Cuttings and embankments

Travelling up to 225mph across a broad range of landscapes, HS2 trains need gentle gradients to maintain their high speeds by running above ground on embankments, and below ground in cuttings to deliver a smooth, reliable journey.

Together embankments and cuttings provide a stable and durable foundation for high-speed rail track. Landscaped to minimise our impact on communities and the environment, and hiding the railway from view will also reduce noise.

This is another example of HS2’s commitment to sustainable construction and how we are delivering a modern railway that will blend into the landscape.

Cuttings

Cuttings take trains below the existing ground level. There are over 70 across the route from London to Birmingham, measuring over 72km (44 miles) in total.

The deepest cutting is the Lower Thorpe Cutting at 30m deep, and the longest runs from Barton to Mixbury at 4.1km (2.5 miles). Over 1.3 million cubic meters will be excavated here alone. That’s enough to fill the Royal Albert Hall over 10 times.

Every cutting is a unique challenge due to varying ground geology. Beneath the topsoil lie complex layers of soil and rock, formed over millions of years. Soil and rock are excavated and tested ahead of track foundations behind laid.

Embankments

Embankments raise above the ground and often connect with viaducts and bridges. The longest embankment and the largest of our 110 embankments on the London to Birmingham route will be Grendon Underwood, at 3km (1.8 miles) long.

More than 95% of material excavated when creating the cuttings is reused, mostly to help create the embankments. Topsoil is used for planning and delivering many of our green corridor sites along the route of the railway.

By using rail, dedicated haul roads we have built on our sites and conveyors, we are minimising the number of lorries on the roads, saving carbon and protecting neighbours.