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Anglo American and STRABAG break world record for longest single bored tunnel

07 Dec 2023
© John Zammit at Absolute Photography Ltd
© John Zammit at Absolute Photography Ltd

STRABAG UK is working on behalf of Anglo American to construct the world’s longest conveyor tunnel for a permanent mineral transport system (MTS) which will transport tens of millions of tonnes of polyhalite from under the North York Moors National Park.

Polyhalite is a naturally occurring mineral which will then be crushed and granulated to create POLY4 - a unique multi-nutrient fertiliser which is suitable for organic use. It will be used in worldwide fertiliser programmes to help boost crop yields, plant strength and improve soil structure.

World-leading tunnelling specialists, STRABAG, have been boring under the North York Moors National Park since June 2019 using a single (Hard Rock) Herrenknecht tunnel boring machine (TBM) to build the 37km tunnel with an internal diameter of 4.9 metres. The TBM was named Stella-Rose by a local primary school pupil, with Stella, meaning star in Latin, and Rose, after the famous local landmark Roseberry Topping. 

The former record was set by a water conveyance tunnel project in the Middle East which was also built using a Herrenknecht tunnel boring machine. Once completed, Anglo American and STRABAG will have set a new world record and are expecting this to be confirmed by Guinness World Records.

STRABAG UK directly employ 450 staff on the project, 75% of which are local to Teesside, and has also prioritised using local construction partners and suppliers, creating many more jobs for the region. 

  • We are extremely proud of the team at the Woodsmith project for reaching this incredible milestone and safely passing the current world record set for a single bored tunnel drive.

    This is another example of our growing presence in the north-east of England and the UK, demonstrating our industry-leading expertise.

    Simon Wild
    Managing Director of STRABAG UK

  • “We are delighted to achieve such an incredible milestone in the UK as part of our pioneering project. It is a demonstration of the fruits of teamwork with our partners. We are now focused on looking forward and setting a new world record every day.

    The Woodsmith tunnel is a fundamental part of our commitment to create a sustainable mine with minimal environmental impact.