Hampton Roads TBM Cutterhead Lowered into Łódź Rail Tunnel Shaft
On November 8, 2026, a tunnel boring machine (TBM) cutterhead weighing approximately 430 tonnes was lowered into the launch shaft for a high-speed rail tunnel in Łódź, Poland. The machine had previously been used on the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel expansion project in Virginia, United States, and is intended to excavate the new 4.6-kilometre tunnel.
At Hampton Roads, the TBM began excavation in April 2023 and completed two tunnels, each approximately 2.4 kilometres long, in September 2025. The cutterhead lift marks a step in positioning the previously used machine for its next assignment.
The move illustrates how a large tunnelling machine can be redeployed across borders after completing a project. For future reuse decisions, the relevant questions include whether a machine can be adapted to the requirements of a new tunnel and how transport and preparation affect the project schedule.
The lift itself does not establish when excavation in Łódź will begin. Subsequent progress will show how the machine is brought into operation for the new tunnel.
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