Driver's control cabin on diameter Tunnel Boring Machine 'Annie' excavating a tunnel on the Channel Tunnel Rail Link
A Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) is directed by a pilot or driver who sits in a control cabin surrounded by an array of computer screens. The driver is aided by a sophisticated electronic guidance system that displays a target to be followed. The target allows the pilot both to steer the TBM and to continuously monitor the actual three-dimensional position of the machine in relation to the theoretical centre line of the tunnel. The £ billion Channel Tunnel Rail Link (now High Speed One) was built between 1998-2007 and partly funded by the European Union, it forms a section of the Trans European Rail Network. It is basically a French-style high-speed rail line linking London with the Channel Tunnel, the Eurostar trains were developed on proven technology from the French TGV high-speed system. Stations on the CTRL are the existing Ashford International and new stations at Ebbsfleet and Stratford. The line ends at the rebuilt St. Pancras. Fourteen new tunnels were constructed, the longest being the London Tunnel which is long from Ripple Lane to Stratford, after which the line briefly comes to the surface at Stratford Station. Five huge shafts of diameter ventilate the twin bore, single-track tunnels and provide emergency access and evacuation points. The line passes in tunnel under the River Thames and crosses the M25 at Thurrock. For the Thames crossing (a 3km twin-bore tunnel), the line drops 1 in 40 down under the river and then climbs 1 in 40 up, curving at the same time. The CTRL then negotiates the M25 motorway, going under the southbound and over the northbound carriageway. Lengthy loops at two places along the route allow trains to be overtaken so freight and faster domestic trains can be mixed with 300 kph Eurostar high-speed services. In total, the new line took 9 years to build and comprises 109kms of new track, 152 new bridges, 3 viaducts, 14 new tunnels with a total length of 26kms (25% of route), 2 new and 2 refurbished stations.
Size: 2430px × 2430px
Location: 50m underground between Stratford and Kings Cross, London, UK
Photo credit: © qaphotos.com / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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