HS2 Ground Investigation Works

We are delivering ground investigation services across the full length of the new High Speed 2 (HS2) rail link between London Euston and Birmingham Curzon St, the UK’s largest ever ground investigation project.

Throughout the initial preliminary design, value engineering and detailed geotechnical design phases, we have delivered geotechnical data for HS2. The most successful company on the Framework, we are operating on packages across the route, including at key locations required for managing geotechnical risk of major structures such as tunnels, deep cuttings and underground stations.

Key details

Project name

High Speed 2 Ground Investigation Works

Client

HS2 Ltd, Fusion, Balfour Beatty, Vinci, Effiage, Kier

Location

London to Birmingham proposed route of HS2 Phase 1 (Euston Station - Camden, Oxfordshire, Northamptonshire, Warwickshire, West Midlands)

 

Services provided

  • Ground Investigation Management
  • Supervision and Quality Assurance
  • Borehole Drilling: Rotary, Cable Percussion and Sonic
  • Trial Pitting
  • Window Sampler Drilling
  • Testing: Downhole Geophysical, High Pressure Dilatometer and Cone Penetration
  • Analysis of Surface Waves Surveys, Continuous Surface Wave Surveys, Utility and Topographical Surveys, Geotechnical Laboratory Testing, Environmental Laboratory Testing, UXO clearance, Ecology Surveys

Challenge

As a project of immense scale, managing the geotechnical risk demands a large range of specialist techniques to produce the vast amount of data.

On site, we have employed multiple techniques including:

  • Borehole Drilling: Rotary, Cable Percussion and Sonic 
  • Window Sampler Drilling
  • Trial Pitting
  • Testing: Downhole Geophysical, High Pressure Dilatometer and Cone Penetration
  • Multi-channel Analysis: Surface Waves and Continuous Surface Wave Surveys

Our team of ground investigation consultants have delivered these complex techniques and testing with their specialist knowledge, expertise and supervision.

 

RPS_HS2 Ground Investigation_Euston station.jpg

Solution

From the outset, we developed a robust data management plan and quality management system to ensure accurate, efficient and consistent data processing, enabling geotechnical risks to be managed at each stage of the project design.

Successful delivery of the data management plan was achieved by providing AGS4 and Ground Investigation data management training to all project and site staff.  We also arranged training, guidance and workshops to some specialist contractors and laboratories that were not prepared for reporting AGS4 data.

We continue to improve data management and have developed an innovative cloud-based data capture system that will enable all data from the field to be instantaneously logged and recorded remotely through the use of a tablet-based GIS tool. This new and improved system is being rolled out in the HS2 detailed design phase and will allow live tracking of data capture, resulting in further improvements in data quality assurance and management.

 

6000+
Laboratory tests undertaken
7km+
Vertical meterage drilled
2000+
Health and safety briefings
900+
Exploratory holes drilled

Project timeline

  • 2015

    Start date

  • 2017

    Completion of the first phase of ground investigation for preliminary design

  • 2018

    Appointed by HS2 main works contractor for the value engineering ground investigation (BBV)

  • 2020

    Appointed by HS2 main works contractor for the detailed geotechnical design ground investigation

  • 2021

    Scheduled completion date

1 /05
2015

Start date

2017

Completion of the first phase of ground investigation for preliminary design

2018

Appointed by HS2 main works contractor for the value engineering ground investigation (BBV)

2020

Appointed by HS2 main works contractor for the detailed geotechnical design ground investigation

2021

Scheduled completion date

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