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TBM Sushila and Caroline launch at our West Ruislip site.
TBM Sushila and Caroline launch at our West Ruislip site.

HS2 in Hillingdon

In Hillingdon, the HS2 route will surface from the new Northolt Tunnel (that connects Old Oak Common to West Ruislip), at the West Ruislip Portal, which sits alongside the existing Chiltern railway line.

The route will then cross over a new bridge close to the existing Chiltern Line railway bridge, and towards the Colne Valley Viaduct.

Two tunnelling machines have been launched from the West Ruislip Portal and will travel five miles east underground to create the western section of the Northolt Tunnel.

Find out more about our works in the area

Main site activities

West Ruislip conveyor

This is an elevated belt system that sits on and is pulled along over rollers. It transports excavated earth from the portal area at West Ruislip westwards, over temporary bridges and on to a further bridge that has been built to carry the spoil over the Chiltern line, to the treatment area. The conveyor became operational in June 2023, and will significantly reduce the number of vehicles needed on local roads.

This conveyor – together with the Tunnel Boring Machines (TBMs) – will work 24/7, and has been covered to reduce the noise. We are using acoustic barriers where the conveyor is elevated to further dampen any sound created.

Rail siding

To reduce the number of lorries delivering tunnel segments by road to West Ruislip, SCS Railways have built a rail siding to enable deliveries by rail.

Each train using the siding delivers 20 rings, each comprising seven segments – a total of 140 segments – to the site. Delivering the segments by rail avoids the need for about 46 lorries per delivery.

Our train can only deliver segments at night because the Chiltern line is busy during the day. The train arrives at West Ruislip at about 11pm each night. The locomotive will then divide the train into two parts and shunt them into the siding. The locomotive will then shut down while the gantry crane unloads the segments. The locomotive will restart at around 6am, and shunt the train back into one piece, before leaving at around 7am.

There may be occasions when we’re not able to make deliveries by rail so we may have to bring deliveries in by road.

Sustainable Placement Areas

The earth that the tunnel boring machines (TBMs) excavate will produce about 1.2 million cubic metres of material. This will be used to create sustainable placement areas.

Northern Sustainable Placement Area (NSPA)

The NSPA is located to the north of Newyears Green Lane, west of Breakspear Road South and south of Bayhurst Woods. Within the NSPA, mounds are being formed using excavated material from the Copthall Tunnel.

There are two separate sites where the mounds are located:

  • Western mounds on land immediately to the north of Newyears Green Lane. The mounds will rise to 18 metres above existing ground level at their highest point. The mound will consist of approximately 209,000 cubic metres of material.
  • Eastern mounds on land immediately to the north of Newyears Green Lane and west of Breakspear Road. The mounds will rise to 18 metres in height above existing ground level at its highest point. The mound will consist of approximately 468,000 cubic metres of material.

Excavated material used to form the mounds is transported to the NSPA sites within the HS2 work compounds, avoiding the need to use the local highway network. We have built an overhead conveyor across Newyears Green Lane, connecting the HS2 sites that are to the north and south of Newyears Green Lane.

Southern Sustainable Placement Area (SSPA)

The SSPA is located south of the Chiltern Line railway, between Harvil Road and Breakspear Road South. The topsoil and subsoil has been stripped and stored on site. We are placing excavated material on three mounds that will be landscaped. The sub and topsoil will then be placed back on the earth, blending in with the local landscape. The material will be moved by a conveyor system to a treatment area close to Harvil Road where it is dried and treated, ready for use in the Sustainable Placement Areas.

Southern Sustainable Placement Area surface water mitigation

SCS Railways recognise that the works at the SSPA have been a cause of concern for local residents, particularly in relation to potential flood risks.

The Breakspear Road ordinary watercourse was prone to flooding before we started working in the area. We have implemented a number of mitigation measures to help reduce flood risk, which include a fully designed surface water drainage system and an attenuation pond.

Attenuation ponds control the amount of excess water entering the drainage system to prevent it from becoming overwhelmed, and to reduce the likelihood of flooding. They are a vital flood prevention method. They need to be cleaned and maintained regularly to ensure they work effectively. If debris or silt is allowed to build up, the overall water capacity they can hold will reduce. If this happens, there is an increased risk of flooding as the excess water will overflow and be unable to drain away correctly. To prevent this, we have a silt buster in place. This cleans the collected water before it is released into the water course.

Harvil Road realignment

HS2 has completed a two-year project to rebuild a major road in west London – incorporating an improved section of the local highway into the high-speed rail scheme.

Work to build the 870-metre section of Harvil Road, between Harefield and Ickenham, which is crossed by the new high speed railway, began in January 2020. Designed according to modern design regulations, each carriageway – with a width of more than three and a half metres – is wider than the road is replaces.

Carried by a new bridge over HS2, users of its 1.8m-wide footpaths will be able to glimpse high speed trains travelling at up to 200mph as they run between the line’s Copthall tunnel and the Colne Valley viaduct, which by then will be Britain’s longest rail bridge. The road was reopened on Friday 2 February.

Find out more

Lorry routes

HS2 lorries must follow an agreed route when accessing or leaving HS2 sites. A map of these routes for Hillingdon sites operated by SCS Railways is shown below:

Download our HS2 lorry routes in Hillingdon

Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR)

Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) is technology that uses optical character recognition on images to read vehicle registration plates providing vehicle location data. Across the HS2 route there will be ANPR cameras in place to ensure site traffic, including HGVs, follows the correct designated routes approved for them by the London Borough of Hillingdon.

We have installed twenty-eight Highways cameras in Hillingdon and expect the ANPR network to operate from end of March 2024. ANPR will help HS2 identify any site traffic using unauthorised routes. The cameras will be used only for the identification and compliance of HS2 vehicles keeping to designated routes and will not be used to monitor other vehicular traffic or private road users.

Public rights of way and local roads

During the construction of the new railway there may be an increase in traffic during certain periods and we understand that this is something that residents are very concerned about. The section below includes an overview of what we are doing in Hillingdon to try and reduce traffic disruption. 

To try and limit the effect on local roads as far as we can, our contractors are only allowed to use prescribed driving routes for their lorries, which provide the most suitable links from worksites to the main road network. In addition, routes to be used by large goods vehicles must be approved by qualifying planning authorities, i.e., Hillingdon Council, when the number of large goods vehicles, over 7.5t, exceeds 24-one-way trips per day to and from a site. 

In the Ickenham and Ruislip area the roads that are designated as construction lorry routes in the Environmental Statement are: 

  • Ickenham High Road 
  • Swakeleys Road 
  • Harvil Road 
  • Breakspear Road South 
  • Moorhall Road 
  • Victoria Road 
  • Field End Road 
  • Western Avenue (A40) 

If the worksite access to and from these designated construction traffic routes is altered or, a new route is proposed, the consent of the relevant highway authority i.e., Hillingdon Council is required. 

Furthermore, the Code of Construction Practice will require HS2 or their contractors to prepare local traffic management plans in liaison with highway and traffic authorities and the emergency services, which will include the requirement for protecting highways.  You can find more general information for road users in the borough at roadworks.org

Footpath U81 / Hillingdon Trail, through Ruislip Golf Course

From June 2020 there will be a long-term diversion of footpath U81 due to archaeology and construction works at Ruislip Golf Course. The diversion will pass along The Greenway, Ickenham Road and Clacks Lane. 

Footpath U36 (Newyears Green Lane) 

From September 2020 there will be a long-term diversion of footpath U36. The diversion will allow access via Footpath U37 as diversion. 

National Grid works

National Grid has completed its diversion project to modify an overhead power line in Colne Valley for HS2, to allow for the build and operation of the new railway. This involved rerouting and raising the height of a line of electricity pylons that the railway will pass under.

To achieve safety clearance, five existing pylons, conveying a 275kV high voltage overhead line across Denham and Hillingdon, were dismantled. Six taller pylons were built in new locations to divert the line across a lower section of HS2 at a suitable crossing point.

Demobilisation and reinstatement work in Denham Country Park began in August 2023. This included removing the temporary trackway, bridges, fencing and other associated equipment up to the golf course, and tree planting where instructed. This was completed at the end of October 2023. The land is being handed back to the landowner.

In Spring 2024 National Grid will remove the remaining temporary bridge over the River Colne and associated infrastructure that’s been in place for the scheme. Mobilisation is in March, with the work expected to start in April. It will take around two months to complete.

Thames Water works

What we're delivering in Hillingdon

South Ruislip Headhouse

South Ruislip Headhouse

The South Ruislip Headhouse is located on the Chiltern line embankment.

Northolt Tunnel

Northolt Tunnel

The 13.5 km (8.4 miles) Northolt Tunnel will take passengers from Old Oak Common to West Ruislip.

Copthall Green Tunnel

Copthall Green Tunnel

Copthall Green Tunnel is located between Harvil Road in the west and Breakspear Road South in the east.

Colne Valley Viaduct

Colne Valley Viaduct

Stretching for more than 3.4km (2 miles) across a series of lakes and waterways between Hillingdon and the M25.

Explore the In Your Area Map

Archaeology

Archaeology

The map displays information about our archaeological sites along the route.

Green Corridor

Green Corridor

The map displays information about our environmental sites along the route.

HS2 funded projects

HS2 funded projects

The map displays information about our funded community and business projects along the route.

Keeping you informed about our works

Stay informed by the works

Stay informed by the works

Find information about HS2 works and activities taking place in your area.

Managing impacts of construction

Managing impacts of construction

Find out information about how we manage construction impacts.

Construction look ahead and newsletters

Construction look ahead and newsletters

Read our three-month look ahead and newsletters for associated work in Hillingdon

Community engagement in Hillingdon

Here you will find updated information on events we have held about our works in your area, including links to presentations given during our events.

Find out more

Further information

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