First HS2 tunnel segments made at £50m Hartlepool Strabag factory transported to London

The first freight services carrying the concrete segments have departed the town’s new £50m Strabag site in Greenland Road.

The company has brought adjacent disused rail head back into use after over 15 years to transport the parts directly to HS2’s London Logistics Hub.

The state-of-the-art factory, which opened in the summer, is making over 83,000 precast segments for use in tunnels on the new HS2 route in London creating over 100 jobs locally.

Simon Wild, managing director of Strabag UK, said: “Following on from our multi-million pound investment into Hartlepool, we’re delighted to see the first trains leaving for London.

"The direct access from the factory to the rail network is a huge location advantage that enables us to reduce the number of journeys by lorry and carbon emissions.”

The freight trains, operated by Freightliner, can carry up to 20 segment rings for the tunnels, which will be used to build 38 metres of tunnel.

It includes the 3.4-mile long Northolt Tunnel East from Victoria Road in Acton to Greenford.

Malcolm Codling, project client director for HS2, added: “Strabag’s investment in Hartlepool is an example of how HS2 is benefiting the UK economy.

"Reinstating the rail head demonstrates a commitment to a long term future for the factory, and supports HS2’s commitment to reducing its environmental impact through construction.”

In October, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak scrapped the northern leg of the multi-billion pound project due to soaring costs, meaning HS2 will now end in Birmingham.