment were transported by a narrow gouge rail system from the factory to the tunnels.
The Suez road tunnel, Denmark's Storebaelt rail tunnels, Cairo Wastewater tunnels also had a purpose built factory though not onsite and it supplied the different contractors employed. Other than that a precast concrete company would be given the contract and cast the segments in their own yard, under client supervision.
As for the timber packer robot, we used a long metal rod to pull the packers to the side for lifting off by hand, well away from the track, plus a lot less to go wrong.
Thanks for showing us around,
Wow! It just caught me way off guard that Geoff is wearing those gloves the "spcial" way. I must say, quite annoying once you notice. :-)
@@geofftech2 that‘s the secret sauce, and the quality of the content of course. 😄 I‘ll continue watching, liking, ringing bells
once you've noticed that, you can't unnotice it anymore ...;) @Geoff Marshall, thx for the video :)
@@geofftech2 I choose to believe that it was intentional, because otherwise you have bad circulation in your hands not to notice the feelin'.
How bloody lucky you were to see all that you did and to have that tour. Yes, I am most envious, but always in a good way. Cheers.
I worked on the enabling package. We built the power station to power the TBM. Work has progressed a lot since 2020...
My friend is an engineer working there. So cool to see.
I’m just retired now but when I was in the early stages of my electrical career I watched the channel tunnel being constructed from start to finish. Another massive site and just the area where the men had their sleeping quarters looked as big as a town. (I wonder if sourcing construction engineers is as easy nowadays?) perhaps someone can elaborate on that subject…..🤔
I know they just use local hotels and b&b now
Am having my interview for cross passge engineer tomorrow with Align co I hope that I'll get the job its an amazing opportunity loved the project
Very interesting 👍🏼 I’ve seen this site but had no idea of the scale of it.
I remember going to France on a day trip with high school in the 90s. We drove past the entrance to where Chunnel was being dug. It was awe inspiring
This is not awe inspiring, it is disgusting and reeks of Tory contracts for the boys.
Best of luck guys. I can’t wait to experience this.
My son's primary sits right in the middle of the building site of the HS2. We have seen every single combination of traffic cones, traffic diversions and traffic complications over the last 3 years. Sometimes tree goes over the day, sometimes new trees appears over the night. All fun
Another public infrastructure masterpiece in which Irish Talent played an important role.
Geoff -There is no end to your talent - Keep on Railing.
Congrats to all involved.
French talent too, it seems.
i know it would take longer, but why not make the HS2 mainly underground and we'd be able to keep the forests
One word - Cost!
In the LB of Hillingdon they're planning to do cut and cover "tunnelling" for HS2, cheaper than boring by a long way.
People also want to look out of the window when on trains, and if all they see is darkness of a tunnel then they wouldn't be too happy, at least I know I wouldn't.
what you have to ask is why bother making it at all??? The money would have been better spent on the existing rail infrastructure. and saved the environment.
Scandalous.
@@PhilMozchops1974 any work to existing infrastructure will do nothing as impactful as building a brand new high speed line unfortunately. Priority is taking more trains off the mainline to then add stuff like more freight trains, removing countless trucks off of the roads. In our rail situation, one over the other isn't gonna cut it anymore.
Thanks for visiting my workplace!
Constructing HS2 is very impressive, brilliant video Geoff and your reaction for the storage yard was brilliant!
Try living near it
Great insight into the works going on over there, and great that you managed to get Gareth Dennis in the video too!
Superb video Geoff. Your stuff is always interesting but this one especially so. Well done. I'd like to see something about the bridge over the Colne Valley. Well done. Simon T
Thanks, will do!
@@geofftech2 I'll definitely look forward to seeing more HS2 videos! It's great that you get so much detail into your videos it's like being there in person! Keep up the good work!
This is fascinating stuff. I've been following the project off and on from afar across the pond. What's interesting is while the technology is modern and automated, the process is still the same as it was over 150 years ago. Brunel would be proud of this project and the tunnel building in particular.
The Cheddar Gorge tunnel is a fine achievement the sun shines right through it on his birthday.
Nearly got a job on the Channel tunnel project (TML) back in the day, as one of over 100 Geologists on the project. Unfortunately after being informed I had been successful, the funding for the job was pulled and I never actually joined the project. Spent 31 years of my life in a completely different industry in the end. Funny how life turns out.
WOW - Very Amazing Geoff- Thank you for the insight!!! 😮🚂🚂🚂
Very impressed with the factory! It completely contrasts in my mind with the lax goings on at the Wormit foundry where they were casting the components for Bouch's Tay Bridge.
This was great to see. The aggregate for this is literally being blasted from a quarry at the foot of my garden.
I think I might have a feeling that it’s gonna be delayed again… like crossrail. I just don’t know why
Looking forward to be going on this when it finally opens in 2026 Hopefully
Yep. Good luck with the HS2 Euston terminus. Only way to keep it within a reasonable price is to shrink it but Bojo says no
Of course its going to be delayed. Expect it to open about 2-5 years late, but it will be worth the wait!
Opening date was pushed back last year to 2028/29 but this now also includes the line up to Crewe
my guess is it will before schedule.. Crossrail issues are software given the computer system were asked not only to do tickets but also a host of other tricks including security. HS2 has no need for such complex software- even the signalling given it is a one way track with no slow trains or freight will be relatively straightforward.. alerts in case a train has stopped for a reason.
@@88kristina shrinking it would save a miniscule amount of money (relatively speaking) whilst also detrimentally affecting the service for generations to come. The line is designed for 18tph, and this can only be achieved reliably with 11 platforms for HS2 at Euston. Any less and you have to reduce the number of trains running on the line, which would mean fewer places get the benefits, and the line as a whole would be over-engineered for a higher number of trains that simply wouldn't end up using that capacity. Conclusion: don't shrink Euston to make a quick buck for a long-term cost.
Great video Geoff! Fascinating to see how this project is progressing!
This is the cleanest construction site I've ever seen. Let me tell you, passenger rail construction in the United States does not look like this
There's a reason it's 2x more expensive per mile than the next most expensive rail project. Not a corner cut, except the ones north of Birmingham.
There is passenger rail construction in the United States?
@@Tealice1 Brightline in Florida! exciting stuff
@@Tealice1 where I work it's some commuter rail expansion, nothing very exciting and very much using 1900s approaches (level crossings, wooden ties, single track)
HS2 ltd is very firm on the health, safety and environment stuff.
It's amazing to think there will be zero trace of this construction site when the line is finished, much like Samphire Hoe at the Channel Tunnel or Beechbrook Farm on HS1.
Ehh? Samphire Hoe? Invisible? I've no idea what the 100,000 visitors a year are looking at then. It's a nature reserve.
As for Beechbrook Farm, I suggest you visit the website of the dog-friendly caravan site!
No trace of HS2 at all in the Chilterns AONB. Why don't you vome and see what the "no trace" looks like? Have a fun game of count the ripped out trees, or maybe look at all the highly environmentally friendly concrete, or the helicopter patrols, and enjoy the massive traffic disruption for years.
@@matthewlewis2072 I think you'll find I said "when finished". It's quite hard to construct a new railway line without vehicles or a worksite you know.
@@Nathan_A_RF Give it a thousand years to grow back to what was there before, and sure! Zero trace to the casual eye of a tourist, maybe.
@@BellePullman I'm guessing you've not seen HS1?
I did the site data work for Highways England for the HS2 exit from the M25
I remember when they built the Chanell tunnel near folkestone.the rings were made miles away on the Isle of Grain!!, they also used the spoil from the dig to increase a part of an island, and at the end the TBM was driven into the side of the tunnel and buried. it cost Millions to make and just dumped as too expensive to get out!.
Its still pretty common to bury the TBM at end of construction, they did the same with the Germanic alps tunnel recently
@@stash. Expensive waste!!
@@freddien7 The Moscow one will be interesting whenever out of completion hell, moscow was built on marshland much like Mexico City so they've only got one chance to do it great in fear of destabilizing more of the area surrounding moscow so they've decided its gonna be giant massive, they'll surely bury that one too into the marsh below. Largest one ever built even lager than the alps one. I dont think mexico city will ever be able to have one there marsh land is so bad
Adrien works for Bouygues Travaux Publics, member of the ALIGN team with two other British companies! Franco-British engineering FTW! :)
Hopefully we get more HS2 sneak peeks from you!
Isn't Old Oak Common near the Paddington main line such that Heathrow is linked?
Yes and when old oak Common Station is finished, GWR, crossrail and Heathrow express will join into it making it a massive interchange to the North,West And east.
7:21 Denham Golf Club must be a giant facility having not one but two stations on the main line!!
@@geobloxmodels1186 But was there two of them!!
@@Richardincancale only one, the Airfield nearby and Martin Baker is probably the only reason it made the cut.
A not boring video maskerading as a boring video. Nice. :)
Nice video Geoff can't wait for HS2 to be complete.
I walked the Chorleywood to Penn sections of the Chiltern Way last week and came across one of the vent shafts to the south of Amersham and the west of CSG. A bit of a blight to be honest. I hope they will be sympathetically landscaped in due course.
They will. Apparently the final post-construct buildings will resemble agricultural outbuildings. Mike
sympathetic? HS2 is a psycopathic!
@@mikehindson-evans159 nice! i think anyone living near this terrible project would prefer the natural landscape left alone!
Geoff, you had your gloves on back to front lol, great informative video.
Why ist the TBM in the right tunnel on some shots (1:06, 4:05) and in the left tunnel on other shots (2:22, 4:22)?
Finally UK is getting trains like they have in France and Germany, very fast trains
Sigh. You have no idea what you are talking about. This is an expensive vanity project that no one but those doing the project want.
Whatever your views about the merits or otherwise of the HS2 project you cannot be anything but impressed by the engineering processes and initiatives being used to process the project. A waste of money, maybe, but as with Concorde necessity is the mother of invention.
I wouldn't exactly call it a waste of money either, as it is not only speeding up long distance journeys, but also freeing up much needed capacity on the existing railway network, which is currently near or at capacity on several key routes. With any luck, it may also convince some people to switch to it from cars and planes as well, thus helping the environment.
Concorde is a good comparison. Unnecessary, expensive, unwanted and never made money.
@@matthewlewis2072 I disagree about the concorde comparison a bit. One was a series of machines with a pretty limited lifespan, but if all goes well a tunnel like this will last centuries. You should measure their economic viability over some fixed time span, but in the back of your mind remember that it’ll be here for a very long time. And most of that time is not included in business cases.
It's got to be the longest tunnel in Britain, but there'd be so many caveats it would end up like What Did The Romans Ever Do for Us? in The Life Of Brian. Yet considering how the Severn Tunnel and those through the Peak District were constructed, this is very impressive indeed, and twice as long.
Surprisingly no, 16km does not match the longest railway tunnel in Britain, that'd be the Northern Line Bank Branch Tunnel, at nearly 29 kilometres.
Can’t wait for HS2! Cool that you got a sneak peek!
Same
These videos are always very informative and entertaining, I can't wait to see the other end of the tunnels!
Thank you for this
I really love seeing everyone's take amoungst the railway vloggers I follow!
7:46 the map is also going to get crazier because iirc the HS2 terminal is going to help form a new megahub: Euston Kings Cross St Pancras.
Makes tube map designs a hell of a lot easier IMO.
No HS2 isn't going to make a Mega Hub with Kings Cross and St Pancras, the HS2 terminal at Euston is just rebuilding the old Post Office Platforms to the left of Euston Station looking North with the existing Station being upgraded like Birmingham New Street was, the Mega Hub will be the massive HS2 station in Birmingham City Centre, Birmingham Curzon Street which will have it's entrance adjoining Birmingham Moor Street Station
YES!! The video I’ve all been waiting for. Thanks Geoff 👍🏻👍🏻
Rumours are that the Leeds leg of HS2 is to be scrapped due to spiralling costs. What do u reckon?
the whole thing should be scrapped for the same reason!
Very interesting tour, thanks 😃👌👏👏👏
Terrific video! 👍👍
What station in london will Hs2 go from
Euston! plus a new 'west london' station out at Old Oak Common
@@geofftech2 Thanks Geoff
Euston and Old Oak Common.
Må det også skrives i arbeis kontrakten på byggeplasser skall du jobbe her skall du vere glatt barbert?
I like the GU Canal. And I don't mind a new bridge over it. Maybe they will stick a viewing platform and a cafe on it, so we travel enthusiasts can watch the future flash past, or pootle past, depending on where you look!
Hi Geoff, Brilliant video showing us the progress of HS2 🚅 😊
cant wait to see all the trough feeder contractors and firm pack up and go home.
Enjoyed the vid mate!
Has been very interesting as the company I work for have the contract for testing the contruction materials on site.
you are part of the problem then! go away, nobody want your train line.
First Rickmansworth, now West Hyde. Feel free to drop by for a cup of tea next time you're in my area!
Geoff - another great video - thanks.
Why are these tunnels necessary? Wouldn't some cuttings and embankments have done it instead and much more cheaply? HS lines in Europe are noted for steep gradients such as 1 in 40, and I've felt the positive and negative 'G' as the HS trains down to the South of France rise and fall at 200mph. Is it just for the Chiltern Nimbies? If so, whither the M40 that cuts a massive, constantly noisy, and polluting scar through those hills?
Its a pity so much of HS2 is in tunnels, apart from added expense its boring for passengers and train spotters. Good video, as usual.
its in a tunnel cos nobody wants it or wants to see it! the really pity is that it is happening...
got the chance to work at South Portal for a few months, and it’s the most impressive HS2 site I’ve been on!
‘Came at lunchtime’ that’s what all tradespeople say.
When the guy announced Cecilia, I half expected you to cut to the Cecilia song by Suggs or Simon and Garfunkel
Liked your reference to Brunel's Broad Gauge. What would he say i wonder?
5:21 is that an 11mph speed limit?
Thank you for a fascinating visit to the HS2 construction site in the summer of 2021. It may have already been stated, but Florence and Cecilia - the two TBMs - launched at different times because the UK Highways authority wanted to minimise the risk of disruption up above, on the M25. Thanks for the video documentary: a nice little bit of history. Mike
Amazing to see this project get started! Hoping this starts a new era of railway investment across the UK - and scale can help find new efficiencies to bring the cost down.
I agree. I think Hs2, Crossrail and the South Wales metro, as well as other projects, have sparked a new era of UK railways
Haha, Getting free content of Gareth, sneaky ;)
Seeing building sites like this gives you perspective as to why it is going to cost so much money (and well over budget), the extra capacity that it will add, by freeing up other lines as well as adding these lines, will make it worth the money in the long term (assuming there is a long term given the climate change report suggesting impending doom within two/three decades)
Nonsense. In the long run, we are all dead.
@@allenwilliams1306 We are unless we try to clean up our acts, doing things such as travelling more by train, which HS2 will allow.
@@owenstockwood5040 HS2 will do no such thing. For example, I live in Greater Manchester. but, even supposing I wanted to go to London (which I do not), HS2 would be of no use to me, because the time penalty and inconvenience I would spend going to the Manchester terminus to join it (or the Airport) would far exceed that it takes to join a London train at Stockport. In any event, I don't want to travel South, I want to go to Leeds, York, Sheffield, Liverpool, Hull, Newcastle, Blackpool, Sheffield, Nottingham, Derby, Oxford, Cambridge, and other nice places. Stop assuming everybody wants to go to London or Birmingham. Also stop assuming saving a few minutes on a journey makes it any better, or more attractive! Moreover, HS2 will make travel more expensive: it will be a premium service, which will be of no benefit whatsoever to normal people, who want cheaper and more reliable, not more expensive travel.
@@allenwilliams1306 I was more talking about places like Glasgow or Edinburgh, where one hour's savings would allow the train to become faster than the plane door to door. Anyway, HS2 will free up capacity on the existing lines, making it easier to get to the other places you want to go to. Anyway, it is likely that HS2's fares will be no more expensive than those on the main network, as making them more expensive would be politically undesirable to the government. Also, it is likely that HS2 would likely speed up your journey to several of these places, as you would likely have to change in London anyway. So you need to stop assuming that HS2 only benefits London and Birmingham.
@HighHopesBass You do realize that extra suburban traffic is the exact point. How is extra commuter trains a bad thing? If you have more commuter trains, that means you are likely to have a shorter wait at your local station, thus also saving time. Anyway, most jobs cannot be done from home, many office workers will likely go into the office part time, and there will still be leisure traffic, so do not overestimate the effect of working from home on rail traffic. Anyway, if less people commute, then we can perhaps encourage those who are still travelling out of their cars and onto trains.
I shouldn't watch this for too long, it makes me want to play transport fever 2 :D
I was in the car to Leeds and I saw somebody wearing hs2 uniform and I also saw a works accses slip road a short ride later
Awesome. Thanks for sharing
Well, hopefully it isnt like Crossrail and will be delayed...
It probably is gonna be lmao
@@lamborghinihexagons5502 yeah lol
Hopefully it's cancelled
@@matthewlewis2072 Far too late for that.
@@matthewlewis2072 waaaaaaahhhhhhh
we are planning to change over to high speed rail between Quebec & Ontario in the next few years. i wonder if any part of our rail network will be underground. fascinating look at the tunnelers and infrastructure
What a different scene it must have looked in Brunel's day.
Great video Geoff! As a native of the Chilterns it's interesting to see the progress that's being made although. I live near several of the shafts and it's clear that construction has really accelerated over the past year (new roads being built to the shaft etc.).
Surprised to see that my hometown of Gerrards Cross has been renamed Denham Golf Club on the map at 7:26 xD
Keep up the great content Geoff!
as a native, you find this interesting??? wow!!
My youngest brother is digging the chiltern tunnel in the tunnel boring machine
Very good video Thank you 😊
What trains will run on these?
Nothing's confirmed yet sadly, but various rolling stock manufacturers have put forward proposed designs (there's a few youtube videos and news articles if you're interested) and they all look excellent, so quite frankly whenever ends up operating on HS2 will be good.
@@MikeWillSee thank you!
@@ehg319 you're welcome!
Very old STEAM ENGINES.
We have an HS2 site near us (Lichfield) and much as I'm not a fan of HS2 the site looks clean and well organised.
Nothing wrong with the HS2 I'm glad it went a head.
@@YouNeedM3 seriously? Who will use it? And the cost...makes the national insurance rise for social care look like peanuts. Most people will never use HS2 but we will all use social care at some point.
Also it delays well used trains in some areas, the co2 emissions from construction are off the charts, ancient woodlands lost, bridleways gone and the trains aren't even that fast or will be speed limited in places - seriously, if you're going to do something so expensive, disruptive and devisive at least make it impressive!
@@thebrowns5337 Well you haven't read much on HS2 have you, " Who will use it you ask", well every one travelling from Birmingham to London will use it be it business people or tourist going to London as 99% of trains when it is opened will travel from Birmingham Curzon Street to London Euston leaving Birmingham New Street for the use of other trains as what will happen from Manchester when it is opened, The trains will travel anything upto 300MPH on the whole of the line if they are running non stop, other trains from B/Ham to London may only stop at two stations, Birmingham Interchange and London Old Oak Common, so yes a lot of people will use HS2.
So the tunnels are getting a muzzle break?
I was in the chilterns area and I saw the workers
Cannot wait for hs2 to finalise
I didn’t watch this video until now because I already knew all about the tunnels because I watched HS2s channel
I had no idea the project was on this scale. One question. They need the concrete rings at the front of the boring machine. How to they get them there with the machine in the way?
They pass them through the machine. Kind of like a production line. Waste is excavated and sent out and the panels are sent in, all through the same machine.
@@tomrogers6510 Thanks.
What happens to the factory and ancillary site when it's finished?
it gets buried.
Wow! This video is too cool. Reminds me of those fun documentaries on National Geographic or Discovery Channel.
5:26 I love how your glove is the wrong way round
On the map you provided near the end I thought it was rather amusing you put a second Denham Golf Club Station instead of Gerrards Cross! As you know Denham Golf Club is the only railway station named after a Golf Club in the UK so for the first time ever we've seen a map with two "Golf Club" Stations!
Might be the only one now, but before Beeching the coastal town of Cromer had 3 stations, Cromer Beach, Cromer High and Cromer Links, used by the golfers who were staying at the hotel on site.
@@michaelhunt4445 Ture but although the latter's main source of passenger is golfers the "Golf Club" suffix wasn't in the name.
@@HenrysAdventures Sure except that in this context that is what Links actually means it is a golf club typically a coastal one.
Great to see all the pro comments and very few anti.
Amazing so happy I’m part of this being the project manager on behalf of Morrison water HS2 Divisions
Like Cicelia the most as it is my mum's name :D
As a surveyor noticed the prism at the entrance of that tunnel. Wouldn't surprise they're using that for the build.
Anyone else notice that Denham Golf Club station appears twice on the map with the Chiltern Main line?