Video Gallery
Video Gallery
Here is a collection of published videos relating to Align’s involvement on the HS2 project.
Please get in touch if you have any media related opportunities you would like to discuss.
Six months on since historic breakthroughs for HS2’s longest tunnel
16 October 2024
The Chiltern Tunnel, spanning 16km (10 miles), is the longest on the HS2 route and will transport passengers beneath the Chiltern Hills. Following the tunnel breakthroughs earlier this year, both Tunnel Boring Machines (TBMs), Florence and Cecilia, have been dismantled to allow for the construction of the north porous portal.
Britain gets its new longest rail bridge in major HS2 milestone
5 September 2024
Contractors building a new viaduct for HS2 today made history as they lowered into place its final deck segment in an operation that crowns it as Britain’s new longest rail bridge.
Construction of Britain’s longest rail bridge enters final stretch
20 July 2024
Assembly of the 2.1-miles long deck of HS2’s longest bridge – the Colne Valley viaduct – has entered the final stretch, following the completion of the final lake span.
Last of 56 piers built on HS2’s longest viaduct
27 March 2024
Construction of all the supporting piers of HS2’s viaduct across the Colne Valley has been completed after more than two years’ work over land and water. The deck segment cast on-site for the most southerly v-shaped pier over the Harefield Lake, completes the final pier for the viaduct.
Final breakthrough for HS2’s longest tunnel
21 March 2024
The second giant boring machine (TBM) building HS2 under the Chiltern Hills broke through at the tunnel’s northern portal, completing a journey that began in June 2021. Named Cecilia, the TBM has driven for 10 miles underground to join twin sister machine – Florence.
HS2’s longest viaduct crosses 18th century Grand Union Canal
29 March 2024
HS2’s viaduct across the Colne Valley has traversed the Grand Union Canal on its way to becoming Britain’s longest railway bridge. Both were built under powers granted by Act of Parliament; arrive in the Birmingham district of Digbeth; and with similar lengths – HS2, 140miles; the canal, 137 miles.
Historic breakthrough for HS2’s longest tunnel
27 February 2024
HS2’s first giant tunnelling machine, named “Florence” – which launched almost 3 years ago – broke through today (Tuesday 27 February) at the end of her 10-mile (16km) journey under the Chilterns, excavating the longest tunnel on the ambitious new rail project.
Soil replanted at Chilterns South Portal Chalk Grassland Project
5 December 2023
The largest project in our Green Corridor programme will see the transformation of what is now an HS2 construction site into one of the largest areas of new chalk grassland in the Chiltern hills. Chalk grassland is a habitat of international conservation importance.
HS2 Timelapse | Excavating a cross-passage inside HS2's longest tunnel
22 November 2023
The construction of HS2’s longest tunnels - stretching for 10 miles under the Chilterns - has passed a key milestone with mining completed for 19 out of 38 emergency cross-passages linking the northbound and southbound tunnels
Construction of UK's longest railway bridge passes the half way mark
8 November 2023
Work on the deck of the Colne Valley Viaduct has passed the half way point. The viaduct near Denham (Bucks) will carry high speed trains at speeds of up to 200mph for over two miles across the Colne Valley between HS2’s London and Chiltern tunnels.
22 August 2023
Timed for the school summer holidays to reduce disruption for the community, Moorhall Road in Harefield has reopened after HS2 engineers completed a key span that will form part of the project’s record-breaking Colne Valley Viaduct.
Tunnel progress as HS2’s ‘Florence’ and ‘Cecilia’ reach Little Missenden
12 August 2023
HS2's ‘Florence’ and ‘Cecilia’ – the two giant tunnelling machines digging HS2’s longest tunnels - have reached the Little Missenden ventilation shaft, more than three quarters of the way through their 10 mile drive under the Chilterns.
HS2 reveals first giant lake piers for record-breaking Colne Valley Viaduct
31 May 2023
For the last year, a 700-tonne ‘launch girder’ – the only one of its kind in the UK – has been assembling giant pre-cast concrete segments to form the first 1 km of the viaduct deck along the edge of the valley. In our latest construction update we explain how the team have completed the first enormous v-shaped piers in the lake.
HS2 celebrates as longest tunnels reach halfway point under the Chilterns
1 February 2023
‘Florence’ and ‘Cecilia’, the two giant tunnelling machines excavating the high speed rail project’s longest tunnels, have passed the halfway point on their 10 mile journey under the Chilterns.
Blue Light Exercise at Chalfont St Peter
23 January 2023
At the end of 2022, we carried out a Blue Light Exercise at Chalfont St Peter. The exercise, planned in conjunction with the emergency services, simulated a fire in the shaft with several persons reported missing
Behind the scenes with the HS2 engineers building the UK's longest railway bridge
16 November 2022
Behind the scenes look at a pair of Colne Valley Viaduct deck segments being installed last month, 'closing the gap' across the A412 in Denham and completing the fourth 80-metre span of the UK’s longest railway bridge.
HS2 celebrates first million cubic metres of chalk laid as part of Chiltern grassland transformation
8 September 2022
Chalk excavated from the Chiltern tunnels being used to landscape the site which is set to become a 127 hectare wildlife haven featuring new chalk grassland, woodland, wood pasture and wetland habitats.
HS2 completes first tunnel cross passages
22 August 2022
As the tunnelling machines under the Chilterns approach the four-mile mark, HS2 completes the first of thirty-eight underground connections between the northbound and southbound tunnels.
Excavation of the HS2 Chiltern Tunnel shafts close to completion
4 July 2022
Follow the latest update of our shafts progress. Excavation at the first four shafts is complete, with works underway to excavate the fifth shaft.
HS2 celebrates start of construction on UK’s longest railway bridge
1 June 2022
We've started construction on the railway’s first and longest viaduct - Colne Valley Viaduct - with the launch of an enormous 700 tonne bridge-building machine.
Assembling HS2's giant
bridge-building machine
7 April 2022
This impressive time-lapse shows HS2's huge bridge-building machine being assembled, which will help construct the longest railway bridge in the UK – the Colne Valley Viaduct. It will move bridge and pier segments into place.
30 March 2022
Personnel from all three emergency services, National Highways and Align JV tested both the operational and tactical response to a simulated incident at the South Portal.
8 March 2022
Join TBM Civil Engineering Apprentice Caitlyn on a tour through HS2's Chiltern Tunnel to see the latest progress as our two giant tunnel boring machines (TBMs), Florence and Cecilia, create the tunnel.
9 February 2022
See how a team of engineers is creating the 1,000 enormous deck segments that will be needed for the record-breaking Colne Valley Viaduct. The huge deck segments – which weigh up to 140 tonnes – are being made on site at a temporary factory built specifically for the project.
17 December 2021
The construction of the UK’s longest railway bridge took another major step forward this week with the start of work on the first of 56 giant concrete piers that will support the Colne Valley Viaduct as it crosses a series of lakes on the outskirts of London.
28 October 2021
A new artist-designed play area, commissioned by HS2 Ltd, has been opened at Rickmansworth’s Maple Cross JMI school. The play area was created from soil excavated from the high-speed railway’s Chiltern Tunnel.
6 October 2021
The Colne Valley Viaduct will be 3.4km long, making it the longest railway bridge in the country. The viaduct will rest on 56 piers that are currently being constructed. Watch and find out more about the construction technique, and how it is reducing traffic on local roads.
30 Sept 2021
‘Florence’ – the first of HS2's ten Tunnel Boring Machines (TBMs) has completed her first mile of tunnel for the UK’s new high speed railway.
16 August 2021
Take a tour inside a HS2 tunnel boring machine (TBM). Walk the length of this 170m long underground 'factory' and discover how it excavates the 10 mile long Chiltern tunnel high speed trains will run through. See inside the control room of TBM Cecilia and find out where the crew make their coffee!
22 July 2021
The Chalfont St Peter vent shaft will provide ventilation and emergency access to the Chiltern tunnels. Take a trip down the shaft to see how much it has been excavated. The ventilation shaft’s head house has been designed to look like a barn and will blend in with the local surroundings.
13 May 2021
In this video, we explain what a tunnel boring machine is and where they fit in Europe's largest infrastructure project.
13 May 2021
We will use Tunnel Boring Machines (TBMs) to excavate tunnels in dense urban areas and to reduce environmental impacts in rural areas. The first TBM, Florence, was launched in May 2021 and will dig the 10-mile-long Chiltern tunnels. Cecilia, the second TBM was launched shortly after at the same site.
4 November 2020
HS2 has unveiled the use of an innovative onboard robot that will improve safety and efficiency on the high speed rail project’s first two giant tunnelling machines constructing the 10mile long (16km) Chiltern Tunnels.