BTS is a Learned Society within the Institution of Civil Engineers. It is made up of individual and corporate members and is run by a Management Committee consisting of elected and co-opted members.
Sewage tunnels
Tunnelling was underway on the Lee Tunnel – the first and an important part of the Tideway scheme to improve the water quality of the River Thames.
Cable tunnels
Driving was completed for the National Grid cable tunnels from Hackney to Willesden Green via Kensal Green and from Kensal Green to Wimbledon, which had been let as one major package. More utility tunnels are at the procurement stage.
Railway Tunnels
Work on the renewal of the existing underground station at Tottenham Court Road was completed. Shafts have been sunk and SCL tunnelling was underway on the station extension and link with Crossrail. The station capacity upgrades at Victoria Station and Bond Street underground stations were underway. Numerous Crossrail contracts started during the year.
Five of the eight TBMs for the project had been delivered to site. Of these, the two Contract 300 TBMs had between them driven around 1500m of running tunnels, both having successfully passed under the surface railway tracks into Paddington Station. The TBMs for Contracts 305 and the Thames Tunnels were being assembled ready for launch in early 2013. Major shaft and SCL works were underway around Liverpool Street. The Tunnelling and Underground Construction Academy (TUCA), part of the Crossrail legacy, continued to expand its facilities.
Future work, currently in the planning and design stages, included the Tideway Scheme. The proposed High Speed Two rail link to Birmingham was given Government support to proceed. This railway scheme should eventually link Glasgow and Edinburgh to London, is expected to have extensive lengths of track in tunnel. London Underground was continuing with their ambitious station capacity upgrade programme and invitations to tender for the upgrade to Bank Station went out in late 2012. Proposals for a new road tunnel under the Thames at Greenwich remained under consideration and being supported strongly by the Mayor of London.
The future energy situation in the UK remained a matter of some concern as the nuclear programme continued to be beset by problems of funding and public resistance following the events in Japan. The recovery of the tunnels at Glendoe was completed and generation restarted in late 2012