A number of road tunnels in Europe no longer comply with current safety requirements. Substantial impacts on the overall infrastructure resulting from tunnel closure due to construction are inevitable in many cases owing to the refurbishment measures that have become necessary. The report in tunnel issue 8/2015 examines the possibility of upgrading tunnels by installing an active fire-fighting system devised to reduce such closures. In this connection, the analysis not only considers the installation costs for structural and technical measures but as well compares the economic effects of different refurbishment concepts in a holistic appraisal.
What preconditions have to be provided to enable good coordination between tunnel operators and emergency services in case of an incident? This question occupied the 4th Commanders Forum at the International Fire Academy in Balsthal, Switzerland.
As in previous years, the STUVA also undertook a survey of current tunnelling projects in Germany at the turn of the year 2014/2015. The outcome is compiled in tabular form for the month of December 2014 and subsequently assessed. The table follows up its predecessors published for the years 1978 to 2014.
The Ryfast tunnel project, the world’s longest sub-sea road tunnel system, is situated close to Norway’s fourth largest city of Stavanger. The project consists of three tunnels: Solbakk tunnel, Hundvaag tunnel and Eiganes tunnel. The excavation of the Solbakk tunnel started in August 2013. It is the main tunnel of the project with a total tunnel length of 14 km. The two headings are being excavated by drill and blast and will reach a maximum depth of 290 m below sea level. For the first time the software Amberg Navigator is in use which allows autonomous tunnel heading guidance operated by the tunnel crew themselves.
The durability of synthetic fibers in aggressive environments is often questioned. A long-term test undertaken by the Swiss material testing and research institute (EMPA) as part of a KTI project...
The S10 expressway in the north of Upper Austria will become part of the trans-European transport network and provide better connection between the Freistadt area and the metropolitan area of Linz and the Czech Republic. The project's section 2 includes the 4440 m long Götschka Tunnel. This future key structure on the S10 was constructed by applying the shotcrete method.
Since 2010 the 2.2 km long extension of Berlin's subway line U5 from Alexanderplatz to the Brandenburg Gate is being carried out by the municipal transport company Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe (BVG) and its subsidiary Projektrealisierungs GmbH U5 on behalf of the German Federal Government and the State of Berlin. Upon reaching its final position at the Brandenburg Gate on October 14, 2015 the Mixshield “Bärlinde” has successfully completed its tunnelling mission in Berlin. Behind the tunnel boring machine (TBM) are two 1620 m long parallel tubes, built through the historic center of the German capital. In the process a total of 1076 tubbing rings were installed.
In less than a year, the who is who from the international railway industry will meet again from September 20 to 23, 2016, at the InnoTrans in Berlin. Almost 139 000 trade visitors from 146 countries turned up for the 2014 InnoTrans at the fairgrounds under the Berlin Funkturm. From a total of 2761 exhibitors from 55 countries some 250 companies presented their activities and services in the Tunnelling segment. Next year, the Tunnel Construction fair segment will again provide a platform for those marketing construction products, tunnel drilling and cleaning machines as well as communication, fire protection and safety technology.
21 Herrenknecht tunnel boring machines (TBMs) are operating or being got ready in Doha, the capital of the Arab Emirate of Qatar. The Metro network is being further developed here at breakneck speed to be prepared for forthcoming major sporting events and provide a sustainable infrastructure. The first phase of the currently planned Metro network is divided into three main lines – the Red, Green and Gold Lines. They will connect the most important districts of the city.
On September 26, 2015, almost exactly a year after works started on the Tulfes–Pfons construction lot, the first tunnel boring machine (TBM) to be used in the Austrian part of the Brenner Base Tunnel began its work and is now making its way through the rock towards Brenner – three months after the first of 75 heavy transports delivered the first part of the machine to the site in Ahrental.
