New book shines light on UK tunnelling stories

Tunnelling tales reveal the people behind the projects

A new book from the British Tunnelling Society (BTS) offers a unique, human-centred view of some of the UK’s most ambitious underground construction projects — through the voices of the engineers, workers and specialists who helped build them.

Tunnelling Tales spans over 800 pages of first-hand accounts covering more than five decades of tunnelling history, including landmark schemes such as the Mersey Tunnel and the Channel Tunnel. Written largely by the people who worked underground, the book brings to life the experiences, humour and challenges of building below the surface.

“This is where you’ll know of the human processes of building our vital underground public infrastructure,” said Sarah Langley, head of infrastructure at Sika. “There is great humour in the personal accounts and memories, and for me, it is like a catalogue of my career in tunnelling.”

Kristina Smith, writing in Tunnelling Journal, described it as “recommended reading for anyone who has worked in the industry, anyone who has an interest in tunnelling and anyone considering a career underground.”

Mike McConnell, a retired tunnelling director at Balfour Beatty, said: “The world of underground engineering and construction is like a brotherhood and sisterhood now… Once you’ve worked on a tunnel project or in the tunnelling industry you never leave.”

Published by the BTS, which is part of the Institution of Civil Engineers, the book can be previewed via PDF or viewed in full at the ICE library in Westminster. Copies are available to order via the BTS website for £65.