Secondary lining reaches halfway on Tideway eastern section

Secondary lining on the final, easternmost section of London’s super sewer has now passed the 50% mark.

Primary lining of the main tunnel was completed in April 2022 when Tunnel Boring Machine Selina reached the shaft at Abbey Mills Pumping Station. Now the shutters – the machines used to secondary line – have reached halfway on the 5.5 kilometre stretch between Chamber Wharf, Bermondsey and Abbey Mills.

The shutters, gantries and other associated equipment were also used on the central section of the project and transported to Chambers Wharf by river for reuse on the last section of the Thames Tideway Tunnel.

Secondary lining provides added strength to the tunnel to ensure the super sewer can do its job for future generations while providing a smooth surface over which the sewage flows can travel when the tunnel is up and running in 2025.

At Abbey Mills, the easternmost Tideway site and an existing Thames Water pumping station, the main tunnel will connect to the Lee Tunnel. 

Find out more about the tunnelling story in our Tunnel Vision episode: Digging the Super Sewer