Dorothy makes a breakthrough

The 2,000-tonne Dorothy, one of HS2’s ten tunnel boring machines, has made its first breakthrough after eight months underground.

There is now daylight coming through the first structure on 64 miles of the London-Birmingham route at Long Itchington Wood. 

Dorothy, which requires a staff of 400 to operate it, reuses material excavated from the tunnel to build a soil ‘roof’ around its entrance. The rest of the excavated material is transported by a conveyor out of each site, rather than going by road.