Latest news

Over the past few months, we have introduced a number of improvements to the HS2 website and how we share information with you. As part of this work, we have now moved the contents of the HS2 in Hillingdon website to the In your area section of the HS2 website.

We will continue to provide local webpages and publish information about the progress of the railway in your area.

We have also published local community landing pages for each section of the route. These provide information about the HS2 route within each area.

We will continue to produce regular updates about the project, including notifications of our upcoming works, how it’s being constructed and what we’re doing to make it less disruptive.

If you would like to continue to receive updates from us and haven't already registered, please sign up directly at engagement.hs2.org.uk/join-mailing-list . We will ask you to confirm your email address as part of the sign-up process.

The personal information you provide will be handled in accordance with current data protection legislation and only used for the purposes for which you have provided it. Find out more about what we will do to keep your information safe in our Personal information charter .

We will no longer use this platform or Commonplace to publish information or issue emails to you. This website has now been archived. You can still access the materials that were originally available on this website by visiting the HS2 in Hillingdon overview page .

Contact us if you have any questions

If you have any questions about these changes or would like some help signing up to receive email updates from us please contact our HS2 Helpdesk team, available all day, every day on 08081 434 434 or email hs2enquiries@hs2.org.uk

We wrote you in May to advise you that we would be carrying out utility connections along Harvil Road to facilitate the construction of the road realignment.

From Monday 16th August 2021 , we will start the next phase of these works which will continue until the end of September 2021.

There will be temporary traffic changes to ensure the work zone is safe. The northbound lane will be closed between the Dogs Trust and north of the railway bridge. This may affect travel times on Harvil Road. There will be no changes to any of the other roads as you travel through the rest of the area.

For further information please see our works notification.

If you have a question about HS2 or our works, please contact our HS2 Helpdesk team on 08081 434 434 or email hs2enquiries@hs2.org.uk .

Celadine Way diversion:

Our works have progressed to a stage where we need to close and divert the Celandine Way. This temporary change will divert along the recently updated U43 footpath and utilise the new crossing point over Breakspear Road South. These works will start week commencing 13 September 2021.

For further information please see our works notification.

Utility investigations on West End Road:

We wrote to you recently to advise you that we would be carrying out ground investigation works from 10 to 20 August 2021. However, we need to reschedule these activities which will now take place from 1 6 to 28 August 2021 .

For further information please see our update works notification.

If you have a question about HS2 or our works, please contact our HS2 Helpdesk team on 08081 434 434 or email hs2enquiries@hs2.org.uk .

Our works have now progressed to the point where we need to occupy additional land to facilitate works on the railway. This area is shown on the map below and is to the north of the current hoarding line. This area will allow us to fully build the internal haul road and Stockpile essential materials for these works.

For further information please see our works notification.

If you have a question about HS2 or our works, please contact our HS2 Helpdesk team on 08081 434 434 or email hs2enquiries@hs2.org.uk .

As part of our ongoing pledge to keeping communities informed about the planning and delivery of the HS2 project, we are introducing a number of improvements to how we share information with you .

This is a reminder that we're moving your local website within the HS2 website.

This summer we will be moving the contents of this website over to the 'In your area' section of the main HS2 website. We are also changing the way that we issue email updates about the project and giving you more choice about how you would like to receive information from us.

We have published local community landing pages for each section of the route between London, the West Midlands and Crewe. These provide information about the HS2 route within each area. Over the coming weeks we will be adding further pages and information to each area.

We are now in the final stages of this transition which is expected to be completed by mid-August, however we will write to you again to confirm this nearer the time.

We will no longer be using this website or Commonplace to issue email updates to you. Instead, we are asking that you sign up to receive information from HS2 directly. We will continue to produce regular updates about the project, including notifications of our upcoming works, how it’s being constructed and what we’re doing to make it less disruptive.

If you would like to continue to receive updates from HS2 you can sign up for email notifications at engagement.hs2.org.uk/join-mailing-list . We will ask you to confirm your email address as part of the sign-up process.

The personal information you provide will be handled in accordance with current data protection legislation and only used for the purposes for which you have provided it.

Find out more about what we will do to keep your information safe in our Personal information charter .

Contact us if you have any questions

If you have any questions about these changes or would like some help signing up to receive email updates from us please contact our HS2 Helpdesk team, available all day, every day on 08081 434 434 or email hs2enquiries@hs2.org.uk

The road closure for the conveyor bridge installation over Newyears Green Lane was unable to go ahead as planned on the 2nd of August.

These works have now been rescheduled and will take place the week commencing the 9th of August 2021 . Works will take place on these dates between 8am to 6pm.

Our previous notification can be seen here.

If you have a question about HS2 or our works, please contact our HS2 Helpdesk team on 08081 434 434 or email hs2enquiries@hs2.org.uk .

From mid-August, we will be starting our preconstruction work, on the southside of the Ruislip Golf Course. This is part of our work to divert our sewer, to make way for the new HS2 line.

For further information please see our works notification.

If you have a question about HS2 or our works, please contact our HS2 Helpdesk team on 08081 434 434 or email hs2enquiries@hs2.org.uk .

Long Drive update:

We wrote to you in July to advise you that we would be carrying out sewer investigation works 19 August 2021. However, we need to reschedule these activities which will now take place on the night of 17 August 2021 .

For further information please see our update works notification.

West End Road Update:

We wrote to you in July to advise you that we would be carrying out ground investigation works from 10 to 18 August 2021. However, we need to reschedule these activities which will now take place from 10 to 20 August .

For further information please see our update works notification.

Bridgwater Road update:

We wrote to you in July to advise you that we would be carrying out ground investigation works from 19 to 23 August 2021. However, we need to reschedule these activities which will now take place from 23 to 27 August 2021 .

For further information please see our update works notification.

If you have a question about HS2 or our works, please contact our HS2 Helpdesk team on 08081 434 434 or email hs2enquiries@hs2.org.uk .

In a UK first, on-site 3D reinforced concrete printing is set to deliver environmental, cost and community benefits for Britain’s new high speed rail network .

The cutting-edge technology, called ‘Printfrastructure’, will be deployed by our London tunnels contractor SCS JV (Skanska Costain STRABAG Joint Venture), in a move that represents a major step forward in construction technology.

Printing concrete with computer operated robots will enable SCS JV to make structures on site, instead of transporting them as pre-cast slabs by road before being assembled and lowered into place by large cranes.

As flexible mobile technology, 3D concrete printing enables the technique to be deployed in physically-restricted areas – avoiding the need to develop complicated and potentially expensive logistical plans.

Where our construction is happening besides a live railway, it also offers an opportunity to deliver works without disrupting the travelling public as a robot will print the reinforced concrete, enabling construction to continue and trains to run at the same time.

Previously work would have taken place overnight after trains have stopped running, potentially disturbing the local community, or would have required the suspension of services to ensure safe working.

Using a computer-controlled robot enables the reinforced concrete structures to be printed with a strengthening unique internal lattice structure, which not only significantly reduces the quantity of concrete required but also cuts waste.

But the breakthrough is underlined by technology developed by SCS JV’s Worcestershire-based partner, ChangeMaker 3D. Working with UK advanced materials specialist, Versarien, the high-tech compnay's innovation takes the 3D concrete printing process and combines it with the strongest material ever tested: graphene.

Concrete with microscopic strands of graphene only several atoms thick running through it like stripes in a stick of rock replaces traditional steel to help drive improved site safety, greater construction flexibility, shorter build time and a smaller carbon footprint.

SCS JV estimates that the process it is developing with the Midlands firm could reduce the concrete used and contribute toward reducing carbon by up to 50 per cent.

By removing steel and simplifying the construction process, which will no longer require cranes and significantly fewer delivery trucks, the carbon reduction could be even greater. Proof of concept trials are due to begin in Spring 2022.

If you have a question about HS2 or our works, please contact our HS2 Helpdesk team on 08081 434 434 or email hs2enquiries@hs2.org.uk

We are holding virtual one to one sessions to learn more about HS2 works in Hillingdon and Northolt. HS2 and their contractors would like to invite you to book an appointment for a virtual one-to-one session. The sessions are a chance to learn more about works in the Hillingdon and Northolt areas.

The 15-minute appointments are available on:

• Monday 2 August, 3pm to 7pm

When registering, please specify your area of interest and postcode.

Topics available include:

. Works in your area

. Highways and traffic

. Noise and vibration

. Utility works

. Community engagement

. Other (please let us know if you have other queries)

You can book a slot on the HS2 website, please click here

If you have a question about HS2 or our works, please contact our HS2 Helpdesk team on 08081 434 434 or email hs2enquiries@hs2.org.uk .

We wrote to you in June to advise you that we would be starting the next phase of the bored piles installation at Breakspear Road South from 21 June to 31 July. However, we will require additional time to complete these works which will continue until 6 August 2021 .

We will also be installing sheet piles within our site compound at the same time.

For further information please see our works notification.

If you have a question about HS2 or our works, please contact our HS2 Helpdesk team on 08081 434 434 or email hs2enquiries@hs2.org.uk .

Utility surveys at Long Drive

We wrote to you in May to advise you that we would be carrying out sewer investigation works on 25 and 26 May 2021. However, we need to carry out some additional works which will now take place on the night of 19 August 2021 .

For further information please see our update works notification.

Surveyor visits in Ruislip

We wrote to you in early July to advise you that our surveying team will be visiting railway bridges on Long Drive to carry out surveys. We will require two additional nights to complete these works which will take place on 16 and 17 August 2021 .

For further information please see our update works notification.

If you have a question about HS2 or our works, please contact our HS2 Helpdesk team on 08081 434 434 or email hs2enquiries@hs2.org.uk .

On 7 and 8 August 2021 , we will be carrying out repair works to the existing access from the bell mouth junction off Ickenham High Road at the West Ruislip site entrance.

For further information please see our works notification.

If you have a question about HS2 or our works, please contact our HS2 Helpdesk team on 08081 434 434 or email hs2enquiries@hs2.org.uk .

This is a reminder that as part of our ongoing commitment to keeping communities informed about the planning and delivery of the HS2 project, we are introducing a number of improvements to how we share information with you and are moving your local website within the HS2 website.

The contents of this website will be moving over to the 'In your area' section of the main HS2 website, and we are also changing the way that we issue email updates about the project to give you more choice about how you would like to receive information from us.

There are local community landing pages which have been published for each section of the route between London, the West Midlands and Crewe, providing information about the HS2 route within each area. We will be adding further pages and information to each area in the coming weeks.

We are now in the final stages of this transition which is expected to be completed by mid-August, however, we will write to you again to confirm this nearer the time.

We will no longer be using this website or Commonplace to issue email updates to you. Instead, we are asking that you sign up to receive information from HS2 directly. We will continue to produce regular updates about the project, including notifications of our upcoming works, how it’s being constructed and what we’re doing to make it less disruptive.

If you would like to continue to receive updates from HS2 you can sign up for email notifications at engagement.hs2.org.uk/join-mailing-list . We will ask you to confirm your email address as part of the sign-up process.

The personal information you provide will be handled in accordance with current data protection legislation and only used for the purposes for which you have provided it.

Find out more about what we will do to keep your information safe in our Personal information charter .

Contact us if you have any questions

If you have any questions about these changes or would like some help signing up to receive email updates from us please contact our HS2 Helpdesk team, available all day, every day on 08081 434 434 or email hs2enquiries@hs2.org.uk

From 10 to 18 August 2021 , we will be carrying out ground investigation works along West End Road at the rail bridge.

From 19 to 23 August 2021 , we will be carrying out ground investigation works along Bridgwater Road at the rail bridge. This will help to inform our design decisions in the area.

Your utility services will not be affected.

For more information please see our works notification for West End Road and Bridgwater Road

If you have a question about HS2 or our works, please contact our HS2 Helpdesk team on 08081 434 434 or email hs2enquiries@hs2.org.uk .

HS2 and our contractors SCSJV will be holding an online information event on Thursday 29 July from 3pm to 5pm to share our designs of the Copthall Tunnel, between Breakspear Road South and Harvil Road, as well as the Northern Sustainable Placement Areas, located off Newyears Green Lane.

Join us to find out about:

You will be able to hear from our team of experts and ask questions.

This event is being held on:

Thursday 29 July from 3pm to 5pm

You can register for the event via this link. Please note registration closes 2 hours before each live event starts.

We will be running this session via Microsoft Teams , which is a free to use online platform. If you have the Microsoft Teams app installed on your desktop or mobile device, the session will open automatically within that.

Further joining instructions will be sent to all registered attendees closer to the time.

If you have a question about HS2 or our works, please contact our HS2 Helpdesk team on 08081 434 434 or email hs2enquiries@hs2.org.uk .

We are holding virtual one to one sessions to learn more about HS2 works in Hillingdon and Northolt. HS2 and their contractors would like to invite you to book an appointment for a virtual one-to-one session. The sessions are a chance to learn more about works in the Hillingdon and Northolt areas.

The 15-minute appointments are available on:

• Monday 2 August, 3pm to 7pm

When registering, please specify your area of interest and postcode.

Topics available include:

. Works in your area

. Highways and traffic

. Noise and vibration

. Utility works

. Community engagement

. Other (please let us know if you have other queries)

You can book a slot on the HS2 website, please click here

If you have a question about HS2 or our works, please contact our HS2 Helpdesk team on 08081 434 434 or email hs2enquiries@hs2.org.uk .

Ahead of its arrival into the capital, the team leading the design and construction of Britain’s new railway, High Speed Two (HS2), is hitting the streets with a brand-new community roadshow.

The roadshow team will visit towns and cities from north to south this summer, as part of a bumper programme of community-focused activity highlighting the thousands of jobs, skills, training and new business opportunities that HS2 is creating.

The HS2 roadshow will make three stops in the capital with pop up events scheduled to take place in Kings Cross on 5th August, Uxbridge on 2nd September and Ealing on 21st September. The events will allow residents and visitors to find out more about the exciting plans, now well underway, to bring Britain’s new railway to the capital at its flagship new station in Old Oak Common and its terminus in Euston. Both locations are being transformed in readiness for HS2’s arrival, spearheading new housing, commercial developments, urban realms and job opportunities which will benefit local people.

Experts from all areas of the HS2 project will be on hand at each event, armed with a wealth of resources to experience during the event or to take away. So, if you’re looking for a new career, or want to find out how your business might benefit from one of 400,000 contract opportunities generated from the first phase of construction works, then head down to the roadshow to find out more.

For more information about HS2’s roadshow programme, visit hs2.org.uk/roadshow-2021

If you have a question about HS2 or our works, please contact our HS2 Helpdesk team on 08081 434 434 or email hs2enquiries@hs2.org.uk.

Works are ongoing at our sites at Harvil Road and Newyears Green Lane to build the new bridge over the Chiltern Line railway, the Copthall tunnel and the conveyor system.

From 2 August 2021 , we will be carrying out the following activities:

We will continue to monitor noise, dust and vibration throughout our works and ensure that adequate measures are in place to minimise disruption.

For further information and detail of locations please see our works notification.

If you have a question about HS2 or our works, please contact our HS2 Helpdesk team on 08081 434 434 or email hs2enquiries@hs2.org.uk .

From 27 to 29 July 2021 , a road closure will be in place to complete the installation of crash barriers near the entrance to our site on Breakspear Road South.

A diversion will be in place via Swakeleys Road B467/ High Road B466/Ickenham Road/ High Street/ Bury Street A4180/ Breakspear Road.

For further information please see our works notification.

If you have a question about HS2 or our works, please contact our HS2 Helpdesk team on 08081 434 434 or email hs2enquiries@hs2.org.uk .

From the 2 to 6 August 2021 , we will be carrying out a 5-day trial of a machine that breaks down concrete into smaller reusable parts.

If this trial is successful, it will mean that the number of lorry movements required to transport concrete to and from site will be reduced and will remove a significant number of lorries from local roads.

For further information please see our works notification.

If you have a question about HS2 or our works, please contact our HS2 Helpdesk team on 08081 434 434 or email hs2enquiries@hs2.org.uk .

HS2 and our contractors SCSJV will be holding an online information event on Thursday 29 July from 3pm to 5pm to share our designs of the Copthall Tunnel, between Breakspear Road South and Harvil Road, as well as the Northern Sustainable Placement Areas, located off Newyears Green Lane.

Join us to find out about:

You will be able to hear from our team of experts and ask questions.

This event is being held on:

Thursday 29 July from 3pm to 5pm

You can register for the event via this link. Please note registration closes 2 hours before each live event starts.

We will be running this session via Microsoft Teams , which is a free to use online platform. If you have the Microsoft Teams app installed on your desktop or mobile device, the session will open automatically within that.

Further joining instructions will be sent to all registered attendees closer to the time.

If you have a question about HS2 or our works, please contact our HS2 Helpdesk team on 08081 434 434 or email hs2enquiries@hs2.org.uk .

Archaeologists working in on the HS2 project in West London have uncovered a fascinating rare set of Iron Age 'potins', an early version of the coin, dating back to the 1st Century BC .

The hoard of over 300 potins was discovered in Hillingdon in August last year. It is a significant historical find and may be recognised as “treasure” under British Law. ‘The Hillingdon Hoard’ – as it has been called – dates back to the late Iron Age, during a period of change as the Romans began to establish themselves in Britain and create Londinium.

The potins are based on coins struck in Marseille, France, about 2,175 years ago, which bear the left-facing head of Apollo on one side and a bull charging right on the other. The use of these early coins spread across northern Europe and in England their use was commonly linked to Kent, Essex or Hertfordshire.

The term ‘potin’ refers to the base metal silver-like alloy used in coins. It is typically a mixture of copper, tin and lead. Historians are unclear what the potins were used for during the Iron Age, particularly as the exchange of goods and service - or bartering - is thought to have been the main method of commerce at that time, nor why the coins were deposited where they were found.

The site in Hillingdon was undergoing archaeological excavation and analysis led by our enabling works contractor, Costain Skanska joint venture (CS JV) and the archaeologists involved were elated to make such a significant discovery. Archaeologists now analysing the discovery believe the potins may have been to mark the boundary of a property or as an offering to the gods - in a woodland clearing or near a sacred spring. It is not unusual for a hoard to be found in an apparently isolated location and they may also have been buried as saving hoards or as emergency hoards in times of crisis.

A hoard of a similar size, the ‘Sunbury hoard’ was discovered in 2010 but the potins were dated much earlier in the Iron Age. Potins from late in the Iron Age, similar to the Hillingdon Hoard, have been found previously but in much smaller quantities, making this find very significant.

Because of the significance of the find, and the high number of coins, the local coroner was alerted. The coroner will determine whether the discovery amounts to ‘treasure’ after considering specialist evidence from the British Museum. The potins were the removed from site for specialist cleaning, conservation and assessment.

In the London region, the oldest archaeology we have found was dated to 11,000 years ago - a period known as the Mesolithic or Middle Stone Age. From this period, stone tools and artefacts have been discovered at locations which suggested people were living on the banks of the river. This would have provided a rich supply of food and water for these hunter-gatherers to exploit. Later evidence from the Bronze Age, about 4,000 years ago, further indicates human activity near the river, with finds including cremations and a possible roundhouse. However, until the potins were uncovered no archaeological evidence of activity was encountered for almost another 3,500 years.

The value of the hoard has not yet been determined, nor has its future location. Under the Treasure Act, the coroner will determine whether the find constitutes Treasure and if a museum wishes to acquire the potins, on the advice of specialists at the British Museum the coroner will conduct an inquest at which recommendations for the find will be made and a potential value placed upon it.

The hoard was found during our works on land that was occupied temporarily. We are not making any claim on the hoard and under the Treasure Act archaeologists are not entitled to a share of any reward. Our approach to the archaeological work was developed in discussion with Historic England to ensure the site was carefully examined to find, protect or investigate important archaeology before construction begins.

We are participating in this year’s Festival of Archaeology, which begins on 19th July. A series of webinars are being held and members of the public are invited to register and find out more about this, and other, fascinating discoveries.

Find out more about the Festival of Archaeology and the events we are holding

If you have a question about HS2 or our works, please contact our HS2 Helpdesk team on 08081 434 434 or email hs2enquiries@hs2.org.uk

To mark the Council for British Archaeology's Festival of Archaeology , we are holding a series of free online events so you can get involved and find out more about what treasures are being unearthed as we build the country's new high speed railway. The Festival of Archaeology runs from July 17 - August 1, shining a light on our past and how our ancestors lived.

Subjects we will be covering in the free online 'webinars' include:

We will also be holding our fourth weekend of open days at our Field Museum at St Mary's Church in Stoke Mandeville on Saturday 24 July and Sunday 25 July.

Inside a specially constructed tent the size of a football pitch, archaeologists working on our behalf are currently excavating the remains of the former parish church of St. Mary the Virgin. This is a once in a generation opportunity to excavate the ruins of a medieval church and churchyard. Inside the museum you can ascend the viewing platform for a bird’s eye view of ongoing excavations, as well as displays, films and finds to explore the history of St. Mary’s Church and the amazing archaeological discoveries in the surrounding area.

We’d love to welcome you onto site to explore this fascinating excavation, where you can learn about life and death in Stoke Mandeville over more than 800 years.

Tickets are available to book from 10am on Tuesday July 13 and booking will close at 5pm on Thursday July 22 .

Detailed joining instructions including our Health and Safety statement will be sent to all registered attendees closer to the time.

If you have a question about HS2 or our works, please contact our HS2 Helpdesk team on 08081 434 434 or email hs2enquiries@hs2.org.uk

On the weekend of 24 and 25 July 2021 , we will be carrying out utility installation works. We will be working extended hours on both days finishing at 5pm instead of our normal hours of 1pm on weekends.

These works will be confined to our site compound area, within the bell mouth where vehicles access the site from Harvil Road.

Your utility services will not be affected.

For further information please see our works notification.

If you have a question about HS2 or our works, please contact our HS2 Helpdesk team on 08081 434 434 or email hs2enquiries@hs2.org.uk .

Over the coming months we will be carrying out some enabling works in the Harvil Road area. These works will allow us to prepare the area which is required for the temporary storage and treatment of the soil that will be removed from the tunnels, before they are placed in their final location.

For further information please see our works notification.

If you have a question about HS2 or our works, please contact our HS2 Helpdesk team on 08081 434 434 or email hs2enquiries@hs2.org.uk .

As part of our extensive environmental programme, our contractors have now planted 700,000 trees and created over 100 wildlife sites along the route between the West Midlands and London .

The wildlife sites represent a mix of different habitat types, including grassland, woodland, scrub and ponds, and are already havens for wildlife including birds, bats, barn owls, badgers, great crested newts, butterflies and dragonflies.

Alongside our environmental contractors, we have designed tailored ecology plans that provide habitats for local wildlife and protected species including new badger setts, bat houses, bird boxes, reptile banks and bug houses, along with wildflower seeding, aquatic habitat creation and the reintroduction of native flora to help local wildlife populations thrive.

Up to 7 million trees will eventually be planted alongside the line from the West Midlands to London and we will leave behind more than 33 square kilometres of new woodland, wildlife and river habitats - the equivalent of 23 new Hyde Parks lining the spine of the country.

In addition, our Woodland Fund has also allocated over £1.2m as part of a grant scheme managed by the Forestry Commission, with 213,000 trees already planted including 92 hectares of new woodland creation and 52 hectares of ancient woodland restoration. For example, a project at Avon Wood in Warwickshire has created a diverse new 11-hectare woodland within three miles of the new railway. More than 18,000 new trees have been planted there, with 30% of the woodland being oak, with the rest mainly made up of hornbeam, alder, beech, lime, holly and birch.

We are continuing to progress with potential new schemes to be supported through the Woodland Fund, which could eventually support an additional 440 hectares of new native woodland creation as well as the restoration of 245 hectares of existing ancient woodland sites. Every habitat site is designed specifically to support local biodiversity, to link up existing wildlife habitats and create ecological networks which help to protect, maintain and enhance biodiversity and allow species to move through the landscape.

Examples of new habitats sites include:

If you have a question about HS2 or our works, please contact our HS2 Helpdesk team on 08081 434 434 or email hs2enquiries@hs2.org.uk

This week we have launched ‘Cecilia’, the second of the two tunnelling machines that will excavate the ten mile long tunnels beneath the Chiltern hills. The first machine ‘Florence’ was launched just over a month ago.

The Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) is named after pioneering astronomer and astrophysicist, Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin, who was born in Buckinghamshire, with the name suggested by pupils at the nearby Chalfont Community College and chosen in a public vote. It will operate alongside an identical machine named ‘Florence’, with each machine excavating separate northbound and southbound tunnels and will help to safeguard the woodland and wildlife habitats above ground.

Despite starting second, Cecilia will run slightly faster, aided by geological data fed back from Florence, meaning that both machines are due to break through at around the same time.

In total there will be ten TBMs working to create 64 miles of tunnel between London and the West Midlands for the high speed rail project which is already securing jobs and helping the UK to build back better from the pandemic. More than 16,000 jobs and over 500 apprenticeships are already being supported by the project which is set to transform transport links between Britain’s major cities, free up space on the rail network for more freight and local services and support the UK’s transition to net zero carbon emissions.

The first two TBMs are operated by our main works contractor, Align – a joint venture between Bouygues Travaux Publics, Sir Robert McAlpine, and VolkerFitzpatrick – and launched from a site by the M25 to the north west of London. Designed specifically for the mix of chalk and flints under the Chilterns, the two identical TBMs are powered by zero carbon electricity and move at a speed of up to 15 metres a day. Each machine operates as a self-contained underground factory - digging the tunnel, lining it with concrete wall segments and grouting them into place.

Each tunnel will require 56,000 precision engineered, fibre-reinforced segments – which will all be made on site. A crew of 17 people will operate each TBM, working in shifts to keep the machines running 24/7. They will be supported by over 100 people on the surface, managing the logistics and maintaining the smooth progress of the tunnelling operation. Chalk excavated from the tunnels will be used for landscaping at the south portal site once construction is complete, creating wildlife-rich chalk grassland habitats across 127 hectares of the southern Chiltern hills.

Align is recruiting 1,200 personnel in total, including 100 apprentices, to work on the Central 1 Area of Phase One that it is delivering and are targeting their recruitment and investment to upskilling local people who are currently unemployed, with a particular focus on women, the under 25s and those with disabilities.

If you have a question about HS2 or our works, please contact our HS2 Helpdesk team on 08081 434 434 or email hs2enquiries@hs2.org.uk

We are progressing to a stage in our works where we will be diverting a number of footpaths. These works will facilitate the completion of the internal haul road and help to keep as many vehicles off local roads as possible. Our first diversion is the U46 footpath, the short footpath that runs from the Celadine Way to Breakspear Road South near Oak Farm.

For further information please see our works notification.

If you have a question about HS2 or our works, please contact our HS2 Helpdesk team on 08081 434 434 or email hs2enquiries@hs2.org.uk .

As part of our ongoing pledge to keeping communities informed about the planning and delivery of the HS2 project, we are introducing a number of improvements to how we share information with you .

This is a reminder that we're moving your local website within the HS2 website

This summer we will be moving the contents of this website over to the 'In your area' section of the main HS2 website. We are also changing the way that we issue email updates about the project and giving you more choice about how you would like to receive information from us.

We have published local community landing pages for each section of the route between London, the West Midlands and Crewe. These provide information about the HS2 route within each area. Over the coming weeks we will be adding further pages and information to each area.

We are aiming to complete this exercise next month (July) and will write to you again to confirm this nearer the time.

We will no longer be using this website or Commonplace to issue email updates to you. Instead, we are asking that you sign up to receive information from HS2 directly. We will continue to produce regular updates about the project, including notifications of our upcoming works, how it’s being constructed and what we’re doing to make it less disruptive.

If you would like to continue to receive updates from HS2 you can sign up for email notifications at engagement.hs2.org.uk/join-mailing-list . We will ask you to confirm your email address as part of the sign-up process.

The personal information you provide will be handled in accordance with current data protection legislation and only used for the purposes for which you have provided it.

Find out more about what we will do to keep your information safe in our Personal information charter .

Contact us if you have any questions

If you have any questions about these changes or would like some help signing up to receive email updates from us please contact our HS2 Helpdesk team, available all day, every day on 08081 434 434 or email hs2enquiries@hs2.org.uk

From 12 to 30 July 2021 , we will be carrying out overnight surveys along Breakspear Road South and Harvil Road. This will help to inform our design decisions in the area.

Survey duration

Your utility services will not be affected.

For further information please see our works notification for Breakspear Road South and Harvil Road .

If you have a question about HS2 or our works, please contact our HS2 Helpdesk team on 08081 434 434 or email hs2enquiries@hs2.org.uk .

Works are ongoing at our sites at Harvil Road and Newyears Green Lane to build the new road realignment, the Copthall Tunnels and the conveyor system. Some of these works will need to take place during extended working hours.

From 7 July until 31 October 2021 , we will be extending our working hours on our sites and will be undertaking work on site from 7am to 6pm, Monday through Saturday. This is an extension of our core working hours of 8am to 6pm Monday to Friday and 8pm to 1pm on Saturdays.

For further information please see our works notification showing locations near Harvil Road and New Years Green Lane .

If you have a question about HS2 or our works, please contact our HS2 Helpdesk team on 08081 434 434 or email hs2enquiries@hs2.org.uk .

Ground Investigations:

From 6 to 20 July 2021 , we will be carrying out ground investigation along Ickenham Road and High Road near the West Ruislip train station

For more information please see our works notification.

Utility surveys on Hill Lane

We will be carrying out surveys on the five manhole chambers on Hill Lane between the junctions with Harwell Close and Ickenham High Road on Saturday 10 July 2021.

For further information please see our works notification.

If you have a question about HS2 or our works, please contact our HS2 Helpdesk team on 08081 434 434 or email hs2enquiries@hs2.org.uk .

Blenheim Crescent utility surveys:

We wrote to you in April to advise you that we would be carrying out sewer investigation works on 23 April 2021. However, we will require additional time to complete these works which will take place from the 6 to 9 July 2021 .

For further information please see our update works notification.

Surveyor visits

From 12 to 17 July 2021, our surveying team will be visiting railway bridges on Long Drive, Bridgewater Road and West End Road to carry out surveys. Survey dates are:

For further information please see our works notification.

If you have a question about HS2 or our works, please contact our HS2 Helpdesk team on 08081 434 434 or email hs2enquiries@hs2.org.uk .

We have obtained approval for an ambitious scheme which will use material excavated from the Chiltern tunnels to create 127 hectares of new chalk grassland, woodland, wood pasture and wetland habitats around the tunnel’s south portal .

The ‘Colne Valley Western Slopes’ project – which was approved under Schedule 17 of the HS2 Act by Three Rivers District Council and Buckinghamshire Council – will see the transformation of what is now a construction site into one of the largest areas of new chalk grassland in the Chiltern hills.

This will sit alongside new areas of woodland, wood pasture and wetlands, including almost 65,000 trees and shrubs of 32 species and nearly 3.5km of new hedgerows. Around 4.5km of new footpath, cycling and horse-riding routes will give the public access to large parts of the site, which sits between the Colne Valley Regional Park and the Chilterns AONB.

The plans have been developed by our main works contractor, Align (a joint venture formed of three international infrastructure companies: Bouygues Travaux Publics, Sir Robert McAlpine, and VolkerFitzpatrick), working with Jacobs and LDA Design. As well as the landscaping, the approval also includes the design of the south portal itself and associated service buildings. Going forward, we and our contractors will continue to work closely with the planning authorities to develop the final restoration of the site.

For more information about HS2 please contact our HS2 Helpdesk team on 08081 434 434 or email hs2enquiries@hs2.org.uk

UPDATE:

We wrote you in April to advise you that we would be carrying out bored piling works at Breakspear Road South to facilitate the construction of overbridges at these locations. From Monday 21st of June , we will start the next phase of these works which will continue until the end of July .

We do not expect there to be any noise and vibration or disturbance to nearby residents. Monitoring will be in place throughout these works.

For more information please see our previous notification here.

We appreciate your continued patience while we build HS2.

If you have a question about HS2 or our works, please contact our HS2 Helpdesk team on 08081 434 434 or email hs2enquiries@hs2.org.uk .

From 27 June to 11 July 2021 , we will be installing 3.6m high hoarding overnight around the perimeter of our South Ruislip ventilation shaft site to maintain a safe and secure environment for site personnel.

For further information please see our works notification.

If you have a question about HS2 or our works, please contact our HS2 Helpdesk team on 08081 434 434 or email hs2enquiries@hs2.org.uk .

We have been informed that the London Borough of Hillingdon will have a full road closure at Breakspear Road South on Monday 14 June 2021 , for one week to carry out resurfacing works from the south of the Chiltern Line bridge to Swakeleys junction.

As a result of these works, the SCS site team at Breakspear Road South have cancelled their works planned for next week. (Notice of works for the U46 footpath road crossing HS2-EW-SCS-Ph1-Ar-So-S1-Traf-33-14/06/2021)

If you have a question about HS2 or our works, please contact our HS2 Helpdesk team on 08081 434 434 or email hs2enquiries@hs2.org.uk .

We would like to invite you to online information events highlighting the ways in which we are preserving the quality and supply of water during our works in the Chilterns and the Colne Valley .

These online "webinars" have been set up to give residents the opportunity to hear and ask questions about:

Our team of experts will provide a presentation on the ways in which our construction has been designed to reduce impacts on ground and surface water. They will be available to answer any questions you may have during the event in a Question and Answer section.

Tickets are available via Eventbrite for the events on the following dates:

Please note registration closes 2 hours before each live event starts.

If you have a question about HS2 or our works, please contact our HS2 Helpdesk team on 08081 434 434 or email hs2enquiries@hs2.org.uk

This is a reminder that as part of our ongoing commitment to keeping communities informed about the planning and delivery of the HS2 project, we will be introducing a number of improvements to the ways in which we share information with you .

We’re moving your local website within the HS2 website

This summer we will be moving the contents of this website over to the 'In your area' section of the main HS2 website. We are also changing the way that we issue email updates about the project and giving you more choice about how you would like to receive information from us.

We have published local community landing pages for each section of the route between London, the West Midlands and Crewe. These provide information about the HS2 route within each area. Over the coming weeks we will be adding further pages and information to each area.

We are aiming to complete this exercise in July this year and will write to you to confirm this closer to the time.

We’re asking you to sign up for notifications to continue to receive updates from HS2

We will no longer be using this website or Commonplace to issue email updates to you. Instead, we are asking that you sign up to receive information from HS2 directly. We will continue to produce regular updates about the project, including notifications of our upcoming works, how it’s being constructed and what we’re doing to make it less disruptive.

If you would like to continue to receive updates from HS2 you can sign up for email notifications at engagement.hs2.org.uk/join-mailing-list . We will ask you to confirm your email address as part of the sign-up process.

The personal information you provide will be handled in accordance with current data protection legislation and only used for the purposes for which you have provided it.

Find out more about what we will do to keep your information safe in our Personal information charter .

Contact us if you have any questions

If you have any questions about these changes or would like some help signing up to receive email updates from us please contact our HS2 Helpdesk team, available all day, every day on 08081 434 434 or email hs2enquiries@hs2.org.uk

We wrote to you previously to advise you that we would be carrying out works from 4 to 18 May 2021. However, we will require additional time to complete these works and the works will now take place from 14 to 19 June 2021 . We will be clearing vegetation to assist with further ground investigations.

For further information please see our update works notification.

If you have a question about HS2 or our works, please contact our HS2 Helpdesk team on 08081 434 434 or email hs2enquiries@hs2.org.uk .

On 18 June 2021 , we will be carrying out utility investigations along Herlwyn Avenue.

We will undertake surveys of the manholes in the area, using a CCTV camera mounted on a small robot. Should we find a blockage, we may need to flush the drainage system using a high-pressure water jet in order to carry out the investigation.

Your utility services will not be affected.

For further information please see our works notification.

If you have a question about HS2 or our works, please contact our HS2 Helpdesk team on 08081 434 434 or email hs2enquiries@hs2.org.uk .

In our notification in April, we said we would notify you if it became necessary to work outside of standard hours. From Saturday 4 June until 31 July 2021 , we will extend our finish time on Saturdays from 1pm to 6pm . We hope to reduce the overall duration of the works by working extended hours on Saturdays.

Piling works at our site on Harvil Road will continue until 31 July 2021. These works are needed to stabilise the ground while we build the over bridges at these locations. It is an effective approach to combating corrosion and is proven to significantly improve the life expectancy of a structure.

For further information please see our update works notification.

If you have a question about HS2 or our works, please contact our HS2 Helpdesk team on 08081 434 434 or email hs2enquiries@hs2.org.uk .

From 14 June 2021 , we will be carrying out works near the U46 footpath. These works will allow us to prepare the area for the U46 Breakspear Road South footpath crossing.

The works are located in close proximity to the road. For safety reasons, we require temporary traffic management to be in place for the duration of these works.

For further information please see our works notification.

If you have a question about HS2 or our works, please contact our HS2 Helpdesk team on 08081 434 434 or email hs2enquiries@hs2.org.uk .

We are holding virtual one to one sessions to learn more about HS2 works in Hillingdon and Northolt. HS2 and their contractors would like to invite you to book an appointment for a virtual one-to-one session. The sessions are a chance to learn more about works in the Hillingdon and Northolt areas.

The 15-minute appointments are available on:

• Monday 7 June, 4pm to 7pm

When registering, please specify your area of interest and postcode.

Topics available include:

. Works in your area

. Highways and traffic

. Noise and vibration

. Utility works

. Community engagement

. Other (please let us know if you have other queries)

You can book a slot on the HS2 website, please click here .

If you have a question about HS2 or our works, please contact our HS2 Helpdesk team on 08081 434 434 or email hs2enquiries@hs2.org.uk .

We are continuing piling works at our West Ruislip site near the River Pinn until 30 June 2021. These works are required to stabilise the ground and protect the Network Rail tracks while we build the bridge over the River Pinn.

For further information please see our works notification.

If you have a question about HS2 or our works, please contact our HS2 Helpdesk team on 08081 434 434 or email hs2enquiries@hs2.org.uk .

Update on sheet piling works near the River Pinn

Following the works notification about piling works in the Hillingdon area that was previously sent out, we would like to update you on the current activity along the northern side of the Chiltern Line railway near the River Pinn.

We are carrying out sheet piling on the railway embankment adjacent to the River Pinn under the bridge which is progressing eastwards from the current location and will continue until early July. Our working hours are Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm and Saturday from 8am to 1pm.

Every effort is being made to ensure that this work is carried out in the least impactful way with various methods being used on site to minimise the disruption caused by these works. We are aware that with the warmer weather, people will be spending more time outside and therefore occasionally this work may be more noticeable. We apologise in advance for any inconvenience or disruption this may cause. Noise and vibration monitoring will be conducted throughout to ensure works are managed effectively.

Sheet piles will be pushed into position using a hydraulic press. In the event that we find hard ground or obstacles, a vibrating hammer will be used for a short period of time to disturb the ground and drive the sheets through the hard ground. This will be more noticeable than press piling on its own and you may be able to feel this close to the work. Due to our proximity to the railway line, this is monitored very carefully to ensure that any vibration created will not cause any structural damage.

Dust suppression will be in place to reduce and manage the amount of dust generated by the work construction activities.

Original works notification can be found here.

The SCS Community Team

If you have a question about HS2 or our works, please contact our HS2 Helpdesk team on 08081 434 434 or email hs2enquiries@hs2.org.uk .

We will be carrying out works over one weekend ( 19 & 20 June 2021 ) in the bell mouth where vehicles access the site from Ickenham High Road. We are connecting a foul sewer from site to a chamber that sits underneath the centre of the junction.

Once connected the trench will be backfilled and the work area reinstated. We will carry out the main cut into the concrete within normal working hours on the Friday 18 June, to minimise noise on the weekend.

For further information please see our works notification.

If you have a question about HS2 or our works, please contact our HS2 Helpdesk team on 08081 434 434 or email hs2enquiries@hs2.org.uk .

We wrote to you recently to advise you that we would be carrying out ecological surveys on 17 May and 1 June along Newyears Green Lane. Due to poor weather conditions, we were unable to complete the surveys.

We therefore require additional time to complete these works, which will now be completed on 1 and 14 June 2021 . A road closure will be required between 8pm and 5am to ensure these works can be carried out safely.

For further information please see our works notification.

If you have a question about HS2 or our works, please contact our HS2 Helpdesk team on 08081 434 434 or email hs2enquiries@hs2.org.uk .

As part of our ongoing commitment to keeping communities informed about the planning and delivery of the HS2 project we are introducing a number of improvements to the ways in which we share information with you.

This summer we will be moving the contents of this website over to the 'In your area' section of the main HS2 website. We are also changing the way that we issue email updates about the project and giving you more choice about how you would like to receive information from us.

These changes will help to

We have published local community landing pages for each section of the route between London, the West Midlands and Crewe. These provide information about the HS2 route within each area. Over the coming weeks we will be adding further pages and information to each area.

Once we have moved all of the key pages and information from this website onto the HS2 website later this summer, we will stop updating this website. Visitors to this website will be signposted to the new pages within HS2.org.uk

At this point, we will stop publishing updates to this website and you will no longer receive email notifications from this website.

We are aiming to complete this exercise in July this year and will write to you to confirm this closer to the time.

In addition to moving the local website we are also taking this opportunity to improve our mailing lists and create greater flexibility around how you receive information from us.

We will no longer be using this website or Commonplace to issue email updates to you. Instead, we are asking that you sign up to receive information from HS2 directly. We will continue to produce regular updates about the project, including notifications of our upcoming works, how it’s being constructed and what we’re doing to make it less disruptive.

If you would like to continue to receive updates from HS2 you can sign up for email notifications at engagement.hs2.org.uk/join-mailing-list . We will ask you to confirm your email address as part of the sign-up process.

Once we have moved across all of the pages and information from this website over to the HS2 website we will stop issuing emails from this website. Instead, you will receive emails directly from us about the parts of the project that you’ve expressed an interest in.

The personal information you provide will be handled in accordance with current data protection legislation and only used for the purposes for which you have provided it.

Find out more about what we will do to keep your information safe on our Personal information charter .

If you have any questions about these changes or would like some help signing up to receive email updates from us please contact our HS2 Helpdesk team, available all day, every day on 08081 434 434 or email hs2enquiries@hs2.org.uk.

From 9 to 18 June 2021 , we will be digging trial holes in Victoria Retail Park on Victoria Road, Ruislip. These trial holes will provide us with information on the condition of the ground in advance of utilities installation into our site while building HS2.

We will be digging five trial holes between Victoria Road and our site behind the Victoria Retail Park. Each trial hole will take approximately two to three days to complete.

For further information please see our works notification.

If you have a question about HS2 or our works, please contact our HS2 Helpdesk team on 08081 434 434 or email hs2enquiries@hs2.org.uk .

We are holding virtual one to one sessions to learn more about HS2 works in Hillingdon and Northolt. HS2 and their contractors would like to invite you to book an appointment for a virtual one-to-one session. The sessions are a chance to learn more about works in the Hillingdon and Northolt areas.

The 15-minute appointments are available on:

• Monday 7 June, 4pm to 7pm

When registering, please specify your area of interest and postcode.

Topics available include:

. Works in your area

. Highways and traffic

. Noise and vibration

. Utility works

. Community engagement

. Other (please let us know if you have other queries)

You can book a slot on the HS2 website, please click here .

If you have a question about HS2 or our works, please contact our HS2 Helpdesk team on 08081 434 434 or email hs2enquiries@hs2.org.uk .

Update:

We wrote to you in April to advise that we would be carrying out utility works from 17 May to 30 September 2021 and over two weekends. However, additional weekend working will be required.

From 17 May 2021, we will be carrying out utility surveys and utility connection along Harvil Road as part of the road realignment works. Temporary traffic management and lane closures will be required to ensure these works can be carried out safely.

We hope to reduce the duration of the lane closure by working additional weekends.

For more information please see our update works notification.

If you have a question about HS2 or our works, please contact our HS2 Helpdesk team on 08081 434 434 or email hs2enquiries@hs2.org.uk .

From 26 May 2021 , we will be carrying out enabling works at Breakspear Road South.

These works will help us to prepare the area for the temporary footpath diversion and the pedestrian bridge over the River Pinn. We will remove brambles and create a ditch to protect the area from potential flooding.

For further information please see our works notification.

If you have a question about HS2 or our works, please contact our HS2 Helpdesk team on 08081 434 434 or email hs2enquiries@hs2.org.uk .

We wrote to you previously to advise you that we would be carrying out sewer investigation works from 6 to 11 May 2021. However, we will require two additional dates to complete these works, which will now take place on 25 and 26 May 2021 .

For further information please see our update works notification.

If you have a question about HS2 or our works, please contact our HS2 Helpdesk team on 08081 434 434 or email hs2enquiries@hs2.org.uk .

We have today announced the launch of ‘Florence’ – the first of 10 HS2 Tunnel Boring Machines (TBMs) that will dig 64 miles of tunnel on Phase One of the UK’s new high speed railway. ‘Florence’ was launched from our South Portal site next to the M25 in West Hyde, Hertfordshire, at an event attended by HS2 Minister Andrew Stephenson .

Florence, at 170m-long – the largest ever used on a UK rail project – will dig 10 miles of tunnel under the Chilterns, operating 24/7 for the next three years. Designed specifically for the mix of chalk and flints under the Chilterns, Florence and her identical TBM 'Cecilia,' will dig separate tunnels for north and southbound trains. Each machine operates as a self-contained underground factory - digging the tunnel, lining it with concrete wall segments and grouting them into place at a speed of around 15 metres a day. Each tunnel will require 56,000 precision engineered, fibre-reinforced segments – which will all be made on site.

A crew of 17 people will operate each TBM, working in shifts to keep the machines running 24/7. They will be supported by over 100 people on the surface, managing the logistics and maintaining the smooth progress of the tunnelling operation. Chalk excavated from the tunnels will be used for landscaping at the south portal site once construction is complete, creating wildlife-rich chalk grassland habitats across 127 hectares of the southern Chiltern hills. Find out more about HS2's tunnelling programme .

Named after nursing pioneer Florence Nightingale – a name suggested by local children due to her residence at nearby Claydon House in Buckinghamshire, and chosen in a public vote – the TBM will dig the first of a pair of 10 mile long tunnels under the Chiltern hills and help to safeguard the woodland and wildlife habitats above ground, before emerging near Hyde Heath. A second machine ‘Cecilia’ will launch next month to excavate the second tunnel at the South Portal site.

Built by Herrenknecht, a world leader in TBM manufacturing, at its factory in south-west Germany, the two 170m long machines were transported to the UK in more than 300 separate shipments last year , before being reassembled, tested and commissioned by an expert team of tunnelling engineers at the Chiltern tunnel south portal site, near the M25 to the north-west of London.

The first two TBMs will be operated by main works contractor, Align – a joint venture formed of three international infrastructure companies: Bouygues Travaux Publics, Sir Robert McAlpine, and VolkerFitzpatrick.

Align is recruiting 1,200 personnel in total, including 100 apprentices, to work on this area of the project and are targeting their recruitment and investment in upskilling local people who are currently unemployed, with a particular focus on women, the under 25s and those with disabilities, helping us support the UK Government’s Plan for Jobs to protect, support and create employment during the COVID-19 crisis.

The names of the two TBMs were suggested by students at Meadow High School in Hillingdon and The Chalfonts Community College, Buckinghamshire, which are close to the tunnel launch site. They were inspired by Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern medicine, and pioneering astronomer and astrophysicist, Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin.

If you have a question about HS2 or our works, please contact our HS2 Helpdesk team on 08081 434 434 or email hs2enquiries@hs2.org.uk

Our dedicated education pages on the HS2 website have undergone a major redesign, with a collection of new resources to help teachers bring a careers context to curriculum learning with the aim of inspiring young people to take an interest in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) subjects and careers .

Teachers are able to find relevant resources much more easily through the introduction of a filter function, there are new resources available with supporting videos and also a workshop delivery guide with activities tailored to pupils ranging from the ages of 5 all the way up to 18.

The fresh look of the educational resources follows on from the introduction earlier this year of a suite of curriculum-linked projects designed to help teachers and parents home schooling during the Covid-19 pandemic when we were unable to deliver our regular programme of STEM workshops and schools were less able to take students 'off-curriculum' for career-themed activities during lockdown.

Created by our Skills, Employment and Education team, the resource pages include plans for STEM lessons which teachers can use to introduce a careers context to regular curriculum lessons. Activities take around 1-2 hours to complete and include using maths skills to work out how to construct a bridge across a motorway, researching the ecology of great created newts to create new habitats and using archaeological information to interpret the history of a site. Pupils also have the opportunity to design a new product to improve the customer experience when travelling by train and use their science skills to create an environmental improvement plan for their school.

We have also included a delivery guide for teachers who would like to run a STEM inspiration day in their school. This includes videos, teacher notes, presentations and worksheets for activities where students can develop their skills through hands-on and team build challenges to inspire them to become EPIC (Extraordinary People Initiating Change) engineers. Students develop their STEM powers, exploring the essential skills that are needed to be successful in a STEM career. Activities are underpinned by examples from the world of work, with students finding out about careers in transport infrastructure as they take on different roles in the challenges.

Activities include 'Stations of the Future': a team-based design-and-present activity where students compete to design a futuristic train station considering future trends and the needs of all customers and also tunnel building, where students design, construct and test a supporting structure for a cut and cover tunnel.

We have also introduced STEM projects accredited by the British Science Association, which, when completed, can be entered for a CREST Award. These are longer projects aimed at inspiring pupils to become scientists and engineers that encourage students to carry out independent research or investigation. The target age and duration of the projects vary.

The updated online resources also include activities adapted for students with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) to encourage them to think about pursuing STEM careers. Downloadable lessons for SEND students include working in teams to design a train station, learning about ecosystems and building an insect hotel, and preparing for independent rail travel through role play.

Younger students aged between 7-11 can also get involved in shorter activities ranging from making rail tracks from everyday materials, solving puzzles and planning a railway route.

If you have a question about HS2 or our works, please contact our HS2 Helpdesk team on 08081 434 434 or email hs2enquiries@hs2.org.uk

We wrote to you previously to advise you that we would be carrying out works from 7 to 9 May 2021. We need to extend the lane closure from 9 to 14 May 2021 , in order to complete these works.

For further information please see our works notification.

If you have a question about HS2 or our works, please contact our HS2 Helpdesk team on 08081 434 434 or email hs2enquiries@hs2.org.uk .

From 19 to 26 May 2021 , we will be carrying out drainage surveys on Greenford Road, Rockware Avenue and Lyon Way. The surveys are planned to take place during the day from 8am to 6pm. We will use a camera to investigate the condition of the drainage system and may need to flush the drains using a high-pressure water jet.

Temporary traffic management and parking bay suspensions will be in place.

For further information please see our works notification.

If you have a question about HS2 or our works, please contact our HS2 Helpdesk team on 08081 434 434 or email hs2enquiries@hs2.org.uk .

From 17 to 21 May 2021 , we will be working along the Network Rail boundary to the south of the work compound. These works will take place at night when trains are not running.

We will be extending the metal fencing and replacing sections in order to secure the site.

For further information please see our works notification.

If you have a question about HS2 or our works, please contact our HS2 Help desk team on 08081 434 434 or email hs2enquiries@hs2.org.uk .

On 17 May and 1 June 2021 , we will be carrying out ecological surveys along Newyears Green Lane.

A road closure is required between 8pm and 5am to ensure these works can be carried out safely.

For further information please see our works notification.

If you have a question about HS2 or our works, please contact our HS2 Help desk team on 08081 434 434 or email hs2enquiries@hs2.org.uk .

From 17 May 2021 , we will be carrying out utility surveys and utility connection along Harvil Road as part of the road realignment works.

Temporary traffic management and lane closures will be required to ensure the works can be carried out safely.

We will work during off peak hours and out of hours where possible to minimise disruption.

We do not expect your service to be interrupted however the utility company concerned will provide pre-notification to affected households if an interruption becomes necessary.

For further information please see our works notification.

If you have a question about HS2 or our works, please contact our HS2 Help desk team on 08081 434 434 or email hs2enquiries@hs2.org.uk .

Ambitious plans to create 127 hectares of new grasslands and woodlands around the southern portal of our Chilterns tunnel have been enabled by an innovative solution to reuse the waste chalk slurry generated during the tunnel’s construction .

Two giant tunnel boring machines (TBMs) will spend three years boring out 2.6 million cubic metres of chalk beneath the hills to create the new high speed rail network’s 10-mile long twin bore tunnel. The chalk cut away by the 170-metre long TBMs will be mixed with water before being pumped out as slurry back along the tunnel to its entrance.

Slurry from boring the tunnels will be processed on site at a construction base just inside the M25 motorway – avoiding the need to transport the waste off site for reprocessing elsewhere. Once out of the tunnel, the chalk and water slurry will be separated on site in a giant, purpose-built slurry treatment plant (pictured) where it will be pressed through ever-finer filters until all the water is removed to leave behind a dry chalky “cake”.

One of the key challenges the separation process faces is preventing the thickening slurry from clogging up the filtering machinery. Working with its supplier MS, which has delivered the slurry treatment plant, our civils contractor Align opted to use a polymer specifically developed to be effective with Chilterns chalk, which will enable the entire separation process to happen in around a week.

The chalk cake will be used to deliver the Colne Valley Western Slopes project - part of our Green Corridor programme to re-establish the locally distinctive chalk valley landscape and create the right growing conditions for calcareous grassland across the site.

The initiative will be a major contributor in helping us meet our carbon reduction targets by delivering significant ecological gain in the Colne Valley, reducing road haulage, and enabling habitats to sequester carbon by replacing arable land with natural habitats. Almost 65,000 trees and shrubs comprising 32 species will be planted together with nearly 3.5km of new hedgerows. Around 90 hectares of chalk grasslands will be created and areas of historic woodland reinstated.

If you have a question about HS2 or our works, please contact our HS2 Helpdesk team on 08081 434 434 or email hs2enquiries@hs2.org.uk

Find out more about the Ruislip Branch Trunk Sewer diversion

We are holding an online engagement event on Thursday 13 May at 4:30pm to share our plans to divert the Ruislip Branch Trunk Sewer between Ruislip Golf Course and the Ickenham Green Allotments.

At this event you will be able to:

• learn about the plans to divert the sewer;

• hear from our team about what we are doing to reduce the impact of the work; and

• comment and ask questions.

You can register for the event here.

We look forward to meeting you.

If you do not have internet access but would like to find out more, please get in touch by telephone on 08081 434 434 and we will be happy to help.

For more information about the sewer diversion, please visit the sewer diversion information page here.

Find out more about the Ruislip Branch Trunk Sewer diversion

We are holding an online engagement event on Thursday 13 May at 4:30pm to share our plans to divert the Ruislip Branch Trunk Sewer between Ruislip Golf Course and the Ickenham Green Allotments.

At this event you will be able to:

• learn about the plans to divert the sewer;

• hear from our team about what we are doing to reduce the impact of the work; and

• comment and ask questions.

You can register for the event here.

The road crossing at Breakspear Road South will become operational for our site traffic from 10 May 2021 . The London Borough of Hillingdon has approved a speed limit reduction from 40mph to 30mph between Swakeleys Road and Breakspear Road, and to 20mph near the haul road crossing.

To ensure that this area is ready, we will be carrying out road and utility works along Breakspear Road South from 7 May 2021.

For more information please see our works notification.

If you have a question about HS2 or our works, please contact our HS2 Help desk team on 08081 434 434 or email hs2enquiries@hs2.org.uk .

Our construction partner for the Chilterns Tunnels and Colne Valley Viaduct, Align joint venture, has taken an innovative step to reduce the use of single use plastic on its construction sites .

Analysis of Align’s purchasing data showed that the joint venture, which is made up of three companies, Bouygues Travaux Publics, Sir Robert McAlpine, and VolkerFitzpatrick, was using over 100,000 pairs of disposable blue plastic overshoes in indoor areas at its construction sites every month.

Neil Hancox, Align’s Health, Safety and Wellbeing Director, who spotted the data trend collaborated with the company’s family-run supplier of construction consumables to come up with an innovative and more environmentally friendly solution. Within a matter of weeks, Crawley-based OnSite Support Ltd returned with a prototype shoe made from recycled Taslan.

Each pair of the newly designed overshoes contains recycled material from six plastic bottles. The product is also fully washable and has an anti-slip sole to offer better grip on slippery surfaces. The new shoes, which have been developed in three different sizes to meet the needs of male and female workers, are now in use across our Align construction sites. Within the first month, the shoe covers had proven effective in reducing littering as well as contributing to Align’s target to ensure that 70% of plastic is recycled or reused by the end of the project.

OnSite Support is among the latest innovation-led SMEs to join our supply chain. Over 2,000 companies have already won work on the project, 70% of which are SMEs and over 95% are based in the UK.

If you have a question about HS2 or our works, please contact our HS2 Helpdesk team on 08081 434 434 or email hs2enquiries@hs2.org.uk

Update on Harvil Road Lane closures:

SCS Working in conjunction with other HS2 contractors in the area have optimised their programmes to ensure that disruption is minimised for local residents and the travelling public, this has resulted in some work that was scheduled to take place in April now taking place in Mid-May to allow for other works to be completed. The lane closures on Harvil Road relating to SCS works will be rescheduled. We will be update you as soon as the new dates have been confirmed.

We apologise for any confusion that has resulted from this.

If you have a question about HS2 or our works, please contact our HS2 Help desk team on 08081 434 434 or email hs2enquiries@hs2.org.uk .

From 6 to 11 May 2021 , we will be carrying out sewer system investigations along Station Approach and Long Drive. This will help to inform our design decisions in the area.

Your utility services will not be affected.

For further information please see our works notification.

If you have a question about HS2 or our works, please contact our HS2 Help desk team on 08081 434 434 or email hs2enquiries@hs2.org.uk .

We are holding virtual one to one sessions to learn more about HS2 works in Hillingdon and Northolt. HS2 and their contractors would like to invite you to book an appointment for a virtual one-to-one session. The sessions are a chance to learn more about works in the Hillingdon and Northolt areas.

The 15-minute appointments are available on:

• Monday 26 April, 3pm to 5pm

• Wednesday 28 April, 5pm to 7pm

When registering, please specify your area of interest and postcode.

Topics available include:

• Works in your area

• Highways and traffic

• Noise and vibration

• Utility works

• Community engagement

• Other (please let us know if you have other queries)

You can book a slot via this link .

If you have a question about HS2 or our works, please contact our HS2 Help desk team on 08081 434 434 or email hs2enquiries@hs2.org.uk .

Harvil Road Lane closure:

We wrote to you previously to advise you that we would be carrying out utility works from 19 to 30 April 2021. However, we have rearranged these dates and the works will now take place from 26 to 30 April 2021.

For further information please see our update works notification.

Night work near the Chiltern Line:

We wrote to you previously to advise you that we would be carrying out sheet piling works from 1 to 16 April 2021. However, we have rearranged these dates and the works will now take place from 3 to 15 May.

For further information please see our update works notification.

Notice of night works at West End Road:

We wrote to you previously to advise you that we would be carrying out utility surveys from 13 to 16 April 2021. However, we have rearranged these dates and the surveys will now take place from 26 April to 5 May 2021.

For further information please see our update works notification.

If you have a question about HS2 or our works, please contact our HS2 Help desk team on 08081 434 434 or email hs2enquiries@hs2.org.uk .

We are holding virtual one to one sessions to learn more about HS2 works in Hillingdon and Northolt. HS2 and their contractors would like to invite you to book an appointment for a virtual one-to-one session. The sessions are a chance to learn more about works in the Hillingdon and Northolt areas.

The 15-minute appointments are available on:

• Monday 26 April, 3pm to 5pm

• Wednesday 28 April, 5pm to 7pm

When registering, please specify your area of interest and postcode.

Topics available include:

• Works in your area

• Highways and traffic

• Noise and vibration

• Utility works

• Community engagement

• Other (please let us know if you have other queries)

You can book a slot via this link .

If you have a question about HS2 or our works, please contact our HS2 Helpdesk team on 08081 434 434 or email hs2enquiries@hs2.org.uk.

Piling works:

We are planning to carry out piling works at our sites in Harvil Road and Breakspear Road South from 19 April to 31 July 2021. These works are needed to stabilise the ground while we build the over bridges at these locations. It is an effective approach to combating corrosion and is proven to significantly improve the life expectancy of a structure.

For further information please see our works notification for Harvil Road and Breakspear Road South

Utility surveys:

On 23 April 2021, we will be carrying out sewer system investigations along Blenheim Crescent. This will help to inform our design decisions in the area. We will investigate the condition of the sewer system using a CCTV camera mounted on a small robot. Should we find a blockage, we may need to flush the drainage system using a high-pressure water jet in order to carry out the investigation.

For further information please see our works notification.

If you have a question about HS2 or our works, please contact our HS2 Helpdesk team on 08081 434 434 or email hs2enquiries@hs2.org.uk .

HS2 contractors Align JV will be carrying out temporary survey works on the M25 on both the clockwise and anticlockwise carriageways between Junction 16 (Denham Interchange) and Junction 17 (Maple Cross Interchange).

The survey work, which will be carried out in phases during the daytime and overnight, will last for about three weeks. Works will start on Monday 12 April and are planned until Monday 3 May 2021 . Details of the phasing, dates and carriageways affected are listed in the table overleaf. There will be lane closures in place on both carriageways from 9:30am to 4pm each day and overnight from 10pm to 5am whilst the surveys take place.

Advance warning signage will be put in place prior to the works taking place. Whilst disruption will be kept to a minimum, we would remind road users to plan their journeys and to be aware of the temporary closures of the hard shoulders and some of the lanes to allow the works to be carried out safely.

For further information please see our works notification.

If you have a question about HS2 or our works, please contact our HS2 Helpdesk team on 08081 434 434 or email hs2enquiries@hs2.org.uk .

From 19 to 30 April 2021 , we will undertake ground investigation and surveys of the drainage system on Harvil Road from the junction of Skip Lane, down to our southernmost gates. We will need to close a lane in order to carry out these works safely.

For further information please see our works notification.

If you have a question about HS2 or our works, please contact our HS2 Helpdesk team on 08081 434 434 or email hs2enquiries@hs2.org.uk .

Our contractor, Skanska Costain STRABAG joint venture (SCS Railways), is launching a virtual enterprise academy for the second time and is looking for small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) to get involved .

The three-month programme has 150 free places available and will upskill businesses, giving SMEs the tools to work on projects like Britain's new high-speed railway.

Beginning in April, the Academy will run through until June, and the modules will cover topics including HR, health and safety, social value, carbon management innovation, the environment, risk management, finance and commercial awareness. To get involved, businesses need to have a turnover of £1 million for 2019/2020, a core business offering that aligns with the construction industry, and must demonstrate why they would like to take part in the Academy.

To date, we have already awarded around £18bn worth of contracts directly and a significant proportion of this value is expected to flow out to the wider supply chain. By the end of 2022, it’s estimated this figure will reach around £25bn. Over 2,000 businesses have already won work on the project, 70% of which are SMEs.

Registration for the Virtual Academy closes on Tuesday 6th April. In order to access and apply for a place, businesses need to register on the CompeteFor portal . We and our construction partners also use CompeteFor to advertise all subcontract opportunities, and businesses who set up a company profile can receive tailored alerts to opportunities that match their trade. As Britain strives to build back better, businesses of all sizes from across the UK are encouraged to get ‘HS2 ready’.

For more information about HS2 please contact our HS2 Helpdesk team on 08081 434 434 or email hs2enquiries@hs2.org.uk

From 6 to 9 April 2021 , we will be carrying out sewer system investigations along the rail tracks south of Blenheim Crescent. This will help to inform our design decisions in the area.

We will investigate the condition of the sewer system using a CCTV camera mounted on a small robot. Should we find a blockage, we may need to flush the drainage system using a high-pressure water jet in order to carry out the investigation.

To ensure the safety of operatives and rail users, these works will take place at night during a rail possession.

Your utility services will not be affected.

For further information please see our works notification.

If you have a question about HS2 or our works, please contact our HS2 Helpdesk team on 08081 434 434 or email hs2enquiries@hs2.org.uk .

From the 13 April to 16 April 2021, we will be carrying out sewer system investigations along West End Road. This will help to inform our design decisions in the area.

We will investigate the condition of the sewer system using a CCTV camera mounted on a small robot. We may need to flush the drainage system using a high-pressure water jet should we find a blockage in order to carry out the investigation.

Your utility services will not be affected.

For further information please see our works notification.

If you have a question about HS2 or our works, please contact our HS2 Helpdesk team on 08081 434 434 or email hs2enquiries@hs2.org.uk .

From the week commencing 12 April 2021 , we will be carrying out works along Newyears Green Lane. These works will include:

• vegetation clearance, ecological surveys and hoarding installation. These activities will need to be carried out under a full road closure for safety reasons.

• utility surveys to investigate the condition of the culvert system, using a small CCTV camera mounted on a small robot. We may need to flush the system using a high-pressure water jet in the event of a blockage, in order to complete the investigation. This activity should be completed in one day if the weather permits. Temporary traffic management will be required to ensure these works can be carried out safely.

Access to the BFA Recycling Centre will be maintained throughout the works.

For further information please see our works notification.

If you have a question about HS2 or our works, please contact our HS2 Helpdesk team on 08081 434 434 or email hs2enquiries@hs2.org.uk .

On Wednesday 7 April 2021 , we will be carrying out manhole investigations.

We will be investigating the condition of the manholes using a CCTV camera mounted on a small robot. Should we find a blockage we may need to flush the drainage system using a high-pressure water jet in order to carry out the investigation.

Your utility services will not be affected.

For further information please see our works notification.

If you have a question about HS2 or our works, please contact our HS2 Helpdesk team on 08081 434 434 or email hs2enquiries@hs2.org.uk .

From Tuesday 6 April to Thursday 8 April 2021, our surveying team will be visiting locations between Northolt and South Ruislip to carry out surveys on and near the railway tracks in this area.

The surveys will be carried out during a track possession while trains are not running between 1am to 5am. Our surveyors will use a tripod to measure angles and distance. Hand tools will be used to minimise noise.

For further information please see our works notification.

If you have a question about HS2 or our works, please contact our HS2 Helpdesk team on 08081 434 434 or email hs2enquiries@hs2.org.uk .

We would like to invite you to our second ‘You Said, We Did’ online event and virtual exhibition to share the final design for the Chiltern Tunnel South Portal and the design for the surrounding landscape. This online 'webinar' will take place on Thursday, 25 March, from 6.30-8pm and has been set up to give the local community the opportunity to hear from the team designing and building the railway in your area.

Since spring 2018 we have held a series of information events with the local community to share details on the progress of the designs, construction, and to seek views and respond to feedback for the Colne Valley Western Slopes, the South Portal and Colne Valley Viaduct. The webinars and online exhibition are the latest in that series.

Due to Covid-19 we have postponed all public face-to-face engagement events and meetings, but we will continue to find new ways to involve the community. At the online ‘You Said, We Did’ event, you will hear from the team designing and building the railway and our team of experts will also be available to answer any questions you may have.

During the session we will:

This event will take place on:

View or download our Chiltern Tunnel South Portal and Colne Valley Western Slopes 'You Said, We Did' engagement boards, March 2021:

Useful links

If you have a question about HS2 or our works, please contact our HS2 Helpdesk team on 08081 434 434 or email hs2enquiries@hs2.org.uk .

From 6 April we will be carrying out utility surveys and utility connection along Harvil Road as part of the road realignment works. Temporary traffic management and lane closures will be required to ensure the works can be carried out safely.

We will work during off peak hours and out of hours where possible to minimise disruption. The service provider will provide advance notification if your utility services will be disrupted.

For further information please see our works notification.

If you have a question about HS2 or our works, please contact our HS2 Helpdesk team on 08081 434 434 or email hs2enquiries@hs2.org.uk .

We wrote to you previously to advise you that we would be carrying out utility surveys from 15 to 17 March. However, we will now require additional time to complete these works. The extended period will be from 6 to 16 April 2021. We will be carrying out ground and sewer system investigation at Cedar Avenue and Great Central Avenue.

The ground investigation will involve the use of scanning equipment to identify the utilities in the area. We will be excavating trial holes to take measurements and ground samples. To investigate the condition of the sewer system and the manholes, we will be using a CCTV camera mounted on a small robot. Should we find a blockage we may need to flush the drainage system using a high-pressure water jet in order to carry out the investigation.

Your utility services will not be affected.

For further information please see our works notification.

If you have a question about HS2 or our works, please contact our HS2 Helpdesk team on 08081 434 434 or email hs2enquiries@hs2.org.uk .

On Tuesday 6 April, we will be carrying out sewer system investigations along Bridgwater Road. This will help to inform our design decisions in the area.

We will investigate the condition of the sewer system and the manholes using a CCTV camera mounted on a small robot. Should we find a blockage we may need to flush the drainage system using a high pressure water jet in order to carry out the investigation.

The surveys will be carried out below street level, therefore temporary traffic management will be in place to ensure the surveys can be carried out safely.

Your utility services will not be affected.

For further information please see our works notification.

If you have a question about HS2 or our works, please contact our HS2 Helpdesk team on 08081 434 434 or email hs2enquiries@hs2.org.uk .

This is an update to a previous notification sent in February 2021.

The previous notification stated that we needed a lane closure until the 19 March 2021. However, we will require additional time to complete these works. The work will be extended by one week and additionally we will require a night time full road closure on 29 March . This is to ensure that the installation of traffic barriers and bell mouth access can be carried out safely.

For further information please see our updated works notification.

If you have a question about HS2 or our works, please contact our HS2 Helpdesk team on 08081 434 434 or email hs2enquiries@hs2.org.uk .

Preparations for the launch of our first giant tunnelling machines increased this week as the first of 112,000 wall segments for the Chiltern tunnel rolled off a purpose-built production line at the project’s tunnelling HQ close to the M25 .

The project’s first two Tunnel Boring Machines (TBMs) - named Florence and Cecilia - are due to launch in early summer. Each of the 170-metre long, 2,000-tonne machines will spend more than three years underground, digging and slotting the wall segments into place to create the 10-mile long tunnels.

Made of high-performance fibre-reinforced concrete, the segments are being produced at a temporary pre-cast factory next to the TBM launch pads at what will be the south portal of the tunnels. This will avoid putting extra HGVs on local roads and ensure a steady supply of segments for the TBMs.

Construction of the Chiltern tunnel, and nearby Colne Valley Viaduct, is being led by our main works contractor, Align JV - a joint venture made up of three companies: Bouygues Travaux Publics, Sir Robert McAlpine, and VolkerFitzpatrick. Work on the two structures will support around 1,200 jobs.

Once construction is complete, the pre-cast factory and the rest of the south portal site will be cleared, with the chalk excavated from the tunnels used to landscape the site and create high-quality chalk grassland and other wildlife habitats.

If you have a question about HS2 or our works, please contact our HS2 Helpdesk team on 08081 434 434 or email hs2enquiries@hs2.org.uk

From 29 March 2021 we will be carrying out ground investigations at Stonefield Park and Bridgwater Fields.

This will help to inform our design decisions in the area. The ground investigation will use scanning equipment to identify existing utilities in the area. We will be excavating trial holes to take measurements and ground samples.

For further information please see our works notification for Stonefield Park and Bridgwater Fields

If you have a question about HS2 or our works, please contact our HS2 Helpdesk team on 08081 434 434 or email hs2enquiries@hs2.org.uk .

We are holding virtual one to one sessions to learn more about HS2 works in Hillingdon and Northolt. HS2 and their contractors would like to invite you to book an appointment for a virtual one-to-one session. The sessions are a chance to learn more about works in the Hillingdon and Northolt areas.

The 15-minute appointments are available on:

• Monday 22 March, 3pm to 5pm

• Wednesday 24 March, 5pm to 7pm

When registering, please specify your area of interest and postcode.

Topics available include:

You can book a slot via this link.

If you have a question about HS2 or our works, please contact our HS2 Helpdesk team on 08081 434 434 or email hs2enquiries@hs2.org.uk .

Construction of the UK’s longest railway bridge began this week, with an expert team of ground engineers sinking the first of almost 300 piles that will form the foundations for the Colne Valley Viaduct .

The viaduct, which will carry the new high-speed rail line for 3.4km across a series of lakes and waterways on the north west outskirts of London, will be almost a kilometre longer than the Forth Rail Bridge and carry trains travelling at speeds of up to 200mph.

Set low in the landscape, the design was inspired by the flight of a stone skipping across the water, with a series of elegant spans, some up to 80m long, carrying the railway around 10m above the surface of the lakes, River Colne and Grand Union Canal.

The structure will be supported by 56 piers, with the widest spans reserved for where the viaduct crosses the lakes, and narrower spans for the approaches. This design was chosen to enable views across the landscape, minimise the viaduct’s footprint on the lakes and help complement the natural surroundings.

Over the next year, engineers from HS2 Ltd’s main works contractor Align JV – a team made up of Bouygues Travaux Publics, Sir Robert McAlpine, and VolkerFitzpatrick – will construct 292 piles under the ground to support the viaduct piers.

On top of each group of piles – some of which will go up to 55m into the ground - a concrete pile cap will support the pier which will in turn support the full 6,000 tonne weight of the bridge structure above. Instead of hammering the piles into the ground, holes will be bored before being backfilled to create the pile. The main deck of the viaduct will be built in sections at a temporary factory nearby before being assembled from north to south.

Over the last six years, HS2 has worked closely with Affinity Water and the Environment Agency to monitor water quality and agree working methods. These will be monitored by a team of specialist engineers during construction in order to protect the natural environment.

An extensive programme of test piling has already been completed with engineers sinking 12 piles at two locations with geological and structural data from these tests fed back into the design of the viaduct. This has resulted in a 10-15% reduction in the depth of the piles and associated time and cost savings.

If you have a question about HS2 or our works, please contact our HS2 Helpdesk team on 08081 434 434 or email hs2enquiries@hs2.org.uk .

We have introduced a new, user-friendly interactive map to the HS2 website, making it easier and simpler for you to find out what current and upcoming works we are carrying out in your area .

The new In your area map brings all of our work notifications together on one page, making it easier for you to navigate and ensure you are kept up-to-date on the work we are doing to deliver the new railway. There is also a text only view , which allows you to view the information in a table and filter results for each area.

Each work item, highlighted on the map with a 'hard hat' icon, lets you know:

You can easily see any other works we might be doing nearby, also pinpointed with an icon.

We will be introducing further improvements to the mapping tool and to this local website over the coming months. We will keep you informed of changes as they happen through our regular email notifications and our local engagement events and activities.

We'd like to know what you think about the new mapping tool and ways that we can improve it, to ensure that you can easily find information about the delivery of the railway in your area and how to contact us if you have any questions.

Let us know your views by completing our In your area map feedback survey .

If you have any questions about the recent changes or would like some help using the new interactive map, please contact our HS2 Helpdesk team on 08081 434 434 or email hs2enquiries@hs2.org.uk .

An ambitious scheme designed by our landscape architects, ecologists, engineers and soil specialists, aims to reuse construction materials to create 127 hectares of new chalk grassland, woodland, wood pasture and wetland habitats that will substantially enhance the local natural environment.

Chiltern Tunnel South Portal Aerial View

The Colne Valley Western Slopes project will be a major contributor to help meet our carbon reduction targets by delivering significant ecological gains. It will also reduce the carbon footprint of the project by cutting road haulage and waste treatment activities and arable land will be replaced with natural habitats.

Plant species and habitats are being carefully selected to be resilient to a changing climate. Almost 65,000 trees and 32 species of shrubs will be planted, together with nearly 3.5km of new hedgerows. Around 90 hectares of calcareous grasslands, which once thrived on the valley slopes, will also be established and areas of historic woodland reinstated. The project, being designed and delivered by our civils contractor Align, will provide wider health and recreation benefits for neighbouring communities, including providing new connected green spaces and around 4.5km of new footpath, cycling and horse-riding routes.

Arable land that is initially needed for a major works compound to construct the Colne Valley Viaduct and Chilterns Tunnel will be transformed by reusing existing soils and recycling three million m3 of chalk taken from the tunnel excavation, as well as concrete and limestone aggregate materials used in the construction process. Reusing materials instead of transporting them away by road will significantly reduce carbon, while the excavated material will be used to re-establish the distinctive local chalk valley landscape, replicate natural drainage flows and establish the right growing conditions for calcareous grassland across the site.

Calcareous grasslands, which develop on shallow soils overlying chalk or limestone, are a valuable, scarce and rapidly declining habitat in the UK, with this decline reflected in both the Colne Valley and adjacent Chiltern Hills. The neighbouring Chilterns Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty is currently thought to support around 700 hectares of chalk grassland.

This collaborative project will provide a unique opportunity to create one of the largest extents of such habitat in this area. New planting and seeding will create an extensive mosaic of habitat that will potentially be colonised by hundreds of species of flora and fauna, including invertebrates, birds, mammals, reptiles and amphibians.

Align is currently preparing the site for the launch of the two tunnel boring machines that will excavate the 16km-long Chiltern Tunnels. Once launched in 2021, the site will receive a continuous supply of chalk until tunnel completion in 2024. Field trials are in preparation ahead of final seeding, and planting of trees and shrubs in 2025. At peak, around 1,200 people are expected to be employed in the design and construction of the Chiltern tunnels and the viaduct, with 50 opportunities for apprentices.

You will be able to see the full plans at our dedicated ‘You Said, We Did’ online webinars which are taking place on:

If you have a question about HS2 or our works, please contact our HS2 Helpdesk team on 08081 434 434 or email hs2enquiries@hs2.org.uk .

We are holding virtual one to one sessions to learn more about HS2 works in Hillingdon and Northolt. HS2 and their contractors would like to invite you to book an appointment for a virtual one-to-one session. The sessions are a chance to learn more about works in the Hillingdon and Northolt areas.

The 15-minute appointments are available on:

• Monday 22 March, 3pm to 5pm

• Wednesday 24 March, 5pm to 7pm

When registering, please specify your area of interest and postcode.

Topics available include:

You can book a slot via this link.

If you have a question about HS2 or our works, please contact our HS2 Helpdesk team on 08081 434 434 or email hs2enquiries@hs2.org.uk .

We would like to invite you to our ‘You Said, We Did’ online events and virtual exhibition to share the final design for the Chiltern Tunnel South Portal and the design for the surrounding landscape. These online 'webinars' have been set up to give the local community the opportunity to hear from the team designing and building the railway in your area.

Since spring 2018 we have held a series of information events with the local community to share details on the progress of the designs, construction, and to seek views and respond to feedback for the Colne Valley Western Slopes, the South Portal and Colne Valley Viaduct. The webinars and online exhibition are the latest in that series.

View or download our Chiltern Tunnel South Portal and Colne Valley Western Slopes 'You Said, We Did' engagement boards, March 2021:

Due to Covid-19 we have postponed all public face-to-face engagement events and meetings, but we will continue to find new ways to involve the community.

At the online ‘You Said, We Did’ events, you will hear from the team designing and building the railway and our team of experts will also be available to answer any questions you may have.

During the sessions we will:

This event is being held on two dates, please select which date to you would like to attend when registering:

Useful links

If you have a question about HS2 or our works, please contact our HS2 Helpdesk team on 08081 434 434 or email hs2enquiries@hs2.org.uk .

We are undertaking topographical surveys along the course of the Ickenham Stream from The Greenway, (above the Thames Water sewer) down to the junction with Ickenham High Road.

This work is carried out by a small number of operatives and will take no more than a couple of days to complete. We are undertaking this work now to prevent having to cut back undergrowth later in the year.

For more information please see our works notification.

If you have a question about HS2 or our works, please contact our HS2 Helpdesk team on 08081 434 434 or email hs2enquiries@hs2.org.uk .

Update notification:

We wrote to you in February to tell you about surveyor visits that would take place on 10 March and 24 March 2021.

We have rearranged these dates and the surveys will now take place on Saturday 13 March and Sunday 14 March 2021 . Our surveying team will be visiting locations between South Ruislip and West Ruislip to carry out surveys on and near the railway tracks.

For further information please see our works notification.

If you have a question about HS2 or our works, please contact our HS2 Helpdesk team on 08081 434 434 or email hs2enquiries@hs2.org.uk .

Further to the previous update regarding the piling works ongoing at Harvil Road

Further to the previous updates provided earlier this year, you will be aware that our contractors SCS Railways have undertaken a number of trials and changed the methodology for the piling works being undertaken at Harvil Road. We wanted to provide you with an update regarding this work.

During the last few weeks, we have been able to progress with a number of piles using a combination of quieter methods. We are now concentrating on getting the piles that we were previously installing using the impact piling method earlier in the year driven to depth.

In conjunction with the local stakeholders and the Local Authority, we have agreed a program to continue with the remailing sheet piles in a carefully controlled way.

This will commence today, 3 March 2021 and you may notice some shorter periods of noisier works between certain hours. These times have been chosen to minimise the disruption to both local stakeholders and community.

These will be late morning, Lunchtime and late afternoon. We are aiming to have this work completed within the next two weeks.

Our update notification can be found here.

If you have a question about HS2 or our works, please contact our HS2 Helpdesk team on 08081 434 434 or email hs2enquiries@hs2.org.uk .

During the week commencing 15 March 2021 , we will be carrying out works along Newyears Green Lane. These works are detailed below:

• vegetation clearance. This activity will need to be carried out under a road closure, between 8am and 6pm. At the end of each shift we will restore the area to its previous condition.

• utility surveys to investigate the condition of the culvert system, using a small CCTV camera mounted on a small robot. If a blockage is found, we may need to flush the system using a high-pressure water jet in order to complete the investigation. This activity will be completed in one day if the weather permits.

Due to the location of these works, temporary traffic management will be required to ensure the surveys can be carried out safely.

Access to the BFA Recycling Centre will be maintained throughout the works.

For further information please see our works notification.

If you have a question about HS2 or our works, please contact our HS2 Helpdesk team on 08081 434 434 or email hs2enquiries@hs2.org.uk .

On Wednesday 10 March and Wednesday 24 March 2021 , our surveying team will be visiting locations between Northolt and South Ruislip to carry out surveys on and near the railway tracks. The surveys will be carried out during a track possession while trains are not running between 1am and 5am on the above dates.

For further information please see our works notification.

If you have a question about HS2 or our works, please contact our HS2 Helpdesk team on 08081 434 434 or email hs2enquiries@hs2.org.uk .

We are delighted to announce that from today (Monday, February 22), applications are now open for residents across Phase One and Phase 2a of the HS2 route to become Local Community Representatives .

As part of the Construction Commissioner Steering Group (CCSG), you will represent your community, share and communicate a range of experiences and perspectives as Britain’s new high-speed railway is built, and also help to monitor the performance of the Independent Construction Commissioner (ICC).

We are seeking to recruit a number of Local Community Representatives to sit on the CCSG, which is independent of HS2 and the Department for Transport. The Group meets three to four times a year, in either Birmingham or London (when attending physical meetings) and also virtually.

For more details about these exciting opportunities and how to apply, please click on the links below. If you have any questions about the CCSG or about becoming a Local Community Representative, you can also contact: community@hs2.org.uk

Applications close on Friday, March 26, 2021 .

If you have a question about HS2 or our works, please contact our HS2 Helpdesk team on 08081 434 434 or email hs2enquiries@hs2.org.uk .

As part of the substation installation, we will have 2no. Electrical Voltage Transformers delivered to our site. These transformers will change the incoming voltage from 33kV down to 11kV so that we can eventually power the Tunnel Boring Machines at their required voltages.

Our transformers will be delivered at the weekend as they are coming directly from their delivery port, as they have been shipped from overseas. They are delivered through the night due to the load and will arrive at the West Ruislip portal in the morning in each instance. The works to install these transformers will be carried out across the following weekends:

Transformer 1 delivery: Saturday 13th March and Sunday 14th March

Transformer 2 delivery: Saturday 27th March and Sunday 28th March

At present, these dates are planned with our suppliers, however should there be any changes to the delivery due to freight passing the UK border we will update all residents and businesses accordingly.

For further information please see our updates here.

If you have a question about HS2 or our works, please contact our HS2 Helpdesk team on 08081 434 434 or email hs2enquiries@hs2.org.uk .

Utility surveys at Breakspear Road South:

During the week commencing 1 March 2021, we will be carrying out utility surveys along Breakspear Road South near Fine Bush Lane. This will help to inform our design decisions in the area.

For further information please see pour works notification.

Cedar Avenue and Great Central Avenue update:

From 15 March 2021, we will be carrying out ground and sewer system investigation at Cedar Avenue and Great Central Avenue. This will help to inform our design decisions in the area.

For further information please see our update works notification.

Breakspear Road South weekend closure update:

To reduce the number of HS2 lorries using local roads we are building an internal haul road between our construction sites, crossing Breakspear Road South. To build the crossing point we will need to close Breakspear Road South from 19-22 March 2021. Closing the road and working over a single weekend will reduce the impact on traffic flow in the area and to allow us to work safely.

For further information please see our update works notification.

Breakspear Road South closures - further update:

We are trying to reduce the number of lorries using local roads. To this end we are continuing to set up a crossing point for our internal haul Road across Breakspear Road South.

To ensure that this area is ready for our future works we will need to construct wider junctions. These bell-mouth junctions make it easier for lorries to negotiate turns and ensure that they do not enter the opposite carriageways. We will also secure stronger verges, erect hoarding and carry out modifications to the pedestrian footways and crossings. Most of the works on the carriageways will be under lane closures.

However, there will be night time full road closures needed on 23 February and 14 March. This is to ensure that the installation of traffic barriers and bell mouth access can be carried out safely.

For further information please see our further update works notification.

If you have a question about HS2 or our works, please contact our HS2 Helpdesk team on 08081 434 434 or email hs2enquiries@hs2.org.uk .

HS2 are pleased to confirm that we have completed our temporary highway works at Harvil Road ahead of schedule. As of 8pm yesterday, Thursday 18th February, the road closure of Harvil Road was lifted and the road returned to normal use.

If you have a question about HS2 or our works, please contact our HS2 Helpdesk team on 08081 434 434 or email hs2enquiries@hs2.org.uk .

We have introduced a new and innovative approach to tackling Invasive Non-Native Species (INNS), saving money - an estimated £1.8m in the Colne Valley - time, and carbon output by minimising soil excavation and heavily reducing waste to landfill.

INNS are recognised as a major cause of biodiversity loss in the UK, and are unwelcome intruders in many areas. Non-native plants such as Japanese Knotweed, Himalayan Balsam, Giant Hogweed and Rhododendron are becoming more common to our landscapes, to the detriment of native habitats. Working with AECOM, we have implemented an effective strategy which drastically reduces waste creation, only implementing offsite disposal of soil contaminated with INNS and their seeds if other solutions are not feasible.

Traditionally on infrastructure projects, all soil containing INNS plants, rhizomes and seeds would be removed from site, including excavation of a larger buffer zone, and disposed of according to current legislation for controlled waste. Instead, we are implementing measures focused on biosecurity and ‘surgical’ excavation, avoiding most of the costs and lorry movements associated with waste disposal, while assuring removal of the problem.

Our contractor Fusion JV worked with specialists in AECOM to manage a range of INNS, including the removal of significant areas of Japanese Knotweed in the Colne Valley area. Minimising excavation saves substantial time, cost and carbon footprint by heavily reducing waste to landfill, resulting in cost savings estimated at £1.8m. The site preparation works by Fusion JV for the 3.5km Colne Valley Viaduct involved extensive herbicide treatment followed by 4,700m3 of Japanese Knotweed-infested soil removal, all executed with strict biosecurity protocols within the Mid Colne Valley Site of Special Scientific Interest.

Conventional excavation of the Japanese Knotweed would have required vastly more soil to be removed, including areas adjacent to waterbodies in the Colne Valley, which would have necessitated major temporary works and significantly more waste disposal and imported backfill. Through a more strategic approach involving avoidance, partial removal, selective re-use, and capping instead of simply transporting away soil potentially impacted by INNS material, the excavation requirements were less than 30% of original estimates.

AECOM uses an array of different methodologies focused on biosecurity, including soil protection, fencing and washdown stations, as well as in situ herbicide treatment. Alongside detailed specialist surveys and minimised excavations, this approach reduces environmental impacts and lorry loads of waste that would otherwise be transported away from site to landfill.

If you have a question about HS2 or our works, please contact our HS2 Helpdesk team on 08081 434 434 or email hs2enquiries@hs2.org.uk .

We are holding an online session to provide you with information on our construction activities planned for 2021 at the South Ruislip ventilation shaft site.

The session will take place on Wednesday 3 March, from 5pm to 6 .30pm. You can register to attend here .

The event will begin with a presentation on the ventilation shaft building, lorry routes and upcoming works, followed by a live questions and answers session. Our site team will be present to answer questions you have about works.

We will be running this session via Microsoft Teams Meetings, which is a free to use online platform. If you have the Microsoft Teams app installed on your desktop or mobile device, the session will open automatically within that.

Further joining instructions will be sent to all registered attendees closer to the time.

If you have a question about HS2 or our works, please contact our HS2 Helpdesk team on 08081 434 434 or email hs2enquiries@hs2.org.uk.

Further to the previous update regarding the piling works ongoing at Harvil Road

Towards the end of today 18 February 2021, there may be some short intervals of louder trials which should last no longer than 15-20 minutes while we test the effectiveness of some additional localised noise mitigation.

Once these trials have been undertaken and they have confirmed the noise levels for the revised methodology, we plan to resume our activities to continue the installation of the remaining piles which as stated previously will be considerably quieter than earlier in the year.

If you have a question about HS2 or our works, please contact our HS2 Helpdesk team on 08081 434 434 or email hs2enquiries@hs2.org.uk .

To reduce the number of HS2 lorries using local roads we are building an internal haul road between our construction sites, crossing Breakspear Road South. To build the crossing point we will need to close Breakspear Road South from 12-15 March 2021. Closing the road and working over a single weekend will reduce the impact on traffic flow in the area and will allow us to work safely.

We will remove the existing road surface in order to construct wider junctions. Additionally, we will compact the area and resurface the carriageway, which will include new line markings and repositioning of concrete traffic barriers.

For further information please see our works notification.

If you have a question about HS2 or our works, please contact our HS2 Helpdesk team on 08081 434 434 or email hs2enquiries@hs2.org.uk .

Vegetation clearance:

We will be clearing vegetation at the end of the footpath to assist with further ground investigations in the area. This activity will need hand tools only to clear away brambles and ground foliage.

For further information please see our works notification

Piling, Cofferdam, and Jetty works in Denham and Harefield:

In March 2021 we will start to build the viaduct at our compound next to the A412 in Denham, Buckinghamshire. We will work across the Colne Valley from north to south, using our system of internal haul roads, works compounds and signalized road crossings to keep HGVs off local road network wherever possible.

We will keep residents and businesses updated on the progress we are making, providing notification of any impacts that our work may have. This information is intended to give communities in the Colne Valley an overview of how and where the main construction activity will take place over the next 2-3 years.

For further information please see our works notification.

If you have a question about HS2 or our works, please contact our HS2 Helpdesk team on 08081 434 434 or email hs2enquiries@hs2.org.uk .

Chiltern Line works update:

We wrote to you recently about night time works near the Chiltern line. We have revised the dates for these works which will now take place from 15 February to 1 March 2021 and 1 April to 16 April 2021. These dates have been revised due to the piling methodology review being carried out in this area.

For more information please see our original works notification.

Update on Breakspear Road South with revised dates:

We are trying to reduce the number of lorries using local roads. To this end we are continuing to set up a crossing point for our internal haul road across Breakspear Road South. To ensure that this area is ready for our future works we will need to construct wider junctions. These bell-mouth junctions make it easier for lorries to negotiate turns and ensure that they do not enter the opposite carriageways.

We will also secure stronger verges, erect hoarding and carry out modifications to the pedestrian footways and crossings. Most of the works on the carriageways will be under lane closures. However, there will be night time full road closures needed on 23 February and 7 March 2021 . This is to ensure that the installation of traffic barriers and bell mouth access can be carried out safely.

For further information please see our works notification.

If you have a question about HS2 or our works, please contact our HS2 Helpdesk team on 08081 434 434 or email hs2enquiries@hs2.org.uk .

HS2 and their contractors would like to invite you to book an appointment for a virtual one-to-one session.

The sessions are a chance to learn more about works in the Hillingdon and Northolt areas.

The 15-minute appointments are available on:

• Monday 22 February, 3pm to 5pm

• Wednesday 24 February, 5pm to 7pm

When registering, please specify your area of interest and postcode.

Topics include:

The sessions will be undertaken on Microsoft Teams Meetings. Once you have booked your appointment, we will send you a link to join your meeting by laptop or mobile device. If possible, please download the Microsoft Teams app in advance of the meeting.

Further information can be found on the Community Engagement section of www.hs2inkilburn-northolt.co.uk and www.hs2inhillingdon.co.uk.

We look forward to hearing from you.

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This update is to remind you of the full road closure of Harvil Road between the 13th February to 21st February.

This road closure is required in order to undertake essential work to prepare for the temporary diversion of Harvil Road. These works will allow us to prepare for the new permanent alignment of the road over both the Chiltern and HS2 Rail lines. We only implement road closures when there is an absolute need for safety to both the public and our operatives.

The attached map outlines the location of our road closure on Harvil Road as well as the closed access point to the public right of way. A diversion route will be clearly marked for all vehicles to follow.

If you have a question about HS2 or our works, please contact our HS2 Helpdesk team on 08081 434 434 or email hs2enquiries@hs2.org.uk .

From 24 February 2021, we will be creating two small work sites next to Breakspear Road South and in the fields next to Ickenham Cricket Club grounds.

We will be working with Instalcom to redirect the overhead electricity cables in the HS2 work area. Instalcom Ltd (working on behalf of SSEN), will create these sites. From the first site, we will launch a small tunnel boring machine that will drill underground towards the east. It will travel underneath the River Pinn and emerge within the second site. The machine will then return along the tunnel that has been created, pulling electricity cables back to the first site.

Your electricity supply will not be affected.

For further information please see our works notification.

If you have a question about HS2 or our works, please contact our HS2 Helpdesk team on 08081 434 434 or email hs2enquiries@hs2.org.uk .

Further to the update last week regarding the piling works ongoing at Harvil Road

Towards the end of today 8 February 2021, there may be some short intervals of louder trials which should last no longer than 15-20 minutes while we test the effectiveness of some additional localised noise mitigation.

Once these trials have been undertaken and they have confirmed the noise levels for the revised methodology, we plan to resume our activities to continue the installation of the remaining piles which as stated previously will be considerably quieter than earlier in the year.

Please see our update notification.

If you have a question about HS2 or our works, please contact our HS2 Helpdesk team on 08081 434 434 or email hs2enquiries@hs2.org.uk .

Utility surveys at Bridgwater Road:

From 22 February 2021, we will be carrying out ground and sewer system investigation along Bridgwater Road.

This will help to inform our design decisions in the area. The ground investigation will involve the use of scanning equipment to identify the utilities in the area. We will be excavating trial holes to take measurements and ground samples.

Your utility services will not be affected.

For further information please see our works notification.

Utility surveys at Victoria Road:

From 1 March 2021, we will be carrying out ground and sewer system investigations along Victoria Road. This will help to inform our design decisions in the area. The ground investigation will involve the use of scanning equipment to identify the utilities in the area. We will be excavating trial holes to take measurements and ground samples.

Your utility services will not be affected.

For further information please see our works notification.

Update notification - Closures at Breakspear Road South:

In an attempt to reduce the number of lorries using local roads, we are continuing to set up a crossing point for our internal haul road across Breakspear Road South. To ensure that this area is ready for our future works we will need to construct wider junctions. These bell-mouth junctions make it easier for lorries to negotiate turns and ensure that they do not enter the opposite carriageways.

We will also secure stronger verges, erect hoarding and carry out modifications to the pedestrian footways and crossings.

We will maintain access to your property at all times.

For further information please see our update works notification.

If you have a question about HS2 or our works, please contact our HS2 Helpdesk team on 08081 434 434 or email hs2enquiries@hs2.org.uk .

Utility surveys:

From 15 February 2021, we will be carrying out ground and sewer system investigation at Cedar Avenue and Great Central Avenue. This will help to inform our design decisions in the area. The ground investigation will involve the use of scanning equipment to identify the utilities in the area. We will be excavating trial holes to take measurements and ground samples.

In order to investigate the condition of the sewer system and the manholes, we will be using a CCTV camera mounted on a small robot. Should we find a blockage we may need to flush the drainage system using a high-pressure water jet in order to carry out the investigation.

Your utility services will not be affected.

For further information please see our works notification.

Soil replacement:

Starting late February, we will be preparing the ground that will form the base of the new rail line by excavating the soil and replacing it with an aggregate based material.

This base will extend from what will be the portal area to the start of the bridge that will be erected over Breakspear Road South. We will excavate the soil to a depth of approximately 1.5m using bulldozers and excavators and replace with aggregate. Once it is laid the material will be compacted using rollers to create a solid base upon which the ballast and rail lines will be placed at a later stage.

For further information please see our works notification.

If you have a question about HS2 or our works, please contact our HS2 Helpdesk team on 08081 434 434 or email hs2enquiries@hs2.org.uk .

We have launched our brand-new jobs site to promote the estimated 20,000 roles that Phase One of the project is creating in the months and years ahead, the first time all opportunities to work directly on HS2 have been available to search in one place.

This follows the Prime Minister's announcement of the 22,000 job opportunities available on the high speed rail project, when officially starting construction in September 2020. The initiative has the backing of the Department for Work and Pensions and a Memorandum of Understanding, which sets out the agreed roles and responsibilities of HS2 Ltd and its job brokerage partners, is in place between the two organisations.

The new digital platform, hosted on the HS2 website  , offers those looking for work or a change of career, the opportunity to search the very latest vacancies with our construction partners and station contractors delivering the London to Birmingham section of the railway. The jobs board allows prospective candidates to search for vacancies by region or specialism, so they can quickly identify opportunities that match their criteria. 

In September 2020, our four main works contractors and two station construction partners estimated that they would create over 20,000 jobs to support the decade-long construction programme for Phase One of the project. The jobs board, highlighting opportunities to work with us within the  supply chain, makes it easier for jobseekers to navigate and find a position that matches their career aspirations.

It has been developed as part of a job brokerage partnership model, bringing together local authorities, enterprise partnerships, charities and employment support services along the 140-mile route of the first phase of the new railway. Job brokerage partners will play an integral role in supporting individuals from local communities, disadvantaged and underrepresented groups into employment on the project, in line with objectives set out in our Skills, Employment and Education Strategy.

We have already supported 13,000 jobs, including more than 400 new apprenticeship starts and over 550 previously unemployed individuals. Throughout the COVID-19 crisis, we and our contractors also supported over 100 work experience placements to ensure that individuals are actively engaged with the programme and have the very best opportunity to capitalise on future career openings. 

The start of main construction works last year was a catalyst for the project, spearheading £12bn of contract opportunities which British businesses are beginning to bid for.  As our tier one contractors begin procuring suppliers and services required to deliver their work packages, the number of job opportunities will increase. This heightened demand has created new career pathways and long-term career prospects for individuals at all levels, in both blue and white-collar roles.

Please click here for more information about HS2’s job brokerage programme, or to search for vacancies on the new job platform .

If you have a question about HS2 or our works, please contact our HS2 Helpdesk team on 08081 434 434 or email hs2enquiries@hs2.org.uk .

We will be carrying out an upgrade to the footpath that runs alongside the River Pinn, under the Chiltern Line rail bridge and then eastwards towards Hoylake Crescent.

To improve the current condition of the footpath we will scrape away the existing topsoil and level the ground. We will then place suitable material onto the path and roller to create a level surface.

The footpath will remain open, however, we will need to complete the work in stages, closing half of the footpath at a time.

For further information and a map please see our works notification.

If you have a question about HS2 or our works, please contact our HS2 Helpdesk team on 08081 434 434 or email hs2enquiries@hs2.org.uk .

Competing against 500 other nominees worldwide, HS2’s main works civils contractor Align JV and civil engineering company Roadbridge have won a Green Apple Environment Award in the Innovation category for their use of thermal camera drones to spot Skylark nests.

The Green Apple Awards are run by the Green Organisation – an independent international environment group that recognises, rewards and promotes environmental best practice around the world.

A thermal camera drone used for surveys

Align JV, responsible for delivering the section of the highspeed railway which includes the Chiltern Tunnel and the Colne Valley Viaduct, worked with its contractor Roadbridge, to introduce thermal camera drones to dramatically improve the accuracy of nesting birds’ surveys, helping to protect the species and enable faster and more effective results for ecologists working on the project.

As ground-nesting birds with well camouflaged nests, Skylarks are very difficult to survey. However, using a thermal camera, the drone can calibrate to the ground temperature and other objects to lock onto a heat source and identify the birds’ nests extremely accurately. This includes birds on the nest, eggs on the nest and birds sheltering on the ground.

At 12 metres above ground level the drone captures an area of approximately 9m2, which reduces search times and provides a clear perspective from a 90 degree view of the ground below. Exclusion zones are then put on Computer Aided Design (CAD) drawings and into the Global Positioning System (GPS) of machinery working on site to let operators know when they are working near exclusion zones, to protect nests and allow works to progress safely.

If you have a question about HS2 or our works, please contact our HS2 Helpdesk team on 08081 434 434 or email hs2enquiries@hs2.org.uk .

Further to the note regarding the sheet piling at our worksite on Harvil Road last week, we are now in a position to resume the piling. Our contractors SCS have revised their methodology, which will reduce the noise impact as they undertake these exceptionally deep piles.

These sheet piles will allow us to build a new bridge structure which will eventually span both the existing Chiltern line and the new HS2 railway, and which will carry the realigned Harvil Road.

The majority of the trials due to take place today ( 27 January, 2021 ) are not expected to cause any disruption to the local area as we will carefully monitor them to ensure that the predicted noise levels are in line with what is actually being produced on site.

Towards the end of today there may be some short intervals of louder trials which should last no longer than 15-20 minutes while we test the effectiveness of some additional localised noise mitigation.

Once these trials have been undertaken and they have confirmed the noise levels for the revised methodology, we plan to resume our activities to continue the installation of the remaining piles which will be considerably quieter than earlier in the year.

We would like to take this opportunity to apologise for the inconvenience caused by the work carried out either side of Christmas and would like to reassure you that every effort is being taken to ensure that these are resumed in a way that minimises future disruption.

Please see our update notification.

If you have a question about HS2 or our works, please contact our HS2 Helpdesk team on 08081 434 434 or email hs2enquiries@hs2.org.uk .

With many parents supporting children who are learning at home during the current time, we have developed a range of interesting curriculum-linked projects to work on at home. These include shorter activities ideal for families supporting younger children with learning at home and pre-planned lessons that secondary school teachers could set students as part of their curriculum learning.

The online resources were created as a result of us being unable to visit schools to deliver our regular programme of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) workshops because of Covid-19 restrictions and also schools being less able to take students 'off-curriculum' for career-themed activities due to the disruption caused by the pandemic.

Our Skills, Employment and Education team has created plans for STEM lessons which teachers can use to introduce a careers context to regular curriculum lessons. The activities are expected to take 1-2 hours to complete and are aimed primarily at 11-14 year-olds. Lessons include using maths skills to decide on how to construct a bridge across a motorway, researching the ecology of great created newts to create new habitats and using archaeological information to interpret the history of a site. There are also longer STEM projects and workshops available online, where students can develop their skills through hands-on and team build challenges to inspire them to become EPIC engineers.

During the past year, five HS2 colleagues have become Enterprise Advisors for schools for students with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). Our work with these schools revealed a demand for STEM activities adapted for SEND students, to encourage them to consider STEM careers. Online lessons for SEND students include working in teams to design a train station, learning about ecosystems and building an insect hotel, and preparing for independent rail travel through role play.

Younger students aged between 7-11 can also get involved in shorter activities ranging from making rail tracks from everyday materials, solving puzzles and planning a railway route.

For more information and to download guides and worksheets, visit our learning from home educational content web page .

If you have a question about HS2 or our works, please contact our HS2 Helpdesk team on 08081 434 434 or email hs2enquiries@hs2.org.uk .

Further update:

We would like to apologise for any disturbance caused as a result of our recent piling works at Harvil Road.

The installation of sheet piles at the Northern boundary of Harvil Road is needed to complete the realignment of the road later this year. The piling activity was noisier than we had anticipated due to the ground conditions encountered by the construction team once our works began.

As a result of the noise generated, and having assessed the findings from our noise monitors, we decided to temporarily pause these works. We have reviewed the methodology of the operation to try to minimise any further disruption.

Before we continue with these works, we will be trialling some new methodology which should allow us to recommence our piling works with far less noise being created. Yesterday's trial (Tuesday 19 January 2021) did not go ahead as planned due to weather conditions. We will be undertaking these trials this week subject to weather conditions for approximately two hours, utilising additional noise reduction measures to manage this impact.

We apologise in advance for any disturbance caused as we look to refine our working practices and would like to assure you that this activity will be continually monitored and assessed to ensure that we minimise any further disturbance wherever possible.

Please see our update works notification .

If you have a question about HS2 or our works, please contact our HS2 Helpdesk team on 08081 434 434 or email hs2enquiries@hs2.org.uk .

We need to construct a temporary highway to the side of the current Harvil Road to allow us to start work on realigning Harvil Road later this year as well as begin to build two bridges over the Chiltern and HS2 rail lines.

From 13 February 2021, we will start work to construct the tie-ins to the current highway. We will need to use construction vehicles in the highway, and to dig a trial hole. To do this safely we need to close the road fully.

Harvil Road will be fully closed 24 hours a day for the duration of the works.

For further information please see our works notification.

If you have a question about HS2 or our works, please contact our HS2 Helpdesk team on 08081 434 434 or email hs2enquiries@hs2.org.uk .

From 26 January to 29 January 2021, we will be carrying out works along the rail track at South Ruislip Vent Shaft. We will investigate the the cabling work that runs along the boundary of our site and we install fencing to protect the rail tracks in the area. The work will take place at night during a rail possession for the safety of the operatives and rail users.

For further information please see our works notification.

If you have a question about HS2 or our works, please contact our HS2 Helpdesk team on 08081 434 434 or email hs2enquiries@hs2.org.uk .

Our main works construction partner for the West Ruislip to London Euston section of Britain’s new high speed railway has launched two new careers-focused initiatives, helping people who have taken a career break back into employment .

In line with our drive to create employment opportunities for local people and those from disadvantaged and underrepresented groups, the Skanska Costain STRABAG Joint Venture is working in partnership with London-based organisations, Women Returners and STEM Returners , to actively engage the local community and support individuals who have taken a career break back into work.

The Women Returners initiative is aimed at experienced professionals from a variety of backgrounds who have taken a career break of two years or more. The programme will offer six months’ paid work placements to six candidates, with a high likelihood of ongoing employment on HS2. Participants will receive comprehensive support, including a Career Returners Coaching Programme.

In 2020, the joint venture recruited six high-calibre employees through the Women Returners programme, with a 100% conversion into permanent employment. It is hoped that this year’s initiative will encourage more people to join the sector and secure long-term employment. The programme particularly welcomes applications from female returners, supporting our aim to address the gender imbalance commonplace in the construction and rail sectors. However, recognising that career breaks for parental care or personal reasons are not exclusive to women, the joint venture also encourages male applicants.

The second recruitment initiative is an innovative STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) focused programme. Six places will be available on the 12-week programme, designed for individuals with a STEM-based career background such as engineering, or those who have worked in the STEM sector. Mentoring and coaching will be provided to ensure that those returning to work after a lengthy absence, are fully supported.

After the 12 weeks, successful candidates may be offered full-time positions. The STEM Returners scheme has already supported almost 200 candidates, with 96% offered full-time roles at the end of their placement. The joint venture expects to recruit over 4,000 jobs, including positions for around 550 previously unemployed people and 400 apprenticeships to deliver its works for HS2.

Find out more information about Women Returners , STEM Returners and careers at SCS Railways .

If you have a question about HS2 or our works, please contact our HS2 Helpdesk team on 08081 434 434 or email hs2enquiries@hs2.org.uk .

We will be carrying out sheet piling works next to the Chiltern Line from the week commencing 25 January 2021. This work will help us to support the railway structure whilst we excavate for the construction of an overbridge as part of the Harvil Road realignment works.

Steel sheet piles will be installed in sequence along the planned perimeter and pressed into position using a piling rig.

For further information please see our works notification.

If you have a question about HS2 or our works, please contact our HS2 Helpdesk team on 08081 434 434 or email hs2enquiries@hs2.org.uk .

Over 300,000 trees will be planted by our specialist ecology teams across the Phase One route during the winter months, taking the total number of trees planted between London and the Midlands to more than 730,000 by this spring .

The planting initiative is part of our extensive Green Corridor programme, designed to create a network of bigger, better-connected, habitats and new green spaces for people to enjoy. 430,000 trees have already been planted across Phase One and up to 7 million trees will eventually be planted along this part of the route, with many new grasslands, meadows and recreational areas for local communities.

This short video highlights progress so far in the delivery of the Green Corridor.

In West Ruislip , planting will create new woodland areas to provide connected habitats for bats . Trees being planted include field maple, hornbeam, hazel, holly, bird cherry, mountain ash, yew and spindle. There will also be areas of grassland and ponds created to protect local biodiversity and create new homes for a mix of wildlife.

Through Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Northamptonshire , advanced planting and woodland compensation planting is being undertaken at West Hyde and Horn Hill, Wendover Dean, Aylesbury, Calvert and near the village of Ladbroke, by specialist ecology and landscape companies.

In Warwickshire and the wider West Midlands , 60,000 trees will be planted at locations around South Cubbington Wood, Ashbeds Wood, Fulfen Wood, Ravenshaw and Broadwells Wood. A broad range of tree and shrub species will be planted to reflect each local area , including oak, hazel, birch, holly and hawthorn. This builds on the 80,000 trees already planted in the Midlands, with 40 ponds and many acres of wetland, heathland and meadow also created across the region.

These areas will quickly develop to create new opportunities for wildlife and people, bolstering local wildlife corridors by linking with existing woodlands and other habitats. New wildlife habitats in a variety of locations also include badger setts, bat houses, bird boxes, reptile banks and bug houses to help local wildlife populations thrive.

We have developed a new online map showing where we are delivering Green Corridor activities and highlighting our additional funded environmental projects along the route. You can view relevant Community and Environment Fund (CEF) and Business and Local Economy Fund (BLEF) projects, the Woodland Fund, other local panel funds, and our environmental works in your area.

The Green Corridor Prospectus accompanies the map, outlining how the Green Corridor and associated funding can benefit communities. Used together, these tools will enable community and environment groups to identify local opportunities to enhance and enjoy the natural environment using the funds available.

Funding is available for a wide range of independent environmental projects to benefit nature and communities along the route , including creating new parks and play facilities, investing in green spaces in urban areas, regenerating areas along canals, and conserving and enhancing the historic environment. By working in partnership with organisations and individuals, the Green Corridor will deliver a positive, long-term legacy for the natural and historic environment , and for people and communities across the country.

On Phase One and Phase 2a, the £7m HS2 Woodland Fund is helping local landowners create new native, broadleaf woodlands and restore existing ancient woodland sites. The first £1.25m has been allocated as part of a grant scheme managed on our behalf by the Forestry Commission, supporting 28 woodland projects that will deliver approximately 105 hectares of new woodland and restore a further 68 hectares of ancient woodland.

For more information about funding available and how local groups can apply please visit www.hs2.org.uk/building-hs2/hs2-green-corridor

If you have a question about HS2 or our works, please contact our HS2 Helpdesk team on 08081 434 434 or email hs2enquiries@hs2.org.uk .

We will carry out works along Harvil Road from 18 to 20 January 2021, we will investigate the condition of the drainage system using a small CCTV camera mounted on a small robot.

On 23 and 24 January 2021, we will complete the removal of an existing dilapidated hut and an excavator will be used for the removal. The work will take place at night for safety reasons.

Due to the location of these activities temporary traffic management will be in place. This is to ensure the surveys and the removal of the hut can be carried out safely.

For further information please see our works notification .

If you have a question about HS2 or our works, please contact our HS2 Helpdesk team on 08081 434 434 or email hs2enquiries@hs2.org.uk .

We have recently published some new documents which may be of interest to you. This is part of our commitment to keeping you informed about HS2 progress and construction activities in your area.

We have published the fifth public report that documents our progress towards being a good neighbour by putting engagement with communities at the heart of everything we do.

This report covers the six-month period from January to June 2020, and draws on a number of case studies of activity during the first half of the year, along with currently available data such as from our Helpdesk, community funding awarded and the events we have held.

View and download the Community Engagement Progress Report: January to June 2020 report. A collection of all our reports to date can be found on the HS2 website .

We will continue to publish these reports on a regular basis.

As part of our commitment to conserve and enhance Britain’s natural environment as we plan and build the railway, HS2 is creating a Green Corridor along the route, a network of joined up habitats, landscaping and community-based environmental projects.

We have developed an online map showing where we are delivering Green Corridor activities and where additional HS2 funded environmental projects are being delivered along the route. You will be able to use the map to view relevant Community and Environment Fund (CEF) and Business and Local Economy Fund (BLEF) projects, the Woodland Fund, other local panel funds, and HS2 environmental works in your area.

We have also published a Green Corridor Prospectus to accompany the map. The prospectus outlines the many ways the Green Corridor and associated funding can benefit communities, for example, through the creation of new play facilities, investment in green spaces in urban areas, regeneration along canals, and conservation and enhancement of the historic environment.

Used together the Prospectus and the online map will enable community and environment groups to identify local opportunities to enhance and enjoy the natural environment using the funds available.

As you will know there are a number of grants available to support environmental projects and improve green spaces in your constituency, such as the HS2 Community & Environment Fund and the Woodland Fund. If you would like to know more about how local groups can apply for funding please visit www.hs2.org.uk/building-hs2/hs2-green-corridor .

We are committed to providing you with information about what construction activities will be happening in your area and when. Our construction forward looks include information on construction, environmental and survey activities planned over the next three months. The latest edition is available to view and download on the works in your area page .

Please note that the dates and information included in the forward look may be subject to change as the programme develops and any changes will be updated in the next edition of the forward look.

As a reminder, over the festive period the HS2 Helpdesk will continue to operate all day, every day , including Christmas Day and bank holidays. You can contact us for free on 08081 434 434, by Minicom on 08081 456 472, or by email at HS2enquiries@hs2.org.uk.

Our first two Tunnel Boring Machines (TBMs) have arrived in the UK ahead of their launch early next year. The two 170m-long TBMs are the largest ever used on a UK rail project and will start to be assembled on site this week, ready to begin digging the 10-mile-long Chiltern tunnels.

TBM Florence during manufacture

The two enormous 2,000 tonne machines, named Florence and Cecilia, will now be reassembled, tested and commissioned at the on site by an expert team of tunnelling engineers, before they start work on the high speed rail project’s first tunnels. Built by Herrenknecht, a world leader in TBM manufacturing, at its factory in south-west Germany, the two machines were transported to the UK in more than 300 separate shipments over the course of two months.

Sections of the TBMs ready for assembly on site

The ‘twin bore’ Chiltern tunnel will be the longest on the project and the first to start construction, with the TBMs working underground 24/7 for more than three years. Designed specifically for the mix of chalk and flints under the Chilterns, the two identical TBMs will dig separate tunnels for north and southbound trains, with Florence set to launch first and Cecilia to follow a few weeks behind.

Each machine operates as a self-contained underground factory, which as well as digging the tunnel, will also line it with concrete wall segments and grout them into place as it moves forward at a speed of 15 metres a day. Each tunnel requires 56,000 segments which will all be made on site. A crew of 17 people will operate each TBM, working in shifts to keep the machines running 24/7. They will be supported by over 100 people on the surface, managing logistics and maintaining the smooth progress of the tunnelling operation.

The TBM seals at the South Portal

These first TBMs will be operated by our main works contractor, Align – a joint venture of three international infrastructure companies: Bouygues Travaux Publics, Sir Robert McAlpine, and VolkerFitzpatrick. Align expects to recruit 1,200 vacancies, with over 100 opportunities for apprentices. Recruitment and investment will be targeted at upskilling unemployed local people, particularly women, under 25s and those with disabilities.

The TBM names were suggested by students at Meadow High School in Hillingdon and The Chalfonts Community College, Buckinghamshire, which are close to the tunnel launch site. They were inspired by Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern medicine, and pioneering astronomer and astrophysicist, Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin. Around 4,500 people from across the UK took part in the poll to select the final names, with Florence taking 40% of the vote and Cecilia a close second with 32%.

If you have a question about HS2 or our works, please contact our HS2 Helpdesk team on 08081 434 434 or email hs2enquiries@hs2.org.uk .

Works at South Ruislip site compound:

From 15 December 2020 we are carrying out night works at South Ruislip Vent Shaft. We will carry out some investigations on the cabling that runs along the boundary of our site, between Ruislip Gardens and South Ruislip stations.

For further information please see our works notification.

Bridgwater Road update:

This is an update on the previous notification issued on 14 September 2020. Due to delays in the works schedule, we will now be carrying out the planned utility survey works in the Bridgwater Road area from 14 to 18 December 2020.

For further information please see our works notification.

If you have a question about HS2 or our works, please contact our HS2 Helpdesk team on 08081 434 434 or email hs2enquiries@hs2.org.uk .

Affinity Water works Update:

Due to a machinery fault whilst drilling one of the water mains on Breakspear Road South, we had a malfunction of the pilot drill. This therefore, means that we will have to carry out unplanned weekend works in order to complete this activity. Works will take place on Saturday 28 November and Sunday 29 November 2020 from 09:00 to 18:00.

We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.

For more information please see our notification .

If you have a question about HS2 or our works, please contact our HS2 Helpdesk team on 08081 434 434 or email hs2enquiries@hs2.org.uk .

Signup to our online information events here to find out more about our works in the Colne Valley area

We will be holding online information events in December about High Speed Two (HS2) and the construction of the Chiltern Tunnel South Portal and looking ahead to the building of the Colne Valley Viaduct.

These online “webinars” have been set up to give residents the opportunity to hear and ask questions about:

This event is being held on two dates, please select which date to attend when registering;

Please note registration closes 2 hours before each live event starts.

If you have a question about HS2 or our works, please contact our HS2 Helpdesk team on 08081 434 434 or email hs2enquiries@hs2.org.uk .

During January 2020, we asked for views and ideas on some of the detailed aspects of three of our proposed Common Design Elements (CDEs): parapets, piers and lineside noise barriers.

We received 457 replies and our Survey Response Document summarising these has now been published on our website .

If you have a question about HS2 or our works, please contact our HS2 Helpdesk team on 08081 434 434 or email hs2enquiries@hs2.org.uk .

We have now finished moving the pipe and have successfully carried out routine testing on the relocated pipeline. We’re currently reinstating our working areas on either side of Harvil Road to replace topsoil and vegetation that we had to remove to carry out the diversion. We expect that all Cadent work at this site will be completed by mid-December 2020.

For further information please see our works notification .

If you have a question about HS2 or our works, please contact our HS2 Helpdesk team on 08081 434 434 or email hs2enquiries@hs2.org.uk .

This is an update on the previous notification issued on 14 September 2020. Due to delays in the works schedule, we will now be carrying out the planned utility survey works in the Bridgwater Road area from 7 to 11 December 2020.

For further information please see our works notification.

If you have a question about HS2 or our works, please contact our HS2 Helpdesk team on 08081 434 434 or email hs2enquiries@hs2.org.uk .

We will be installing track monitoring sensors along the railway from West Ruislip to Harvil Road. This system will be in place to monitor settlement and twists in the railway tracks for the duration of the project. We will use hand held equipment for these works so noise will be minimal.

For further information please see our works notification.

If you have a question about HS2 or our works, please contact our HS2 Helpdesk team on 08081 434 434 or email hs2enquiries@hs2.org.uk .

The latest in our series of insights featuring staff involved in building Britain's new high-speed railway highlights the works at the West Ruislip portal in Hillingdon.

Josh Venes, who works for our main works contractor SCS (Skanska Costain Strabag Joint Venture), focuses on the activities taking place at the site, explaining what has been done to prepare the location, which is the point at which trains from the Midlands will transfer underground as they head towards Old Oak Common and onto Euston station.

He describes the piling and concrete works which are still to come and also discusses the launch chamber which needs to be built in order to set the Tunnel Boring Machines on their way to bore a 10-mile section of the Northolt tunnels. Josh also talks about working for SCS and HS2 and the opportunities it's given him in his career.

If you have a question about HS2 or our works, please contact our HS2 Helpdesk team on 08081 434 434 or email hs2enquiries@hs2.org.uk .

Signup here to our virtual events to find out more about the HS2 works in Hillingdon

These are drop-in events, with a limited number of 15 minute pre-booked 1-to-1 appointments, with sessions happening on two different days.

These drop-ins are an opportunity for you to find out more about the Project and what it means for the local area.

At these sessions you will be able to get an overview of the project, in addition to further information on the following topics:

Session 1

Date: Monday 30 November

Time: 1:00pm - 3:00pm

Session 2

Date: Wednesday 2 December

Time: 5:00pm - 7:00pm

If you have a question about HS2 or our works, please contact our HS2 Helpdesk team on 08081 434 434 or email hs2enquiries@hs2.org.uk .

Lane Closures:

We are building a crossing point for our internal haul road across Breakspear Road South to reduce the number of lorries using local roads. This will be located just to the north of the Chiltern Line Bridge and will be controlled by automated traffic signals.

For more information please see our works notification.

Piling Works:

Piling works in Hillingdon starting on 30 November and continuing until spring 2021. Some noise impacts from the piling rigs, as well as deliveries of concrete and equipment.

For more information, please see this notification.

If you have a question about HS2 or our works, please contact our HS2 Helpdesk team on 08081 434 434 or email hs2enquiries@hs2.org.uk .

We are connecting a temporary water supply from the water main in Breakspear Road South that will provide the water supply for construction activities and welfare units at West Ruislip.

For further information please see our works notification .

If you have a question about HS2 or our works, please contact our HS2 Helpdesk team on 08081 434 434 or email hs2enquiries@hs2.org.uk .

We are creating two new site entrances and building crossing points for a haul road on the A412 near Denham Water SkiClub on Moorhall Road. This work is in preparation for the creation of a new haul road to support the construction of the Colne Valley Viaduct.

In order to carry out this work we need to put in place a full road closure on the A412 road between 21:00 on 6th and 05:00 on 9th November

For full details on the works and closure, including a map of the diversion route, see our notification here .

This work is being undertaken at weekends to reduce disruption and for the safety of the public. Electronic traffic signs have been in place on the A412 for four weeks to provide updates for road users and will remain in place until works are complete.

We have coordinated these works with the local highway authorities so that a number of utilities services are being diverted in the same location at the same time. Over the next two weekends two new bell mouth entrances are also being constructed which will form our future haul road crossing.

If you have a question about HS2 or our works, please contact our HS2 Helpdesk team on 08081 434 434 or email hs2enquiries@hs2.org.uk .

Utility surveys

We will carry out utility surveys on 16 and 17 November in two different locations, along Newyears Green Lane and on Breakspear Road South near Fine Bush Lane. The surveys will help us understand the condition and location of the utility services and help us decide how best to protect them while we are building HS2.

The surveys will take place:

- overnight on 16 November, at Newyears Green Lane

- during the day on 17 November, at Breakspear Road South

We will investigate the condition of the culvert system using a small CCTV camera mounted on a small robot.

For further information please see our works notification.

Lorry routes

Please click here for a notification on lorry routes .

Please click here for a document on frequently asked questions about lorry routes .

If you have a question about HS2 or our works, please contact our HS2 Helpdesk team on 08081 434 434 or email hs2enquiries@hs2.org.uk.

Our HS2 Helpdesk team is available all day, every day to listen and help with any questions you may have about the project. This is a key part of our commitment to keep you informed while we build the new railway.

So if you want to find out more about where it's going, the opportunities available or any other changes it might bring to your area, you can contact our Helpdesk team on:

In most cases, our Helpdesk team will be able to answer your question straight away, but if they can’t then they'll work with our local teams in your area to respond.

For more information about our Helpdesk and how to get in touch with us, please visit www.hs2.org.uk/helpdesk

The contract to supply the first two giant tunnelling machines for our London tunnels has been awarded, marking significant progress on the southern stretch of HS2. The tunnel boring machines (TBMs) are being built by world-leading manufacturer Herrenknecht, and are designed and manufactured specifically for the London clay and chalk ground conditions they will bore through. They will be on site by the end of 2021.

The tunnelling programme between central London and the M25 will be carried out by our main works contractor, Skanska Costain STRABAG JV. They will begin just outside Euston station and be underground until they emerge in West London at Old Oak Common station. The route will continue underground from Old Oak Common to the outskirts of West London.

These first two London TBMs will be launched from a portal at West Ruislip and will travel 5 miles east, creating the western section of the Northolt Tunnel. Once they arrive at Green Park Way in Greenford the machines will be brought to the surface and the site used as a vent shaft. The 8.4 mile tunnel will be completed with a 3.4 mile tunnel drive from Old Oak Common using another two new TBMs. A second tunnel between Euston and Old Oak Common will complete the remaining 4.5 miles of tunnelling between the two stations.

The tunnels will be twin-bored and 13 miles each way, and with a combined total of 26 miles, they will be the same length as Crossrail. Overall we will buy 10 TBMs in order to construct the 64 miles of tunnelling along the HS2 route between the West Midlands and London.

The first new TBMs will arrive by sea before being delivered to site at the end of 2021. Once assembled, they will enter service from mid-2022 and operate until the beginning of 2024.

Key facts about these giant machines :

Earlier this year, HS2 revealed images of two TBMs that have been made to construct the tunnels through the Chilterns. The names of the machines were suggested by local schoolchildren and subject to a public vote with Florence and Cecilia being the chosen names . The process for naming the first two London tunnelling machined will be revealed in due course.

If you have a question about HS2 or our works, please contact our HS2 Helpdesk team on 08081 434 434 or email hs2enquiries@hs2.org.uk .

To mark the Council for British Archaeology's Festival of Archaeology , we are holding a series of free online events so you can get involved and find out more about what treasures are being unearthed as we build the country's new high speed railway. The event, now in its 29th year, is being held from October 24 - November 1, shining a light on our past and how our ancestors lived.

If you've ever wondered what an archaeologist does when they’re at work, then or webinar A day in the life of a HS2 Archaeologist on Monday October 26 (12.15 - 12.50pm) is for you!

The session will explore the academic choices and professional job roles which led some of our archaeologists to their careers working on HS2. Hosted by one of our Historic Environment Managers and main works civils contractor CSJV’s Archaeological Lead, this webinar focuses on the careers of Dr Emma Hopla and Dr Emma Tetlow.

They will discuss a typical week in the life of the Archaeological Client and the Archaeological Contractor, as well as some of the exciting discoveries they have made along the way. You will also be able to ask the team questions via a live Q&A chat.

Sign up to attend this free online event via our Eventbrite page

Our second session, An Introduction to HS2 Archaeology: Staffordshire and Cheshire , highlights how our archaeological works on Phase 2a from Fradley to Crewe, which cross north Staffordshire and East Cheshire, build upon our experiences and discoveries from Phase One, revealing new insights and findings about the history of this landscape.

Led by Chris Jordan, our Historic Environment Manager for Phase 2a, this talk will introduce the heritage along the Phase 2a route, including the influence of the landscape, and discuss what we are trying to discover, how we do it, and what exciting finds we might expect over the next few years.

You will be able to ask Chris and the team questions via a live Q&A chat during the online event which takes place on Tuesday October 27 (12.15 - 12.50pm) .

Sign up to attend this free online event via our Eventbrite page

Our final webinar focuses on the archaeological works carried out at St Mary's Church in Stoke Mandeville, Buckinghamshire.

An Introduction to St Mary's in Stoke Mandeville on Wednesday October 28 (12.15 - 12.50pm) will be led by Guy Hunt, Partner at LP Archaeology, alongside experts from HS2 and Fusion. Guy and the team will explain how the site is a fantastic opportunity for archaeologists to examine and understand a landscape which has been occupied by humans for thousands of years, dating back to the Bronze Age.

The team will be available to answer your questions during a live Q&A chat option.

Please be warned that the presentation will contain images of human remains (skeletons).

Sign up to attend this free online event via our Eventbrite page

If you have a question about HS2 or our works, please contact our HS2 Helpdesk team on 08081 434 434 or email hs2enquiries@hs2.org.uk .

Sheet piling works will begin at the West Ruislip site on 19 October. The works are expected to last three weeks.

For more information, please see this notification .

If you have a question about HS2 or our works, please contact our HS2 Helpdesk team on 08081 434 434 or email hs2enquiries@hs2.org.uk

In order to keep Harvil Road open during HS2’s construction, we will need to realign it temporarily. To help us prepare for the realignment, we need to carry out some utility surveys to make sure that our work will not affect supplies or services.

We will carry out Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) surveys to identify the location of all utilities, and CCTV surveys of the sewer system to understand its condition. We will then dig small trial holes to understand the condition of all the other utilities.

The GPR and CCTV surveys will be carried out within the duration of a working day. However, because the trial holes need to be excavated, some lane closures – controlled by traffic lights – will be needed throughout the 24hr periods.

There will be no interference with utilities services.

For more information, including the dates, please see this notification .

Three Rivers District Council has granted planning permission for a new artist-designed landscaped play area for Maple Cross JMI school in Rickmansworth, bringing a request to HS2 from a local pupil to life.

The ambitious project to redesign the school’s grounds was initiated by a letter to HS2 from a child in Year Six at Maple Cross JMI, which asked that some of the material being excavated at the nearby South Portal construction site be brought to the school to “make a mound to roll down”.

After receiving the letter, HS2 developed a year-long programme of engagement between artist and designer Emily Cropton and the pupils, staff and wider community, in order to make the pupil’s wish come true.

The project involved educational workshops with school children in different year groups, in which they learnt about local history and the natural environment, and developed ideas for the design of their new play space.

Planning permission granted by Three Rivers District Council now means that HS2’s main works contractor Align will start the landscaping phase of the project by moving soil from its construction site 600 metres south of the school.

During the Autumn, Align’s local contractors will work with Emily Cropton to create the new play area which will include an orchard of fruit trees, a meadow of flowering plants, an area of scattered tree trunks for climbing, and a willow tunnel. There will also be a fossil wall built of clay bricks designed with the children, showing what might be found at Maple Cross in another two million years and the stories these fossils will pass on.

This project was commissioned by HS2 and delivered with the kind support of Align JV. To find out more about our works at the South Portal please click here .

If you have a question about HS2 or our works, please contact our HS2 Helpdesk team on 08081 434 434 or email hs2enquiries@hs2.org.uk

From 7 October we will be completing the ground strengthening works required to build the new rail bridge over Breakspear Road South. This activity involves the use of a rig placing stone columns into the earth to form part of the foundations. The use of stone rather than concrete into the earth significantly reduces the amount of spoil and the number of vehicle movements.

The equipment will be brought to the works area from the first of October, with the creation of the stone columns starting a week later.

For further information please see our works notification.

Works Notice: Utility Surveys on Bridgwater Road, 28-30 September 2020

We will be carrying out utility surveys in the Bridgwater Road area from 28-30 September 2020. For further information please see our works notification.

Works Notice: Closure of Footpath U36 (Newyears Green Lane) from 28 September 2020

From 28 September, Footpath U36 will be closed to ensure the safety of people who use the footpath and maintain the security of the worksite as we are starting to delineate the area along Newyears Green Lane for the sustainable placement of excavated material. Local users can access Footpath U37 as a diversion and clear signage will be in place. For further information and a map please click here .

If you have a question about HS2 or our works, please contact our HS2 Helpdesk team on 08081 434 434 or email hs2enquiries@hs2.org.uk .

We will be carrying out utility surveys in the South Ruislip area on Long Drive on 24 September 2020. For further information please see our works notification .

For more information about HS2 or our works, please contact our HS2 Helpdesk team on 08081 434 434 or email hs2enquiries@hs2.org.uk .

September is an exciting time to learn about the mysteries of the past and how our ancestors lived as we host a series of fascinating online archaeology events as part of Heritage Open Days 2020. In addition, a major three-part documentary will be shown on BBC Two from Tuesday, September 15, exploring the discoveries found in Britain’s largest ever archaeological programme.

Before construction work began, and any track is laid, over 1,000 archaeologists, across more than 60 sites between London and the West Midlands, have been carefully uncovering the secrets of Britain’s past. The BBC series, ' HS2 – The Biggest Dig ' will focus on two major cemetery excavations – one adjacent to London’s Euston station and the other in Park Street, next to Birmingham Curzon Street station – the sites of our two new terminals.

For three years, our archaeologists have been giving TV documentary makers, Lion TV, exclusive access to archaeological sites being excavated as part of the project and the series is presented by anthropologist and anatomist Professor Alice Roberts and historian Dr Yasmin Khan.

The BBC series is complemented throughout September with a number of online archaeology webinars to support Heritage Open Days 2020, highlighting some of the exciting finds uncovered along the route of the new railway.

We're holding the following online events (click on the events below to register):

You can find the full list of our online events at www.hs2.org.uk/events .

We will be publishing video recordings of the session online, so if you are not able to listen live you can still learn about each topic through a dedicated playlist on the HS2 YouTube channel .

HS2 - The Biggest Dig will be also be available on BBC iPlayer .

For more information about HS2 please contact our HS2 Helpdesk team on 08081 434 434 or email hs2enquiries@hs2.org.uk

We will be carrying out utility surveys on the footways of Ickenham High Road from 23-25 September 2020. For further information please see our works notification .

We will also be carrying out utility surveys in the West End Road area on 23 September 2020. For further information please see our works notification .

For more information about HS2 or our works, please contact our HS2 Helpdesk team on 08081 434 434 or email hs2enquiries@hs2.org.uk .

We are undertaking ground investigation surveys in the Colne Valley to give us more information about the type, strength and details of the land where the new railway will be built from mid-September 2020 to January 2021.

For further information please see our works notification .

For more information about HS2 or our works, please contact our HS2 Helpdesk team on 08081 434 434 or email hs2enquiries@hs2.org.uk .

Before we build bridges, tunnels, tracks and stations, the largest archaeology programme ever undertaken in the UK is taking place along the line of route. Our archaeology programme is continuing to unearth discoveries across our sites.

To share information about these works and some of the exciting finds uncovered we are running a series of online archaeology events to support Heritage Open Days 2020.

We're holding the following online events for Heritage Open Days 2020 (click on the events below to register):

You can find the full list of our online events here .

We will be publishing video recordings of the session online, so if you are not able to listen live you can still learn about each topic through a dedicated playlist on the HS2 YouTube channel .

For more information about HS2 please contact our HS2 Helpdesk team on 08081 434 434 or email hs2enquiries@hs2.org.uk

This update explains that our contractor, Align, will start constructing a bat house in the vicinity of Dews Lane as part of the ongoing ecological works currently taking place. You can read more about here .

Thames Water will be conducting ground investigations and bat surveys in and around The Greenway in August and September. For more information please see this notification .

The hoarding work at the Ruislip Golf Course site will be extended until 18 September 2020. For more details, please see this notification .

We are working closely with our construction partners to review the works on all our construction sites in line with Government and Public Health England (PHE) advice on dealing with Covid-19. The Government’s current Covid-19 strategy makes clear that construction activity can continue as long as it complies with this guidance, which you can see by clicking here.

The below works are going ahead as our contractors are confident that they can operate in line with PHE and industry guidance, protecting our staff and the communities in which they are working.

We previously let you know about our works around the Colne Valley including Moorhall road and the A412. We have an update on these works with more detail on lane and road closures. For more information on the below works, including maps, please see the Works Update by clicking here .

We previously notified the community about our work around Moorhall Road, from 27 July there will be a lane closure with traffic flow in both directions controlled by temporary traffic lights until October 2020. There will also be overnight full road closures of Moorhall Road in late August / early September. For more information, including maps, please see the Works Update by clicking here .

As we prepare for the main construction works to start, we will be undertaking a range of work sat our sites across the Colne Valley.

A lane closure on the A412, near the Denham Water ski club entrance, will be in place to allow us to work on both sides of the highway, initially to undertake vegetation works alongside the A412 North Orbital followed by the construction of a new construction access road crossing of the A412. The lane closure will be managed by two way traffic lights. This will be required for up to four months and will operate 24 hours per day and seven days a week.

We will also be putting in place full A412 road closures at night during some weekends. This work is being undertaken during at night and weekends to reduce disruption and for the safety of the public. The weekend closures on the A412 are anticipated to be required during the period 29 August to 6 September and will be in place from 9pm to 5am. For more information, including maps, please see the Works Update by clicking here .

For more information on works in Hillingdon please see our "Works in your area" page by clicking here .

If you have a question about HS2 or our works, please contact our HS2 Helpdesk team on 08081 434 434 or email hs2enquiries@hs2.org.uk

We would like to remind you about our upcoming works, with a southbound lane closure on Harvil Road during the daytime from 27 July. We have been able to adjust our works to reduce the period of the lane closures from 20 days to 15 days.

To keep the closure as small as possible we will only close the lane where works are happening. These works will take place between between 8am and 6pm, Monday to Friday, from 27 July to 14 August. You will still be able to travel through the area but may be asked to wait for a short time at temporary traffic lights. For more information, including a map please see the works notice that we sent to residents by clicking here .

Ahead of these works, preparation starts within our site this week with some tree and vegetation clearance.

For more information on works in Hillingdon please see our "Works in your area" page by clicking here .

If you have a question about HS2 or our works, please contact our HS2 Helpdesk team on 08081 434 434 or email hs2enquiries@hs2.org.uk

We are working closely with our construction partners to review the works on all our construction sites in line with Government and Public Health England (PHE) advice on dealing with Covid-19. The Government’s current Covid-19 strategy makes clear that construction activity can continue as long as it complies with this guidance, which you can see by clicking here .

The below works are going ahead as our contractors are confident that they can operate in line with PHE and industry guidance, protecting our staff and the communities in which they are working.

We will be undertaking some ground investigation works behind Santino's Pizzeria, off Long Drive for two weeks starting on 30 July. We will carry out a survey using scanning equipment to identify the utilities in the area, and then we will carry out a ground investigation by drilling a borehole into the ground to identify the make-up of the ground in the area. This will better inform our design decisions in the area.

For more information including a map please see the works notice by clicking here . This work will not affect your utility supply.

For more information on works in Hillingdon please see our "Works in your area" page by clicking here .

If you have a question about HS2 or our works, please contact our HS2 Helpdesk team on 08081 434 434 or email hs2enquiries@hs2.org.uk

We are working closely with our construction partners to review the works on all our construction sites in line with Government and Public Health England (PHE) advice on dealing with Covid-19. The Government’s current Covid-19 strategy makes clear that construction activity can continue as long as it complies with this guidance, which you can see by clicking here .

The below works are going ahead as our contractors are confident that they can operate in line with PHE and industry guidance, protecting our staff and the communities in which they are working.

We have needed to reschedule the work we previously told you about here . However we have also been able to reduce the period of the lane closures from 20 days to 10 days.

We are starting to work on the building of a new section of Harvil Road, with a new road bridge over the Chiltern railway line. We will erect hoarding along the east side of Harvil Road. To build this hoarding our operatives will need to work in the road and, for the safety of the staff, we will need to close the southbound lane.

To keep the closure as small as possible we will only close the lane where works are happening. These works will now take place between 27 July and 14 August, between 8am and 6pm, Monday to Friday . You will still be able to travel through the area but may be asked to wait for a short time. For more information, including a map please see the works notice by clicking here .

For more information on works in Hillingdon please see our "Works in your area" page by clicking here .

If you have a question about HS2 or our works, please contact our HS2 Helpdesk team on 08081 434 434 or email hs2enquiries@hs2.org.uk

Royal Brompton & Harefield NHS Foundation Trust is the largest specialist heart and lung centre in the UK, based across two sites – Royal Brompton Hospital in Chelsea and Harefield Hospital, near Uxbridge. Harefield Hospital treats teenagers to adults, performing over 100 transplants each year.

This CEF funded project in Harefield will create 'Healing and Peace' gardens to enable patients, visitors and staff to relax and find moments of peace at times of extreme stress by engaging with nature, flora and fauna within the hospital’s accessible grounds. People will be encouraged to actively take part in gardening activities and learn maintenance techniques, and also learn about sustainability by ‘Reducing, Recycling and Reusing’ hospital, household and garden items. HS2

Community and Business Funds

Our Community and Environment Fund (CEF) and the Business and Local Economy Fund (BLEF) for Phase One are worth £40 million. They give local communities and businesses disrupted by the construction of HS2 the opportunity to receive funding of up to £1 million for projects to improve their local area or support their local economy.

The community and business funds are administered and managed by independent community charity, Groundwork UK. For more information on Groundwork and the funds, including how to apply, visit https://hs2funds.org.uk/ .You can also watch our short videos which explain how to best demonstrate that your project meets the criteria for the Community, Environment or Business Funds.

If you have any questions about the Community and Business Funds, HS2 or our works, please contact our HS2 Helpdesk team on 08081 434 434 or email hs2enquiries@hs2.org.uk .

We are working closely with our construction partners to review the works on all our construction sites in line with Government and Public Health England (PHE) advice on dealing with Covid-19. The Government’s current Covid-19 strategy makes clear that construction activity can continue as long as it complies with this guidance, which you can see by clicking here .

The below work is going ahead as our contractors are confident that they can operate in line with PHE and industry guidance, protecting our staff and the communities in which they are working.

Night time work at HS2 site in South Ruislip 13 July to 17 August

We are starting work in the site compound on Network Rail land behind the old ARLA dairy site. It will consist of excavating and compacting earth into a small section of land to create a platform for hoarding to be installed. The work will take place at night time from 13 July to 17 August, Monday to Sunday 6pm to 8am, although the work will not be continuous. For more information please read the notice here .

We are working closely with our construction partners to review the works on all our construction sites in line with Government and Public Health England (PHE) advice on dealing with Covid-19. The Government’s current Covid-19 strategy makes clear that construction activity can continue as long as it complies with this guidance, which you can see by clicking here .

The below works are going ahead as our contractors are confident that they can operate in line with PHE and industry guidance, protecting our staff and the communities in which they are working.

Harvil Road daytime lane closures, weekdays 13 July to 7 August

We are starting to work on the building of a new section of Harvil Road, with a new road bridge over the Chiltern railway line. We will erect hoarding along the east side of Harvil Road. To build this hoarding our operatives will need to work in the road and, for the safety of the staff, we will need to close the southbound lane. To keep the closure as small as possible we will only close the lane where works are happening. These works will take place between 13th July and 7th August, between 8am and 6pm, Monday to Friday. You will still be able to travel through the area but may be asked to wait for a short time. For more information, including a map please see the works notice by clicking here .

Construction Forward Look

We have also published our look ahead of construction works in Hillingdon for the next year. The document includes:

You can see the July Construction Forward Look by clicking here.

For more information on works in Hillingdon please see our "Works in your area" page by clicking here .

If you have a question about HS2 or our works, please contact our HS2 Helpdesk team on 08081 434 434 or email hs2enquiries@hs2.org.uk

We are working closely with our construction partners to review the works on all our construction sites in line with Government and Public Health England (PHE) advice on dealing with Covid-19. The Government’s current Covid-19 strategy makes clear that construction activity can continue as long as it complies with this guidance, which you can see by clicking here .

The below works are going ahead as our contractors are confident that they can operate in line with PHE and industry guidance, protecting our staff and the communities in which they are working.

Wednesday 1 July 2020 between 8am – 5pm the southbound lane of Breakspear Road South will be closed. Traffic will flow in both directions controlled by temporary traffic lights. We need to undertake vegetation clearance works to enable a footpath diversion adjacent to Breakspear Road South. To find out more please see the works notice by clicking here .

We will fit wooden hoarding along the Network Rail boundary to the south of the work compound at Ruislip Golf Course to ensure that the site is both safe and secure. This part of the work will take place during the day. There will be some night-time works will take place on Network Rail land as this is the only time the Chiltern line has no trains running and it is safe to work. This night-time work will be to remove the metal palisade fencing, placement of wooden posts into a concrete base and then placement of wooden hoarding. For more information including a map please click here to see the updated notification being sent to residents .

HS2 Ltd are running a series of webinars that aim to help local businesses navigate the HS2 supply chain and better understand some of the things that we are looking for from suppliers.  At each event, you will hear from a different expert speaker, and also be able to take part in a Q&A session. Find more information about these events by clicking here .

For more information on works in Hillingdon please see our "Works in your area" page by clicking here .

If you have a question about HS2 or our works, please contact our HS2 Helpdesk team on 08081 434 434 or email hs2enquiries@hs2.org.uk

HS2 will provide opportunities for businesses of all shapes and sizes.  As part of being a good neighbour, we are keen that local companies along the line of the new high speed railway are able to make the most of the benefits the Project will bring, and get involved in the supply chain wherever they can.

HS2 Ltd are running a series of webinars that aim to help local businesses navigate the HS2 supply chain and better understand some of the things that we are looking for from suppliers.  At each event, you will hear from a different expert speaker, and also be able to take part in a Q&A session.

We will be publishing video recordings of each webinar online, so if you are not able to listen live you can still learn how to get your business 'HS2 ready' through on our HS2 YouTube channel. You can find out more information about HS2's local business opportunities here . For more information about this event or any of our forthcoming events please contact our HS2 Helpdesk team on 08081 434 434 or email hs2enquiries@hs2.org.uk .

Communities and businesses located near to Britain’s new railway are invited to a webinar on Thursday 25 June at 13:00 to find out more about the funding schemes and local business opportunities available.

Up and down the line of route, over 100 projects have already received funding through the HS2 community and business funds, while over 1,000 local businesses are already working on the project, providing goods and services to help build Britain’s new railway. 

If your business or community is  near to the line of route between the West Midland and London  and you want to find out more about the funding programme and local business opportunities available through HS2, please sign up to our event below. 

We will be publishing video recordings of each webinar online, so if you are not able to listen live you can still learn about the funding and business opportunities available through on our HS2 YouTube channel.

You can find out more information about the HS2 Community Funds here  and  local business opportunities here .For more information about this event or any of our forthcoming events please contact our HS2 Helpdesk team on  08081 434 434  or email  hs2enquiries@hs2.org.uk .

We are working closely with our construction partners to review the works on all our construction sites in line with Government and Public Health England (PHE) advice on dealing with Covid-19. The Government’s current Covid-19 strategy makes clear that construction activity can continue as long as it complies with this guidance, which you can see by clicking here .

The below works are going ahead as our contractors are confident that they can operate in line with PHE and industry guidance, protecting our staff and the communities in which they are working.

We are carrying out a CCTV survey on the drains under a section of Harvil Road near Harvil Farm, to check upon the condition of the sewer on the 25 and 26 June. A temporary single lane closure will be in place for a very short period to protect staff carrying out the surveys. You will still be able to travel through the area but may be asked to wait for a short time. For more information please see the works notice by clicking here .

We will be placing some battery powered monitoring equipment onto sleepers as well as solar powered monitoring equipment on short poles which will monitor to ensure our construction works do not affect the railway. The work will take place during a period where the Chiltern Line has no trains running for the safety of the operatives and rail users. The overnight work will be undertaken using hand tools so the noise from the works will be minimal. For more information including hours of work and a map, please see the works notification by clicking here .

For more information on works in Hillingdon please see our "Works in your area" page by clicking here .

If you have a question about HS2 or our works, please contact our HS2 Helpdesk team on 08081 434 434 or email hs2enquiries@hs2.org.uk

In addition to the work that UKPN are undertaking at major junctions ( which was first published here ), UKPN and Hillingdon Council have agreed that the work to lay the ducts on Ickenham Road between the White Bear roundabout and the High Street should also be prioritised. This will start tomorrow on Saturday 6 June until 4 July 2020. The hours of work will be 8am to 6pm Monday to Saturday and 9am to 5pm Sunday. For further information please see the dedicated tunnel boring machine power supply page by clicking here .

We are working closely with our construction partners to review the works on all our construction sites in line with Government and Public Health England (PHE) advice on dealing with Covid-19. The Government’s current Covid-19 strategy makes clear that construction activity can continue as long as it complies with this guidance, which you can see by clicking here .

The below works are going ahead as our contractors are confident that they can operate in line with PHE and industry guidance, protecting our staff and the communities in which they are working.

Harvil Road, gas diversion works resume

Cadent is carrying out work to complete a gas pipe diversion it started in the area last year. We expect the work to be completed by October 2020. Cadent will be working on land either side of Harvil Road, north of the Chiltern Mainline while we carry out the rest of the diversion. This will involve:

We will be accessing our working area using existing HS2 site entrances off Harvil Road.

For more information please see the works notification by clicking here .

Ruislip, ground investigations at Herlwyn Avenue

We will be carrying out ground investigation work in the road along Herlwyn Avenue from 15 June for two weeks. This will involve drilling two bore holes to take core samples of the ground.

For more information please see the notice sent to local residents by clicking here .

West Ruislip, closure of footpath U81 through Ruislip Golf Course

As the HS2 worksite at West Ruislip becomes bigger and busier, we must ensure the safety of people who currently use Footpath U81 and maintain the security of the worksite. We have kept the footpath open for as long as possible, but we have now reached a stage that requires its closure.

Hoarding will be placed around the site and this will involve cutting across the footpath which will result in its closure. A diversion will be put in place with clear signage to help residents.

We understand that for the first month of the closure Thames Water have closed part of the Hillingdon Trail to the south side of The Greenway. To aid residents who are walking the Hillingdon Trail, we will ensure that the signage at The Greenway junction with Ickenham High Road will indicate the fastest way to re-join the trail where it remains open.

For more information including a map please click here to see the notification being sent to residents . We also have a page showing all of the alterations to Public Rights of Way in Hillingdon due to HS2 works, which you can see by clicking here .

Construction Forward Look

We have also published our look ahead of construction works in Hillingdon for the next year. The document includes:

You can see the June Construction Forward Look by clicking here.

For more information on works in Hillingdon please see our "Works in your area" page by clicking here .

If you have a question about HS2 or our works, please contact our HS2 Helpdesk team on 08081 434 434 or email hs2enquiries@hs2.org.uk

Pupils at Meadow High School in Hillingdon have suggested a name for one of the first of 10 giant tunnel boring machines (TBMs) which has been shortlisted for a national vote launched by HS2 Ltd. The TBMs will excavate more than 35 miles of tunnel on the first phase the UK’s new high speed railway between London and the West Midlands.

The public is being invited to go to https://www.hs2.org.uk/tbmvoting/ and vote for their favourite name, from a shortlist of three chosen by local school children and inspired by female scientific and medical pioneers.

The names are:

The name with the most votes will be given to the first TBM, due to be launched from a site close to the M25 early next year. The enormous, 2,000 tonne, 170m long machine will be one of two that will dig the 10 mile long Chiltern tunnels.

The second machine, due to be launched a month later, will be given the second most popular name in the public vote.

The TBMs will be operated by HS2’s main works contractor, Align JV – a joint venture formed of three companies: Bouygues Travaux Publics, Sir Robert McAlpine, and VolkerFitzpatrick.

The machines are being built by Herrenknecht in Germany. Their names are being chosen now so they can be fixed to machines during their manufacture, ready for when they emerge out of the factory.

After completion the first two machines will be disassembled before beginning their long journey to England. Once they have arrived on site, each TBM will be reassembled, ready to begin their life underground.

Together the TBMs will spend around three years digging what will be the longest and deepest tunnels on the project, stretching from just inside the M25, to South Heath in Buckinghamshire.

If you have a question about HS2 or our works, please contact our HS2 Helpdesk team on 08081 434 434 or email HS2enquiries@hs2.org.uk .

We are working closely with our construction partners to review the works on all our construction sites in line with Government and Public Health England (PHE) advice on dealing with Covid-19. The Government’s current Covid-19 strategy makes clear that construction activity can continue as long as it complies with this guidance, which you can see by clicking here .

The below works are going ahead as our contractors are confident that they can operate in line with PHE and industry guidance, protecting our staff and the communities in which they are working.

We will be carrying out surveys to investigate the condition of the drainage systems using CCTV. Should we find a blockage we may need to flush the drainage system with a high-pressure water jet to carry out our investigations. Works will take place on the nights of the 4th and 5th of June.

There will be brief blockages to some lanes on the roads while we do the work, which will happen overnight to reduce the impact on traffic. For more information please see the works notification by clicking here .

We will shortly begin works on a ventilation shaft in South Ruislip. The ventilation shaft will join with the main tunnel bores deep below ground and will have a building at the top that will house the ventilation fans and other utility systems.

We will start setting up the work area as of early June 2020, including securing site, delivery of materials and construction works. For more information please see the notice sent to local residents by clicking here .

From 8 June we will fit wooden hoarding along the Network Rail boundary to the south of the work compound at Ruislip Golf Course to ensure that the site is both safe and secure. This part of the work will take place during the day.

There will also be some night-time works will take place on Network Rail land as this is the only time the Chiltern line has no trains running and it is safe to work. This night-time work will be to remove the metal palisade fencing, placement of wooden posts into a concrete base and then placement of wooden hoarding.

For more information including a map please click here to see the notification being sent to residents .

We have also published our look ahead of construction works in Hillingdon for the next year. The document includes:

You can see the June Construction Forward Look by clicking here.

For more information on works in Hillingdon please see our "Works in your area" page by clicking here .

If you have a question about HS2 or our works, please contact our HS2 Helpdesk team on 08081 434 434 or email hs2enquiries@hs2.org.uk