HS2 reaches major milestone as Burton Green tunnel structure is completed

Construction of the Burton Green tunnel on the HS2 route has reached a significant milestone after engineers installed the final roof section, allowing work to move from heavy civil engineering to landscape restoration.

The completion of the structural shell marks the end of a major phase of construction on the Barton Green tunnel, a 16-metre-wide twin-box structure that will carry high-speed rail services beneath the village of Burton Green, near Kenilworth.

Designed by the Mott MacDonald/SYSTRA Joint Venture and built by Balfour Beatty VINCI, the tunnel has been engineered to minimise the railway's impact on the surrounding community while enabling the restoration of the landscape above.

Attention will now shift to creating a 500-metre-long green roof, transforming the completed tunnel into a landscaped corridor designed to blend into its rural surroundings and provide new public green space for local residents.

Doug Barnett, Senior Project Manager at HS2 Ltd, said the project was entering an exciting new chapter.

"With the main civil engineering complete, thanks to the hard work and dedication of the 150-strong team on the ground, we can now begin the next phase of this exciting project.

"We look forward to working with local communities to bring the bold design vision for Burton Green tunnel to life, maximising the potential of this new green space."

The engineering solution was developed to accommodate the railway within the limited space available through the village while maintaining connections across the landscape.

Tim Akers, Design Manager for the Mott MacDonald/SYSTRA Design Joint Venture, said:

"A range of techniques were incorporated into the design to enable construction through this narrow corridor within the village. The end result will be a railway within a landscape, where the original character of the Kenilworth Greenway and ecological connectivity to the wider landscape are restored over the buried tunnel."

Sustainability has been a central feature of the project, with material excavated during construction being reused as part of wider earthworks and landscaping across the site.

The completed green roof will be planted with native trees and shrubs to create new wildlife habitats while reconnecting surrounding woodland, including Black Waste Wood and Little Poors Wood, helping to improve biodiversity and ecological connectivity.

Balfour Beatty VINCI is also continuing to work alongside local schools and community groups to develop the future greenway, exploring opportunities to celebrate Burton Green's landscape, heritage and natural environment while creating an attractive recreational space above the new railway.