News: Heathrow Terminal 5 Tunnels reach completion
Flights > News > # 322 (28/01/2005)
The tunnelling team for Heathrow's ambitious terminal 5 project have successfully finished the construction of almost ten miles of tunnels. This brings Heathrow another step closer to the March 2008 opening of its T5 terminal development. This work has been completed with millimetre precision, and an unblemished safety record.
Five tunnel boring machines (TBMs) and 100, 000 concrete tunnel lining segments have been used to create a network of nine separate tunnels, including the UK's seventh longest road tunnel* and four rail tunnels.
Ian Fugeman, Head of T5 Rail and Tunnels commented:
"Thanks to a team of highly skilled tunnel engineers, excellent planning and unprecedented quality assurance, we've tunnelled right underneath Heathrow's busy airfield without anyone noticing we were there.
"The proximity of tunnelling work to the airport's existing rail lines and other underground infrastructure such as fuel systems and service tunnels presented us with some considerable challenges and meant we had no margin for error. I'm proud to say all the tunnels have been completed right on schedule causing negligible ground movement and without any impact to the airport's operation."
The up-line (towards London) section of Heathrow Express extension was the final tunnel to be built and its successful completion marks the end of the tunnelling works.
During the tunnel drive, the tunnel boring machine was drilling only three metres away from the operational railway. This required exacting precision as the railways systems within the live tunnels are highly sensitive to movement. To ensure there was no disruption to these systems, detailed risk assessments and ground movement predictions were calculated in advance with constant real-time monitoring undertaken in the existing tunnels while work progressed.
The fit out of both the Heathrow Express and Piccadilly Line extensions are now underway which involves the installation of track and signals, electrification, lighting and communications systems.
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