The High Speed Two (HS2) initiative is a monumental undertaking that is not only a Lighthouse Project for the UK but a significant milestone in the Tunnelling World. It is also Europe’s largest infrastructure project to date and designed to connect eight of Britain’s ten largest cities; revolutionising travel and connectivity. VMT has supplied an AI-supported control system on two TBMs to inspect the huge concrete lining segments before they are installed in the tunnel.
HS2 is a high-performance, low-carbon rail link being built between the North of England and London. The first section of Britain’s new high-speed railway runs from London’s Euston station to Birmingham. From the UK’s second-largest city, the line splits and runs northwest to Manchester and northeast to Leeds as part of Phase Two. In the future, trains will travel along the new line at speeds of up to 360 kilometres per hour—faster than the ICE in Germany or the TGV in France.
To achieve such high speeds you need straight, modern tunnel structures that pass under towns, cities, hills and other infrastructure which is the perfect job for innovative mechanised tunnelling solutions.
Embracing new, virtual solutions
The UK is a trailblazer in mechanised tunnel construction and has always been at the forefront of innovation. Customers and construction companies are open to – and often demand – innovative solutions at the outset of a project. As concrete segments in large-diameter tunnels need to be of the highest quality, our customer, Costain Skanska Strabag JV, decided to put their faith in our new, virtual solution for both the construction of the master rings and the final inspection of the segments before installation in the tunnel. They also specified several TBM navigation and extra systems, SDS packages, segment and formwork measurement (LIS) on various HS2 sub-projects. Together these innovative solutions represent a real milestone in the automation and digitalisation of tunnel construction:
Segment.Check is an AI-based computer vision software that inspects images of the segments collected by four cameras inside the TBM. The Check system can detect missing dowels, misplaced seals, cracks, and spallings with high accuracy—an essential step towards our long-term strategic goal of a fully automated excavation process.
Virtual Ring Building is a game-changer. It uses data from 3D laser tracker measurements to construct a digital ring, which is more accurate than a traditionally built master ring. Besides offering flexibility and eliminating accident risks for on-site personnel, the system provides higher accuracy as it is unaffected by potential physical challenges and limitations of horizontal ring construction. This not only enhances safety but also ensures precision, a crucial factor in large-scale projects like HS2. The benefits of this innovative solution from VMT are clear: improved accuracy, enhanced safety and increased precision.
We are delighted and immensely proud that our innovative solutions have contributed to the safety and efficiency of the HS2 project. We have not only taken a major step into the future of mechanised tunnelling on behalf of our customers, but we have also reassured the industry of the enhanced safety and precision they can expect in large-scale projects like HS2.