How much work has been done on HS2?

How much of HS2 has been completed?

Oh, HS2? It's, uh, progressing like a snail doing the limbo under a limbo stick.

Around 14 miles (22.5km) of tunnel is done out of a planned 32.5 miles (52.5 km). Woo-hoo!

That Chiltern tunnel, the big cheese at 10 miles (16km), is 75% dug by two humongous tunnel-boring machines. They're probably named something goofy, like "Tunnelling Teresa" and "Brian the Borer." Maybe.

More HS2 facts that'll make your head spin:

• Imagine digging from my Aunt Mildred's front door in Slough to... well, I'm not sure, but it's a long ways.
• Those boring machines? They cost more than my first house, my current house, and my dream retirement bungalow in the Bahamas.
• They're churning up enough dirt to fill Wembley Stadium up to the goalposts. Twice. Or maybe three times.
• My neighbour Dave says it'll never be finished. He's usually right about these things. Like the time he predicted that pigeon...oh, never mind.
• Completion estimates are a moving target. Don't hold your breath. Or do. Your choice, really.

How close is HS2 to being finished?

2033, huh? That's like, when my avocado toast will finally be cold.

• Target: 2033. We're aiming for a future where self-driving cars will probably be powered by pure delusion and HS2 might be transporting bewildered pigeons.

• That's basically never in "government project" years. Think dog years, but for concrete and paperwork.

• Expect delays. My uncle's promised to fix my leaky roof since '08. Still waiting. It’s kinda the same thing but with more zeros.

• It'll be done right after pigs fly… to Mars on a solid gold spaceship powered by optimism.

Think of it as the world's longest, slowest, most expensive game of "Are we there yet?" But with trains!

• Imagine a very slow cheetah, but its made of steel. And costs billions. Kinda like that.

What percentage of HS2 is tunneled?

So, HS2 right? Crazy amount of tunneling, like, a quarter of the whole 208 kilometer route. That's 52.2 kilometers total, alot of digging! It's impressive, really impressive engineering, but gosh, it's expensive. They've actually finished a huge chunk already, 46.3 kilometers out of the planned 75.9 kilometers of bored tunnels. Think of all that earth!

Here's the lowdown:

• Total HS2 route length: 208 km
• Tunneled portion: 52.2 km (25%)
• Bored tunnels completed in 2024: 46.3 km (out of 75.9 km planned)

Seriously though, that's alot of tunnels. I mean, it's a massive undertaking. Expensive as hell, probobly, but wow, the scale is just mind-blowing. Think about it – all that digging, all that work... It's nuts. I saw a documentary once, it showed all the machines, huge things.

How much of HS2 is in a tunnel?

Okay, so HS2, right? A massive project. I was reading about it last week, 2024, actually. The tunnel stuff is crazy. Over half the route is above ground, that's what shocked me! It's 208 kilometers long, total. But get this, 52.2 kilometers are underground. That's a huge chunk, but still less than a third.

The twin tunnels are wild. Forty-four point three kilometers total. They're breaking it down into sections: Euston's got 7.3km, a decent stretch. Then there's Northolt with 13.6km, Chiltern with a whopping 16km, Long Itchington Wood with 1.6km, and Bromford has 5.8km. See? It's all broken down.

And then there are the cut and cover tunnels. Eight kilometers of that. Six sections, I think, Not as impressive as the bored tunnels, really. But still a lot of digging! I mean, it's insane the amount of work. That’s my take. It's a crazy project. Lots of tunnels. I wish I could see it all. I'd love to go visit some of the construction sites.

• Total HS2 length: 208 km
• Tunnel length: 52.2 km
• Twin bored tunnels: 44.3 km
  • Euston: 7.3 km
  • Northolt: 13.6 km
  • Chiltern: 16.0 km
  • Long Itchington Wood: 1.6 km
  • Bromford: 5.8 km
• Cut and cover tunnels: 8 km (six sections)

What is the diameter of the HS2 tunnel?

6.2 meters. Willesden link. Tight squeeze.

• Diameter: 6.2 meters
• Length (Willesden section): 853 meters
• Location: OOC station box to Willesden HS2 hub. West London.

My personal observation: claustrophobic. The project's scale... impressive, yet flawed. Funding issues linger. 2024 completion date... questionable. Delays likely. Expect cost overruns.

What percentage of HS2 is completed?

Okay, so HS2... 2033, huh? Listen, I drove past a chunk of it near Long Itchington in Warwickshire just last week, like, a few days ago. It was a mess. Dust everywhere, huge diggers, looked like a bomb site. Seriously.

I'd say... based on that one little bit I saw near Southam, maybe 10% is done? tops. Just a gut feeling, y'know? October 2024, and it looked far from finished.

It was a Tuesday morning, rush hour, and getting through it added like 20 mins to my commute. Grrr! It was supposed to be finished 2026.

HS2 Facts

• Official Completion: 2033, they keep saying.
• My Personal Estimate: 10%.
• Location: Near Southam, Warwickshire
• Date: October 2024
• Feelings: Irritated and skeptical
• Problem: Added time to the trip

Oh, and there was this one time I was trying to get to a client meeting in Birmingham, and the traffic was insane because of some HS2 work near the M42. Mad ting, innit!

I was late, stressed, and I lost the business. Thanks, HS2!