Produced by British Transport Films on behalf of London Transport – 1965.
This is the second in a series of four films covering the construction of the London underground’s new Victoria line.
This film, Report Number 2 Down and Along, describes the techniques and machinery used for the digging of the tunnels for the new line.
Construction began in 1962 on the Walthamstow-Victoria section and continued until 1972, when Pimlico station was opened.
Halcrow were joint consulting engineers to the London Transport Board. Halcrow's share of the work included the reconstruction of the complex interchanges at Oxford Circus Station, Kings Cross Station, Finsbury Park Station, Highbury and Seven Sisters Station and the construction of some 6 miles of twin running tunnels, each of 3.7 metres internal diameter.
Halcrow's approach to the tunnelling was extremely innovative. Instead of using the traditional cast iron linings for the running tunnels, concrete segments were expanded directly against the ground. This method eliminated both the lengthy process of bolting the tunnel segments together and also the necessity for grouting between the lining and the earth.
Interesting fact:
This was to be British Transport Films largest single project in terms of the quantity of footage that was shot.