The tunnels Tanzenberg (2.5 km long), Oberaich (0.2 km), Massenberg (0.4 km), Bruck (1.2 km), St. Ruprecht (0.7 km) and Niklasdorf (1.3 km) belong to the Bruck tunnel chain in Austria. Since 2007, the ASFINAG (the Austrian Motorways Authority) has redeveloped and upgraded the chain of tunnels along with all the bridges and open areas of terrain belonging to it. These activities at the Semmering major project expressway S 6 were completed at the end of April 2016 with an investment cost of around 220 million euros.
At the end of April 2016, the enlarged and modernised St. Maurice Tunnel in the Swiss canton of Valais was reopened. For this project, which is part of the modernisation and redesign of the Simplon Line, the tunnel profile was enlarged for the passage of double-decker trains.
On November 10 and 11, 2016, the International Tunnelling and Underground Space Association (ITA) is presenting the second edition of its ITA Tunnelling Awards. Participation has been highly competitive this year, with 98 entries from 25 countries competing for awards in nine categories. The judging panel with 17 experts, chaired by ITA President Tarcísio Celestino, concluded the review of entries in July; 33 entries have been selected as finalists.
An agreement between The Robbins Company and the Chinese Northern Heavy Industries (NHI) Group was finalized on June 28, 2016 in Shenyang, capital of northeast China’s Liaoning Province. This initial agreement is the first step of a three-phase merger process and gives NHI minority interest in The Robbins Company. Based in Shenyang, NHI employs 10 000 people and is among China’s top three heavy machinery manufacturers.
The new construction of the Karawanken tunnel is picking up speed also from an architectural point of view. The tunnel construction is scheduled to start at the end of 2017 or beginning of 2018. The tunnel portals will be architecturally redesigned after completion of the new and the refurbishment oft he existing tunnel. Hertl, an architecture firm based in Steyr, Upper Austria, won the competition, which was initiated throughout Austria by the ASFINAG.
Altogether 500 million Swiss francs will be invested for redeveloping the 3.2 km long Belchen Tunnel. The scheme began in 2015. A JV comprising the companies Marti Tunnelbau, Marti Basel und Marti Solothurn is charged with building the new tube on the Swiss A2 motorway between Hägendorn in the Canton of Solothurn and Eptingen in the Canton of Basle-Land on behalf of the Swiss Federal Roads Office (FEDRO/ASTRA). Once completed in 2022, the new tunnel will enable the two directionally-separate, two-lane tubes of the original Belchen Tunnel dating back to 1970 to be refurbished without restricting traffic.
The Stuttgart–Ulm rail project is part of the new trans-European corridor from Paris to Budapest/Bratislava. The new Wendlingen–Ulm route as an element of the project crosses the Swabian Jura and is divided up into the sections Alb foothills, Alb ascent, Alb plateau, Alb descent and Ulm Station conversion in the appropriate plans. The 962 m long Widderstall Tunnel is located on the Alb plateau close to the route’s topographical highest point and is being constructed by cut-and-cover. The total cost of the tunnel will amount to 37 million euros.
On 17 July 2016 the workshop acceptance was completed by the project owner for the world’s first U-shape (horseshoe shape) TBM, which is manufactured...
At the end of June 2016, the 3350 m long Küblis bypass between Dalvazza and Prada was opened to traffic in the Canton of Graubünden in Switzerland. As a result the municipality Küblis has been relieved of the traffic carried by the A28 national highway between Dalvazza and Selfranga. The 2255 m long, bi-directional Küblis Tunnel with two lanes constitutes the main element of this bypass. including a parallel, 2015 m long safety tunnel.
The Swiss Tunnelling Society (STS/FGU) as part of the Swiss Engineers and Architects Association (SIA) staged the 15th Swiss Tunnel Congress at the Lucerne Culture and Congress Centre from June 15 to 17, 2016. Around 800 visitors took part in the lecture programme. The Swiss Tunnel Colloquium for students, young engineers and technicians on the previous day attracted 400 participants, making the 15th Swiss Tunnel Congress (STC) the one to have attracted the largest attendance figure.
Highly topical themes relating to mobility and tunnelling will once again be discussed at the “International Tunnel Forum” over two days at this year’s InnoTrans in Berlin. The organization und contents of this forum on September 21 and 22, 2016 will be the responsibility of the STUVA Inc. (Research Association for Tunnels and Transportation Facilities). The first event on September 21 is devoted to the issue of “BIM – An Added Value for Tunnelling?”. The second forum on September 22 will deal with the topic “Underground Stations – A special Safety and Security Risk?”
LED Caution Lights at three Railway Crossings The City of Cologne’s traffic committee had decided in September 2011 to test ground caution lights at...
