WorldWide Drilling Resource

40 SEPTEMBER 2015 WorldWide Drilling Resource ® On the Verge in London Adapted from Information Provided by Herrenknecht London is the cradle of modern tunneling. In 1825, mechanized tunnel- ing construction was used to achieve the first successful crossing under a river. To master the soft, sandy ground below the Thames, engineer Marc Brunel and his son Isambard designed a unique steel safety frame. Within the frame’s protected area, workers dug the tunnel while masons followed behind them to reinforce the walls with bricks. The Thames tunnel took 18 years to complete and was an extraordinary pioneering achievement at the time. Fast forward to London’s current Crossrail project. Crossrail forms a major new east-west connection through the congested metropolis of eight million in- habitants. Five twin-bore tunnels and ten new stations will link existing railway networks to the east and west of London. With the breakthrough of tunnel boring machine (TBM) Victoria, London made tunneling history once again on May 23, 2015. Victoria was the last of eight TBMs, which have drilled a total of 26 miles. During the official breakthrough celebration, United Kingdom Prime Minister David Cameron declared Crossrail to be a marvel of engineering that will make life better for working Londoners. As many as 10,000 workers are active on more than 40 jobsites to make this dream a reality. Construction began in 2009, and Crossrail is expected to begin operations in 2018, transporting 200 million passengers annually. Editor’s Note: In between our print issues, the WWDR Team prepares an electronic newsletter called E-News Flash . Based on readership, this was the most popular E-News Flash article of the month. Get in on the action and subscribe today at: www.worldwidedrillingresource.com