SPOILed for choice - HS2 reveals third conveyor

On 4 August 2023 HS2 revealed a new spoil conveyor designed to take around 70,000 lorry journeys off Buckinghamshire’s roads and significantly reduce disruption for local residents during the construction of the UK’s new high speed rail line. The conveyor stretches for 1.3 km between two construction sites on either side of the A413 and local railway line, south of the town of Wendover. It is expected to carry 550,000 cubic metres of chalk and other material over the next two years and will avoid shifting the material along the main road.

Similar conveyor belts have been built at Old Oak Common in West London and Long Itchington in Warwickshire - boosting construction efficiency and reducing traffic as work on the project continues to ramp up. The Wendover conveyor is fully contained to reduce dust and noise and made up of five sections, with temporary bridges across the main road and the existing Chiltern railway line. It will transport material – mainly chalk – excavated from cuttings to the south, to be reused in earthworks elsewhere on the route.

Shifting material with the conveyor is expected to cut carbon emissions by avoiding the need to move the material by road – and halve the amount of noise from vehicles and equipment. It was built by HS2 Ltd’s main works contractor, EKFB - a team made up of Eiffage, Kier, Ferrovial Construction and BAM Nuttall.