First photo of HS2 tunnel boring machines

edward | 107 points

In the media, there's been a focus on HS2's ever-growing budget, bulldozing land, and massive delays. These are significant, if not more so than what I'm about to talk about, but it's worth focusing on an aspect frequently not considered: the positive externality of improving human skills.

With Crossrail (now Elizabeth Line) nearly finished under London, the Channel Tunnel, and now HS2 tunnels, the UK is exposing some of its workforce to some great tunnelling projects. The skill these workers must have aquired working on these large-scale tunnelling projects is impressive. The UK could even be developing a comparative advantage in tunnelling.

It doesn't solve the factors outlined at the start, but it's a side affect few discuss in public discourse when deciding to fund an infrastructure project like HS2. The positive externalities of SpaceX's work or of NASA's work are not limited to the end goal (the fact we fly something to space), it's also that now we have more people with better skills. This is something that the media doesn't focus on when big breakthroughs happen, whether privately- or publicly-funded, and I think that's a shame.

BlackVanilla | 4 years ago

The crazy bit of this is that this is where the tunnels will be built: https://www.hs2.org.uk/where/route-map/#12/51.6609/-0.5849

"from just inside the M25 to South Heath in Buckinghamshire"

South Heath is here https://www.google.com/maps/place/South+Heath/@51.7054459,-0...

We are going to tunnel through open country due to the politics and objections from land owners.

It is no surprise that the costs have risen.

buro9 | 4 years ago

As alluded to by another comment below, having even a small specialized workforce trained and skilled in building rail is something that's desireable. Maybe even a topic of national security (or at least national competence).

However, people need practice and real projects to stay skilled. And if a country only has 1 major rail project every 30 years, you're not going to be able to maintain that workforce or national skill -- unless that workforce finds projects outside the country to work on. (Or attract people to that field. Maintenance alone is not very interesting to many people.) It becomes a very boom/bust talent pool that loses its sharpness because of lack of wood to chop.

I think advanced countries will find these kinds of skills (rail being just an example) attritting to developing countries like China, India where growth means that 10,000 rail-specific engineers have places to practice their skills on real projects that keep on coming. They stamp out an elevated rail bridge every month.

First you see the expertise moving to the private sector because government no longer engages in the building of infrastructure. Then even the private sector talent moves overseas to follow the projects. Even an org like Parsons almost cannot compete with this. And that's why you see rail projects going to such countries' companies as top bidders possessing the necessary expertise -- ready to go right now, rather than taking 1 year to even find the people.

Talent and ability follows the need (and money) for it.

supernova87a | 4 years ago

I wonder how much it will fetch on eBay. One of the Channel Tunnel boring machines sold for £39,999 in 2004. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/3620673.stm

switch007 | 4 years ago

Extract from the UK yellow pages from years past:

Boring - see Civil Engineers

barking | 4 years ago

It's amazing the expense we are going to to avoid building a railway across a few rich peoples land. Not that this is new, it happened during the steam age.

tonyedgecombe | 4 years ago

Who knew? You can vote on the names these two TBMs will be given. https://www.hs2.org.uk/tbmvoting/

BlackVanilla | 4 years ago

The cutter head interface is appropriately keyed. No chance of putting the square peg in the round hole!

Reason077 | 4 years ago

How competitive is the manufacturing/design market for TBMs? Given the tight connection to government buyers and cost-plus incentives, is the industry plausibly as sclerotic as the rocket industry was pre-SpaceX? Or are there good physics reasons why TBMs can't be much more efficient than they already are?

jessriedel | 4 years ago

Back in the cold war, there was a proposal to criss-cross the USA with underground tunnels carrying train-launched ICBMs. Would make for a great post-apocalyptic sci-fi movie.

madengr | 4 years ago