Structural completion marks progress on HS2 Warwickshire tunnel

HS2 engineers have completed the main structure of the Burton Green tunnel in Warwickshire after installing the final roof segment. The 700 m long and 16 m wide twin-box tunnel will carry high-speed trains beneath the village of Burton Green, near Kenilworth, while restoring green space above the railway corridor.

The tunnel includes an internal dividing wall that separates northbound and southbound trains. With the main civil engineering now complete, teams can move to the next phase of works, including the escape walkway, fire protection to the upper tunnel walls and creation of the landscaped roof.

The structure is one of HS2’s green tunnels, a form of cut-and-cover tunnel designed to reduce the long-term visual and community impact of the railway. Instead of leaving the railway in an open cutting, the tunnel is built, covered and then integrated into the surrounding landscape.

The next major stage will be the construction of a 500 m long green roof above the tunnel. This will create accessible community green space and allow the Kenilworth Greenway to be reinstated above the buried railway. The route is used by walkers, cyclists and horse riders, linking Balsall Common with Kenilworth through Burton Green.

Excavated material from the tunnel works is being reused in landscaping, reducing the need to remove large quantities of material from site. Native trees and shrubs will also be planted to provide wildlife habitat and restore ecological links between Black Waste Wood and Little Poors Wood.

This is one of the main purposes of a green tunnel. It is not only a railway enclosure. It is also a way of reconnecting land, reducing severance and softening the long-term footprint of major infrastructure.

The Burton Green tunnel was constructed in a constrained village environment, where space, access, local roads and community disruption had to be carefully managed. Cromwell Lane was temporarily diverted during the works and is expected to reopen later in the year. The Kenilworth Greenway has also been adjusted while the permanent route is reinstated.

The project shows the practical value of cut-and-cover construction in sensitive surface locations. The method still creates significant temporary disruption during excavation and structural works, but it can reduce long-term visual, noise and land-use impacts once the tunnel is covered.

HS2 recently announced completion of the Copthall green tunnel near West Ruislip, and Burton Green now adds another major milestone to the programme. Together, these structures show how railway design is increasingly being shaped by more than alignment and speed. Landscape integration, material reuse, local access and ecological connectivity are now central parts of infrastructure delivery.