After the long wait, the construction for the Northern Line extension
begins in March.
- Two new 3.2km tunnels will be created as the Northern line is extended to Battersea, via Nine Elms
- The extension – set for completion in 2020 – is the first major Tube line extension since the Jubilee line in the late 1990s
- Two 650-tonne tunnel boring machines, named Helen and Amy, are undergoing final testing
The Mayor of London has
announced that tunnelling to create an
extension of the Northern line between Kennington and Battersea will begin in
March.
Sadiq Khan confirmed news
of tunnelling for the first major Tube line extension since the 1990s as two
gigantic tunnel boring machines were unveiled in Battersea. The two 650-tonne
machines, each the length of a football pitch, will create two 3.2km
underground tunnels to extend the Charing Cross branch of the Northern line
from Kennington to Battersea, via Nine Elms.
According to tunnelling
tradition, the machines cannot start work until given a name and, following a
vote by local school children, the machines are being named Helen and Amy in
honour of the first British astronaut, Helen Sharman, and British aviation
pioneer Amy Johnson, who was the first female pilot to fly solo from Britain to
Australia.
The Northern Line Extension will
enable the regeneration of the Vauxhall, Nine Elms and Battersea areas,
spurring economic growth by supporting around 25,000 new jobs and more than
20,000 new homes. Construction is also boosting the UK economy, supporting around
1,000 jobs, including around 50 apprenticeships. As well as two new tunnels,
two new stations are being created: one at the heart of the Battersea Power
Station redevelopment and another at Nine Elms to the east, serving new
developments such as the US Embassy and the redevelopment of New Covent Garden
Market, as well as existing communities.
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan,
said: “It’s great news that we are going to begin tunnelling for the Northern
Line Extension. Extending the line to
Nine Elms and Battersea is going to be a real boost to south London, with the
improved transport link helping to provide thousands of homes and jobs for
Londoners. I’m also delighted that local schoolchildren have chosen two such
inspirational British women as the names for these tunnelling machines.”
The machines will tunnel at
depths of 26 metres for six months, excavating more than 300,000 tonnes of earth. This will then be passed along
conveyors before being loaded on to barges and taken to Goshems Farm in East
Tilbury, Essex, where it will be used to create arable farmland. This will
remove more than 40,000 lorry journeys from the Capital’s roads, reducing
congestion and significantly reducing the site’s carbon footprint.
Mark Wild, Managing Director of
London Underground, said: “This is a historic moment for London Underground as
we prepare to start tunnelling to create the first extension to our iconic Tube
network for nearly two decades. The Northern Line Extension will bring
Battersea and surrounding areas to within 15 minutes of the West End and City.
It will also help us to support jobs, homes and growth in this part of south
London, help keep pace with the Capital’s rapidly rising population, and is
creating jobs through the supply chain across the UK.”
Ravi Govindia, leader of
Wandsworth Council, said: “This Tube extension is already transforming the
fortunes of north Battersea and it’s a great pleasure to see these two colossal
machines are here and ready to start work. The Nine Elms regeneration programme
is one of the greatest sources of new jobs and homes in the country and this
would not be possible without the Tube link.”
Rob Tincknell, CEO of Battersea
Power Station said: "This new Tube line paves the way for over 200
hectares of former industrial land to be transformed into a place for shops,
offices, restaurants, homes and public parkland. These vast new tunnelling
machines will put the City and West End within 15 minutes of what will be one
of London’s most iconic new neighbourhoods.”
Notes to editors
1. The two tunnel boring
machines were built by NFM Technologies in Le Creusot in central France. They
were shipped to London earlier this year and reassembled in Battersea. Each
tunnel boring machine has a rotating cutterhead at the front which is pressed
against the tunnel face by hydraulic cylinders. A series of trailers behind
house all the mechanical and electrical equipment and a conveyor belt removes
the earth.
2. The machines will undertake
two individual tunnel drives at depths of up to 26 metres to construct the 5.2
metre diameter east and westbound tunnels. Each machine is capable of
tunnelling up to 30 metres per day with teams of around 50 people needed to
operate them. The work is expected to
take around six months to complete. As they advance forward, nearly 20,000
pre-cast concrete segments will be built in rings behind them.
3. The full cost of the Northern
Line Extension is expected to be up to £1.2bn,
of which £1bn is funded by the private sector through a package agreed
between Battersea Power Station, Wandsworth Council, Lambeth Council, the Mayor
of London and Government. This includes the creation of an Enterprise Zone from
2016 for a period of 25 years. For more details visit http://www.tfl.gov.uk/travel-information/improvements-and-projects/northern-line-extension
4. The Northern Line Extension
will excavate around 680,000 tonnes of material in total over the lifetime of the
project during the construction of stations and the 6.4kms of new tunnels.
Ninety two per cent of the excavated material will be carried by river and is
expected to be clean, uncontaminated and reusable elsewhere.
5. In 2014 TfL awarded the
contract to design and build the Northern Line Extension to Ferrovial Agroman
Laing O'Rourke.
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