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HS2: Even before the High Speed 2 project was approved, contractors had already ordered 3 Tunnel Boring Machines
It turns out that the contractors had already ordered the tunnel boring machines in 2019, when the HS2 project was still under review and the contractors were not given the go ahead.
A Freedom of Information request by Britain's New Civil Engineer publication reveals that 3 TBMs at a cost of £52M were ordered by HS2 contractors. The High Speed 2 project has only been formally approved on 7 February 2020 by British Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
Reportedly HS2 Ltd, the company overseeing the project confirms that 2 of the tunnel boring machines were ordered for the C1 Chiltern Tunnels contract (contractor is Align, a joint venture of Bouygues Travaux Publics, Volker Fitzpatrick and Sir Robert McAlpine). For the time being, it has not been made public which contractor ordered the third TBM.
Look guys, this isn't a black and white situation. As I know it, it takes between 10 to 15 months to manufacture a tunnel boring machine. That is, for a TBM of railway tunnel size (diameter of 8-10m) EPB TBM. I might be wrong may be one or two months. But on average, that is what it takes to get such a TBM from the time you place the order.
The construction companies are expected to start the work now. Right now. They can't just say, `OK, wait for a year for the TBM delivered before we start the work'. They take risks. They have to take risks. Yes, in all likelihood they probably got some early indication about the approval. But still the whole thing could get cancelled and I don't know what would happen to the ordered TBMs. Maybe they have some mitigation clauses in their agreements with the TBM manufacturers but in any case they would loose some money.
It is not a black and while situation.
You can name those HS2 tunnel boring machines now.
https://www.theconstructionindex.co.uk/news/view/hs2-dodges-borey-mcboreface
cover tunnel photo by: Matt Brown from London, England / CC BY
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While the High Speed 2 project was still under review and not yet approved, contractors had already ordered 3 Tunnel Boring Machines...
https://www.newcivilengineer.com/latest/three-hs2-tbms-ordered-before-oakervee-review-concluded-18-03-2020/
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Three HS2 TBMs ordered before Oakervee review concluded
www.newcivilengineer.comA Freedom of Information request by NCE revealed that contractors spent £52,154,038 on three items of equipment – which HS2 Ltd has now confirmed are TBMs