ElbX: 50 Percent of Tunnel Excavation Work Completed
In December 2025 the team from Porr Tunnelbau reached a significant milestone in the ElbX tunnel construction project, a central component of the SuedLink expansion by transmission system operator TenneT Germany: 50% of the tunnel has been excavated. Since excavation began in early February 2025, the TBM has worked its way through around 2800 m beneath the Elbe.
Under the riverbed of the Elbe, the TBM is now passing through the particularly challenging Lauenburg clay. In addition, compressed air work at up to 4.8 bar is required under the shipping channel. This limits the operating time at the cutting wheel to just 50 minutes per shift.
Work on the two shafts is also progressing. In Schleswig-Holstein, the second basement is currently being built, while in Lower Saxony, work is already underway on the fifth basement. The special civil engineering work for the excavation pit of the target shaft had been completed two months ago; the civil engineering team is now constructing the shaft structure.
