Second contract awarded for tunnel segments

STRABAG will open factory in Hartlepool to fulfil order

THE second contract to supply precast segments for HS2 tunnels in London has been won by STRABAG, which will establish a new factory in Hartlepool to manufacture them.

Production of the segments will take place at a former oil rig fabrication yard at the town’s docks, creating more than 100 jobs for the duration of the project.

The operation in Hartlepool will supply 36,000 segments for the twin-bore tunnels that will run under Northolt, linking the HS2 station at Old Oak Common with Green Parkway.

Construction of the new factory will begin in January 2022, with the manufacture of segments starting in December 2022.

Rail facilities

All the segments produced in Hartlepool will be transported entirely by rail, with the first consignment scheduled for delivery to HS2’s Willesden logistics hub in April 2023.

The factory site is adjacent to the short docks branch line that runs from the

Durham Coast route. An area of land will be redeveloped to accommodate rail loading and segment storage. The existing building will house an automated segment carousel and reinforcement hall, with telemetry-guided robots producing the reinforcement cages for each segment.

■ Pacadar UK was the winner of the first contract, announced in August, to supply 58,000 tunnel segments. Its Isle of Grain factory in Kent is due to start production of the order in January.

The site of STRABAG’s Hartlepool factory, already rail-linked via the dock branch (right of picture), which meets the Durham Coast route in the middle distance. HS2

HS2 HS2 chief commercial officer Ruth Todd, HS2 minister Andrew Stephenson, Tees Valley mayor Ben Houchen and Hartlepool MP Jill Mortimer inside the building that will produce tunnel segments like the one pictured.