Finne Tunnel: Driving Operations running smoothly
Driving Operations at Finne Tunnel
The Finne Tunnel with a total length of 6969 km is the longest on the DB AG’s new Erfurt–Leipzig/Halle route and the only tunnel on the entire line between Munich and Berlin, which is having both tubes constructed by 2 tunnelling machines offset to each other. In contrast the other 2 tunnels on the route are being produced by the NATM with inner shell. The project was presented in tunnel 6/2007 and the current state of ongoing operations is presented in the following article.
The tunnel consists of 2 parallel tubes with an external diameter of roughly 11 m, a 45 cm thick segmental lining and connecting passages set every 500 m between the tubes. This results in 13 escape and rescue passages as well as 3 for technical facilities. As both tunnels run parallel to each other and the driving concept is identical, the following article will refer only to a single tunnel (Fig. 1).
The prevailing geology is characterised by intermittent beds of clays, siltstones and sandstones over the first 1,500 m, which are completely broken up at the 1st and 2nd Finne fault. In...
