Britain's New 5,000 Tonne Tunnel Boring Machine Is an Engineering Monster

Britain's Biggest Tunnel Boring Machine Ever Built Is Here! Britain has ordered a tunnel-boring machine bigger than anything ever used in Europe. Built by German firm Herrenknecht for the Lower Thames Crossing, this giant is about 120 metres long, weighs over 5,000 tonnes, and has a cutting face 16.4 metres across. It will dig the UK’s longest road tunnel under the River Thames. In this video, we break down: 🚜 The scale: 16.4 m diameter, about 120 m long, over 5,000 tonnes, making it the largest TBM ever used in Europe and the third largest in the world 🚧 Why one machine will dig both tunnels, then turn around and go back 🌊 How a variable density design lets it cut through clay, chalk and the water table up to 60 m below the Thames 🚢 How it will arrive in pieces by sea and be carried up the Thames to the Port of Tilbury 🛣️ The tunnels themselves: two bores, each about 2.6 miles long, with room for three lanes of 70 mph traffic ⚡ How the machine will run on renewable electricity ⚠️ The risks of using a single machine, and why giant TBMs like Seattle’s Bertha have run into trouble 💷 The cost of the wider scheme and the timeline: tunnelling starts in 2028, with the crossing opening in the early-to-mid 2030s We also compare it with other British giants, such as the HS2 machines and the one used for the Silvertown Tunnel, to show just how huge this new machine really is. 👍 If you enjoyed this video, please like, comment and subscribe for more engineering and megaproject content. 📌 Disclaimer: This video is for educational and informational purposes only. Figures and timelines are based on public announcements and news reporting and may change. #TunnelBoringMachine #LowerThamesCrossing #Megaprojects #Herrenknecht #UKInfrastructure #NationalHighways #Tunnel #HS2