ALICE Technologies and SCS JV – a joint venture between Skanska, Costain, and Strabag – have announced a partnership to optimise the construction of the London tunnels of HS2.
SCS JV is constructing 13 miles of twin-bore tunnels on the HS2 route to its southern terminus at Euston.
The company has divided its tunnels work into three areas: west, central, and east.
SCS is now using the ALICE Technologies’ construction optioneering platform – which serves to assist general contractors and owners in leveraging generative AI – in the western area to optimise the construction schedule for the Mandeville Road ventilation shaft and headhouse.
The ventilation shaft – the vertical opening that connects the HS2 tunnels to the surface and open air – regulates air quality and temperature in the tunnel and allows smoke to be extracted in the event of a fire.
The headhouse is the building on top of the ventilation shaft that contains fire-control systems and the ventilation systems for the railway tunnels below.
The Mandeville Road ventilation shaft is one of four ventilation shafts to be constructed in a 13.5km section of the Northolt Tunnel between Old Oak Common station and the West Ruislip portal.
The work on the Mandeville shaft builds upon the SCS team’s use of the ALICE platform to explore faster sequencing options for the construction of the Euston SCL shaft, which provides critical access to the main tunnels that lead to Euston station.
