How to Build a Railway HS2

HS2’s Learning Legacy Podcast is a five-part series exploring the Learning Legacy programme.



HS2 is one of the most complex and challenging railway scheme the UK has ever undertaken. As such, it has been generating vast amounts of data across the board. Every geological survey, every design, every site, every environmental survey, all generating more and more data.



So with all this data, what do you do with it?



The final episode of the Learning Legacy Podcast looks at how HS2 has been using their data to build more detailed models, advance approaches to work and better equipment that can provide greater insights into the world of construction engineering.



Featuring:



Roberto Alberola – TYPSA, Head of BIM and Digital

Peter Ruff – SCS, Head of BIM

Jonny Neville – Mott Macdonald, Engineering Geologist and Information Manager

Idarousse Mouhtar – BBV, Senior Materials Engineer

Dr Anne-Marie Imafidon MBE - Social Entrepreneur and Computer Scientist



Roberto and Peter dive into the creation of a digital version of the project using Building Information Modelling (BIM) and ensuring there is a single point of truth so all designers and contractors along the length of the project are on the same page.



Jonny and Idarousse talk through the process of earthworks excavation by using a new 3D GeoBIM model which allows for more advanced ground investigation surveys. Further pushing the importance of the planning process before putting a spade in the ground.



Dr Anne-Marie closes out the series with an extract from her speech given at HS2’s Learning Legacy Live event. Highlighting having a growing mindset, experimenting along with learning from our actions and asking “how” we do things.



Find out more about HS2’s Learning Legacy Programme at: https://learninglegacy.hs2.org.uk/

HS2’s Learning Legacy Podcast is a five-part series exploring the Learning Legacy programme.



HS2 is focused not only on safety, but on overall health and wellbeing on all employees and contractors. Identifying long term risks to wellbeing is a challenge within any industry. It’s a particular problem on construction sites, where people often move between projects and sites.



Episode 4 dives into some of the innovations and technology being implemented across the project. From monitoring site workers exposure to Hand Arm Vibration Syndrome, to understanding the approach in place at BBV to ensure teams are establishing an inclusive and safe culture for all employees.



Featuring: 



Fiona King – HS2, Head of Occupational Health and Wellbeing

Timothy Callow – EKFB, SHW Advisor

Alison Crawley – EKFB, Head of Occupational Health

Bill Strachan – EKFB, Health Safety and Wellbeing Manager

Chloe Chand – Diversifying Group, Lead Diversity and Inclusion Trainer (Former BBV, EDI Partner)

Ben Hickman – BBV, EDI Partner



Fiona outlines the importance of occupational health. Monitoring a workers’ health from the design stages onwards allows teams to take action against signs of long-term health issues at the earliest moment. 



Tim, Alison and Bill explain the journey of improving the problem of Hand Arm Vibration Syndrome of workers putting together a concrete batching plant, and the use of a React Tech vibration monitor device allowing managers to rethink their approach on the job.



Chloe and Ben walk us through BBV’s approach to ensure an equal and inclusive environment is achieved. From the 4 Golden Rules to ensuring any lack of understanding or awareness is addressed in a civil and respectful way.  Inclusion of all when monitoring health and safety is critical to help continue to push the industry.



Find out more about HS2’s Learning Legacy Programme at: https://learninglegacy.hs2.org.uk/

HS2’s Learning Legacy Podcast is a five-part series exploring the Learning Legacy programme.



HS2’s place within the current climate and environment has always been its top priority. Once operational, the British-built bullet trains will provide zero-carbon journeys between the UK’s two largest cities, Birmingham and London. 



Episode 3 explores how HS2’s railway assets have been designed from the start with climate change resilience in mind, as well as utilising waste clay from tunnelling, and how it can be transformed into low carbon concrete. 



Featuring: 



Kay Hughes - HS2 Design Director 

Alison Walker – HS2 Climate Change Manager 

Dr Rachel Allison - HS2 Climate Change Specialist 

Nick Podevyn – Align Innovation Manager 

Athina Papakosta - SCS Sustainability and Carbon Lead 

Dr Fragkoulis Kanavaris – ARUP Concrete Materials Lead 

Apostolos Tsoumelekas – SCS Materials Engineer 

Tom Burr-Hersey – HS2 Senior Environmental Manager 



Kay sets the scene with how the project is being delivered with the future in mind, achieving sustainability from as early as the design stage and maintaining it through strong communication. 



Alison and Rachel take us through all things climate when it comes to construction of the project. ‘The 4R’s of resilience’, the planning towards weather conditions by using multiple climate models, and how much climate adaption is front and centre from design all the way through to operation.  



Nick focuses on the construction of the Colne Valley Viaduct with Align’s giant launch girder. Combating issues with wind, rain and heat to ensure the construction schedule isn’t affected and the use of MetSwift weather models. 



Athina, Fragkoulis, Apostolos and Tom dive into the reuse of London Clay to reducing climate impact by cutting transport emissions related to removing the material. The possibility of excavated London Clay being turned into local concrete, it could also reduce the embodied carbon emissions. 



Find out more about HS2’s Learning Legacy Programme at: https://learninglegacy.hs2.org.uk/

HS2’s Learning Legacy Podcast is a five-part series exploring the Learning Legacy programme.



Design not only encapsulates the creativity and innovation of new products, but is the main source of information for construction to take place.  



Episode 2 of the Learning Legacy Podcast takes a look at the design stages of stations and tunnel portals and encapsulating the importance of finding new methods of work and finding the opportunity to answer questions when there isn’t much existing research out there. 



Featuring: 



Giles Thomas - HS2 Integration Director 

Kim Quazi - ARUP Lead Architect 

Fernando Ruiz-Barberan - ARUP Building Envelope Team Associate  

José Marquez Santoyo - ARUP Architecture Lead 

William George - Jacobs Senior Engineer 

Darren Carter - Jacobs Senior Associate Director 

Lee Canning - Jacobs Senior Associate Director 



Giles describes his role in connecting the teams creating 140-miles of track, 4 state-of-the art stations, two depots and 32 miles of tunnel together, and what HS2 has taken on board from London 2012 and Crossrail to make its Learning Legacy programme most beneficial for the industry. 



Kim, Fernando and José take a deep dive into the new Interchange Station, and how cloud-based data sharing allowed for a new way of sharing revisions for major infrastructures gave a new meaning to ‘going back to the drawing board’. 



William, Darren and Lee talk through the design process for the largest porous portal in the UK and documenting the challenges and collaboration with external experts in a paper will give other designers a head start when new tunnel portals are built.  



Find out more about HS2’s Learning Legacy Programme at: https://learninglegacy.hs2.org.uk/

HS2’s Learning Legacy Podcast is a five-part series exploring the Learning Legacy programme.



The concept of the Learning Legacy programme has been around for longer than you might think. Starting at London 2012, collating and sharing knowledge, innovation, good practice and lessons learned from major projects has developed in a number of ways to get to where we currently reside. 



In this first episode we’ll take a look back at other major projects and their approach to knowledge sharing., and we’ll explore how HS2 has gone about creating the most comprehensive Learning Legacy programme of any major UK project to date. 



Featuring: 



Bridget Badoe McQuick – HS2, Learning Legacy Manager 

Karen Elson – Co Cre8, Learning Legacy Manager 

Simon Bennett – Crossrail International, Associate Director for stakeholder engagement and Learning Legacy 

Andy Murray – Major Project Association, Executive Director 

Clive Roberts – University of Birmingham, Professor of Railway Systems 

Martin Sherlock – National Highways Knowledge Management Lead 



Bridget gives an overview of HS2’s Learning Legacy programme and its open challenges. 



Karen takes us back to London 2012 with the start of Learning Legacy and the journey of the programmes over the years that brought us to where we are now. 



Simon and Andy describe the setup of Crossrail’s Learning Legacy and the MPA’s Knowledge Hub. Their collective experience and support made each programme better than the previous and to have it all in one place within the Knowledge Hub. 



Clive and Martin give their thoughts on the importance of HS2’s Learning Legacy Programme for the wider industry. 



Find out more about HS2’s Learning Legacy Programme at: https://learninglegacy.hs2.org.uk/

HS2’s Learning Legacy Podcast is a five-part series exploring the Learning Legacy programme.



Each episode focuses on different approaches which represent an opportunity to raise the standards of engineering, design, innovation and safety.



Find out more about the HS2 Learning Legacy Podcast: https://www.hs2.org.uk/



Find out more about HS2’s Learning Legacy Programme: https://learninglegacy.hs2.org.uk/