TunnelTalk Annual Review 2017

TUNNELTALK ANNUAL REVIEW 2017

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Annual Review

Direct by Design

2017-18

Welcome to the digital edition of the TunnelTalk Annual Review 2017-18 Each of the articles has been published first on www.TunnelTalk.com, the leading online magazine for the global underground construction industry.

All the articles are hotlinked to the TunnelTalk online Archive allowing for direct, free access to the full coverage and a wealth of additional information.

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Digital issues of the Annual Review are available for purchase, allowing you to build a historic reference of the international tunnelling industry.

Annual Review

2017-18 TunnelTalk.com

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GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE 7 2017: Concentrating industry efforts for going forward 9 Futuristic tunnelling concepts 12 Promises and plans for US public infrastructure investment 14 Rising German equipment sales 15 Tracking the world’s mega TBMs 19 TBM drive collapses and industry feedback discussions 22 A leap towards smarter engineering EDUCATION AND TRAINING FOCUS 24 Meeting the demand for new generations of professionals CONFERENCES 28 Highlights of the 2017 conference circuit 33 Dubai destination for WTC2018 delegates INDUSTRY NEWS AND DEVELOPMENTS 34 Industry News; Technical Developments; Honours and Awards 37 2017 ITA Award winners ROCK EXCAVATION FOCUS 50 Intelligent solutions for rock excavation operations 54 Rock TBM excavation operations against the odds 55 Pre-excavation grouting: a frontline for groundwater control

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elcome to the TunnelTalk Annual Review of 2017-2018. As the eighth edition of the series, the journal records in print a compilation of major achievements, developments and activities of 2017to early 2018 with all articles published initially on the TunnelTalk. com online magazine. For the first time this year, the Annual Review includes a TIMELINE foldout that highlights the most significant events across the year.

All content in the journal is supported for further research and more details in our comprehensive, free-to-access online Archive. As the only bookshelf reference of annual industry developments, copies of the current issue will be distributed from the TunnelTalk booth at the main tunnelling conferences and exhibitions during 2018-19. To complete your library, the current issue and earlier editions, since the first in 2010, can be purchased online in either digital or printed formats via TunnelTalk.com.

At the end of 2017, global readership of TunnelTalk.com comprised more than 100,000 readers/month with more than 5.5 million articles accessed during the year. Sign up to receive our free weekly Alert of current web-magazine reporting and explore the creative advertising opportunities with TunnelTalk.

During 2017 and early 2018, TunnelTalk attended and was represented at more than 15 conference events across the globe. The 2018-2019 schedule is shaping up to be equally busy and we look forward to meeting friends, colleagues and new contacts at the programme of international conferences during the coming year.

78 79 80 81 81 82 83 83 85

Georgia: Tough excavation completed to secure clean energy Austria-Italy: Brenner Baseline milestones Switzerland: Road upgrade TBM drive at Belchen Denmark-Germany: Fehmarn looking at 2020 construction start Sweden: Underground works for road and rail in Stockholm Sweden: Significant investment for Gothenburg transport links Norway: Drill+blast advances major subsea highway connections Norway: TBM and drill+blast excavation milestones in Bergen Turkey: Istanbul concentrates on metro extensions

THE AMERICAS 87 Mexico: XRE TBM finishes drainage project on a high note 87 Chile: TBM overcomes challenges in the Andes 88 USA: California WaterFix progresses into construction phase 89 USA: TBM accepted for Delaware Aqueduct bypass challenge 91 USA: DC Water awards Northeast Boundary Tunnel 92 USA: Los Angeles Metro continues underground extension routes 92 Canada: Preferred bidder for Toronto rail tunnel 93 USA: BART to San Jose considers excavation options 94 USA: Chesapeake Bay adds new highway crossings 95 USA: Bertha breakup after breakthrough and aftermath concerns 96 USA: First Crossover TBM readies for operation in Akron AUSTRALIA 97 Melbourne West Gate highway and PPP metro contract award 98 Sydney mega metro extension and WestConnex update 98 Variable density TBMs begin drives for Perth airport link

TUNNELTECH 58 Latest industry innovations FIRE LIFE SAFETY FOCUS 63 Effectiveness of sprinklers for fire suppression 64 Maximising fixed fire protection systems 64 Fireboard fireproofing in Norway 66 Sealing escape routes against fire hazards 66 Managing safety under Sydney Harbour EUROPE 67 France: Paris advancing its mega metro expansion 70 UK: Civil contract awards for HS2 Phase I 71 UK: Woodsmith Potash Mine moves into construction 72 UK: Tunnel bypass approved at Stonehenge 73 UK: Tideway supersewer underway 73 UK: Technical design for Morecambe Bay cable tunnel 74 UK: Silvertown Thames crossing procurement 74 Russia: St Petersburg plans new Neva River crossing 77 Germany: Great strides for Stuttgart rail connections 78 Austria: New team takes over GKI hydro scheme challenge

ASIA 100 India: Cities follow Delhi Metro development model 103 Nepal: First TBM in the kingdom for water conveyance 103 Laos: Hydro headrace finishes early despite challenges 104 Thailand: Double shields prepare to tackle complex geology 104 Korea: Highway to the sea opens 105 Pakistan: Dasu hydro tunnels contract signed 105 Singapore: DTSS 2 sewer contracts awarded 106 Hong Kong: Variable density TBM technology proves its worth 106 Malaysia: Kuala Lumpur Line 1 opens and Line 2 tunnelling begins 107 Thailand: Extreme articulation for Bangkok TBM drives 107 China: Raise boring operation successes BOOKS AND REPORTS 108 Underground Spaces Unveiled 108 History of Tunneling in the United States

PUBLISHER & EXECUTIVE EDITOR

Direct by Design Copyright© TunnelTalk 2017. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or otherwise, without the prior permission of the copyright owner.

All views expressed in this journal are those of the respective contributors and are not necessarily the opinions of the publisher, neither do the publishers endorse any of the claims made in the articles or the advertisements. Printed by Buxton Press Ltd, UK.

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Binda Punj DESIGN & PRODUCTION MANAGER

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VOLUME 8 Order extra copies of the 2010-2017 issues online

REPORTING CONTRIBUTORS Patrick Reynolds Peter Kenyon Julie Burchell Roger Murrow Roland Herr Armand van Wijck Eugene Gerden

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PERFORMANCE 3

MASTERING STRICT REQUIREMENTS Tight schedules, ambitious budgets and demanding project scopes are our everyday business. Let’s combine our expertise to build top-quality tunnels quickly and reliably. Just at the newly built rail line between Stuttgart and Ulm. herrenknecht.com

STUTTGART-ULM RAIL LINE

FORCING THE PACE ON EUROPE’S EAST-WEST RAILWAY LINE As part of Europe’s East-West line the Stuttgart-Ulm project is an important railway link. Herrenknecht stands side by side with three different joint ventures, providing the best expertise and service on the market. Four powerful TBMs pass inner-city areas as well as climbing the Swabian Alps in smooth operations.

STUTTGART 21 – FAST FORWARD THROUGH BACK AND FORTH

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STUTTGART

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Smart planning: the TBM was disassembled after reaching the geological transition zone and reassembled for its way down to the train station. For the journey back up to the Filder again, the TBM will be turned in tight space after breakthrough at the existing main station.

PERFORMANCE BY SMART ENGINEERING In highly populated urban areas there is no room for improvisations. Therefore exact planning and precise execution are inevitable. For the Filder Tunnel, together with our customer we developed a disassembly, transport and assembly concept worked out to the finest detail.

On-site our service experts supported the disassembly of a convertible 10.82 m Multi-mode TBM in a 9.6 m tunnel; the quickest and most compact possible retraction of all components from a 3.9 km long tube; and the complete reconstruction of the TBM “ready to bore” for the second tube in just 17 weeks on time.

STUTTGART 21 FILDER TUNNEL, GERMANY Contractor: ARGE ATCOST21 Tunnel length: 2 × 4,035 m + 2 × 3,603 m Geology: Lias, Rhaetic, Knollenmergel, Stuben sandstone, unleached Gypsum Keuper MACHINE DATA Machine type: Multi-mode TBM Diameter: 10,820 mm Total weight: 2,455 t

“ WE HADN'T NECESSARILY EXPECTED THE MACHINE TO BE AT THE THOUSAND METER MARK WITHIN JUST OVER TWO MONTHS. OUR COMPLIMENTS TO ALL INVOLVED.” Matthias Breidenstein, DB Project Manager for the Bossler Tunnel, part of the Wendlingen-Ulm new-build line

PERFORMANCE BY ON-SITE SERVICE With the latest delivery of two EPB Shields for the Albvorland Tunnel, Herrenknecht is the only TBM supplier for the Stuttgart-Ulm project. Due to space constraints, the TBMs had to be partly assembled above ground and lowered into the narrow launch shaft bit by bit. A Herrenknecht crew of 20 service experts managed this challenge successfully.

In late 2017 the two EPB Shields started tunnelling as planned.

WENDLINGEN-ULM NEW-BUILD LINE ALBVORLAND TUNNEL, GERMANY Contractor: Implenia Construction GmbH Tunnel length: 7,586 m + 7,978 m (twin tubes) MACHINE DATA Machine type: 2 × EPB Shield Diameter: 10,820 mm

PERFORMANCE BY SURPASSING TARGETS Tunnelling at the Bossler Tunnel began in April 2015, using an 11.34 m diameter EPB from Herrenknecht with daily top performances of up to 36 m – well over the targeted 20 m. This convincing advance rates led to the dispensing of the planned conventional mining. Since April 2017 “Käthchen” started excavating the western tunnel. In total 17.5 km will be cut by the TBM through various formations – of which over 12 km are already excavated.

ULM

WENDLINGEN-ULM NEW-BUILD LINE BOSSLER TUNNEL, GERMANY Contractor: ATA Arge Tunnel Albaufstieg Tunnel length: 2 × 8,806 m (twin tubes) MACHINE DATA Machine type: EPB Shield Diameter: 11,340 mm

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We have a long history in planning, program management, design, construction management and technical services on some of the country’s most complex tunneling projects.

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roductivity, sustainability, smart technologies, cost control, value for money and resilient cities are some of the principal catch-alls that will concentrate the mind and influence the industry direction from 2017 and into 2018. Far from being new ideas or recent focuses of attention, the uptake of proposed technological advances in actuality is being slow and in some cases stubbornly or unjustifiably rejected.

This may not be surprising for the construction industry, which is not known for its agility and readiness for change and innovation, but indications are that time is now for radical and rapid change to update design and construction practices, to improve machinery and materials performance, and to thoroughly and transparently review budgets and project costs.

Productivity

A renewed focus on productivity began in mid-2016 with publication of an article in the Economist magazine reporting on a study by the McKinsey Global Institute that productivity gains per hour worked are lowest, and actually falling, in the construction industry (Fig 1).

Key drivers of this embarrassing trend, it reports, include: • Workers replacing machinery in countries where importing or using plentiful cheap labour is less expensive than investing in machinery; • Volatility in demand that deters upfront fixed-cost investment in equipment that cannot be easily cut in a downturn where workers can be laid off; • Failure to consolidate, with differing practices and codes within and between countries and the customised nature of projects, blocking the advantages of scale; • Fierce competition for slim margins among many small companies and subcontractors, rather than collaborating to contain costs; • Failure to adopt smart technologies with little changed on construction sites compared to decades ago - except for much better safety standards; and • Slowness to adopt new practices and innovations with aversion to taking on risk being a major barrier.

An example of advanced practices and technologies beginning to be adopted into the construction industry is BIM (building information modeling). Be it considered a brilliant development or an overblown marketing exercise, BIM is here to stay and is being applied with the expectation of avoiding ambiguities in contact documents, reducing the need for design revisions and construction rebuilds, assisting more accurate estimating of quantities and costs,

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their increasing density of cities, is raising the awareness of the underground as a valuable resource of real estate.

Spearheading the efforts of the underground industry to be heard and integrated into global infrastructure planning is ITACUS, the Committee on Underground Space of the ITA, International Tunnelling and Underground Space Association.

Established formerly by the ITA in 2011, ITACUS has made substantial progress in its goals. It has increased collaboration with other international associations of urban development, Fig 1. Construction productivity going backwards has staged several conference sessions, workshops and seminars and has published several white and supporting time programming in order to schedule more efficiently, finish earlier and papers and documents and in early 2018 published a book by its Chair and Vice Chair save costs.

BIM is now adopted or is mandatory Han Admiraal and Antonia Cornaro, titled on most projects in design and planning Underground Spaces Unveiled, Planning around the world and this is a relatively and creating the cities of the future.

ITACUS and ITA are also supporting rapid development. For example, in the UK BIM is central to the design, planning, the development of regional Think construction and future maintenance, Deep groups to facilitate integration of operation and upgrading of the new HS2 the underground dimension into urban high speed railway project between London planning. As an example, the Think and Birmingham whereas it was underused Deep group in the UK (TDUK) completed a workshop project with the Glasgow a few years earlier on the Crossrail project.

High upfront costs to establish and City Council of Scotland to rethink and manage BIM systems are expected to be expand plans to redevelop the Clyde River offset by realized savings over the lifetime Waterfront. The group of 10 young urban of infrastructure projects from planning to designers/planners/architects and 10 civil refurbishment. Such is the excitement of engineers/underground space specialists, BIM within the industry, it has conference discussed the topic and presented the sessions and industry award categories Council with a report on their findings and dedicated to its application, knowledge recommendations. Similar workshops are planned and have been undertaken for sharing and case study reviews. projects in other cities with the influence of the groups growing and being appreciated.

Sustainability Sustainability, as another aspiration for the future, is in focus and pulling or dragging Cost control and project size Another trend into 2018 will be development industry forward or apart.

Few now refute the phenomena of of infrastructure as mega construction climate change and while many argue the projects. Rather than developing projects actual courses, a consensus of opinion is in smaller minimum operating phases, and that carbon emissions must be reduced. the need will require construction of mega As an objective in the construction and projects in single programmes of vast tunnelling industry that covers almost investments, consuming vast amounts all processes from excavated material of resources and involving construction transportation and disposal to concrete contracts of billions in capital investments.

Implementation of the Doha Metro in production and recycling of construction Qatar set the standard with a network of wastewater and excavated rock.

Rapid expansion of the world’s 111km of metro tunneling and underground mega cities is driving the need for more station excavation completed in 26 months, integrated and sustainable approaches to using 21 TBMs across four contracts.

Other mega-project investments in urban planning. The vulnerability of urban developments to events of natural disaster metro infrastructure include: (storms, earthquakes, fires, floods) and • the €25.9 billion 75km orbital

TunnelTalk ANNUAL REVIEW 2017

GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE

2017

Concentrating industry efforts going forward

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underground Grand Express Metro extension project in Paris that will relieve enormous pressure and congestion on the existing radial lines and is planned to be fully operational by 2030.

• the Delhi and Mumbai Metros in India where a total of 30 TBMs from different manufacturers completed the 80km of running tunnels for the city’s Phase III Metro expansion in Delhi and 17 TBMs will excavate the 33.5km Line 3 Metro for Mumbai. In Delhi From 13km of underground route in the first 65km phase of Delhi Metro, started in the mid-1990s, Phase II increased underground alignment to 35km of undergournd route on the additional 125km of the network and 54km of the additional 105km of Phase III extensions aligned underground between 35 underground stations.

• Istanbul, Turkey, where up to 20 or more TBMs are to be operating in the city during 2018 to excavate metro extension running tunnels to address chronic traffic congestion and to build the new 38km long underground rail link to the city’s new airport which is currently under construction.

With the rapid growth of underground infrastructure, the demand for TBMs has increased and has provided opportunities for a growing number of TBM manufacturers, the new brands all being from China. Along with Herrenknecht, Robbins, NFM and Terratec, all of which manufacture also in China, several new Chinese manufacturers are providing competition and driving down prices. At the recent conference in Instabul it was reported to TunnelTalk that where

new metro TBMs were commanding prices of €6.5 million and more 10 or 12 years ago, today they are being bought for less than €4 million and down to €3.6-€3.8 million per machine.

Even at the higher prices, the cost of the TBM is small in relation to the value of the construction contracts and the overall costs of projects. When contracts of more than €1 billion are being let on projects valued at up to €15 billion and more, the question has to be where is all the money going? What is it being spent on?

Many suggest that increasing amounts of project time and money is consumed by applying for permits but that is only partly responsible according to the Economist magazine report. In the USA, it reports that applying for permits and complying with regulation accounts for less than 1% of the country’s astonishing 50% loss of construction industry productivity since the late 1960s. The price of materials are also not to blame as they are not included in the McKinsey Institute productivity calculations and have not increased substantially over time in any case.

There are other sink-holes of time and money and while more than 90% of infrastructure projects run either late or over budget, or both, according to Bent Flyvbjerg of the Saïd Business School at Oxford University, and as reported by the article, the responsibility many suggest lies with overblown management costs.

Many question the layers of management of large infrastructure projects for project

delivery, project management and project supervision. Where these roles are important, the staff engaged in these levels of project realization has undoubtedly seen the greatest explosion in numbers over recent projects. The practice of manmarking is frequently questioned with, for every one construction level manager, there are two or more in the roles of monitoring, works observation and data recording.

All these points of concern have many platforms for industry discussion and examination. As in 2017, there will be a packed schedule of international conferences and events during 2018 to convene expertise and experience for knowledge sharing. TunnelTalk will again be at these events and will continue to explore the issues, research the concerns and report on project developments in 2018 - its tenth year of operation. n

References • • • • • • • • •

Germany reviews its underground activity – TunnelTalk, December 2017 Turkey examines achievements and aspirations – TunnelTalk, December 2017 Australia faces a terrific regional workload – TunnelTalk, November 2017 International professionals to gather in Paris – TunnelTalk, October 2017 Swiss spotlight on refurbishment and upgrades – TunnelTalk, June 2017 A family affair at WTC 2017 – TunnelTalk, June 2017 RETC2017 a full conference agenda – TunnelTalk, June 2017 Malaysia hosts excellent SEACETUS 2017 – TunnelTalk, June 2017 Dubai discusses industry concerns for the region – TunnelTalk, February 2017

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Futuristic tunnelling concepts

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Los Angeles, the car capital of the world and now suffering chronic freeway congestion, is targeted as the first to benefit from the concept and undergo the transformation.

Hyperloop developments

The concept of hyperloop travel is for passengers and cargo to be loaded into pods, and accelerated gradually via electric propulsion through a low-pressure tube.

The pods will quickly lift above the track using magnetic levitation and glide at airline speeds for long distances.

Hyperloop One is the only company working on the development of supersonic land travel to have built an operational hyperloop test tube. Although the technology is still in the early stages of the commercialisation, phase two tests in the 500m x 3.3m diameter hyperloop pod ran for 10.6 seconds, with a top speed of 310km/hr or 86m/sec. The maximum distance travelled was 436m with a peak acceleration of 1.48 Gs, equal to 0 to 60mph in 1.85 seconds at the DevLoop site in Nevada, USA. Although hyperloop has been widely publicised through the work of Elon Musk and his SpaceX tests, hyperloop technology has been explicitly opensourced and others have been encouraged to take the ideas and develop them further.

Hyperloop One will work with a number of operators globally.

In October 2017, entrepreneur Richard Branson joined the Board of Directors of Hyperloop One when his Virgin Group became a contributing investor in the project.

As part of the partnership, the company name changed to Virgin Hyperloop One. Hyperloop One will retain control of engineering and development, product and system design, business development, and strategy. Branson will be working with Hyperloop One co-founders Shervin Pishevar, Executive Chairman and Josh Giedel, President of Engineering and their executive team to develop a global strategic partnership to focus on hyperloop passenger and mixed-use cargo services.

Following early promotional efforts, Hyperloop One is experiencing growing interest from governments and private sectors around the world and has projects underway to develop the system in the UAE, USA, Canada, Finland, the

Patrick Reynolds for TunnelTalk Netherlands, and India.

“We are excited about the technology and the way it could transform passengers’ lives,” said Branson. “From our airlines to our trains to our spaceline, we have long been passionate about innovation in transport.

Virgin Hyperloop One will be an all-electric and sustainable form of transport.”

In 2017, Musk challenged students worldwide to design and build Hyperloop pod prototypes for initial test drives on the purpose-built SpaceX test track in Los Angeles. A clear criterion was set; the fastest pod wins.

The winner of the competition was a 30-strong team of students from the Scientific Work Group for Rocketry and Space Flight (WARR) of the Technical University of Munich in Germany. Its prototype pod reached a speed of 324km/hr on the 1.25km test track, which is the fastest speed ever measured in the field of hyperloop technology.

The winning pod was lighter than an earlier prototype by the team and for the first time had its own propulsion system. By using an electric motor, and therefore independent from the SpaceX accelerator vehicle used by most competitors to gain speed, the WARR team gave themselves a competitive edge.

After reaching 324km/hr, the brakes stopped the pod in just three seconds.

The WARR team was congratulated by Musk and their gold sponsors Herrenknecht and Mühlhäuser. The demand for future mobility and increasing urbanization calls for revolutionary concepts and hyperloop underground travel is a possible solution.

GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE

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uring 2017, billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk turned his attention to underground infrastructure. As well as advancing his Hyperloop One vision of the supersonic vacuum-tube, pod-vehicle transportation concept, he outlined a threestep strategy to develop a road tunnel system to bypass surface congestion. Both concepts rely on underground infrastructure and part of the Musk vision is to develop faster and cheaper excavation systems.

The excavation strategy is based on smaller diameter tunnels, more powerful boring equipment, and simultaneous excavation and lining which, he believes, could deliver a tenfold improvement in underground construction economies.

His vehicle management system is not for multi-lane road tunnels, but for vehicles to be carried on individual electric shuttle platforms, or car-skates, along narrower single-lane tunnels.

“If you shrink a tunnel diameter to 12ft (3.7m), which is plenty to get an electric vehicle through, you drop the diameter by a factor of two and the cross-section by a factor of four, and the tunnelling cost then scales back with cross-sectional area,” said Musk.

“Also, if you design tunnelling machines for continuous excavation and lining that will give you an improvement factor of two.

These machines are also far from being at their power or thermal limits, so you can jack up the power substantially. I think you can get at least a factor of two, or maybe a factor of four or five, improvement on top of that,” he suggested. Improvements to tunnelling systems could deliver “an order of magnitude improvement,” or cut about 90% off the cost/mile to build the narrow road tunnels he envisages for his subterranean traffic labyrinth.

Toll payments would be involved, he explained, giving drivers, and ulimately driverless vehicles, access to the layers of road tunnels. Access to the maze would be via lift shafts capable of taking a single vehicle below ground on the electric car-skates.

These would subsequently shuttle along the tunnels at speeds of up to 200km/hr (125mph). Entrances and exits could require surface areas equivalent to “parking spaces”.

Musk advocated his view of the 3D network as offering “no real limit to the levels of tunnels you can have”, citing extensive levels of operation in the mining industry.

He explained that the team at his aptly named The Boring Company consumes 2%-3% of his time and that the effort is supported with input from his SpaceX rocket development business and electric vehicle Tesla Motors company.

Industry discussion

The TunnelTalk reporting of Musk’s visions for spearheading technological developments in the tunnelling industry generated several points of Feedback.

James Wonneberg, Co-Founder & CEO, GraphicSchedule.com wrote that he was thrilled when Musk announced his intention to “build a tunnel boring machine and just start digging.

“Those who follow his Twitter account know that Musk’s tweets are carefully worded announcements that carry a lot of weight. I knew right away that our industry could soon be swept forward with the same rapid acceleration that the automobile and

Top: Richard Branson (centre) with Hyperloop One co-founders Shervin Pishevar and Josh Giedel. Bottom, from left: Elevator into the car travel under world; Hyperloop test site in Nevada, USA; Hyperloop pod competition winner

TunnelTalk ANNUAL REVIEW 2017

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GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE

space industries have felt already, fueled by this great innovator of our time.

“As we have heard, Musk wants to improve tunneling advance rates by 500% to 1,000%, which will make the underground more accessible for all sorts of infrastructure.

“You see, these guys are not waiting around for industry roundtable discussions, feasibility studies, and the like. They are tackling this from a completely different first principles approach. Count me in the camp that believes this sort of thinking will have a very positive impact on this great profession of ours. For sure there will be bumps along the way, but - given his track record – who is going to bet against Musk?

“Tunneling on Mars, anyone?”

Lok Home, President, The Robbins Company was inspired to write following announcement that Musk is entering the tunnel boring business. “It is great to see people with a vision of an improved world enter our industry. I agree with Musk that the advance rate of tunnels can be significantly improved if development money comes into the industry. Development money in tunneling, however, is at best minimal and is more often essentially non-existent. Nearly all tunnels are heavily specified to avoid risk taking by owners (therefore discouraging new development). Nearly all tunnels go to the lowest bidder and low bidders try to buy the TBMs at the lowest price - a further discouragement of development. The industry has therefore been slow to improve advance rates, but with Musk bringing the issue into the spotlight, perhaps things will change.”

A retired tunnelling engineer in the UK commented: “I have always considered that we could and should be achieving

a kilometer a week in advance rates.

Lining operations slow up progress but techniques could be developed for using the minerals in the earth itself to create the tunnel lining in-situ – methods of vitrifying the walls of the tunnel behind the advancing TBM for example.”

TunnelTalk recalls that back in the early 1980s, a notion was circulated among tunnelling engineers that the Soviet Union, as it was then, was using nuclear detonations to create the massive caverns needed to house hydropower plants and military arsenal bunkers.

In the United States, NASA funded a project to know if operation of a TBM working through hard rock could be detected by satellites. The proposal was to use TBMs to excavate as-needed missile silos, rather than have them pre-excavated to house missiles in readiness. The results of the study are unknown and collapse of the Soviet Union regime superseded the idea of self-excavated missile launching silos.

In one of his interviews, Musk suggested that tunnels are expensive to build by stating as an example that a “LA subway extension, which is 2.5 miles long, was just completed for $2 billion.”

On checking the facts, it is difficult to understand which of the Los Angeles Metro projects he is referring to.

Of recent Metro projects, the 6-mile Gold Line extension with eight stations into East Los Angeles and a 2-mile section of twin tube running tunnels and two underground stations beneath Boyle Heights, was completed and opened to service in November 2009 at a civil construction contract cost of US$600 million, of which about $300 million was for the underground works. Total project

Rectangular TBM design CREG News Release

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n innovative box-jacking rectangular TBM (RTBM) completed a 150m long trenchless pedestrian underpass at the Havelock Metro Station in Singapore. Unlike conventional cutand-cover construction, the 7.6m × 5.6m RTBM, designed and manufactured by CREG, avoids extensive surface disruption and services relocations and results in a simpler and safer construction environment, with minimal noise and dust generation.

CREG box-jacking RTBM

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TunnelTalk ANNUAL REVIEW 2017

The RTBM also improved manpower productivity by about 30% and created 20% more space than a circular TBM alternative making it ideal for short-distance subway entrances and exits at shallow depths.

Application of the technique in Singapore was supported by close cooperation between the client, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) and owner of the machine, the main contractor Gammon Construction and the specialist sub-contractor China Railway Tunnel Group (CRTG).

The technique and its application on the Havelock Station project in Singapore was a finalist in the 2017 series of the ITA Brunel Awards, and at the Awards conference day in November Henry Foo Yung Thye, Project Director of the Singapore Thomson East Coast-Line provided extra information about the concept.

The six cutterheads on the machine rotate in the same direction and on two off-set planes. They are all operated as one by the TBM operator at the operators’ console and muck is extracted via two EPB screw conveyors. Highpressure water jets assist excavation in the corners and other blind spots on the rectangular face.

cost was US$898 million for an average of $166 million/mile.

The Crenshaw-LAX Line, which is currently in construction is an 8.5-mile long $2.058 billion project and is mostly at grade with a maximum 1.9-miles in bored tunnel to link three underground stations. It is scheduled to go into service in 2019 and is being constructed for a total construction cost of US$1.3 billion including M&E installations.

An average of about $238 million/mile.

The Regional Connector in Downtown Los Angeles, to connect the Metro Blue, Gold and Green Lines is 1.9 miles long, has three new underground stations and is being constructed for a total US$927.2 million. It is scheduled to open in 2020 at less than $500 million/mile.

The Purple Line Extension along Wilshire Boulevard to Westwood is a 9-mile long, all underground, twin-tube TBM bored running tunnel project with seven cut-and-cover underground stations, and has a forecast estimated construction cost of US$6.3 billion - an estimated average of about $700 million/mile.

The estimated $2.821 billion Purple Line stage 1 section is due to open in 2023 and at a cost of about $770 million/mile.

Design-build construction of Stage 2 for 2.62 miles and two underground stations is due to open in 2026 and at a cost of about $523 million/mile. The third and final State 3 to Westwood is 2.48 miles long with two underground stations and its civil works contract is yet to be awarded. n

References • • •

In search of the Age of the Underground in the UK – TunnelTalk, March 2016 TBM innovations approach field testing – TunnelTalk, November 2015 Hydroshield and extruded lining usage in Lyon – TunnelTalk, January 2013

In 2013, CREG developed and manufactured two larger RTBMs of (10.12 × 7.27m and 7.52 × 5.42m) to excavate motorways and sidewalks for the Zhengzhou Zhongzhou Avenue undercrossing project in Henan Sheng, China.

For a project in Chengdu, China, a CREG RTBM worked through cobble sand and at a depth of only 3.1m below the Chengdu Metro Line 1. In the ground beneath the metro are 15 municipal pipelines, the nearest being only 0.5m away from the underpass. During construction there had to be continuous surface traffic, no damage to municipal pipelines and minimum disturbance to the metro line overhead.

Overwhelming growth of cities in developing countries is creating a strong demand for new underground infrastructure. The RTBM developed by CREG is proving a useful tool for urban underpasses, underground expressways and ramps, utility tunnels and parking lots.

In Singapore, Foo Yung reported that the LTA RTBM is preparing for a second metro station access underpass and this time beneath a canal. n

References

•

Innovative rectangular box-jacking TBM – TunnelTalk, July 2016

www.TunnelTalk.com

AGIR CONVEYING ALL OVER EUROPE: KORALM, SEMMERING, BERGEN, STUTTGART, CENERI, ALBULA AND MANY OTHER TUNNELS

www.agir-aggregat.com

Shani Wallis, TunnelTalk

GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE

A

12

plan to raise US$1.5 trillion to “rebuild our crumbling infrastructure” was a pledge by President Donald Trump in his first State of the Union address to Congress in early 2018. Much was anticipated from the infrastructure line-item in the speech, and infrastructure is said to be the next big focus of attention by the White House Administration after national security, immigration and tax reform.

One clear note of direction from the President for building infrastructure, was that every Federal dollar of infrastructure investment should be “leveraged by partnering with state and local governments and, where appropriate, tapping into private sector investment.” The US is late in the move to adopt PPP (public private partnerships) compared to other countries.

For some states, revised legislation must also pass to allow for the concept and to introduce toll structures or user fees to repay the private capital investment.

Another point by the President was a call for the legislation to reduce the time required to approve building permits. “We built the Empire State Building in just one year,” he said. “Isn’t it a disgrace that it can now take ten years just to get a minor permit approved for the building of a simple road?”

Speaking of upgrading “crumbling infrastructure” is particularly appropriate.

Currently the ASCE gives an overall D-plus grade to the condition of the national highways, bridges, waterways, railways, tunnels, airports, water and sewer systems, and estimates that the nation’s infrastructure is in need of an investment of $2 trillion more than is already budgeted over the next 10 years.

For underground public infrastructure in particular, reports within the industry estimate a total spend of about US$68.5 billion for tunnelling and underground space excavation for the years 20162021 with about $40 billion of that set for investment in planned projects in the 2018-2021 period. About 50% of that investment will be in rail and transit, 35% in highways and about 15% in water and wastewater projects.

Alternatives to transitional design-bidbuild procurement are also expected to increase with about 50% of the projects being developed as design-build contracts and with PPP models gaining momentum.

With regard to tunnels on the national highways, Tomas Everett, Associate Administrator in the Office of Infrastructure at the US Department of Transport, explained in an address at the Australasian Tunnelling Conference in October 2017 that a predicted growth in the population of the US of 70 million by 2035 will place great demand for substantial investment in roads and public transport projects across the country. His presentation detailed the tunnels on the existing national highway network (Fig 1) and confirmed that highway investment continues to be funded by a gasoline tax of 18.4c/gallon that is not index linked and has not changed since last set in 1993.

Developing PPP proposals was one of the presentations at the George A. Fox

TunnelTalk ANNUAL REVIEW 2017

Promises and plans for US public infrastructure Conference in New York in January 2018.

Thilo Techlenburg, Chief Operating Officer of North America for investor and asset management company Meridiam, explained that a PPP project is usually financed 10% in equity from the project stakeholders and 90% by low cost borrowing debt. Equity, he explained is more expensive than debt but lending institutions are highly risk averse.

Private sector partners therefore require incentives to mitigate public sector risk. For example the first $1 million of any claim, he suggested, could be absorbed in the contract and the rest remaining with the public sector partner. He explained also that most PPP arrangements allow for only non-recourse financing i.e. that there can be no going back to the project company stakeholders for more money should the project suffer cost overruns.

Two conference presentations detailed current projects needed urgently to rehabilitate aging and failing underground infrastructure.

First, the $1 billion Rondout project for the New York Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). The $706.6 million construction contract, awarded to KiewitShea JV in 2016, will bypass and prevent leakage of up to 20 million gal/day through the deteriorated lining of the 72-year-old Delaware Aqueduct tunnel as it runs under the Hudson River to deliver more than half of the drinking water supply to New York City.

The other was the twin tube Gateway railway project also under the Hudson River and between New Jersey and Penn Station in New York City. The project is largely the same as the ARC (Access to the Regions Core) project that was started and terminated in 2010, and is being pushed forward urgently by Federal railway operator Amtrak. The project is needed urgently for two counts:

• To double the number of train services on the routes in and out of Penn Station.

Capacity needs to double now to meet a projected doubling in passenger demand over the next 40 years, explained James Richter, Deputy Chief Engineer Structures of Amtrak.

• To carry out urgent rehabilitation of the existing twin rail tubes to Penn Station after their complete inundation and damage by Superstorm Sandy in October 2012.

The existing twin tube tunnel has been in service since 1910, said Richter, and the storm of 2012 took the facility out of action to repair damaged mechanical and electrical equipment “The structure is safe,” he said, “but a thorough reconstruction is required.”

This cannot be programmed until the new tunnels are in place and the old tunnels can be taken out of service, one at a time, for a 1.5-2 year complete reconstruction of the old structures. Design-build and designbid-build procurement strategies are being developed for different parts of the mega project and progress was reported to be at the 20% design level. “Progress into construction however is all subject to availability of funding,” said Richter with the project pursuing Federal as well as State and local funding resources.

An interesting presentation by Gerhard Urschitz, Managing Director of Strabag North America, at the Fox conference about construction of the Brenner Base railway tunnel through the Alps between Austria and Italy in Europe, provided a comparison of contract values between Europe and North America. He explained that the 55-month Tulfes-Pfons Lot contract at the north Innsbruck end of the project by a Strabag led JV for 15km of 8m diameter TBM exploratory tunnel excavation, plus a total of more than 23km of drill+blast excavation of the two 8m diameter main running tunnels, was awarded in mid-2014 for €380 million or about US$460 million. A recent bid by Strabag for a 7.5 mile (12km) TBM segmentally lined sewer in Canada was about the same price.

Although he said he had not completed a detailed comparison, it was discussed by delegates in the coffee break and much of the difference, it was suggested, is due to labour laws, union requirements and staffing practices in North America that require many times more labour and staff on projects than is normal practice in other countries. n

References • • • • • •

Fig 1. US inventory of highway tunnels and the leading statistics

•

US budget threatens underground megaprojects – TunnelTalk, March 2017 $200 billion for transit funding on US ballot – TunnelTalk, November 2016 Midtown Tunnel P3 contract awarded in Virginia – TunnelTalk, Dec 2011 ARC cancellation hits industry hard – TunnelTalk, November 2010 Amtrak capitalizes on ARC demise – TunnelTalk, March 2011 Superstorm devastates New York region – TunnelTalk, October 2012 Brenner pushes ahead with new contracts – TunnelTalk, July 2014

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VDMA News Release

T

he German construction equipment manufacturing industry is in the middle of a boom with further growth predicted for 2018. A turnover of €10.8 billion for 2017 is the result of a better than predicted increase of 15% in 2017 compared to the previous year. Although still down on the activity of before the global economic crash of 2008, an 8% increase in turnover is predicted for 2018 with hopes for continued rise in sales into 2019. Matching this and according to the Ifo-Konjunturtest, the capacity utilization of German construction machinery manufacturers and building material plants was at 89% in early 2018.

Speaking at the annual VDMA meeting in Frankfurt, Franz-Josef Paus, Chairman of the Construction Equipment and Plant Engineering Association of VDMA and Managing Partner of Hermann Paus added: “We are benefiting from simultaneous high demand around the world, with no signs that this will change. Given this, German manufacturers are looking forward to bauma 2019, the world’s leading trade fair that will take place in Munich in March 2019.”

Sales from German suppliers to Northern and Western Europe were up by 20% to reach record levels, and demand in Southern and Central Europe rose considerably. According to the report, Russia continues to cause concern as manufacturers find it difficult to rebuild the trust lost through the EU sanctions against Russia over its military activities towards

Rising German equipment sales

Annual turnover for German manufacturers on a rising trend Crimea, which is recognised by the international community as part of Ukraine.

There was a recovery of German equipment sales to North America during 2017 to near the record figures achieved in 2006 and in South America, manufacturers recorded a sales upturn of 26% from Chile, Peru and from a market with much potential in Argentina.

The Near and Middle East was the only region in which the sector once again recorded negative growth, albeit with a considerable improvement during the second half of the year. The Indian market grew for the second year in a row, by 12%, but this growth is still small compared to China, where after five years of sometimes extreme downturns, the Chinese market provided sales in 2017 up by 86%.

Two challenges facing the industry are shortages of materials and staff. Long delivery times from component suppliers

are the downside of the high number of orders, and a lack of qualified engineers and technicians, and workers to operate construction machinery is also a problem.

With 40,000 employees in the construction and building material industry, this sector plays an important part in securing industrial jobs in Germany, but there is no room for complacency as the market can turn at any point.

Free trade and an integrated Europe were considered key to future growth.

German companies have benefited year on year from their strong position in the European and German markets. The export-oriented construction equipment industry relies on a politically and economically integrated Europe as its backbone of economic success.

In early 2017, and following the UK referendum result to leave the European Union by March 2019, John Sailer, Chairman of the VDMA, said: “We will only keep growing in the future if we further strive for international solutions and co-operations. In this highly specialised sector, where special machines are not available in every region of the world, open markets are highly essential.

We all depend on free trade and good economic sense. This applies to Europe and the United States alike.” n

References

•

Reflecting on a record-breaking 2016 – TunnelTalk, 2016

Driving Progress in Tunnel Projects.

Guided by VMT. Lowering costs and improving efficiency in modern tunnel construction.

With smart modular solutions from VMT. Precise navigation, full documentation and reliable data managment will give you that crucial advantage. Find out more. www.vmt-gmbh.de

14

TunnelTalk ANNUAL REVIEW 2017

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Mega TBMs begin Tokyo ring road drives

Tracking the world’s mega TBMs

TBM Bertha arrived!

To the great relief and credit to all involved, TBM Bertha, at 17.48m diameter, broke through in April 2017.

After a marathon journey that began in July 2013, the giant EPBM, manufactured

by Hitachi Zosen of Japan and operated by the Dragados/Tutor Perini Seattle Tunnel Partnership JV (STP), broke through the headwall of the north portal reception structure to complete its 2,848.5m (9,265ft) drive for the double-deck highway tunnel in Seattle, USA. In December 2013, just six months and less than 1,000m into its drive, the mega TBM was found to have suffered major damage to its main bearing. Through the next two years, a recovery shaft was built and the TBM main components were lifted to the surface for repair and to fit a new bearing. Following relaunch in late December 2015, it was a slow, careful and steady operation that progressed the machine under the operating elevated highway viaduct and beneath the streets of Seattle to its final successful breakthrough.

The tunnel, for project owner WSDOT (Washington State Department of Transportation), will replace the earthquake damaged elevated Alaskan Way Viaduct that currently runs across the foreshore of the city.

Mega TBMs in Tokyo

Continuing in the footsteps of previous mega TBMs, in Japan four machines of more than 16m in diameter are excavating a major section of an outer ring road around the capital city of Tokyo. Fierce opposition to the original plan for an elevated highway

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forced the 16.2km section of the ring road underground into a deep-level twin-tube highway with three lanes in each tube.

When completed, the project will be the largest shield-driven road tunnel in Japan, larger in diameter than the eight 14.14m TBMs used to bore the tunnel drives of the Tokyo Bay Aqua Line highway in the early 1990s (Table 1).

The budget estimate for the new expressway is ¥1.6 trillion or about US$15.6 billion. In planning for construction of the project, the authorities considered the risks of meeting the requirements of large diameter, long distance, time efficient construction, and fixed on procuring four TBMs and a contractual strategy for making it possible to continue tunnel boring from either of the four tunnel portals, should any one excavation heading run into construction difficulty.

In the strategy, the two TBMs from the south working shafts will start first and progress for about 9km each. The second two machines will launch subsequently from the north end and advance for about 7km towards in-tunnel breakthroughs for each pair.

The four TBMs for the project are procured, one from Kawasaki and three from JIM, the collaboration between Japanese TBM manufacturers Mitsubishi, IHI, and the country’s steel manufacturer JFE Engineering. One JIM machine and the Kawasaki TBM were the first manufactured and were launched in February 2017 from the south working shaft. Once the second two JIM TBMs launch from the north shaft, excavation of the main tunnels, with four TBMs in operation simultaneously, is expected to take 30 months and be complete in 2019.

Operation and success of the Tomei Kan-Estu west will influence construction plans for other missing sections of the orbital expressway.

Success in Sicily

After two years of tunnelling below an urban area and overcoming geological challenges,

TunnelTalk reporting bored excavation for the Caltanissetta highway tunnel using a 15.8m diameter EPB TBM manufactured by NFM was completed in June 2017.

The new twin tube tunnel, awarded by the national highways authority to a JV led

by Italian contractor CMC is about 4km long and runs under the city of Caltanissetta.

The parallel tunnels run between 35m and 85m apart and through complex conditions comprising clay and marl deposits, with faults towards the ends of the alignment, squeezing ground including under the city, and a 200m long stretch of highly fractured limestone with the risk of karst features and high groundwater inflows. While the overburden was typically up to 120m, cover over the limestone stretch was about 90m with a groundwater head of 60m to 70m.

After launch on its first drive in June 2014, the mega NFM EPBM completed the first 3,878m long tunnel drive in October 2015. In April 2016, the EPBM was relaunched on the parallel tunnel and completed the 3,993m drive in mid-June 2017.

Dewatering efforts in the limestone involved sinking wells between the tunnels, to draw down the water table to a head of approximately 40m. Half way through the second drive, the machine met an unexpected calcareous limestone formation, through which dewatering from the surface was not possible. The solution was to use the completed parallel tunnel to bore a series of 40m-50m long, sub-horizontal drainage pipes into the problem zone ahead of the TBM to lower the groundwater level sufficiently to allow the shield to continue under 5-6 bar pressure.

As the TBM advanced, it erected a 14.65m o.d. segmental lining formed of 2m long rings comprising eight 600mm thick segments plus a key, each with an average weight of 16 tonne. Performance of the 13.45m i.d. segmental lining is designed to withstand the full hydraulic load of the

TunnelTalk ANNUAL REVIEW 2017

GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE

S

ignificant achievements and decisions were recorded during 2017 and into early 2018 for the industry’s elite sector of mega TBM applicatons.

Breakthroughs were celebrated, new orders were placed and machines of more than 14m diameter were launched or progressed on their journeys to leave in their wake underground infrastructure of truly awesome scale and monumental endeavour.

15

From left: Cutterhead of the CREG 15.03m diameter machine for Shantou highway project; Mega TBM u-turn in Hong Kong recovered water table. The concrete mix used basaltic aggregates from lava stone quarries, combined with a calcareous matrix filler to reach a C55/67 performance class, which is greater than the C45/55 class required in the specifications and almost doubled the service life to 90 years.

With a cutterhead rotation of up to 1.9 rev/min and a maximum torque of 73,300 kNm at 0.9 rev/min, the TBM achieved a best advance rate of 16 rings or 32m/day and an average of nine rings or 18m/day.

GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE

TBM u-turn in Hong Kong

Following successful completion of its first drive on the twin tube Lung Shan Tunnel in Hong Kong, a 14.1m diameter NFM shield took the u-turn in a specially excavated cavern for relaunch into its parallel drive.

Being used by contractor Dragages on the Liantang/Heung Yuen Wai Boundary Control Point highway project, the dual mode EPBM completed the first 2,400m long drive in early March 2017 and was pulled into the 23m high x 27m wide x 40m long cavern to cross over to the parallel tube and turn another 90 degrees into the relaunch position.

For the 90 degree turns, the TBM was lifted, rotated and shifted using solid ram jacks on a turntable that was first used by sister company Bouygues to turn the TBM on the twin tube Miami bored highway tunnel project in Florida, USA, in 2012. Strand

jacking was used for the longitudinal shift of the shield between the two tubes. The four TBM backup gantries of 220 tonne each were also turned in the cavern.

Dragages launched the TBM on the first drive in late 2015 from another specially excavated cavern of 200m long x 23m wide, which is claimed as the largest soft ground excavation span in Hong Kong. As it advanced, the 14.1m machine erected a segmental lining of 2.2m wide x eight segments and a key in each 12.6m i.d. ring.

Having turned into the parallel heading, excavation on the second 2,400m long drive through volcanic tuff began in June 2017 and is due to be completed in 2018.

The TBM is equipped with several technical systems developed inhouse by Dragages, Bouygues and NFM. These include the Mobydic disc cutter monitoring system, the Telemach automated disc cutter replacement robot and the Roby 850 semiautomatic drilling robot.

The 4.8km Lung Shan Tunnel for the Civil Engineering and Development Department (CEDD) of the Hong Kong Government is a combination of TBM and drill+blast excavation. It will be the longest twin tube road tunnel in Hong Kong and will be the seventh land-based crossing between Hong Kong and Shenzhen.

Supervising engineer on the project is Aecom and Atkins is the design consultant working with Dragages.

Shenzhen slurry TBMs

A slurry TBM of nearly 16m diameter was in design and fabrication by the Chinese TBM manufacturer CREG in 2017 for a four lane double deck highway tunnel in the city of Shenzhen in China.

The 15.8m diameter machine will excavate a 3,583m section of the more than 5km long underground Chunfeng highway under the Jibu River, beneath the city’s Metro Line 9 and adjacent to other urban buildings and public infrastructure.

The order is for delivery of a slurry TBM capable of operating under working pressures of 8 bar and on a project on which settlement control will be a great challenge.

Technical specifications of the 15.8m diameter Shenzhen CREG TBM include: Drive power 6,300kW (350kWx18) Nominal torque 51,130kNm Maximum torque 69,027kNm Cutterhead speed 0 to 2.25 rev/min Thrust force 24,630 tonne and Maximum advance speed 50mm/min As the 15.8m diameter machine is ready for fabrication, another slurry machine of 15.03m diameter was in final assembly in the CREG main factory in Zhengzhou for a highway project in the city of Shantou also in the Province of Guangdong. The parallel tube for the project will be excavated by a Herrenknecht Mixshield of 14.96m diameter (Table 1).

• • • • • •

Members of the crews celebrate monumental breakthrough of 17.48m diameter Bertha in Seattle

16

TunnelTalk ANNUAL REVIEW 2017

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Mega TBMs for Melbourne

In early 2018, the order for two mega TBMs of 15.6m diameter was confirmed with Herrenknecht to excavate the twin three-lane tunnels of the West Gate highway project in Melbourne, Australia. TBM excavation is specified for the 2.8km long eastbound and the 4km long westbound highway tunnels.

The project is being delivered as a design-build contract by the 50/50 CPB Contractors/John Holland JV and will provide a much-needed second river crossing for the city and provide relief to the under-capacity West Gate Bridge.

Work on a 60-month construction program is to start in 2018 and the project is scheduled to open to traffic in 2022.

Greater expectations

Also, discussed in the past was a mega TBM designed by Herrenknecht for the Orlovsky highway tunnel project in St Petersburg, Russia. The proposed machine of about 19m diameter would have been the largest ever produced. The project however has been cancelled in favour of a less ambitious highway crossing of the Neva River.

Another mega TBM of 17.8m diameter is suggested for proposed TBM excavation of the I-170 highway missing link in Los Angeles California. The mega machine would excavate a double-deck, four-lane tunnel of about 6.5km long if adopted to solve a major bottleneck in the highway network in Southern California.

In Turkey, following the success of the 13.7m diameter Herrenknecht Mixshield on

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From left: Triple-deck super-sized Bosphorous Crossing bore being considered in Turkey; Delivery of mega TBM components to Sicily the Eurasia project, there are plans now for a super-sized TBM bored tunnel under the Bosphorus for a single-tube, triple-deck highway plus metro rail undersea connection for Istanbul. The prospect continues to divide opinion as to its feasibility, with the suggestion that “all engineering groups come together and discuss the proposal in combination with civil society groups” as opposed to allowing development by a private concession.

Mega TBM era

It is hard to say when the era of megamachines started. There was a time when 10m in diameter was considered the largest likely, or possible. There are now hundreds of machines exceeding the 10m diameter size and a table of TBMs of 14m and more misses out all those that are 13.9m diameter and less, which are equally worthy of note.

In the past, the manufacture of the main bearing and the limit to the size and

load of a single component to job sites was considered a limiting factor but bearings and vital components can now be designed and delivered in sections and built into megamachines on site.

Another consideration, is application of the thrust needed to advance such mega machines. For soft ground TBMs this force is applied directly to the precast concrete segments of the tunnel lining. These, as well as the number and size of the thrust rams around the perimeter of the machines, must be designed to take and deliver the powerful forces needed to move a mega-machine forward. There is a controlling factor on the number and power of the thrust rams needed to apply the force, as well as the surface area and ability of the precast concrete lining segments to accept the load.

TunnelTalk will to add to the discussions and the Table as new mega TBM projects develop and comments are contributed.

TunnelTalk ANNUAL REVIEW 2017

17

Table 1. TBMs of more than 14m diameter used, currently operating or on order for projects around the world

GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE

2018

Country

Project ( * TunnelTalk reference article, see below) TBM manufacturer

Diameter

Australia

Melbourne West Gate Highway*

15.6m

2018

China

Nanjing MeiZiZhou Tunnel

1 Mixshield: Ex Nanjing TBM

15.43m

2018

China

Shanghai Zhou Jia Zui River Crossing Motorway

1 Herrenknecht Mixshield

14.9m

2017

China

Shantou Su’Ai Sub-sea Tunnel*

2 TBMs: 1 Herrenknecht Mixshield 1 CREG slurry TBM

14.96m 15.03m 15.8m

2017

China

Shenzhen Chunfeng highway tunnel*

1 CREG slurry TBM

2017

Japan

Tokyo Outer Ring Road Kan-etsu to Tomei*

4 machines: 1 Kawaski, 3 JIM

16.1m

2017

China

Shanghai Zhuguang Road Tunnel

1 Herrenknecht EPBM: Ex Waterview TBM

14.41m

2016

China

Shanghai Yanjiang A30 Motorway

2 Herrenknecht Mixshields Ex Shanghai Changjiang under river project

15.43m

2016

China

Shanghai Bei Heng Motorway

1 Herrenknecht Mixshield

15.53m

2016

China

Zhuhai Hengqin Tunnel

1 Herrenknecht Mixshield Ex Shanghai Hongmei Road Tunnel TBM

14.90m

2016

Italy

Santa Lucia Highway Tunnel, A1 near Firenze*

1 Herrenknecht EPBM

15.87m

2015

Hong Kong

Lung Shan Tunnel on Liantang Highway Project*

1 NFM TBM

14.1m

2015

Hong Kong

Tuen Mun - Chek Lap Kok subsea highway link*

2 Herrenknecht Mixshields: 1 x17.6m, modified later to a smaller diameter, plus 1 x 14m

17.6m 14m

2015

China

Wuhan Metro road/metro river crossing*

2 Herrenknecht Mixshields

15.76m

2013

China

Shouxhiou Lake Highway Tunnel

1 Herrenknecht Mixshield: Ex-Nanjing TBM

14.93m

2013

Italy

Caltanissetta highway tunnel, Sicily*

1 NFM Technologies EPBM

15.08m

2011

China

Shanghai West Changjiang Yangtze River Road Tunnel

1 Herrenknecht Mixshield Ex-Shanghai Changjiang highway Project

15.43m

2013

New Zealand

Waterview highway connection, Auckland*

1 Herrenknecht EPBM

14.41m

2011

USA

Alaskan Way highway replacement tunnel*

1 Hitachi Zosen EPBM

17.48m

2011

China

Weisan Road Tunnel, Nanjing*

2 IHI/Mitsubishi/CCCC slurry TBMs

14.93m

2012

China

Shanghai Hongmei Road

1 Herrenknecht Mixshield

14.93m

2011

Italy

A1 Sparvo highway tunnel*

1 Herrenknecht EPBM

15.55m

2010

Spain

Seville SE-40 Highway Tunnels*

2 NFM Technologies EPBMs

14.00m

2010

China

Hangzhou Qianjiang Under River Tunnel

1 Herrenknecht Mixshield Ex-Shanghai Changjiang highway tunnel Project

15.43m

2009

China

Yingbinsan Road Tunnel, Shanghai

1 Mitsubishi EPBM: Ex-Bund Tunnel TBM

14.27m 14.93m

2008

China

Nanjing Yangtze River Tunnel*

2 Herrenknecht Mixshields

2007

China

Bund Tunnel, Shanghai

1 Mitsubishi EPBM

14.27m

2006

China

Jungong Road Subaqueous Tunnel, Shanghai

1 NFM slurry shield Ex-Groenehart machine

14.87m

2006

China

Shanghai Changjiang under river highway tunnel 2 Herrenknecht Mixshields

15.43m

2006

Canada

Niagara Water Diversion Tunnel*

1 Robbins hard rock gripper TBM Rebuilt Manapouri tailrace tunnel machine

14.4m

2005

Spain

Madrid Calle 30 Highway Tunnels

2 EAB machines: 1 Herrenknecht 1 Mitsubishi

15.2m 15.0m

1 Herrenknecht Mixshield: Ex-Elbe project

14.2m

2004

Russia

Moscow Silberwald Highway Tunnel

2004

China

Shangzhong Road Subacqueous Tunnel, Shanghai 1 NFM Technologies: Ex-Groenehart TBM

2004

Japan

Tokyo Metro

1 IHI EPBM

14.18m

2001

Russia

Moscow Lefortovo Highway Tunnel*

1 Herrenknecht Mixshield: Ex-Elbe project

14.2m

14.87m

2000

The Netherlands Groenehart double-track rail tunnel

1 NFM Technologies

14.87m

1997

Germany

Hamburg 4th Elbe River Highway Tunnel*

1 Herrenknecht Mixshield

14.2m

1994

Japan

Trans Tokyo Bay Highway Tunnel*

8 TBMs: 3 Kawasaki, 3 Mitsubishi, 1 Hitachi, 1 IHI

14.14m

References • • • • • • • • •

18

2 Herrenknecht EPBMs

Single bore solution for LA freeway missing link TunnelTalk, May 2017 Hydraulic slide solution for TBM assembly – TunnelTalk, November 2016 Mega-EPBM for Italian highway tunnel TunnelTalk, September 2016 Bosphorus Eurasia highway TBM breaks through - TunnelTalk, August 2015 Bertha repairs and relaunch schedule in Seattle – TunnelTalk, July 2015 U-turn into second drive for Waterview project in New Zealand – TunnelTalk, October 2014 Sparvo mega-TBM system available for new project - TunnelTalk, September 2014 Video: Addressing Bertha’s bearing seal issues in Seattle - TunnelCast, February 2014 Mega-TBMs for China double-deck link TunnelTalk, May 2014

TunnelTalk ANNUAL REVIEW 2017

• • • • • • • • •

Hong Kong awards major undersea highway TunnelTalk, September 2013 Sparvo tunnel TBM u-turn in Italy – TunnelTalk, July 2013 Mega-TBM order is NFM’s biggest ever TunnelTalk, January 2013 Technical parameters of Seattle’s mega EPBM TunnelTalk, December 2012 Mega-EPBM naming ceremony at Hitachi Zosen - TunnelCast, December 2012 First drive through for Miami Port link – TunnelTalk, August 2012 ‘Yes’ to bored tunnel alternative in Seattle TunnelTalk, August 2011 New Zealand joins the mega-TBM tunnelling set - TunnelTalk, August 2011 Russia confirms order for largest TBM ever TunnelTalk, Aug 2011

• • • • • • • • •

China’s mega Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao sea link moves forward - TunnelTalk, June 2011 Robbins TBM rolls into hard rock history TunnelTalk, May 2011 Giant TBM accepted and heading for Italy TunnelTalk, Dec 2010 Seville SE-40 Highway Tunnels - TunnelTalk, April 2010 Seattle Alaskan Way bored highway tunnel TunnelTalk, Oct 2009 Nanjing Highway Tunnels - TunnelTalk, Sept 2009 Speedy mega TBM for Moscow Lefortovo highway - TunnelTalk, Oct 2002 4th Elbe tube inspires cutting edge technology TunnelTalk, Jan 2000 Tokyo Bay highway engages eight mega TBMs TunnelTalk, August 1994

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Shani Wallis, TunnelTalk

T

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TBM drive collapses at Rastatt, Germany, (left) and Foshan, China (right)

Fig 1. Schematic of the TBM drive collapse recovery at Rastatt, Germany

TBM drive collapses prompt industry discussions alternative to the project design to use openface NATM excavation through the ground freezing support. The alternative was said to result in construction savings and was approved after comprehensive study.

The 200m long horizontal freeze for the rail underpass was established from two 30m deep shafts installed about 100m either side of the tracks. From the shafts a circle of 42 x 100m long freeze pipe holes were drilled using horizontal directional drilling and the freeze applied created a 2m thick collar of frozen ground around each 10.97m o.d. tunnel tube.

The exact cause of the tunnel failure was the subject of intense and wide-ranging investigation to include freeze management, instrumentation and monitoring reviews, TBM operation, and operator logs. Reports in the local German media speculated that the integrity of the ground freezing operation was undermined by a recent period of high summer temperatures combined with periods of heavy rainfall.

Fatal heading collapse in China

An inrush of water and mud through the tailseal of an EPBM working on the Foshan Metro Line 2 in China is said to have caused the devastating collapse of the heading in February 2018, claiming the lives of 10 project workers. Unofficial reports to TunnelTalk from contacts in China confirmed that it was inrush through the tailshield, rather than over excavation at the cutterhead, that undermined the segmental lining and led to the massive collapse, burying the TBM and its crew as a consequence.

The failure occurred at 8.40pm on the night of February 7 as the TBM was

excavating the 6m diameter metro tunnel beneath the main traffic thoroughfare of Foshan city near Guangzhou in southeast China. The completed parallel running tunnel some 7m distant was unaffected by the 200m2 30m wide x 6m deep sinkhole over a second TBM drive. Contacts suggest that the same TBM may have excavated both running tunnels.

Traffic blocks were implemented immediately to allow for rescue and recovery efforts. A reported 30,000m3 of concrete backfilled the sinkhole and allowed traffic on the eight-lane highway to resume.

According to local newspaper and TV reports, authorities also shut off water, gas and electricity supplies near the collapse zone and reported that Deputy Governor of Guangdong Province, Lin Shaochun, was among the first high officials to be at the scene.

One of nine members in the crew reported as surviving the incident told TV reports that he and his workmates had known something was wrong when they saw wet clay running in the tunnel. Seconds later, and after hearing a loud noise, the workers realized there was “big trouble” and started to shout warnings to run. Once on the surface, he said, it was realized that only workers near the working shaft had managed to escape. Among the missing, he said, was an assistant project manager.

The collapse in China occurred just days before the Chinese New Year national holidays and as the TBM was on the up-gradient to the next station location and close to breakthrough into the reception shaft. The collapse is said to have initiated in the invert of the tunnel where groundwater pressure is at its highest and where the

TunnelTalk ANNUAL REVIEW 2017

GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE

wo TBM drive collapses in 2017 and early 2018 gave the industry cause for thorough investigation.

Collapse of a TBM drive through ground freezing pre-support under the main railway line at Rastatt in Germany halted all rail traffic between Karlsruhe and Basel, Switzerland, and demanded backfilling of the new tunnel with concrete, burying the TBM in the process.

The 4,270m long twin tube rail tunnel is part of a 17km long project to double the capacity on the Rhine Valley rail corridor from two to four tracks, taking an underground route beneath the city of Rastatt. To limit the length of underground construction and maintain acceptable gradients for the 250km/hr rail lines, the TBM drives are aligned up to 19m maximum in depth with the 10.97m diameter TBMs passing a minimal 4m beneath the mainline surface rail tracks.

To support the shallow alignment through loose sand and gravel deposits, a collar of horizontal ground freezing was installed.

It was on Saturday 12 August that monitoring instrumentation detected subsidence under the surface tracks. This progressed rapidly to create a depression of 500mm, buckling the rails and suspending all traffic on the line.

At the time, the TBM in the leading east tunnel bore was about 40m beyond the rail underpass and just short of breakthrough into the reception shaft, which was also access for installation of the horizontal ground freezing operation. The trailing TBM in the west tunnel was about 1,000m behind at 3,064m into its 4,250m drive.

Immediate response to the incident was to install three slick-line holes into the new tunnel to create a concrete plug about 150m behind the cutterhead and fill the new 9.5m i.d. segmentally lined tunnel with 10,500m3 of concrete (Fig 1).

According to a press briefing by Section Manager Jürgen Kölmel for project owner Deutschebahn, the segmental lining of the tunnel under the rail tracks and 40m behind the TBM did not crack or collapse but rather the seven segments in the 500mm thick x 2m long rings dislodged creating gaps and allowing infiltration of water and ground. This indicated a failure of the freezing regime and possible overexcavation of material as the TBM passed through the zone. Up to 370 trains/day were diverted away from the closed section of surface rail route.

Work on the €693 million contract to complete the twin TBM drives was awarded to the Ed Züblin/Hochtief JV. Two slurry Mixshields from Herrenknecht were procured and launched from the north transition portal in May 2016 and September 2016. Due to the shallow alignment of about 5m at the start of the drives, a section of angled ground freezing from the surface created a canopy over each TBM tube to protect against potential slurry blowouts for a distance of up to 290m.

According to technical reports, extending operation of the TBMs under the main railway lines was a contractor proposed

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gap between the segmental lining and the tailshield on the uphill gradient was wider than at the crown Investigations are centering on the condition and performance of the wire brush tailseals and the tailseal grease.

GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE

Industry discussion

Although thankfully rare, and given all the hundreds and thousands of successes, it is the incidences of tunnel excavation failure that shape the industry for the future. Pushing the boundaries is a must for taking the industry forward but managing the risks and learning from the causes and consequences of any failure is equally as important.

The failure of the Rastatt TBM rail tunnel in Germany prompted a series of communications from the industry, representing the various aspects of the event. These included the following comments and concerns, all of which are under official investigation: • Why was the alignment under the railway so shallow? On a TBM tunnel of 4.3km could not the underpass on its oblique alignment under the rail tracks have been deeper (Fig 2). The reported 4m of cover under a rail embankment structure is less than half the rule-of-thumb of a minimum of one tunnel diameter of cover above TBM drives.

• Can ground freezing and a slurry TBM excavation be compatible? The operation of a slurry TBM relies on a fluid excavation and muck haulage system and managing the balance between keeping the slurry fluid and ensuring a frozen ground support will have been difficult to specify as well as maintain, for both the incoming fresh slurry and the out going loaded slurry, as well as for the slurry mixing operation in the excavation chamber.

Study of reported figures state that the freeze pipes were installed from two shafts located 100m either side of the railway and drilled horizontally for a 100m from each shaft. That being the case, the ends of the two freeze pipe installations are at the midpoint of the total 200m length, which will have been directly under the rail tracks.

If that is the case, what was the junction and overlap of the freeze installations at this critical mid-point? It would have been difficult to check deviation of the pipes after 100m of HDD drilling and confirming the freeze from the surface at that point would have been prohibited by the surface trackway. Breaches in freeze installations drilled from the surface for shaft excavations are well known.

• Why did the segmental lining open up?

Where was the annular backfill? Maybe it too was adversely affected by the ground freezing environment. Was the lining relying on a secure ground freezing stabilisation for its integrity? Were the bolts securing the lining still in place or already removed as is becoming common practice? What was the configuration of the bolted lining? Were bolts across both the longitudinal as well as circumferential joints?

• What part has monitoring played?

Accurate monitoring of a freeze operation would/should have indicated a potential freeze failure.

• Can a freeze operation so close beneath a vital set of high trafficked train tracks be a sound option when a secure freeze is as vital as avoiding ground heave under the tracks? What was the effect of the vibration from the heavy and regular trains on both the freeze and the integrity of the segmental lining and TBM operation under such a shallow cover?

• To these technical questions, there are additional questions to query the method of contract procurement, the risk allocation regime within the contract, and the approval process for accepting the TBM alternative over the original freeze supported openface operation under the tracks.

• Were other methods of executing the shallow underpass of the mainline rail tracks considered, such as rectangular boxjacking through the freeze support?

• The responsibility to learn from the incident is for the tunnelling industry as a whole, not for the individual parties to this disaster or the TBM manufacturer.

• A call for certain operators in the insurance industry who seem to have lost respect for risk exposure in tunnelling projects again and leading to a situation, as was experienced after the Heathrow collapse in 1994 of not being able to secure insurance for tunneling projects at any price.

Other fatal collapses have been experienced on projects that quantify the rapid expansion of metro systems in China and while China has made considerable progress in improving industrial safety, fatalities in the country’s construction and tunnelling industries is still high and higher than global standards. Official figures are reported as recording 38,000 fatalities in workplace accidents in China in 2017 with an explosion at a high-speed rail tunnel construction site in the southwest province

Fig 2. Construction elements of the tunnelled route under Rastatt

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of Guizhou in May 2017 claiming the lives of 12 workers.

How fatalities and accidents are recorded, and how these compare with fatalities and accidents per kilometre of the astonishing lengths of tunnelling excavated in China each year - compared to other countries of the world and across all tunnel excavation purposes - is a set of research yet to be made available. It is known that some cities in China build 50km or more of new metro lines within one year with tens of TBMs operating and progressing simultaneously together with excavation of stations, shafts, cross-passages and crossover structures.

The earliest TBMs to operate on these systems were imported from international TBM manufacturers. Since then, Chinese manufacturers have established their own capabilities and are increasingly suppling to national projects and have the intent of supplying to international projects. The TBM on the Foshan project is known to have been supplied by a Chinese manufacturer.

Readers of TunnelTalk also contributed additional thoughts and concerns: Nick Shirlaw offered the following feedback: “As far as I am aware, this is the fourth incidence of catastrophic segmental lining failure behind a pressurised TBM in the last 18 years; these being: • Hull wastewater transfer tunnel, UK [1999](1,2) • Cairo Metro tunnel heading, Egypt [2009](3) • Okayama pipeline tunnel, Japan [2012](4) • Rastatt railway tunnel, Germany [2017](5) I know of two other cases of severe, local, distortion of gasketted, concrete segmental tunnel linings, in Singapore and the USA, where total failure was avoided by providing additional support in the tunnel.

Given the huge number of segmentally lined tunnels built over the last 18 years, the proportion that has failed is tiny; and in each case the failure has been local, without similar problems on the rest of the drive. However, the consequences of each of the failures have been catastrophic.

To date, the best documented of the failures is that at Hull, which was the subject of an investigation that was summarised in a report by Grose and Benton [2005] (1) . Even in this case the investigation was limited and the conclusions tentative.

The paper was the subject of a number of discussions, to which I contributed, and which elicited detailed responses that contained much additional information to that in the original paper(2). In my opinion, the conclusions were inconsistent with some of the observations made in the tunnel; I stated this in a further discussion, which was submitted, but rejected by the journal on the basis that they did not accept a second round of discussions.

The failures at Cairo and Okayama have been the subject of a number of articles in TunnelTalk, but I have not seen any definitive explanation of causation.

The failure at Foshan is ascribed in the TunnelTalk article to a failure of the tail seals of an EPBM. Again, this is a rare cause of major loss of ground over a pressurized

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Author’s References

1. Hull wastewater flow transfer tunnel: tunnel collapse and causation investigation, Grose and Benton, 158, October 2005, Issue GE4, Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers, Geotechnical Engineering 2. Hull wastewater flow transfer tunnel: tunnel collapse and causation investigation, discussion report, Ground Engineering, Volume 159 Issue 2, April 2006, pp. 125-128 3. Cairo Metro tunnel collapse - TunnelTalk, September 2009 4. Salvage team recovers Japan disaster TBM - TunnelTalk, September 2013 5. Ground freezing TBM drive collapse in Germany - TunnelTalk, August 2017 6. EPBM recovery reveals the unexpected in Toronto - TunnelTalk, August 2009

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7. Shirlaw, J.N., Boone, S. (2005). The risk of very large settlements due to EPB tunnelling. 12th Australian Tunnelling Conference, Brisbane, April 2005

Rupert Sternath commented on the Rastatt collapse: “One can see out of the available publications that the segments of the lining have dislocated some 40m behind the Rastatt TBM. This is an indication that the ring gap has not been filled properly. As this happened to an experienced contractor it may be the case that the grouting operation together with the TBM drive through a frozen soil includes some particular problems.

“Mining through an ice body has the characteristic of a hard rock drive, which requires some over excavation to enable shield steering.

“Most shielded TBMs use grout lines through the shield tail to fill the annual gap immediately behind the tail seal. Under hard rock conditions the mortar tends due to the over excavation - to flow around the body of the TBM and to the front and into the working chamber and so leaving voids outside the segmental lining. These voids have to be filled by a secondary grouting operation through the segments as soon as possible from the top of one of the trailing gantries.

“In case of a frozen soil outside the gap however, it may happen that the voids are being filled by groundwater, which would also freeze, and as heat is present inside the tunnel during the mining process, the ice in the gap may melt leaving the segments unsupported. In this case filling of the gap by blowing pea gravel through the segments combined with a cement grouting operation may be a better option in my view.

“Anyway, the tunneling world is keen to see the outcome of the following investigations and very interested in further TunnelTalk reports about them!”

David Caiden questioned the appreciation of segmental linings. “In the discussion about the Rastatt collapse incident, mention has been made to some classic tunnel collapses and refers to precast concrete segmental lining failures.

But is it truly a “failure” in the usual sense of the word if the lining collapses under a load for which it was never designed nor intended?

“Consider this: A car gets flattened by a meteorite - would we say the body shell had “failed”? I doubt it. We would say it was “flattened by a meteorite.”

“What I am talking about here is running or flowing ground and I am reminded of the collapse in Hennessy Road during the Hong Kong Island Line construction on 1st January 1983. The hole in the rock face through which the CDG flowed under water pressure was no bigger than a fist when the flow started. But the flowing ground opened it up so much with abrading material that we ended up with a full size street lamp within the debris in the tunnel.

“My point is that flowing ground is an immensely destructive force similar to rushing floodwater. Segmental linings are

designed for static ground forces in the permanent cases, and handling and building forces for the construction stages. They are not designed to withstand immense dynamic and changeable flowing ground forces with a battering of cobbles and other debris. The approach we take to overcome this disregarded loading case is to take measures to prevent ground flows. Naturally when these measures are unsuccessful the ring of lining segments will not hold up.”

Tim Hyett wrote in the TunnelTalk LinkedIn group: “The Rastatt article highlights the major risks of shallow cover tunnelling using Fig 3. Core samples pressure balance TBMs, not helped, no doubt, by the far too frequent trend of designers to focus on transverse loading of the ring only, and ignoring minor longitudinal deformation of the tube lining behind the TBM, and the practice (originally imported from Europe) of removing/ recycling segment bolts. Taking out tunnel segment bolts in anything other than the most stable of ground is something that would have been thought madness 20 years ago, yet seems common-place today. The investigation into the tunnel collapse in Hull in the UK in 1999 wasn’t anywhere near conclusive, but ask any of the miners who were frantically trying to reinsert the bolts and they will tell you what would have prevented it.”

Auke Lubach commented: “Interesting problem to analyse. In addition, what is the possible effect of stray current from the railroad on ground freezing?”

GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE

TBM. I know of only two other cases over the last 18 years: the failure at the Langstaff Road Trunk Sewer tunnel in Toronto, Canada in 2008(6) and a loss of ground due to failure at the tail seals over one of the EPB drives for the Singapore Deep Tunnel Sewer system in February 2003(7).

Although there was a significant loss of ground, there was no injury, nor a sinkhole.

Above the tunnel was the approach ramp in Singapore to the underpass where Farrer Road passes under Holland Road. The U shaped reinforced concrete approach structure settled by 48mm as a result of the loss of ground. The incident was referred to in Shirlaw and Boone [2005](7).

There may have been other incidents of failure at the tail seals of which I am not aware. It would be useful if TunnelTalk readers could add to the list given above.

It is my opinion that a relatively small proportion of losses of ground over pressurized TBMs are recorded in available documentation and in professional/trade journals or newspapers. Inevitably the biggest ones are covered by the general media (as is the Foshan collapse).

The smaller, and, in my experience much more numerous, incidents tend to get quietly backfilled and forgotten. Even the bigger incidents tend to hit the headlines briefly, with only speculation as to causation.

It is rare to get good forensic information at a later date. How can realistic risk assessments for pressurized TBM tunnelling be carried out if there is a fundamental lack of information on the frequency or cause of ground loss incidents?

This limited response to these failures can be compared with that to the failure of the cut-and-cover tunnel at Nicoll Highway in 2004 in Singapore. This was the subject of a public inquiry, which published clear, extensive and detailed findings that have had a major effect on practice in Singapore.

Because the failure of segmental linings is so rare, those listed above have each occurred in different countries. As far as I am aware each has been assessed in isolation. I hope that the detailed results of the investigation into the failure at Rastatt are made public, but this will take months or years, based on previous experience.

Given that there have been several failures there does appear to be a case for reviewing them together, to see if there are any common features, and lessons to be learned to reduced the likelihood of another incident.

Wasim Ashraf queried the cost of the freeze: “I would love to see the cost comparison between mix-in place and/or grouting vs the ground freeze technique used for the 200m length under the tracks in Rastatt given the soil strata shown in the image of the core samples in this article (Fig 3).”

Another reader considered the immediate response to backfill TBM tunnel drive failures with concrete and burying the TBM and its back-up in the process, suggesting that there must be a better method for stabilizing the failure zone, which in the Rastatt case was 40m behind the TBM shield bulkhead, although still over the backup gantries, and avoid the destruction of the TBM in the process. n

TunnelTalk References

• • • • • •

Ground freezing TBM drive collapse in Germany – TunnelTalk, August 2017 Rekindled NATM debate-SCL debate opens – TunnelTalk, Aug 2012 Adding the insurance payout consequence – TunnelTalk, Aug 2010 Symptoms of the collapse syndrome – TunnelTalk, July 2010 Hallandsås milestone TBM plus ground freezing achievement – TunnelTalk, June 2010 Video: Northern Boulevard ground-freezing support on East Side Access project in New York – TunnelTalk, April 2013

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A leap towards smarter engineering Shani Wallis, TunnelTalk

GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE

I

n his inaugural address as the 153rd President of the Institution of Civil Engineers, Professor Lord Robert Mair presented in effect a catapult from the status quo into how the future of engineering will change under the influence of new technology and new practices.

In short, the address, entitled Transforming Infrastructure, Transforming Lives, explained that the world will need “agile engineers” able to use and harness the powers of new technologies to be, “new and fast – not old and slow. We need to be ambitious and bold and we have 200 years of fearless engineering heritage to build on.”

The year-long presidency for Lord Mair coincides with the 200th anniversary of the Institution of Civil Engineers following the first meeting of a group of young engineers in a coffee house in London in 1818 - and with 2018 as the international year of engineering and with the hosting by the ICE in London of the Global Engineering Congress from 22-26 October 2018.

In setting out the vision for his year as President, Lord Mair called on the courage, determination and knowledge of the works of engineers of the 19th century that still exist and are part of functioning infrastructure today. “We will need the same courage and confidence in our abilities,” he said, “in coping with the challenges that confront civil engineers of the present.” These he listed as: • Rapid population growth across the globe; • The threat of climate change on environments; • The need for vastly more amounts of affordable energy; • The reality that one in eight people of the world live in extreme poverty; • That 2 billion people are not connected to even rudimentary sanitation systems, and • That 750 million have access to only unclean water sources.

To address these issues, Lord Mair proposed that engineers of the future will have to continue in the belief that the

mission of the engineer is to transform the reality of infrastructure in order to transform the lives of all people of the world no matter where or in what current circumstances, and to prepare for the future by embracing three particular developments: • Digital technology to better understand the behaviour and the on-going status of the world and the infrastructure we live in currently; • Improved manufacturing productivity to be better stewards of spending public money; and • Use of modern technology to monitor the performance of infrastructure and create ‘smart’ assets to improve asset management and to assist more efficient design and maintenance.

One of the principal examples of gathering data to provide reaction to situations was the development and use of compensation grouting. As a champion of the concept, Lord Mair began his study and development of the method as a young geotechnical engineer in the 1970s assigned to studying the feasibility of building an underground metro system in Hong Kong - without causing any damage to the buildings on the surface.

Through his consistent connection with the world of academia, he developed the system of compensation grouting through experiment and it was introduced as a major support system above the underground works of the Westminster Station and running tunnels adjacent to, and past, the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben for the Jubilee Line Extension of the London Underground.

Following these early applications, he explained, the technique can now be used with more discretion. The key, as he explained also in his Sir Alan Muir Wood Lecture in 2011, is to investigate the flexibility of each building and its potential movement and behaviour when subjected to inevitable, but controllable, settlement ground loss troughs created above underground excavation works.

In addition to compensation grouting, much has been achieved within the industry to control the face loss that causes ground movement and surface settlement including the introduction of

closed face TBMs and the perfected use of open face shotcrete lined sequential excavation operations.

To illustrate improvements in productivity, the example was the off-site production of precast track bed slabs and station platforms on the Crossrail Project in London for onsite installation.

To cast the elements in situ in one station required 57 workers and 67,000 man working hours. Precasting the elements offsite for another station required seven workers in crews onsite and 27,000 working hours, constituting a major saving in time and money.

Smart assets were described as being those fitted with automatic, continuously transmitting networks of fibre-optic sensors. “These systems will tell us the condition of the assets as well as their behaviour over time and warn us of the need for maintenance and repair before any catastrophic failure,” said Mair. Crossrail and the Thames Tideway sewer tunnels were listed as infrastructure fitted with fibre optic sensors as part of the construction phase to create smart assets of the future.

While the development of these systems are all initiated in academia, Lord Mair warned academics to break out of the university environment to work with industry more effectively to create the transition of developments into the real world of application. He also warned clients to free up the ability of contractors and designers to take the risks involved with introducing new innovations.

In closing an address that was full of inspiration and ambition, Mair reiterated that the world needs to “reject the old and slow and embrace the fast and new” reminding everyone of the truism that “to swim towards the horizon we must have the courage to lose sight of the shore.” n

References • • • •

Innovate or be marginalized warns Sir John Armitt, 151st ICE President 2015-2016 – TunnelTalk, November 2015 Live tests for ‘smart’ segmental linings – TunnelTalk, August 2013 Professor Robert Mair delivers the 2011 ITA Sir Alan Muir Wood Lecture – TunnelTalk, July 2011 Professor Mair interview following the 2011 Muir Wood Lecture – TunnelTalk, July 2011

Professor Lord Robert Mair, CBE, FRS, FICE, FREng, 153rd President of ICE • Currently Head of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Cambridge • 2015 Took his seat as a crossbench peer in the House of Lords • 2014 Elected as a Vice President of the ICE • 2010 New Year Honours appointed Commander of the

Order of the British Empire (CBE) • 2007 Elected a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS) • 2001 Master of Jesus College, Cambridge • 1998 Appointed Professor of Geotechnical Engineering at Cambridge University • 1992 Elected a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering (FREng) • 1990 Elected a Fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineers (FICE) • 1983 Co-founding director of GCG, the Geotechnical Consulting Group

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E D U C AT I O N A N D T R A I N I N G F O C U S

F

rom high level PhD and MSc course graduates, to technically trained operatives, the drive to educate and train professionals in all sectors of the underground design, construction and ancillary support industries for the future is in high gear.

There are now many and varied opportunities for new recruits to the tunnelling industry to obtain the necessary introduction and knowhow. As well as a continuing growth in the number of tunnelling specific courses at universities and colleges, there are short courses, workshops, apprenticeship schemes and training academies. Most of these efforts and programmes are fully supported by the tunnelling national societies with industry volunteers dedicating their time to assist and tutor aspiring professionals.

As an example of national efforts to train new recruits to the industry, the British Tunnelling Society (BTS) in the UK has run its now well-established Tunnel Design & Construction Course for several decades.

The five-day residential course in July every year attracted 72 delegates in 2017, including participants from Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Spain, France, Canada and five delegates sponsored on the course by the BTS. In previous years, the course hosted delegates from Singapore, Kenya, Qatar, Finland, Ireland, Egypt, Brazil, Switzerland, Denmark, Dubai.

Fees for the five-day intensive course held at the University of Warwick range from £1,200 for non-resident delegates to £1,575 for full room and board live-in attendee registration.

In addition to the Design and Construction Course, the BTS runs an annual two-day course in underground construction health and safety each November. Held at the Institution of Civil Engineers in London, it too attracts delegates from far and wide.

For technical training, the BTS sponsors the TunnelSkills division of the national ConstructionSkills programme that provides a series of employment-based courses for young school leavers. Performance of candidates is assessed regularly by a certificating authority towards recognized National Vocational Qualifications (NVQs).

In the UK there are also now several industry academies providing vocational training. Sponsored by government and industry and based on major infrastructure projects currently progressing, these include the Tunnelling and Underground Construction Academy (TUCA) in East London and an academy in Doncaster training professionals to build, operate and maintain the infrastructure and services of the high speed 2 railway project between London and Birmingham.

New to the TunnelSkills curriculum and held at the TUCA Academy, is a five-day tunnel survey course. Nine spaces on each session ensures full hands-on participation for each of the students.

Also in the UK, contractors engaged on major construction contracts are obliged to offer a minimum number of apprenticeships to ensure the foundation of a skilled workforce for the future.

University degrees

At the top end of the education spectrum, many universities of the world now offer higher education degrees in rock and soil mechanics, geotechnical engineering, civil engineering and now also specifically in the design and construction of tunnels and underground structures.

In the UK the year-long MSc course in Tunnelling and Underground Space at the University of Warwick in Coventry, is offered to university graduates with an interest in this very specific discipline of engineering.

Other leading university degree courses aimed specifically at tunnelling include: • MSc and PhD degrees in Underground Construction & Tunneling (UC&T) at the Colorado School of Mines in Golden, Colarado, USA • MSc in Tunnelling and Tunnel Boring Machines at the Politecnico Torino in Italy • MSc in NATM Tunnelling at the Universities of Graz and Leoben in Austria Universities that include a strong focus on underground construction within their civil and geotechnical engineering curricula include: • NTNU The Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Norway • Univeristy of Cambridge, UK • Imperial College London, UK • Bochum University, Germany

Lecturers Eivind Grøv (left) and Daniele Peila welcomed 60 students to the 2017 WTC ITA-CET Training Course

ITA-CET Committee Chairman Galler (right) and Vice Chairman Deffayet (left)

From left: Felix Amberg, Secretary and Treasurer, Eng. Abdullah Al-Mogbel, President, Claude Berenguier, Executive Director, of the ITACET Foundation • Tongji University, Shanghai, China among many others.

ITA focus

In the early 2000s, the International Tunnelling and Underground Space Association (ITA) identified education and training as one of the major concerns that the industry would have to face over the next decades.

To meet the challenge, in 2007 the ITA created the Committee for Education and Training (ITA-CET), with the aim of implementing a high-level education policy to help train young engineers.

“One of the main roles of the Committee is to prepare the contents of training events organized and promoted by the ITA at the request of Member Nations.

From left: Training course on Excavation and Support in Soft Ground Conditions, ITA-CET Principles of Tunnel Design course in Malaysia

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www.TunnelTalk.com

www.TunnelTalk.com

T

TUCA training centre, UK

he Tunnelling and Underground Construction Academy (TUCA) in Ilford to the east of London in the UK is run by the Prospects College of Advanced Technology (PROCAT).

Facilities at TUCA include classrooms, workshops, a mock construction tunnel, gantry crane, spray concrete lining practice bays, concrete pump operations, concrete

testing, a laboratory to study materials, a tunnel mock-up where evacuation simulations take place, and a mock railway.

TUCA was built and established in 2011 at a cost of £13 million with support from the Crossrail project and a £5 million contribution from the UK Government Skills Funding Agency. More than 15,000 students have trained at the academy. n

TUCA facilities include shotcrete practice bays and a materials laboratory

Training shotcrete operators

T

rafikverket, the Swedish Transport Authority and procuring agency of several large road and rail projects in Sweden, is to verify the skill levels of all operators to ensure the quality of the work performed.

To train and certify all sprayed concrete operators, Trafikverket has engaged training provider Edvirt to provide the practical part of the training using two of its 3D shotcrete simulators at the Trafikverket facilities in Stockholm. As well as passing both theory tests and 17 practical assignments on the simulator, operators also require proof of at least two months’ experience of robotic concrete spraying.

Edvirt 3D shotcrete simulator The success of the ITA-CET Committee and ITACET Foundation activities relies heavily on the drive and commitment of individual members and new collaborators.

To become involved in ITA-CET activities, please contact: ita-cet.secretariat@ developpement-durable.gouv.fr

WTC 2017 Bergen course

Young professionals and students from the world over attended the ITACET Committee and ITACET Foundation training course at the 2017 WTC in Bergen.

It was organized as part of the WTC, as it has been each year now for 13 years, and Freelance Journalist Roland Herr attended the Training Course for TunnelTalk and provided an on-the-spot report.

In his welcoming address, Eivind Grøv of Norway opened proceedings of two very comprehensive days with more than 20 highly interesting presentations on high

“We need to increase the quality and productivity and reduce the consumption of material which affects the carbon footprint in our projects,” said Thomas Dalmalm of Trafikverket. “That is why we now require training and certification of operators working with sprayed concrete, injection and bolting.” Having operators working on the project without a valid certification is counted as a contract breach between the hired contractor and Trafikverket.

The 3D shotcrete simulator is a cost effective way to educate nozzlemen as there is no concrete waste or machine wear and inexperienced operators are not exposed to the hazardous environments of tunnels.

“We see this initiative from Trafikverket as a milestone for the industry, and believe that more projects around the world will see the importance of having only trained and tested operators working underground, both from a costsaving and safety perspective” said Eric Odkrans, CEO at Edvirt. n

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The primary target audiences are young engineers from developing countries and countries embarking on major tunnelling projects,” explained current ITA-CET Vice Chairman, Michel Deffayet.”

To help finance short courses in countries that would otherwise not be able to benefit from such events, the ITA General Assembly, in 2009, approved creation of the ITACET Foundation which is financially autonomous from the ITA and relies on donations to fund the organizational and financial aspects of the ITA-CET courses. The Committee prepares the course programmes in collaboration with the host Member Nation and selects the lecturers, many of whom are renowned experts within the ITA and within the industry.

Through the close collaboration between the Committee and the Foundation, courses have now contributed to the training of more than 6,000 students and young professionals over the last ten years. To date, thanks to a network of 135 ITA-CET lecturers who generously donate their time, 64 short courses on a wide variety of topics have been held in 25 different countries around the world. As well as face-to-face events, there are plans to develop e-learning courses and webinars, in order to widen the knowledge-sharing.

In addition to short courses, including those held each year at the World Tunnel Congress, the ITA-CET Committee and ITACET Foundation has established a network of university professors to enable the sharing of ideas on teaching methods and course content and facilitate student/ lecturer exchanges.

The Committee also examines requests for official ITA endorsement of Masters degrees or Doctorates and attributes endorsement after a detailed analysis of course content, teaching hours, teaching and assessment methodology, diversity of lecturers and support of the ITA Member Nation tunnelling community.

Currently, four Masters courses have received such endorsement: • Specialized Masters in Tunnelling and Tunnel Boring Machines, Politecnico di Torino, Italy • MSc in Tunnelling and Underground Space, Warwick University, UK • Specialized Master’s in Tunnelling and Underground Space, ENTPE/INSA, Lyon, France • Masters in Tunnels and Underground Works, AETOS, Madrid, Spain “The Foundation uses part of its generous donations to offer scholarships to students from emerging countries wishing to enroll on an ITA-endorsed Master course,” explained Claude Berenguier, Foundation Executive Director. “This scholarship programme has been running since 2011 and I am proud to say that most of the beneficiaries now have successful careers in tunnelling.”

Another of the ITA-CET Committee’s missions is to collaborate with industry to help develop certification schemes for specific skills. The ITA has, for example, endorsed the EFNARC shotcrete Nozzleman Scheme, which offers certification to experienced nozzlemen.

Other training schemes and academies are seeking similar endorsement.

profile topics, with a focus on Excavation and Support in Soft Ground Conditions.

Presentations opened with a definition of soft ground by Professor Bjorn Nielsen (Norway) who explained the main characteristics and behaviour of soft ground and its interaction with water. Martin Knights (UK) then took the participants on an entertaining trip into the history of excavation and support in soft ground conditions and Nasri Munfah (USA) followed up with an overview of open-face NATM (New Austrian Tunnelling Method), SEM (Sequential Excavation Method) and SCL (Sprayed Concrete Lining) excavation in soft ground. To close the loop, Tim Babendererde (Germany) explained the principles of mechanised tunnelling and gave later a second presentation to compare the applications for slurry and EPB TBMs. Dr Anne-Lise Berggren, known as the Ice Queen to colleagues in Norway,

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From left: EPBM simulator training at the Colorado School of Mines; New bridge commander chair with modular touch screens explained the freezing method of presupport in waterbearing ground and Brad Grothen (USA) presented an interesting overview of the challenges to overcome if and when hard rock TBMs encounter soft ground conditions and the development and dual mode TBM technology. To follow up the technical discussions, Professor Galler, Chairman of ITA-CET, explored the question of which tunnelling method is most appropriate for any given project mechanised or open-face?

The first day was closed with a series of interesting case studies as practical examples of having answered that question presented by Piergiorgio Grasso (Italy) on excavation of large caverns for the Sao Paulo Metro; Francois Renault (France)

on the Hallandsås Project in Sweden; Nasri Munfah (USA) on the Alaskan Way replacement mega TBM tunnel project in Seattle; and Karel Rossler (Czech Republic) on the support methods selected for excavation of the Tunnel Zilina.

The second day, on Saturday, started with Grasso describing the new developments for geotechnical investigation in soft ground and Armund Bruland (Norway) giving an outlook into the future of building tunnels in Norway.

This was followed by Elena Chiriotti (France) who described the challenges of urban soft ground tunnelling; Felix Amberg (Switzerland) with an overview of the main parameters for design in open face tunnelling and, last but not least,

1,000 Crossrail apprenticeships

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n the UK, the Crossrail project in London celebrated 1,000 apprentices, far more than the target of 400 that was set in 2009 at the project outset.

Apprentices have trained in professions ranging from civil engineering and business administration to mechanical and electrical engineering during construction of tunnels under London to create the new Elizabeth Line.

“2018 is the Year of Engineering and the achievements of Crossrail’s apprentices will play a vital role in encouraging young people, their parents and teachers to see the immense value and opportunities in the construction and engineering professions,” said John Hayes, Government Minister of Transport Apprenticeships and Year of Engineering. “I hope it will inspire many more young people to consider a career that puts them at the forefront of new infrastructure and technology.”

Since 2009 Crossrail has also supported training of 20,000 people at TUCA, the Tunnelling

1,000 apprentices celebrated and Underground Construction Academy in Ilford; employed more than 5,000 unemployed and local people via a partnership between Crossrail contractors and Jobcentre Plus; and partnered with Women in Construction to recruit more women into the industry.

When the Elizabeth Line opens in December 2018 it will carry more than 200 million passengers per year, adding 10% capacity to central London’s rail network. n

one of the most refreshing and engaging presentations of the course by Daniele Peila (Italy) on settlement control and soil conditioning for EPBM tunnelling. He began by stating: “I feel like a rockstar with this microphone headset on...” and this very likeable description was a metaphorical comparison. Some of the best specialists and experts of tunnelling in the world took their time to present and pass over their knowledge but for only 60 people in the audience. Which celebrated rockstar would perform for an audience of only some 60 people? It is absolutely sad that, for whatever reason, only some 15 young professionals and students from Norway and some 45 from the rest of the world were on the receiving end of the experience and knowledge presented for free by leading experts. For a participating fee of about USD$500, better promotion, participation and logistical management of this absolutely high profile event is required.

After the presentations, the Saturday afternoon was filled with company and product presentations by Normet, Mapei, Sika, BASF and Bekaert Maccaferri. At the end of the course, a panel discussion between experts Grasso, Galler and Peila presented the opportunity to exchange experience and for participants to ask more questions.

With an eye on the quality of the presentations and presenters, it was one of the top events at the WTC 2017 in Bergen and the anticipation is that the expert rockstars of the industry will play to a larger, more-comfortably accommodated and equally enthusiastic audience of young professionals and students at the next twoday WTC ITA-CET Training Courses.

TBM simulator training

Mechanical engineering apprentices

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ach year Herrenknecht offers up to 180 vocational training apprenticeships at its Schwanau factory in Germany to meet the growing demand for engineers and technicians. The 2017 intake of 56 apprentices included five refugees from Syria, Gambia and Guinea. In their homelands the young men often had incomplete schooling which led to limited employment opportunities. “I am very happy about the training and hope to work on projects around the world when I finish,” said refugee Katmawi.

“We provide all our apprentices with individual support,” said Klaus Himmelsbach, Herrenknecht Head of Training. As well as a state-of-the-art training workshop, there are in-house lessons in English and business studies.

“Young people are our future. We need skilled workers, because what use is the highest level of engineering design if no one can actually manufacture and maintain it,” said Martin Herrenknecht, company founder. “We are therefore committed to supporting those who want to work.” n

State-of-the-art workshop with practical advice and support for trainees

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With practical training in mind, the ITAtech committee of the ITA has set its sights on operator training through simulator technology.

Working in collaboration with the Colorado School of Mines (CSM), TBM manufacturer and ITAtech corporate member Robbins is taking a leading role on a curriculum for training EPBM operators.

EPBMs are selected for the initial programme of training as they are the most commonly used type of TBM in the world and are also often used in urban settings where settlement control is of the utmost importance.

Tunneling today is certainly much safer and more precise than in decades past, but realising that there is room for improvement, Lok Home, President, and Steve Chorley, Field Service Director, of the Robbins Company, venture that, “a large percentage of incidents in tunnel excavation projects, be it a stuck TBM, a sinkhole, or other occurrences, are rarely due to the TBM or equipment operations. Human error has been, and continues to be, the greatest

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five scenarios, the geological parameters and tunnel depth can be modified and are based on operating the TBM through sand; through clay; through transitional geology; through mixed face conditions; and through homogeneous conditions.

The simulation program is developed to be used in conjunction with a schedule of theoretical training, which is being developed at several universities and

by ITA-CET. Another simulator has been developed by Bouygues in France but its six-week training program is available to employees only.

The program at the Colorado School of Mines will be one or two weeks, and will be open to students and those who want to purchase the program. There are also plans to extend the simulations to hard rock and slurry type TBMs. Operating the TBM is not the only issue, explained Home and Chorley of Robbins. Working hours on TBMs are often long and carried out in hot, humid environments. While operators now control machines from sound proofed, airconditioned control cabins, one of the most common complaints from TBM operators is the comfort of the chair itself.

Operator stations are also becoming so big, they are often placed on the TBM back-up with little or no thought given to what the operator can see. Operators rely on CCTV systems when in some cases it would be better for the operator to have a first-hand view of the situation. We could argue that, as per a ship or other large piece of machinery, the operator should be on the ‘bridge’ of the boring machine for the best view.

With this in mind, designers, with input from manufacturers of industry command chairs and operators of TBMs in the field, have developed an innovative design for a TBM operator’s chair.

Two panels on either side of the operator have been designed with modular and interchangeable control panels. Each modular panel is specific to the type of

Solving the skills gap

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emographic change, too few women on jobsites, lack of engineers, fierce competition, little interest in STEM disciplines, and growing demand for digital skills were considered the biggest challenges facing the construction industry in discussions between the Committee for European Construction Equipment (CECE) and key stakeholders at the European Parliament in Brussels.

“CECE is determined to address the skills gap by providing a comprehensive review of the situation and developing solutions together with its partners,” said Riccardo Viaggi, Secretary General of CECE. “It requires a strategic and collective approach from key stakeholders in and around the construction and equipment industries.”

Discussions centred on training and upskilling. Skills initiatives presented included the British Primary Engineer which focuses on training primary school teachers to inspire children at the earliest age with science and technology interests and the German Think Big project which is encouraging young people into the sector. In an increasingly digital age, lack of skills in the digital technology sector is seen as an inhibitor to growth. In the future it is felt that the tasks of operating and maintaining construction equipment will become more complex and require advanced skills in engineering, and require an understanding of operating software and automation of machines.

“The effort that goes into the competition for newcomers in the sector is immense, especially among the technical disciplines,” said CECE President Bernd Holz. “We must inspire young people to find the sector attractive.”

The Committee for European Construction Equipment represents the interests of 1,200 construction equipment manufacturers through national trade associations in 13 European countries. CECE manufacturers generate €40 billion in yearly revenue, export a sizeable part of their production, and employ up to 300,000 people. n

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machine and is designed to be instinctive for the operator to start and control the machine. Functions on the control panels have been reduced to the absolute minimum with all other functions - to control, monitor or stop and start systems - being transferred to two touchscreen panels also incorporated in the command chair.

The command chair concept is being developed for use on Robbins machines, with field testing to start in 2018.

Command chairs do not require operator cabins and so can be easily installed in an office environment. Having the ability to operate a machine using identical controls as those on the machine, rather than from a keyboard, can only give TBM operators more confidence.

“It is our overall recommendation,” said Home and Chorley, “that training becomes mandatory for all TBM operators. Training should be seen as a risk management tool, and written into contracts. It is an effective way to reduce risk and potential cost savings can be calculated in. Only with well-trained crews can we reduce the most common risk in tunneling: that of human error.” n

References •

Promoting the underground and meeting demand – TunnelTalk, January 2015 Young engineers compare shadow designs – TunnelTalk, January 2014 Presenting the tunneling career possibilities – TunnelTalk, Februry 2013 Prospects and pay scales attract new recruits – TunnelTalk, June 2012 Kuala Lumpur opens tunnel Training Academy – TunnelTalk, Decenber 2011 Closing the gender gap in tunnelling – TunnelTalk, March 2015 Diary Dates: Short courses, training sessions and workshops

• • • • • •

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Return to work programme

fter a voluntary career break, the return to work can be daunting and to facilitate the process, UK tunnelling contractor Morgan Sindall, offers individuals the chance to re-engage with working life. Developer Launched in Dawn Moore September 2017, the Returnships programme, developed by HR Director Dawn Moore, suits people from all levels, especially those with mid to senior management experience, who have taken a voluntary career break of 18 months and more.

“There may have been lengthy career breaks for family or personal reasons. To return to work individuals will be able to balance their home life with their return through a staged programme, and will be offered the opportunity to build upon previous experience and develop new skills,” said Moore.

Moore was awarded the Champions Award at the 2017 Working Mums Top Employer Awards in recognition of Morgan Sindall’s commitment to developing a flexible working culture at the company. n

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source of in-tunnel incidents in our industry.

This is an issue for everyone, including equipment manufacturers, whose equipment is often blamed or framed in a bad light as the investigation of an incidence ensues.

Reports on sinkholes, project delays, and cost overruns are a benefit to no one, and give tunneling in general a bad reputation.

Luckily, human error is an issue that can be remedied fairly easily if we band together as an industry to change regulations.”

So how can we reduce human error?

The answer is through training.

While there are many highly qualified engineers in our industry, those actually driving the machines often lack basic training in the optimal operating parameters for given conditions and for equipment maintenance and more.

Even when these operators are experienced (and there are many well qualified, experienced operators), these qualifications have been gained through trial-and-error and on-the-job training on multiple projects. While on-the-job training is invaluable, it is not the best way to gain an elementary understanding of how to operate a TBM as conditions change. In such conditions mistakes can prove very costly and time consuming.

The Certified EPB Operator Training Program currently consists of classroom training combined with a TBM control simulator operated via PC. The program could also be linked with an actual TBM operator’s cab in the future. There are an endless number of scenarios that can be created on the simulator program for EPB operator training. These can depend on any particular project on which a machine is deployed in known ground conditions.

At the moment five case study conditions and scenarios have been developed. These focus on EPB operation during excavation and while standing still, for example during segmental lining ring build, although ring build itself is not part of the simulation. For each of the

References •

Women attracted to engineering and construction – TunnelTalk, June 2016

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Bergen, Norway, hosted the successful WTC2017 World Tunnel Congress

Highlights of the 2017 conference circuit

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uring 2017, TunnelTalk attended and was represented at more than 15 conference events across the globe.

Each event presented valuable information to ever growing audiences of engineers and professionals. Lessons learned, technological developments, revisions of best practices and industry experiences were shared and discussed and reported in TunnelTalk conference articles and videos. The 20182019 schedule will be equally as busy.

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Better use of underground space

Optimising the use of underground space within the circumstances of rapidly expanding cities was the conference theme of the fourth annual Arabian Tunnelling Conference (ATC) in Dubai in February 2017.

A keynote presentation by Han Admiraal and Antonia Cornaro, Chair and Vice Chair of the ITA committee on the Use of Underground Space (ITACUS) inspired the delegates to think about other types of underground space developments.

“Planners and civil engineers need to work together to realise the potential of the urban underground space and use it to maximum effect,” said Cornaro. “If we don’t expand our thinking towards more creative uses then the space under our cities is a waste of space!” concluded Admiraal.

In reply to a question from the floor that asked: “How can we create public underground spaces without feeling we are in a small or confined environment?” Admiraal replied that it is the interface between the surface and the underground facility that is important. “We must explore methods of introducing more natural daylight and to ensuring that the space and the connecting passageways, and corridors are spacious and accommodating rather than feeling small and over crowded,” he said.

The presentation included a report on the Committee’s Think Deep initiative and the establishment of its Young Professionals Think Deep Programme (YPTDP) that sponsors workshops to investigate the potential contribution of underground solutions to urban problems.

After a successful project in Scotland to examine the potential for redevelopment of the Clyde River waterfront for the city of Glasgow, there are developments to organize workshops in several other cities including Dubai which is a city in search of solutions to urban transportation and protection from its harsh summer climate.

TBMs versus open face

A particularly engaging session at the conference was the panel discussion on

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the merits and potential drawbacks and concerns of applying TBMs or open face excavation methods for projects where either would be suitable.

The debate opened with a call for standardization of both TBMs and open face excavations to help optimize investment in machinery and reduce the costs of design and construction.

The point was made that on a current road tunnel project in the UAE, three sets of in-situ concrete lining formwork will be obsolete and worthless at the end of the contract as the forms are project specific and highly unlikely to be applicable to any other road tunnel project.

In response, it was explained that all metro running tunnels for different cities in France from 1985 to 2005 were of the same diameter with the same TBMs being moved by contractors from city to city, and that in Norway open face road tunnels are of a standard size – T9.5, T10.5 and T12.

An engineer working on Crossrail underground stations in London described how, for one large underground station, there were initially 20 or so different cross sections.

“We managed to reduce these to five standard cross sections but it was a difficult process as there were good arguments for why other cross sections were required.”

Comments of another case study described how open face excavations are often described as ‘conventional tunnelling’, “but there is nothing conventional about the designs put forward,” was the comment. “In one case, the design for a 2m thick heavily reinforced cast in-situ concrete lining was reduced to a 15cm thick unreinforced layer of shotcrete.”

Another question in the debate asked if deciding to place metro and other transportation infrastructure underground is a waste of money? The conclusion, after several contributions, was that no matter the initial budget, or even an over run of cost and time, in the end, the underground infrastructure will become whole heartedly accepted and the woes and troubles of the construction time forgotten.

Terrific regional workload

A concentrated programme of underground space development in Australia and New Zealand was a key focus at the 16th Australasian Tunnelling Conference in Sydney in November 2017. More than 600 delegates from 19 countries appreciated a programme of 129 presentations across the three-day schedule of the triennial event.

Presentations studied important aspects of project development including

Shani Wallis, TunnelTalk community relations, occupational health and safety, improvement of productivity through the planning, design and construction phases, and integration of modern and future technologies into the design and management of underground transportation systems.

The vast capital investment currently in underground infrastructure in Australia and New Zealand was described in detail, including: Sydney: The AUD$12.5-13.5 billion Sydney Metro project for which five new Herrenknecht TBMs will complete 15.5km of twin running tunnels to connect five new underground stations, two mined and three open cut; the AUD$3 billion NorthConnex 9km long twin tube highway tunnel project and the three stages of the AUD$16.8 billion WestConnex highway complex that comprises 22km of twin-tube tunnelling and on which 50 roadheaders are already working on the two stages that are in construction.

Melbourne: The AUD$11 billion Melbourne Metro project that requires 8.4km of twin running tunnels and five new underground stations for which four TBMs and a fleet of roadheaders will be procured, the AUD$5.5 billion West Gate highway project for which two mega-TBMs of 15.6m diameter are ordered with Herrenknecht to excavate the twin 2.8km and 4km tunnels.

Brisbane: The Cross River rail project involves a 5.9km tunnel under the river and central business district plus five new stations to link the city’s northern and southern rail networks.

Perth: Work progresses on the 8km twin running tunnels of the AUD$1.86 billion Forrestfield Airport rail link project on which two Herrenknecht VDM TBMs have launched.

Auckland: Completion of the NZ$1.4 billion 2.4km twin tube Waterview motorway tunnel excavated by a 14.5m Herrenknecht EPBM; early construction works on the Auckland City Rail Link; the new 13km long x 4.5m diameter central interceptor sewer tunnel currently in the procurement stage.

All of the completed, planned and progressing projects are required and inspired by the rapidly increasing population of the cities. In her video recorded welcome address, Gladys Berejiklian, Premier of New South Wales, gave professionals in the room warning that the “pace will not be slowing down. There will be tunnelling to be achieved for many, many years to come.”

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In his keynote, Tim Reardon, Secretary of Transportation for New South Wales explained that the population of Sydney is predicted to grow from the current 5 million to 8 million by the middle of the century and that, of the State Governments AUD$73 billion budget over the next four years, $41.4 billion is allocated to State transportation projects. In her keynote Linda Cantan, Director of the Tunnel & Stations PPP for the Melbourne Metro Rail Authority stated that passengers on the city trams, trains and metro systems doubled in the 15 years from 2000 to 2015 and that ridership is expected to double again between 2015 and 2030. To meet the demand, the new $11 billion Melbourne Metro expansion of 9km and five underground stations is scheduled to be complete within nine years from planning through design and construction opening in 2024.

In ATS society news, it was announced that the Australasian partnership between Australia and New Zealand is to split and each to become individual Member Nations and hold their own seat on the General Assembly of the ITA. To close the proceedings, a very moving address was presented

by Denis Adams, a young man, husband and father of three young children, who lost both his older brother and his father to accidents in the mining and civil tunnelling industry. His brother was killed by a wedge of rock that fell from the crown of a coalmine drift as he was walking in front of the roadheader he was operating to inspect the profile. Years later, his father, working on a tunnelling project, was managing pumping equipment at water treatment sumps when the pressure pipe gave way, striking him in the torso and inflicting internal injuries that were too severe to survive the accident.

A family affair at WTC 2017

More than 1,500 delegates attended the World Tunnel Congress (WTC) and the 43rd General Assembly of the International Tunnelling and Underground Space Association (ITA) in Bergen in June 2017. For the third time, following 1986 and 2002, the Norwegian Tunnelling Society (NFF), welcomed international delegates and the ExCo, Committees and Working Groups of the ITA. ITA President Tarcisio Celestino of Brazil reminded delegates in his keynote that it was in Oslo in 1974 that the original articles of association of the ITA were agreed by representatives of the first member nation societies. A slide of the original copy of signatures at that first meeting was presented and two of those original delegates were in the WTC2017 audience – Dr Einar Broch of Norway who was also President of the ITA from 1986–1989, and Willie De Lathauwer of Belgium who has attended almost every ITA Congress and General Assembly since the first in Washington DC in the USA in 1975.

President Celestino also recalled studying at the University of California at Berkeley with renowned Norwegian Professor and tunneller Tor Brekke. His Royal Highness Crown Prince Haakon of Norway, who opened the congress by highlighting the vital importance of tunnels for connectivity across Norway, through mountains and beneath the fjords along the country’s spectacular coastline, also studied at UC Berkeley in 1996 for a BA in political science.

For TunnelTalk, the WTC2017 Norway experience began in Oslo and on the pre-conference visit to the Follo Line railway tunnel project between Oslo and Ski where four Herrenknecht TBMs are excavating the twin running tunnels through hard Norwegian granite. Visitors were hosted by representatives of the project owner Bane Nor and of the Spanish-Italian JV contractor Acciona-Ghella to a tour of the onsite segmental lining casing yard as well as into the heading and onto the first of the four TBMs launched.

During the ITA General Assembly in Bergen, the results of important voting rounds were announced. From among eight candidates for three posts on the Executive Council, Lars Babendererde of Member Nation Germany, Arnold Dix of Member Nation Australia, and Randy Essex of Member Nation USA were elected to serve on the ExCo for the next three years. Nigeria was formally welcomed as a new Member Nation to the ITA family with Abidemi Agwor recognised as the President and Member Nation representative of TAN, the Tunnelling Association of Nigeria. Member Nation Nepal was also presented with special recognition from the ITACET Foundation for its activities to advance the development of tunnels and the education of professional tunnelling engineers and technicians in the Himalayan mountain kingdom.

During the General Assembly, Martin Herrenknecht was recognised by the ITACET Foundation for his continuing contributions to the work of the Committee on Education and Training.

At the annual general meeting of the ITA Young Members Group, Chair Sindre Log of Norway welcomed 150 under 35 year-old

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professionals, of which a third were young women. Of the eight members of the ITAym Group organising committee, four are lady professionals. The Group was formed officially at the ITA General Assembly 2014 at Iguassu Falls, Brazil.

Two new reports were released by the activities of the thirteen active Working Groups of the ITA. Working Group 17 on Long Tunnels at Great Depth released a report on TBM excavation of long tunnels under difficult rock conditions and Working Group 6 on Maintenance and Repair published its report on structural fire protection for road tunnels.

PDF copies of all reports by the ITA Working Groups are available for free download on the ITA website.

As a last item of business on the agenda, the voting round to select the host for the WTC and 46th General Assembly in 2020 was a success for Member Nation Malaysia and against a strong rival bid from Member Nation Australia for Melbourne and another from Member Nation India. Both India and Australia have hosted the ITA and WTC in the past. For Malaysia this will be its first time with the event planned for staging in the national capital Kuala Lumpur.

In closing a very successful congress, and in the traditional manner, Heidi Berg, Director of the WTC2017 in Bergen, handed the ITA flag to Eng Rayed Al Arashi, member of the Society of Engineers of the United Arab Emirates which will host WTC 2018 in Dubai in April 2018.

Malaysia plays host

Ahead of its bid to host the WTC and ITA General Assembly in 2020, Malaysia convened the first Southeast Asian Conference and Exhibition in Tunnelling and Underground Space (SEACETUS) in Kuala Lumpur in April 2017.

The two day conference, with the theme of Innovation and Sustainable Underground Space Development, aimed to “promote the sharing of knowledge, experience, skills, ideas and achievements in the designing, financing, contracting, construction, operation and maintenance of tunnels and other underground facilities among the ASEAN countries,” explained Dr Teik Aun Ooi the Institution of Engineers, Malaysia (IEM).

The programme opened with an address

by Professor Jenny Yan, ITA Vice President and Deputy General Manager, China Railway Academy Co, who explained there are more than 20,000km of tunnels currently under construction in China with many others in the planning and design stage including the 34km Gaoligong mountain railway tunnel, the 18km Qinling Zhongnan mountain highway tunnel, and the 98km Qinling water tunnel.

In addition, there are long subsea projects including the 30km long Qiongzhou Strait tunnel under ultra-high water pressure and the Bohai Bay tunnel and Taiwan Strait tunnel, both more than 120km in length and presenting extreme challenges including poor geological conditions, high seismic intensity, long distance construction and disaster prevention in operation.

Dr Lean Hock Ooi of MMC-Gamuda KVMRT, Malaysia, discussed development of a well performing tunnelling industry in a country where no local expertise existed

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previously. As a contractor with the vision to help the nation achieve such objectives, MMC Gamuda has developed into a specialist for tunnelling and underground space construction in Malaysia and the Southeast Asian region and has a commitment in training the younger generation under the mentorship of experienced expatriates.

Swiss focus on refurbishment

The Swiss Tunnels Congress in Lucerne in May 2017 discussed approaches to rail and road tunnel refurbishment and the demands of performing such vital works while maintaining existing services.

As an example, Swiss rail operator Rhatische Bahn AG (RhB) owns a total of 115 standardised single-track rail tunnels in the Swiss Alps with a combined length of 58.7km. Usually with masonry linings, all are more than a century old and designed with a 17.9m2 profile for the era of steam trains.

An asset condition assessment in 2012 revealed that about two-thirds of the tunnels require improvements to address problems of water and moisture ingress and frost, excessive horizontal loading at the straight and sloping side walls, which are not as structurally robust as curved walls; and the need to increase the tunnel area to hold the kinetic envelope of modern trains.

To complete the works, while ensuring normal train services continued, a standardised system was developed based on increasing the net cross-sectional area of the tunnels by more than a third and installing a precast segmental lining.

A telescopic formwork was developed for staged breakout of the masonry lining and the rock and to lower the tunnel floor by 1.2m. An Atlas Copco Hagloader was used for mucking out to prevent having a machine with swivel action. Following immediate shotcrete support, the tunnel was finished with the precast segmental lining comprising five 300mm thick segments in 1.5m long rings each fitted with specially designed gaskets. The floor sides were excavated to establish foundations for the precast rings and a slab track was installed in stages.

Dewatering channels were installed at the sides of the profile and pea gravel backfilled the 150mm annulus. RhB rail wagons were equipped to deliver segments and erect the rings. The system is equivalent to obtaining a newly built tunnel.

Turkey examines aspirations

There was a sense of energy and urgency about the two-day TunnelTurkey symposium in Istanbul. Turkey is on a fast track to make up for lost time in developing metros and road tunnel infrastructure to tackle chronic urban congestion, particularly in Istanbul, and to improve connectivity across the country, address major irrigation and water conveyance needs and increase hydropower energy production.

It was said that up to 50 or more companies registered interest for tunnel contract procurement processes in Turkey with these reduced to about 20 to present bids and reduced further to final negotiation rivals. As well as working on major projects in Turkey, large Turkish contractors including Yapi Merkezi, Gülermak, Dogus, Nurol,

Kalyon, are now working overseas in India, Dubai, Doha, Riyadh, Bulgaria, Poland, among others in the CIS former soviet countries, the Gulf region, and North Africa.

Papers at the symposium discussed: • Design of complex mined stations; • Safe breakout and break in of running tunnel TBMs; • Design to meet seismic requirements; • Application of steel fibre reinforced concrete; • Satellite monitoring of ground movement and surface settlement; • Pipe umbrella pre-support to control difficult ground.

An interesting paper described the experience of the large diameter Herrenknecht TBM that excavated the Eurasia double-deck highway tunnel under the Bosphorus and another compared the operation of three different makes of metro size TBMs on the same contract, through the same ground and with the open ratio of the EPB cutterheads as the principle difference.

The large open ratio of 37% proved most effective, operating at 2-3 times less torque and consuming less energy although the need to control the larger openings with grizzly bars was emphasized.

Robbins machines were the first TBMs in Turkey back in the 1960s and 1970s, with Lovat supplying the first TBMs for urban metro tunnelling for the Ankara Metro in the 1980s and Herrenknecht then making a significant contribution to TBM projects through the following 30 years. Today new suppliers are making their mark in Turkey. Terratec and the Chinese suppliers Lovsuns, CRCHI and CREG of China all have several TBMs on order for Istanbul Metro contracts and all were represented in the TunnelTurkey event exhibition.

In the competitive market in Turkey, one TBM manufacturer representative explained that it is the bottom line price that concludes a TBM sale and another admitted that where a metro TBM could demand a cost of more than €6.5 million 10 or 12 years ago, today they are being bought for less than €4 million at about €3.6-€3.8 million per machine. Another representative said that it is then the terms of the letters of credit between the banks of the manufacturer and the customer that adds to the competitive edge and that in the long run, faultless service ensures repeat business.

Much of the energy at the symposium was generated by the group of young civil engineering and mining university students who attended the two-day event.

Their interest in the topics discussed and enthusiasm to be part of the specialized underground development industry represented an assurance that Turkey will have the talent and resources to fulfill its underground infrastructure aspirations.

In fostering those aspirations, the Turkish Tunnelling Society (TTS) is to become a wider, more encompassing society. Hosted originally by the Ministry of Roads, the Society is expanding to welcome and include professionals in the metro, railway and water supply industries and ensure that discussions and meetings are applicable to all sectors of the industry in Turkey.

www.TunnelTalk.com

Germany takes stock

At the biennial STUVA Congress in Stuttgart in December 2017, 1,920 participants from 33 countries heard from Rainer Bomba, Permanent Secretary of Germany’s Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure, that some €270 billion is be invested in 1,000 projects across Germany’s transportation networks from now to 2030. In 2017 the German Government invested about €12.8 billion in transport infrastructure and that will increase again to €14.4 billion in 2018, an increase of 40% since 2014. BIM (building information management) is also now a reality in Germany to ensure that construction projects are completed on time and within budget. In his keynote, Ronald Profalla, Management Board Member for Infrastructure with Deutsche Bahn AG, explained that the rail network in Germany of 33,380km in 2016 runs through 708 tunnels with a total length of more than 500km. Under current Federal Government finance agreements, the DB will have invested €28 billion in the period from 2015 to 2019.

Rastatt collapse overview

Despite a bulging auditorium of curious tunnellers, there was no explanation of how and why the TBM rail tunnel excavation under the main high-speed rail route between Germany and Switzerland at Rastatt collapsed in August 2017. Instead, Professor Dirk Rompf, Member of the Management Board of DB Netz AG, and Edgar Schömig, Board Member of Ed Züblin AG, gave an overview of the facts of what happened, describing the situation at the job site and measures adopted to control and repair the damage. During the presentation it was evident that the consequences could have been much worse. A public report following the investigation is expected in Spring 2018 at the earliest.

A parallel session of the congress on tunnel operations, discussed: • Lessons learned from a tanker fire in the Skatestraum subsea road tunnel in Norway with safety strategies and new regulations for tunnels in Norway being introduced as a result, and • An overview of a prefabricated door system which shortens significantly the assembly of the safety doors in cross passages and another system that allows easy opening despite a lower or higher pressure in the environment either side.

Futuristic visions

At several events during the year, coffee break discussion included the interest shown by billionaire Elon Musk, advancing, as he is, his Hyperloop One version of supersonic vacuum tube travel and launching a concept of futuristic car transportation as a solution to chronic urban highway congestion. With underground infrastructure needed for both concepts, Musk turned his attention to improving the performance of TBM excavation.

This has injected much needed impetus to shake up the status quo and concentrate on methods to increase productivity and improve sustainability within the tunnel construction industry.

While Musk generated much positive Feedback to the reporting of the concepts by TunnelTalk, there are those who have a more realistic response to the ideas. For the labyrinth of multilayers of automatic car propulsion tunnels accessed by parking lot shafts, discussions at conferences suggested that the idea shifts congestion from one form and platform to another, with long queues anticipated for access shafts up and down and the designcapacity of the tunnels themselves becoming overloaded within a short period of time - unless access is reserved for selective users or the very wealthy who can afford a prohibitive toll charge.

The answer to chronic congestion, it was suggested in discussion groups, is not an elite alternative, but rather a change in social norms. “For all but the most chronic of bottlenecks that need urgent additional capacity, there is ample public transportation road and rail infrastructure. The problem is created because we all want to use it at the same time! The immediate solution is to spread the load more evenly across the hours of the day and the days of the week.”

Discussions will continue into 2018 and beyond. n

References •

• •

Boundaries busted for highway under the Bosphorus – TunnelTalk, September 2015 Bosphorus Marmaray rail link joins East and West – TunnelTalk, October 2013 Tackling fault zones in the mountains of Turkey – TunnelTalk, January 2014

www.TunnelTalk.com

Keep the task in mind anywhere and anytime.

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Mobile Solutions

Click to view the desired data and values in real-time – simple, safe and convenient.

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Geotech / Instrum.

Tool Wear Shift Reports Real-time BIM ready

From left: Fig 1. Dubai Metro Expo 2020 extension; Storm water drainage and build out of sewer infrastructure

Dubai destination for WTC2018 delegates will serve the catchment areas of Deira and Bur Dubai with one main tunnel collector transferring flow from the Bur Dubai region to a treatment plant at Jebel Ali, and the other conveying flow from the Deira and Dubai International Airport area to a treatment plant at Al Warsan (Figs 2 and 3).

Also in the Emirate of Dubai, international contractors were invited in 2017 to submit expressions of interest to bid for the Hatta pumped storage project. The 250MW project for the Dubai Electricity & Water Authority is to be built as an engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract. French energy utility EDF was awarded a consultancy contract in mid-2017 to manage design, procurement and supervision of the project.

DEWA plans to create the Hatta pumped storage project by using the existing Sadd Hatta Al Awwal reservoir on Wadi Zahra as the lower reservoir and create a new upper reservoir in the Hajar Mountains to provide a gross head of 300m. Tunnelling works on the project will involve excavation of a pressure tunnel, pressure shaft and surge tank through peridotite rocks. The project is part of the Emirates Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050, which seeks to have three-quarters of the energy mix for Dubai provided by clean energy by 2050.

Further afield, but in the same Middle East region, the Abu Hamour drainage tunnel in Doha, Qatar was recognised as a first class tunnel project. Designed by COWI and constructed by Salini Impregilo, the 9.5km long x 3.7m diameter storm water tunnel runs along the route of the proposed F-Ring Road from Musaimeer Street to the New Doha International Airport and will convey water flows of up to 16.5m3/sec.

Being located in a hot and humid environment with a high concentration of chlorides and sulphates in the soil and groundwater, the tunnel required a highly durable lining to achieve the specified design life of 100 years. This was met by using a steel fibre reinforced concrete (SFRC) segmental lining. COWI first designed a SFRC segmental lining for the Strategic Tunnel Enhancement Programme

TunnelTalk reporting (STEP) sewer tunnel network in Abu Dhabi.

In Lebanon, in May 2017, a CREG 3.5m diameter gripper TBM made its first breakthrough on Tunnel Drive 3 of the Greater Beirut Water Supply Project.

Financed by the World Bank, the project is scheduled to be in operation by 2019 to supply drinking water to 1.6 million people in the region and involves construction of 24km of tunnels and transfer pipelines. The contract was awarded to CMC di Ravenna of Italy by the Council for Beirut Development and Reconstruction in 2014. The tunnels are being excavated by two CREG hard rock gripper TBMs through weathered limestone, dolomitic limestone and dolomitite rock with strengths of between 50-170MPa. After completing the 4.13km Tunnel Drive 3, the first TBM will bore the 8.10km Tunnel Drive 1. The second TBM, launched in September 2016, completing the 10.37km Tunnel Drive 2.

The first TBM on Tunnel Drive 3 encountered faults and highly fractured rock which slowed excavation. Despite difficulties, the TBM achieved average rates of 18m/ day, with a maximum of 48.22m/day and a monthly rate of 894.8m/month.

The theme of the WTC Congress in April 2018 is The Role of Underground Space in Future Sustainable Cities and topics discussed will include: • Multi-utility tunnels – The ultimate solution • Win/win contractual risk sharing • Selecting the right tunnelling method • Maintenance-free design in sewer tunnels – fact or fiction • CAPEX vs OPEX – how to define life cycle project cost • Sustainable use of underground space • Underground contribution to Smart Cities • Life safety for underground structures The World Tunnel Congress will also convene the 44th General Assembly of the ITA International Tunnelling and Underground Space Association. The UAE was welcomed as an ITA Member Nation in 2011 and is first to host the World Tunnel Congress in the GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) region. n

CONFERENCES

T

he Middle East has been a hotspot of world tunnelling over recent decades with a wealth of new underground infrastructure planned in the region in the coming years. A spotlight on this activity will be presented in April 2018 when the Tunnelling Chapter of the Society of Engineers of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) hosts the ITA World Tunnel Congress (WTC).

In Dubai new infrastructure is being built in preparation for the city’s hosting of the World Expo in 2020.

For the metro there is a 15km extension of the Red Line to the Expo 2020 site with 10.5km on elevated trackway and 4km and two stations aligned underground (Fig 1). Under a US$2.9 billion contract, the Expolink Consortium of Alstom, France/ Acciona, Spain/Gulermack, Turkey will complete the works and supply 50 trains for the extension and to upgrade rolling stock on the existing metro network. A 10m diameter Herrenknecht EPBM is excavating the single tube, double track running tunnel of the project. The Line will be extended further to the site of the new international airport for Dubai, which is currently in construction.

Once complete, the total network of Dubai Metro will be 90km.

Also for Expo 2020, Dubai is building a network of two deep stormwater tunnels.

The main 12km long Jebel Ali stormwater tunnel package was awarded to a joint venture of Porr, Austria and Besix, Belgium.

The second major tunnel package through Deira, beneath Dubai International Airport, is currently in the tender stage. With the storm water tunnels at up to 10m i.d. there are plans that parts of these could be designed as dual mode facilities with road decks built into the internal space and closed to traffic in times of heavy rainfall when the full capacity of the stormwater management facility is needed. The proposal is based on the first use of the concept for the SMART tunnel in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Further to the storm drainage tunnels, there are plans in Dubai for a Strategic Sewer Tunnel Project with a combined length of 70km and a further 140km of link sewers and pumping stations. The system

From left: Hatta pumped storage plans; SRFC segmental lining in Doha; TBM breakthrough in Lebanon

www.TunnelTalk.com

TunnelTalk ANNUAL REVIEW 2017

33

Slurry density measurement without radiation Hans Greve, Royal IHC Tunnelling and Jacco Osnabrugge, Royal IHC Systems D

IN DUSTRY NEWS AND DEVELOPM ENTS

uring a slurry excavation process, the correct management and measurement of the slurry density is important to ensure that the correct amount of soil is being excavated in relation to the advance rate and that the quality of the recirculated slurry is efficient.

Drawing on experience from the dredging industry, Netherlands based Royal IHC has developed a density meter to measure slurry using harmless radio waves instead of radioactive material as the source.

Slurry density is currently measured using a radioactive source and receiver.

The level of deflection of the radiation is an

indicator of the number of particles between the source and the receiver. This method is used in pipe diameters from 300mm up to 1,000mm and more and is well-proven in the dredging and tunnelling industries. But it has a number of disadvantages. Handling of a radioactive source requires special permits; transportation of the equipment requires special precautions; only certified personnel can work with the equipment; and those personnel must be present when equipment is installed on site.

The new Royal IHC density meter

Left: Fig 1. Radio signals record data; Right: Signal conditioner

TBM u-turn within an hour Hydra-Slide News Release

A

fter two days of planning and preparation, it took one hour to turn a TBM at the end of its first drive into the headwall of its parallel drive. The turning system supplied by Hydra-Slide of the UK comprised a HT300 heavy track hydraulic skidding system and the TT90010 turntable. After breakthrough, the 6.7m diameter, 520 tonne Hitachi Zosen TBM was pushed 12m onto the HydraSlide turntable using the HT300 hydraulic skid system with four rails and four push cylinders applied to increase the overall HT300 push capacity.

Once on the turntable, the machine was rotated through 180 degrees for launch on its second drive for contractor Yu Sin Engineering on its Gardens By The Bay station and tunnels contract for the MRT Thomson-East Coast Line in Singapore.

“Initially the plan was to dismantle the TBM at the end of the first 679m drive and return it for re-launch at the working shaft, but this would have taken a long time and we wanted to explore the option of a u-turn,” said Jefferson Yee, General Manager for Yu Sin Engineering.

“After consulting with Hydra-Slide on the technical possibilities we proceeded with the alternative option which resulted in significant and important time savings.”

“It is a simple system to operate,” explained Janine Smith, Vice President at Hydra-Slide. “There are no winch lines or holdbacks required, the push cylinders automatically reset into specially designed ratchets on the side of the turntable and there is no manual handling of any components required during operation.” n

uses radio waves to sense the volume concentration of solids present in the carrier fluid. This new technology can be used as standard, requires no special permits and is completely safe.

The section of the slurry pipeline where the measurement is to be taken is fitted with a pair of antennas - transmitting (Tx) and receiving (Rx) - which are attached to transparent polyurethane windows (Fig 1).

The measurement is taken by exciting an electromagnetic field in between the two so that a microprocessor can calculate the amount of solids present in the pipeline flow.

The information is then sent to the signal conditioner, a robust marine grade instrument that calculates the density of the slurry and collects the data for analysis.

The new system is much safer for users, being free from ionizing radiation, and having a steel pipeline that provides screening from any electromagnetic waves.

In field tests the new technology performed as well as the radioactive meter.

In laboratory tests the only factor appeared to be the salinity of the fluid, which will not be a problem during tunnelling if the bentonite slurry fully penetrates the soil and replaces groundwater in the TBM excavation chamber.

The new meter is easy to operate and will be a welcome replacement to contractors in the management of their tunnelling slurry systems. n

Slurry separation plant technology Bauer News Release

A

fter more than 20 years in microtunnelling, Swiss subsidiary of Bauer and producer of slurry separating plants MAT Mischanlagentechnik has entered the large diameter tunnellling market with supply in 2017 of a BE 2550 separation plant to the Eppenberg Tunnel project in Switzerland.

The BE-2550 comprises six adjoining identical stand alone plants and is capable of moving 2,400m3 of slurry/hr in the closed 3km long slurry circulation system. Two continuous mixing plants ensure continuous production of bentonite slurry. n

References •

Hydraulic slide solution for TBM assembly – TunnelTalk, November 2016

The HT300 and TT900 ready to slide and rotate the TBM in its entirety

BE-2550 treats 2,400m³/hr of slurry

34

TunnelTalk ANNUAL REVIEW 2017

www.TunnelTalk.com

ROYAL IHC TUNNELLING EQUIPMENT

Royal IHC is a technology provider for the tunnelling industry. Based on our long track record in dredging, offshore and mining operations we are able to design and deliver components and integrated equipment for the construction of tunnels, shafts and other underground structures.

INNOVATIVE SOLUTIONS • tunnelboring • shaftboring • pipe renovation • hyperbaric equipment • slurry systems.

ROYALIHC.COM /TUNNELLING

Improved laser scanning

Designed for zero emissions

Amberg Technologies News Release

L

aser scanning has become vital for providing a detailed as-built analysis of tunnel construction. After each tunnel advance, the Amberg Tunnelscan and Amberg Navigator software solutions allow users to record the geometry of the tunnel to determine areas of under and overbreak, calculate excavation quantities, check the conformity of undulation of the tunnel surface, undertake non-destructive shotcrete layer thickness measurements, check surface quality, and produce scaled image documents.

Updates to Tunnelscan during 2017 included a new more flexible positioning

method for scans using checkerboards and sphere targets as the points of reference (Fig 1) and new undulation analysis to check for a smooth surface before the waterproofing membrane system is installed (Fig 2).

Updates to Amberg Tunnel Navigator included new 3D editors for stationing and section based tasks. Now viewable in 3D instead of just side or top views, this will help operators gather higher definition data during particularly complex tasks (Fig 3). n

References •

Software solutions for profile measurement – TunnelTalk, October 2014

IN DUSTRY NEWS AND DEVELOPM ENTS

Top: Amberg Tunnelscan laser technology; Fig 1. New positioning method Bottom: Fig 2. Improved undulation analysis; Fig 3. 3D view for higher definition of data

Wacker Neuson News Release

A

new battery powered electric wheel loader was introduced by Wacker Neuson. With two electric motors, one for the drive system and one for the operating hydraulics, the wheel loader WL20e benefits from zero emissions. Zero emissions are becoming increasingly important in all construction practices and especially in urban areas. A bucket capacity of 0.2m3, which matches the performance of a conventional machine, expands the application of the wheel loader considerably.

Wacker Neuson also introduced a 10 tonne track excavator ET90 with a fuel consumption up to 30% lower than comparable models. This provides up to 20% more bucket breakaway force and a load sensing hydraulic system allows for finely controllable lifting arm movements. n

WL20e battery powered for zero emissions

Real time safety management Corvex-Ergodyne News Release

T Drum liner for easier recycling Condat News Release

T

BM lubricants supplier Condat has introduced a product delivery drum with a removable liner for optimization of the recycling processes. Drum cleaning and recycling can be costly due to product residues that remain at the end of use. Currently, when drums are removed and sent for recycling, each kilo of residual product beyond a Removable liner for efficient recycling

tolerance of 0.5% is invoiced and can generate significant additional operating costs. To minimize recycling costs, tunnel workers have had to clean the drums, which is time consuming and can be difficult because of the adhesive properties of the products.

To meet this constraint, Condat introduced its Clean Pack removable drum liner to hold products including its GR130 greases, WR89NG sealants and HBW NG main-bearing sealing paste. With a good fit in and around the drum, the liner does not slip during pumping. Removing the liner makes it possible to check the weight of the residues to better regulate the pumping and optimize consumption of the products.

From 2018 all Condat products will be delivered worldwide in barrels equipped with the removable liner. n

o help prevent accidents in the underground construction industry, two Minnesota-based companies in the USA, Corvex and Ergodyne, have partnered to design a handheld Core Safety Device.

The unit is connected to the internet, shares real time data across the industry and can be carried by all workers so that they can obtain information to ensure greater safety in the workplace and input potential hazards and safety concerns to head office so that situations can be avoided. To complement the device, a range of safety workwear has been developed that includes full body protection and high visibility and thermal wear.

“Safety happens in real time. Advancements in sensor and online technologies obtain real-time data at the point of safety - the worker,” said Ted Smith, CEO of safety platform developer Corvex.

“Our goal has always been to focus on designing gear that not only protects, but performs well, looks good and feels comfortable,” said Tom Votel, President and CEO of safety gear manufacturer Ergodyne. “We see it as the next logical step towards zero workplace injuries.” n

Handheld Core Safety Device for real time reporting of potential hazards

References •

36

TunnelTalk ANNUAL REVIEW 2017

Condat improves TBM fire safety – TunnelTalk, June 2014

www.TunnelTalk.com

ITA 2017 Award winners 2017 Brunel Awards of the International Tunnelling and Underground Space Association (ITA) were presented to the winners of the nine categories at a gala function in Paris in November 2017. The shortlist of 30 finalists presented details of their entries during a day-long conference, showcasing projects of outstanding innovation, inspiration and complexity.

Technical Innovation Product Winner: Strength monitoring of shotcrete using thermal imaging (UK)

An easy-to-use system to monitor continuously in real time the whole shotcrete lining from a secure position, bringing benefits of safety, quality control and productivity.

Shortlisted: • Automatic drilling jumbo (Finland) • RowaTrain self-driving trackless supply logistic system (Austria)

Safety Initiative

Winner: Telemach cutterhead-disc robotic changing system (France)

A semi-automatic multi-purpose robotic arm for safely replacing disc cutters. Redesign of each cutter and its housing as a single unit replaced the current 11 separate pieces that need to be removed and refitted as part of each cutter change.

Shortlisted: • BSCU SCL radial joint design (UK) • MineARC GuardIAN remote monitoring for refuge chambers (Australia)

Project of the Year: between €50 million and €500 million Winner: MTR Shatin to Central Link - Hin Keng to Diamond Hill Tunnel (Hong Kong) High-risk excavation of a 4km railway tunnel beneath urban areas through complex and difficult ground conditions using drill+blast at only 6m above a live water supply tunnel; a TBM crossing twice at 6m below an operating railway line; and complex cut-and-cover work.

Redesign of the ventilation shaft improved programme surety; safety awards were earned for recording no major accidents; and an overall saving of 28,000m3 of excavation and reduction of 3,039 tonne of CO2 was achieved.

Shortlisted: • Stockholm Citybanan (Sweden) • Blue Plains CSO tunnel (USA) • Tùnel Emisor Poniente sewer tunnel (Mexico)

Major Project of the Year: more than €500 million Winner: Doha Metro (Qatar) The project breaks all records for metro construction in a single project and under a budget of US$36 billion. Planned to be in operation by 2020, a total 111.5km of running tunnels required 21 TBMs operating simultaneously to complete all running tunnels within 26 months.

Shortlisted: • Ottawa LRT, Confederation Line (Canada) • Delhi Metro Phase 3 expansion (India) • Tehran Metro Line 6 (Iran)

Sustainability Initiative Winner: Anacostia River CSO tunnel (USA) A major component of the DC Water CSO remediation program to reduce sewer overflows into the Anacostia River by 98%.

Shortlisted: ITO Metro Station (India)

www.TunnelTalk.com

Nominations for online entries for 2018 are available on the ITA Awards website. The conference for finalist presentations and announcement of the winners will be held in Chuzhou, China on 7 November 2018.

Lifetime Achievement Award

Einar Broch of Norway for his contribution to the field of hydroelectric project development

Broch has been involved in many of the major hydro schemes built in Norway and around the world which have involved the excavation of long water course tunnels and deep shafts, magnificent rock caverns for machine halls, and the construction of iconic dams. Broch was past President of the ITA from 1986 to 1989 and recalled his association with the ITA as among the most rewarding of his career.

Young Tunneller of the Year

Winner: Tobias Andersson (Norway)

Technical Innovation Project Winner: Enlargement of a TBM tunnel to create an expressway junction beneath a residential area (Japan)

Shortlisted: • Juan David Herrera (Colombia) • Roberto Schuerch (Switzerland) • Michele Janutolo Barlet (France) • Anthony Bauer (USA)

Innovative Underground Space Winner: Cavern masterplan to unlock hidden resources for sustainable city development (Hong Kong)

Project of the Year: up to €50 million Winner: Fjaerland hydro plants (Norway) The €23 million project was completed under severe winter conditions and benefited from positive cooperation between client, designer and contractor to reduce the original construction period by a full two years.

Shortlisted: • Kennedy Tunnel (Chile) • City of London deep cable tunnel (UK)

ITA Awards 2018

New technologies introduced to construct the large 21.8m o.d. bifurcation section by widening the initial segmentally lined tunnel using a system of pregrouting and prototype excavators to complete the project safely.

Shortlisted: • Implementing BIM concepts for the Karavanke Tunnel (Slovenia) • Trenchless construction of pedestrian underpasses using a rectangular box-jack TBM (Singapore)

Rock caverns will be created to unleash the potential of hidden land resources for a wide range of uses.

Shortlisted: • Bostanci transit hub (Turkey) • Underground cemetery (Israel)

TunnelTalk ANNUAL REVIEW 2017

Atlas Copco restructure and acquisition of Erkat p53

ITA invites nominations for 2017 Awards of excellence p37

US State of the Union infrastructure investment planned p12

Parsons Brinckerhoff name to disappear p47

Cautious progress has end in sight for TBM Bertha in Seattle p15 and p95

German equipment sales figures released p14

Lovsuns Toronto reorganised p48

CBE 30 year anniversary p67

Delaware Aqueduct bypass TBM factory acceptance p89

Bolaños high speed rail breakthrough p75

Bangkok TBM extreme curve articulation p107

JANUARY

Los Angeles Metro Purple Line Section 2 award p92

Perth airport link ordered two VDMs for running tunnels p98

FEBRUARY

Naples-Bari high speed rail award confirmed p75

Laos TBM headrace completed early p103

MARCH

Agua Negra Andes road crossing funded p90

Mumbai Metro Line 3 TBMs ordered p101

GKI hydro scheme rebid after termination p78

Thames Tideway construction preparations p73

Delhi Metro Phase III TBM drives complete p100

Thames Silvertown highway crossing shortlist p74

Morecambe Bay cable crossing design p73

Istanbul Metro additional TBMs p85

Fehmarn consultancy agreements signed p81

George A. Fox Conference, New York

Arabian Tunnelling Congress, Dubai

Microtunnelling Short Course, Colorado

TunnelTalk Annual Review 2017

TIMELINE OF THE YEAR A month-by-month snapshot of major tunnelling and underground construction industry events during 2017 Launches and breakthroughs, contract awards and planned projects, key industry news and developments, mergers and acquisitions, honours and awards, conferences and events, and much more...

T: +43 (0)7232 34 5520 E: office@alba.at www.alba.at

SNC Lavalin took over Atkins p47 Normet partnerships for French speaking African and Chinese markets p49

Parsons Brinckerhoff rebranded as WSP p47 BTS Dinner, London p46

Normet major order for India p49 VMT won guidance contracts for West Connex, Sydney p52 Dr Sauer 30 years in USA p45

Brenner Baseline advanced and next main contract package awarded p79

TBM BERTHA ARRIVED! Breakthrough of the mega TBM in Seattle and subsequent break-up p15 and p95

APRIL

BART to San Jose single bore option proposed p93

Tokyo mega TBMs launched for ring road highway drives p16

MAY

Kuala Lumpur Metro Line 2 prepared for VDM tunnelling p106

JUNE

Stuttgart-Ulm Albvorland tunnel TBM factory acceptance p77

Gothenburg immersed tube element sinking started p82

Akron interceptor TBM factory acceptance p96

Pakistan Dasu hydro contract signed p105

Beirut water supply tunnel gripper TBM breakthrough p33

Sydney Metro extension awarded p98

Galeries des Janots TBM launched p76

Georgia hydro plant commissioned p78

Vadlaheidi road tunnel excavation finally finished p75

SEACETUS, Kuala Lumpur

l Erection plant l Machine requirements l Microtunnelling l Drill&Blast tunnelling l Air pressure supply l Concrete formwork engineering l Special civil engineering l Shot concrete engineering l TBM tunnelling l Freezing engineering l Wearing protection TEE l Pipe-Systems GUARAN ALITY OF QU l Draining

l Installation de chantier l NATM creusement l Béton Projeté/Gunite l TBM-creusement l Le microtunnelier l Alimentation d’air comprimé l Travaux publics spécialisés l La technologie à tube l Coffrage l Système de tuyauterie l forage & dynamiter l La technologie à givrer

A.S.T. Bochum GmbH fon: 00 49 (0) 2 34/5 99 63 10 • www.astbochum.de

Swiss Tunnel Congress 2017, Lucerne

www.bm-underground.com

contact@bm-underground.com

World Tunnel Congress, Bergen RETC, San Diego

Komatsu acquired Joy Global p53

Jacobs acquired CH2M p47

Prime Minister of Malayasia opened underground section of Kuala Lumpur Metro Line 1 p106

Sandvik divested Mining Systems p53 ITA 2017 Awards shortlist announced p37

Marcus Karakashian awarded high honour p45 Segment moulds and muck conveyors for Grand Paris Express Line 15 South p68 New laboratory for testing macrosynthetic fibres p62

Mexico City sewer TBM breakthrough p87

Rasttat ground freezing TBM rail drive collapsed p19

DC Water NEBT Clean Rivers contract awarded p91

Ulriken rail TBM breakthrough p83

UK HS2 civil contracts awarded p70 Paris Metro all Line 15 South contracts assigned p67

JULY

Emscher sewer double TBM finale p75

Thimble Shoals EPBM ordered p94

AUGUST Melbourne Metro PPP confirmed p97

Belchen upgrade TBM breakthrough p80

Korea Dongsea highway link opened p104

BTS Tunnelling Design and Construction Short Course, UK

Shenzhen Highway mega slurry TBMs into manufacture p16

UK HS2 station construction bids invited p70

Gothenburg rail link contracts progressed p82

SEPTEMBER

Nepal first ever TBM delivered p103

California WaterFix prepared for construction p88

Hong Kong mega TBM breakthrough p15

Singapore DTSS 2 contracts awarded p105

Mumbai Metro first TBMs delivered p101

UK Stonehenge road bypass approved p72

Lucknow Metro breakthrough milestones p102

Oslo Fornebu Metro line designer appointed p76

Mixing and Injection Technology

www.haeny.com

Golder acquired Alan Auld Ltd p47

Robert Mair began as ICE President p22

Elon Musk visions discussed p9

Apprenticeship schemes celebrated p26

Canada rewarded achievements p46

ES Rubber acquired Profily p62

James Clark Medal winners lunch p47

China CCCC acquired Aecon Canada p47

Atlas Copco acquired Cate Drilling, USA, and Rockdrill Services, Australia p53 Norway approved Minova sprayed waterproofing p60

ITA Brunel Awards presented, Paris p37

Lucknow Metro double TBM breakthrough p102

Fehmarn delayed over environmental concerns p81

Rogfast subsea highway tenders advanced p83

Ryfast first undersea drive breakthrough p83

Toronto rail underpass preferred bidder selected p92

Caltanissetta mega TBM final breakthrough p15

OCTOBER

NOVEMBER

Melbourne West Gate concession granted p97 St Petersburg Neva crossing planned p74

DECEMBER

California WaterFix funding approved p88

Hatta Hydro project, UAE, prequalifications called p33

Mae Tang-Mae Ngad two rock TBMs delivered p104

Shieldhall sewer completed in Scotland p72

Chennai Metro third bore completed p102

Gothenberg rail link retendered and awarded p82

VIP patent for cast-in segment gaskets p59

Thames Silvertown project delayed p74

Blacksnake Creek project TBM ordered p90

Salzburg GeoColloquim

AFTES Congress, Paris

STUVA Expo, Stuttgart

Australasian Tunnel Conference, Sydney

TunnelTurkey Expo, Istanbul

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unnel design and construction management specialist Dr Sauer & Partners marked 30 years of operating success in the USA and North America in 2017. Company founder Gerhard Sauer spearheaded this first contribution to the North American tunnelling market working on the Wheaton Station and tunnels for the Washington DC Metro in the 1980s with Austrian contractor Ilbau, which is now the international tunnelling contractor Strabag.

After winning the Wheaton Station and tunnels contract, Ilbau with Dr Sauer as its designer, recommended changes to the existing conventional design and introduced NATM for design and construction of the metro station tunnels, running tunnels and ancillary structures achieving significant cost savings as a result through more efficient tunnel excavation sequencing, thinner primary and final linings and sheet membrane waterproofing. This was the first ever NATM project in the USA, and also the first use of sheet membrane waterproofing to create fully tanked and completely dry underground public space.

Speaking of the ground-breaking project in its approach, Dr Sauer said: “NATM remains a cost-effective construction method today as it was then. In my view there are no limitations, and with today’s toolbox of ground-treatment methods, the scale and complexity of what can be excavated has been proven across many of the most challenging tunnelling projects around the world.”

Since its first US project, the company has worked on more than 250 projects across Europe, Asia and North and South America from its company offices in Austria, the UK and the USA.

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Dr Sauer & Partners News Release Skalla. “This is an important role as national departments and public municipalities recognise the value that the specialist designers can bring.” n

References

• • •

Ottawa awards $2.1 billion Confederation Line – TunnelTalk, December 2012 Optimised design wins Bank Station upgrade – TunnelTalk, July 2013 Salzburg marks 50 years of NATM – TunnelTalk, October 2012

Partners (left to right) Jürgen Laubbichler, Christian Karner, Thomas Schwind, Gerald Skalla, Gerhard Sauer

Chinatown Station, San Francisco

High honour for Metro Director in Malaysia

s an engineer and manager of projects in the international tunnelling industry, Marcus Karakashian received high honour in Malaysia for delivery management of the first line of the Klang Valley MRT Metro in Kuala Lumpur. In a regal ceremony at the royal palace in September 2017, Karakashian was presented with his honour by the King (Agong) of Malaysia himself. The honour is the Malaysian Panglima Jasa Negara (PJN) federal title, similar to a Knighthood in the UK, and bestows with it the title Datuk. The honour is rarely bestowed on non Malaysian citizens.

Karakashian was Project Director of MRT since the Mass Rapid Transit Corporation was established in 2011 to deliver the first 51km long Sungai to BulohKajang Metro Line. The line includes a central 9.5km long underground alignment of twin tube running tunnels and seven underground stations. Before his retirement at the end of September 2017, Karakashian started MRT delivery and construction of the second 52.2km Sungai Buloh to Putrajaya Line of which 13.5km, with 11 stations, is underground.

Karakashian is known widely in the international tunnelling industry having started his career in underground

www.TunnelTalk.com

The firm was reorganised as Dr Sauer & Partners in 2011 with four senior partners, Gerald Skalla, Jürgen Laubbichler, Thomas Schwind and Christian Karner, joining Dr Sauer to form the executive leadership for the company.

The company works closely with clients and contractors to provide the full range of design and construction management services for NATM/SEM/SCL tunnels, shafts and caverns. These services include initial consultation and feasibility studies, final design, supervision and construction management, rehabilitation, waterproofing, geotechnical engineering, and mining support services.

In early 2018, management changes at the firm Dr Sauer & Partners saw Brian Lyons take over as Managing Director of its UK headquarters in London and Gerald Skalla move to Toronto to build a new company office to focus on the Canadian market.

After 10 years leading the UK operations, Partner and shareholder of the company, Skalla will establish a fully staffed and operational office in Toronto and will continue to assist as Strategic Director in the UK to ensure a smooth transition to Lyons.

Lyons has worked at Dr Sauer & Partners in the UK for seven years and has headed major design contracts. These have included the upgrade projects for the London Underground Bond Street, Farringdon and Bank Stations, Lyons has experience of creating and managing specialist design teams and enabling collaboration and integration of teams in large multidisciplinary and complex infrastructure projects.

“Dr Sauer & Partners strives to put the value back in to value engineering;” said

engineering in his home country the UK. Highlights of his career include his time on the London Underground Jubilee Line Extenstion as Construction Manager of the C104 London Bridge contract from 1992 to 1996. Following this he moved to Singapore where he worked for LTA, first as Senior Project Manager of the North East Line MRT Project from 1996 to 2002, then as Project Director to 2006 of the KallangPayar Lebar Expressway, much of which is underground in cut-and-cover construction.

This was followed in Singapore for LTA as Project Director of the Downtown Line 1 MRT Project to 2011 when he made his

TunnelTalk reporting

IN DUSTRY NEWS AND DEVELOPM ENTS

T

Celebrating 30 years of efficient design in USA

career move to take up the role as Project Director of the MRT Corporation for the first Metro Line project in Kuala Lumpur.

With this high honour, Datuk Karakashian raises the profile of underground engineering achievements. n

References • • •

Final breakthrough ends KVMRT TBM tunnelling – TunnelTalk, April 2015 Kuala Lumpur Line 1 starts full operation – TunnelTalk, July 2017 KVMRT to repeat Line 1 success for Line 2 – TunnelTalk, April 2016

Karakashian receives honour from King of Malaysia (left) and conducts a Government official tour of completed KVMRT Line 1 (right)

TunnelTalk ANNUAL REVIEW 2017

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Brexit a topic of discussion at annual BTS Dinner Shani Wallis, TunnelTalk

IN DUSTRY NEWS AND DEVELOPM ENTS

S

pirits were high, the mood was buoyant and the din hit a crescendo as more than 800 guests gathered for the annual British Tunnelling Society Dinner in London.

The increasing number of ladies among the diners indicated a growing attraction for women to the engineering and construction industry.

During his address, BTS Chair Mark Leggett welcomed special guests from the Tunnelling Association of Nigeria. The BTS supported the Nigerian engineers to establish a body of expertise in the African nation to progress the many underground infrastructure projects needed by the country. BTS is a founding Member Nation society of the ITA (International Tunnelling and Underground Space Association), and Nigeria was welcomed by the Association as the 74th Member Nation at its General Assembly in 2017 and its fifth Member Nation in Africa.

A remarkable aspect of the BTS gala Dinner was the percentage of international professionals in the crowd based and working in the UK and especially from Europe. Engineers from Spain, Germany, Austria, Italy, Greece among others, must have accounted for more than 25-30% of

From left: BTS Chair Mark Leggett (standing right) hosted the top table; Special welcome to founding members of the Tunnelling Association of Nigeria

Another contracting engineer from Germany, when asked about more complicated entry of professionals once Brexit cancels freedom of movement for EU nationals into Britain, said: “We have to deal with that all the time. We are working on the Doha Metro at the moment and have had to obtain work permits for all our expatriate staff and workers. It is a standard practice for all our international projects and will be for working in the UK when that time comes.”

A materials supplier representative from Italy also spoke positively about the UK after Brexit. “The thing about the UK is that it works. You who are here cannot see this, but for us engineers who come to Britain for professional reasons understand how the UK works, where the same does not happen in other countries of Europe.”

In particular, the comment was that “the UK industry is more progressive, more receptive to new innovations, more integrated across the industry from clients, to contractors, to designers, to suppliers, more able and capable of being receptive to international professionals. This is not so in France, Italy, Spain or even Germany. It just isn’t as progressive and open. If you speak sensible and logical engineering - even if your English is not very good - the British engineers will listen and provide the opportunity to prove the point for accepting the technology and advance into practice. More than any other country, maybe in the world, this is the case in the UK. That is why, in my opinion, the UK will be fine even outside the EU.” Interesting thoughts and a topic for further reporting as the Brexit process continues. n

References •

UK votes to leave EU and face consequences – TunnelTalk, June 2016

Canada recognises national achievements TunnelTalk reporting

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averns of awesome scale for construction of the central underground section of the Confederation Line of the Ottawa LRT network won for the project top honours for the 2017 Annual Awards by the Tunnelling Association of Canada (TAC). It was the proposed SEM mined excavation of the 2.5km twin track running tunnel route and its three underground stations as an alternative to the original open cut design that secured the construction contract project for the Rideau Transit Group (RTG).

The Can$1.2 billion fixed-price designbuild-finance-and-maintain contract was awarded in December 2012 to RTG, the group led by ACS Infrastructure of Spain, with Dragados and SNC-Lavalin as the main construction partners, and a team

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the 800-strong gathering. The May 2017 dinner was the first since the UK vote in June 2016 to leave the European Union and Brexit was a point of networking conversation.

Perhaps surprisingly, and despite the evident reliance on international and European professionals and suppliers in the UK industry, several leading UK engineers admitted they had indeed voted in the referendum to leave the EU. Perhaps more surprisingly, there seems to be a feeling on both sides of the to-leave or not-to-leave debate, that there will be little impact in the tunnelling industry.

The industry will operate as per normal they say. “We will still be able to engage and allow immigration of professionals from Europe as we will have to meet the needs in capacity and expertise and provide for construction and supply competition” said one Brexiter.

Another professional from Germany and working in the UK at the time on bids for the HS2 rail project contracts, said that, “For the moment, it is business as usual. I cannot see a situation any time soon when the internationals working in the UK will be restricted entry. That may change as the process continues, but for the moment we are very busy – too busy to be worrying about what might happen in two years time.”

TunnelTalk ANNUAL REVIEW 2017

of consulting and design engineers that includes Hatch, Dr Sauer & Partners, and system operator Veolia Transportation.

All excavation of the 2.5km route and the three central LRT stations was completed in February 2017 after advancing from just three access points – the two transition portal ramps and an intermediate ventilation shaft. The project is a model of how the mined underground option is possible and by far more beneficial and respectful of the city centres under which metros and LRT systems must run.

The 2017 Canadian Innovation Project of the Year was presented to the Upper Lillooet Run of River Hydroelectric Project in British Columbia. Excavation of the 2.5km intake tunnel passed through complex volcanic ground conditions and required particular excavation

techniques including application of polyfibre reinforced shotcrete as a final lining in the waterway where required. The Award was presented to Golder Associates and CRT-ebc who completed the challenging excavation project for the Boulder Creek Power Limited Partnership.

For the Canadian Lifetime Achievement Award, TAC honoured Boro Lukajic who has worked on many landmark tunnelling projects in Canada, the USA and Latin America during a career of more than 45 years. He was President of TAC from 1994-1998 and continues to contribute to the activities of the Association.

Rounding off the Awards for 2017, the Photo of the Year competition was won by Giuseppe Gaspari of Geodata Italy for his outstanding 3D shot of the underground excavation works for the Ottawa LRT Confederation Line. n

www.TunnelTalk.com

CCCI of China acquires Aecon of Canada

Jacobs and CH2M join forces:

In a transaction announced in August 2017, Jacobs Engineering acquired CH2M for a US$3.27 billion cash and stock agreement that includes about $416 million of CH2M net debt. The transaction equity value of $2.85 billion will be paid 60% in cash and 40% in Jacobs common stock. With the merger, revenue in building and infrastructure for Jacobs is expected to rise from $2.3 billion to $4.8 billion. Total Jacobs revenue is calculated to rise from $10.7 billion to $15.1 billion. The CH2M team of 20,000 employees will join the 54,000 employees of Jacobs, to create one of the world’s largest engineering firms. Jacobs formed a management office and hired an independent consulting firm to oversee the integration. n

TunnelTalk reporting

SNC-Lavalin acquires Atkins: In July 2017, Canadian engineering and construction firm SNC-Lavalin concluded purchase of UK design, engineering and project management firm WS Atkins in a cash deal worth Can$3.5 billion (£2.08 billion). SNC-Lavalin financed the acquisition via a Can$1.9 billion facility from Canadian pension fund provider and institutional investor Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (CDPQ). This is in the form of $400 million in equity and a $1.5-billion loan secured against the SNC-Lavalin interest in the 108km-long Ontario Highway 407 toll road. Its 17% interest in the highway is said to be worth up to Can$5 billion. The balance is raised using a mix of additional debt, equity and other financing. n

Rebranding of WSP | Parsons Brinckerhoff: Effective from May 2017, and as the final stage of the takeover process that began in 2014, WSP | Parsons Brinckerhoff was officially rebranded as WSP worldwide and as WSP USA in the United States.

“Through a 132-year history as Parsons Brinckerhoff, we have shaped the transportation infrastructure and skylines of American cities with some of the nation’s tallest buildings and with public transit systems in New York, Atlanta, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Seattle,” said Gregory A Kelly, President and Chief Executive Officer of WSP USA. “Now, we are moving forward as WSP USA, and although our name has changed, our commitment to technical excellence and client service will never change.” Also in early 2017, WSP finalised its acquisition of Mouchel Consulting from the Kier Group of the UK. The purchase price of approximately £75 million was financed using funds drawn under the Corporation’s current credit facilities. With about 2,000 employees, Mouchel operates in the UK and in the Middle East and has an expertise in the public transportation sectors and particularly in intelligent transportation systems. n

UK honours careers of expertise It was remarked during the occasion of the annual tribute luncheon held at the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) in London in October 2017 that the gathered recipients of the British Tunnelling Society James Clark Medal Award represented a collective professional experience of more than 800 years! An extraordinary claim - but true. The 18 recipients of the accolade at the tribute lunch, between them gathered careers of 45 years and more as professionals in the tunnelling industry as consultants, contractors, and professionals in the insurance, risk management, health and safety and research sectors of the business.

While some recipients are now retired, others remain actively involved in projects and industry assignments both in the UK and around the world as advisers, experienced experts and industry professionals.

James Clark Medal recipients present at the 2017 lunch: (from left: back row) Josie Gallagher (2017); Alastair Biggart OBE (1991); Alan Runacres (2016); Roger Remmington (1993); Alan Dyke (2006); Donald Lamont (2009); (from left centre row) Terry Mellors (2011); Peter Jacques (2014); Hugh Doherty (1996); Andy Sindall (2013); Colin Mackenzie (1999); David Court (2012); (from left front row) Maurice Gooderham (2005); Myles O’Reilly (1998); Rodney Craig (2004 and wearing the Medal); Denis Lawrenson (2000); Oliver Bevan (1992); Martin Knights (2010)

CCCC Tianhe brand TBMs on display

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hina made another strategic move in the international construction market in 2017 with take over of the Aecon infrastructure group of Canada by CCCI, the international division of China Communications Construction Company.

Aecon is the second major international civil construction company acquired by CCCI after securing ownership of John Holland from Leighton Group in Australia in 2015.

Aecon made it known in August 2017 it was up for sale. The agreed deal, which the Aecon Board accepted unanimously valued the Toronto-based company at Can$1.51 billion (US$1.2 billion).

John M Beck, founder, President and CEO of Aecon, said the deal will provide “enhanced capabilities and financial resources” to strengthen the company’s position in Canada and abroad. CCCI President Lu Jianzhong, and Chairman of John Holland said, “Aecon is a pioneer in public private partnerships (PPP) and concession operations. Through CCCI, it will now gain access to significant capital, complementary infrastructure expertise and an international network to support its growth ambitions.”

Both companies are engaged in heavy civil engineering and both have tunnelling and underground excavation contracts in their portfolios. Aecon is currently working on sections of the Toronto Subway and on hydroelectric schemes in Canada.

Beijing-based CCCC, parent company of wholly owned subsidiary CCCI, is one of the largest engineering and construction companies in the world with revenues estimated at $62 billion and a stated 118,000 employees (including 48,000 foreign employees) in more than 140 countries.

Among its major current infrastructure projects in China is the bridge-immersed tube Hong-Kong-Zhuhai-Macao sea crossing. The company is also active in TBM tunneling across China and has its own TBM manufacturing facility trading under the TBM brand name Tianhe. n

IN DUSTRY NEWS AND DEVELOPM ENTS

Golder Associates buys UK Auld Group: In 2017, Canadian consulting engineering firm Golder Associates purchased the assets and ongoing operations of the UK based Alan Auld Group. With headquarters in Doncaster and offices also in Canada and the USA, the Auld Group has a particular expertise in the design and construction of complex shafts. The acquisition by employee-owned Golder Associates will add to its business operations managed from 165 offices in more than 40 countries. The Auld Group was founded 20 years ago by Alan Auld. The company has grown to a complement of more than 75 professional engineering staff. n

References • •

www.TunnelTalk.com

Bauma CHINA 2016 report: The rise of Chinese manufacturers – TunnelTalk, December 2016 Leighton sells John Holland division to Chinese – TunnelTalk, April 2015

TunnelTalk ANNUAL REVIEW 2017

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Canadian base for Chinese TBM expansion Roland Herr, Technical Journalist, TunnelTalk

T

he TBM manufacturing world is changing. Some years ago, knowhow came from Europe, North America, and Japan and was exported all over the world. With the huge demand for infrastructure, China has become more important to the TBM global market. Western producers have been manufacturing TBMs in China for many years. Nowadays, Chinese companies are buying western companies in the tunnelling industry or hold large shares in their business. Hongyu Xue, Managing Director of Lovsuns Tunnelling Canada discusses the Chinese take over of the Lovat brand and his vision of the changing international TBM marketplace.

IN DUSTRY NEWS AND DEVELOPM ENTS

Hongyu, give us an overview of the transition from Lovat to Lovsuns “At the end of 2014, our parent company Liaoning Censcience Industry Co (LNSS) purchased all assets of the Lovat brand from Caterpillar. LNSS then set up Lovsuns Tunnelling Canada as a 100% owned overseas subsidiary operating all the acquired assets. These include the land, the factory, the equipment, and the entire intellectual properties of former Lovat/ Caterpillar Tunneling.”

Why did LNSS buy the company?

“First of all to satisfy the ever increasing local demand for high quality TBM solutions and then to leverage the acquired technology, management skills, sales experience expertise to supply international markets with highly competitive China-built, Lovatquality TBMs and services. Many ex-Lovat experienced engineers and technicians joined Lovsuns.

“China is the single largest TBM market.

Other Chinese TBM manufacturers are all state owned enterprises. LNSS/Lovsuns is the only private business and has become a formidable player in the competitive Chinese and international markets.”

How do you measure the tunnelling market and what is the strategy to win a piece of the TBM sales market?

“Apparently the main markets are in developing countries where local governments are launching ambitious plans to build more and more infrastructure.

China and India are at the top of the list

size-wise and we are also following closely potential projects in South East Asia, Australia, Europe and the Americas.

“I believe the key word is synergy.

Even before this acquisition, LNSS had a massive factory in China producing TBMs. Now, after the acquisition, we, as the LNSS Group, have all the Lovat technology and importantly, the experienced Lovat engineers, technicians and operators.

This kind of synergy between China and Canada, I believe, is going to create value as global customers search for more costeffective world-class quality TBMs.”

Why is acquisition of interest for China?

“I believe there is a clear explanation for this.

The fundamental reason is the continuous economic growth of China. I think China has reached a stage where it needs advanced technology to feed the fast increasing local demand. With the business expansion in China and the growing domestic capabilities, I believe, naturally, and just like any western companies, when they reach a certain stage of domestic development they would expand to other overseas markets. It just becomes natural for Chinese companies to look at other well-performing, well-established companies to acquire the best technology to offer in both the domestic and international markets.”

How will Chinese TBM manufacturers compete with other brands?

“Competition is always there, regardless of the nationality of these companies. It is a small world in terms of the tunnelling industry and because we have quite a number of TBM manufacturers I think we need to take a more global perspective in discussing these questions. All manufacturers now build TBMs in China, and the Chinese are becoming more international. Lovsuns, for example, is a Chinese owned company, but we have a very specialised and experienced international team. The key point is that, regardless of the nationality or ownership, it is more about how we can best serve the global clients at their own locations in the most efficient way.”

many years before Chinese companies started to build them in about 2008-2009, not such a long time ago. Therefore, to answer the question, yes there was a lack of technology at the beginning. But technology will always go to the hottest market with the maximum economic benefit. That is why leading foreign brands came to China and have benefited from its big wave of infrastructure expansion.

Though foreign TBM companies are still active in China, Chinese TBM manufacturers, like LNSS, are increasingly taking the leading role. When China has the technology and can produce good quality TBM products, this will benefit global customers at the end of the day.”

You closed the manufacturing facility in Toronto. Why was that?

“When LNSS purchased the assets of Caterpillar, including the Toronto factory, which was the only fabrication facility for Lovat for more than 40 years, we already had a very big factory in China. From day one, our China factory was the main TBM facility for LNSS and Lovsuns. Now, here at Toronto, we are mainly focussed on TBM design and engineering, procurement of key components, and international sales, services and product support. It would be a misconception to say that we have closed our Toronto factory completely. We plan to further strengthen Toronto base to support North American and European clients with Lovat legacy machines, offering parts supply, technical field support as well as refurbishment works.”

How would you rate Lovsuns’ position in the tunnelling market?

“It is interesting to see how major TBM brands are either owned or controlled today by Chinese companies. As Lovsuns, we are totally confident that we are, and will continue to be, one of the most competitive TBM suppliers. We have the technology, experience and expertise, plus remarkable manufacturing capacity and know-how. Having acquired technology is one thing, and of no less importance, is the accumulated team experience and overall service capabilities”. n

References

Is there a lack of technology in China?

•

“The TBM was not invented in China and this technology was used in China

•

Caterpillar sells all Lovat TBM assets to China – TunnelTalk, February 2014 The rise of Chinese manufacturers – TunnelTalk, December 2016

From left: Hongyu Xue speaks of global TBM market from the Lovsuns Toronto base; the LNSS TBM factory in China; A new Lovsuns TBM ready for dispatch to Turkey for the Istanbul Metro

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TunnelTalk ANNUAL REVIEW 2017

www.TunnelTalk.com

Improved operations and developments at Normet

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o improve the mechanisation and automation of sprayed concrete operations, Normet introduced a new Spraymec Norrunner 140 DC with a long spray boom reach, an average spraying capacity of up to 26m3/hr, an on-board compressor with a capacity of 12m³/ min and a constant 7 bar pressure for efficient spraying operations. It is designed for use in tunnels of up to 19.5m high x 28m wide.

A new optional smart boom has a coordinated motion control linked to concrete pump output to produce less rebound and accurately spray linings of less than 80mm thick. The spraying operation can be powered either by diesel or electric power and all operational access points are reachable from ground level to make routine service easy.

Normet also introduced improvements to its Himec man lift and Charmec explosives charger ranges. Both now have rigid frame carriers which provide better driving stability compared to the articulated carrier used on earlier models, and the carriers have four wheel and crab drive for better manoeuvrability. The engine in the new carrier is placed on the side for easy access. An optional feature allows the operator to safely and easily move each unit from the work platform. All Himec lifting equipment can be fitted with Charmec

explosive charging emulsion explosive charging units.

In 2017, Normet won orders worth €15million from Hindustan Zinc in India for a fleet of new machines to increase production, productivity and safety in its mines. The orders include equipment for explosive charging, concrete transport and spraying, personnel transport, lifting and installation, scaling and underground logistics. Normet service teams will support and maintain the new equipment under a separate long term fleet maintenance agreement.

In China, Normet formed a joint venture with JCHX Mining Management for manufacture and sales of machines for the Chinese market. The joint venture company, located in Daye, Hubei Province, will provide state of the art equipment to improve productivity, safety and efficiency for Chinese customers.

In Africa, Normet established a business partnership with Aramine for the distribution of equipment and after-sales support in the French speaking countries of Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria, Niger, Burkina Faso, Sierra Leone, Chad, Senegal

Normet News Release and Ivory Coast. The two companies have collaborated before with Aramine previously representing the brand and helping establish the Normet presence in the territory. Renewed activity in the region supported a closer alliance. n

References • •

Supporting the growth of sprayed concrete solutions – TunnelTalk, April 2016 Normet acquires Meyco dry spray concrete line – TunnelTalk, January 2016

Modified Himec RMT 125 and Spraymec Norrunner 140 DC were unveiled at the WTC World Tunnel Congress in Bergen, in June 2017

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Intelligent solutions for rock excavation operations Roger Murrow reports for TunnelTalk

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ignificant developments in the field of rock excavation were introduced during 2017 to increase productivity, improve performance and raise the standards of occupational health and safety.

These include a number of IT and cloud based systems for drill+blast operations that connect drill plans with the geology and the layout of the site in real time, and undertake remote monitoring to ensure that blasting is targeted, measured scientifically and ultimately becomes more effective.

R O C K E X C AVAT I O N F O C U S

Remote blast monitoring

Leading service supplier EPC of France developed EPC Metrics, which provides a dedicated remote monitoring of blast vibration and air over-pressure measurement. Developed in partnership with Datum Monitoring Services, the system facilitates immediate access of event data via fixed monitoring stations and removes the need to travel to and from a monitoring location to undertake time consuming manual download of results in the field.

Suitable for both short and long term projects, remote monitoring stations can be installed at both internal and external locations around a site, each with its own dashboard to customise and set trigger levels remotely. Once triggered, these stations transmit data automatically to a cloud-based server with results being immediately sent to a web portal providing users with instant access to event information.

Working alongside, or independently, of its Metrics system, is the EPC Premium application which provides a collaborative approach to 3D mapping. Developed in partnership with RedBird (Airware), raw data is collected by high-resolution photography and presented as a fully interactive 3D rendition of a tunnel heading.

When complemented with data from other sources, generally from the chargingtransport level, the combined data provides for more accurate blast designs. Up to now, indicators of a blast performance were essentially according to the shape and spread of the muck pile. The EPC systems assess all major parameters of the drilling process, including number of holes drilled, volume of the blasted muck pile, length

of each pull, as well as hole-by-hole data of energy used, hole parameters, GPS coordinates, the name and quantity of the explosives used, the emulsion formula and the detonators applied.

Through accessing the available data, blasting personnel can review performance indicators and rate the blasting process according to environmental criteria, taking into account vibrations, CO2 emissions, dust emissions and any complaints from residents.

Other elements of excavation, including transport times, charging times, explosives energy optimization, energy consumption, cycle times, rock crushing and so forth can also be monitored and added to the collected data to not only improve drill+blast rounds, but also the efficiency and cost effectiveness of the entire tunnel excavation process.

Intelligent drill rigs

Through the use of intelligent technology, manufacturers of drilling jumbos now provide benefits that transcend the traditional customer-supplier dynamic.

The new DT912D, DT922i and DD422iE drilling jumbos from Sandvik are now purpose designed to accommodate automated drilling from the simplest of facilities to the most sophisticated and highly integrated of packages.

The entry-level silver package provides assistance with drilling angles and monitoring of hole depth. The standard gold package facilitates drilling according to predefined drill plans and includes features such as drilling to predefined depth, drill plan visualization, rig navigation and an option for automatic long-hole drilling. The enhanced platinum package adds the setting of automatic boom movements and drilling cycles for full automatic face drilling via integration of the Sandvik iDATA system.

The higher level packages are integrated also with the Sandvik iSURE® management tool for accurate drilling, charging and blasting plans. This can be complemented with a rig-integrated on-board rock mass analysis and visualization system. Known as geoSURE, the system delivers real time on board analysis of the rock mass, provides important information for the assessment of rock reinforcement or injection requirements,

helps assess charge and blast control and is a complementary tool for geological mapping providing real time on-board analysis of fracturing, rock strength and water detection.

Extended analysis provides evaluation of the rock strength class, rock quality class and rock quality number.

These features may then be further visualized using the iSURE® software for a 2D planar view of a heading or 3D interpolations can provide a more detailed 3D structural view of plane intersections, isosurfaces and curves.

When integrated with the iSCAN 3D scanning and navigation system on the new DD422iE jumbo, two on-board scanners use lasers to guide the drill to its exact position, saving valuable setup time on each drilling cycle.

Using smart iteration cycles, iSCAN effectively analyses the geomechanical plane of the rock to increase accuracy, reduce cycle times and ultimately enable more drilling at less cost. By integrating drill+blast cycle data with the entire tunnelling operation, contractors will be better able to plan their operations for greater coordination, flexibility and productivity.

By downloading the contours of the tunnel to the drill rig and importing a drill rule file via a USB or wi-fi connection, the Dynamic Tunnelling Package for face drilling rigs developed by Atlas Copco can create their own drill plans directly at the face.

“Traditionally drill plans were prepared manually, with the blast engineer going up and down to the face with the drill plans”, said Johan Jonsson of Atlas Copco. “With our Dynamic Tunnelling Package, the drill plan is generated on the drill rig and at the tunnel face.”

The Dynamic Tunneling Package of software comes in addition to Atlas Copco’s long time options including the ABC Regular, which consists of digital drill patterns to control over and under brake and achieve a more accurate profile, and the ABC total package which consist of fully automatic drilling and positioning of booms to achieve better precision and more accurate hole alignment.

Roadheader solutions

Roadheader technology is actually younger than may be realised with the first patent

From left: EPC remote monitoring station: EPC Premium 3D mapping; Sandvik iSURE® display in the operators’ cabin

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TunnelTalk ANNUAL REVIEW 2017

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VMT TUnIS roadheader guidance; Cutting for emergency exits

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applied for by Dr Z Ajtay in Hungary in 1949. Today, excavation of rock of less than 100 MPa with a roadheader can provide cost savings when compared to drill+blast or TBM applications. Increasingly roadheaders are providing a flexible, mobile, safe, and environmentally friendly option, with the ability to excavate various tunnel sizes and shapes.

Founded in 1985, Antraquip of the USA manufactures roadheaders that deliver powerful rock cutting capabilities and come in a variety of sizes, covering the weight class of between 13-85 tonne.

Being electro-hydraulically powered, the machines emit no fumes and offer interchangeable cutterheads.

The Antraquip range includes the 25 tonne AQM100 up to the 85 tonne AQM260 and the AQM 50, which weighs 13 tonne and is claimed to be the narrowest roadheader available.

All Antraquip roadheaders feature an integrated high pressure pick flushing system, which delivers improved levels of operational safety and pick life. The low rotation speed of the roadheader boom and the high installed power ensures minimum dust emissions, while low ground pressure crawler tracks and no movement of crawler chains during sumping lead to limited deterioration of the working invert.

Sandvik roadheaders provide economic excavation of rock with compressive strengths up to 130-140 MPa. Also powered electro-hydraulically, the roadheaders emit no fumes, and come equipped with profile control, an automatic sequence control system and online data processing possibilities.

The roadheader range is based on the MT-series that comprises four models from the 57 tonne MT360 to the 135 tonne MT720. They are all equipped with powerful, geometrically optimized transverse cutterheads, which are proven to provide efficient cutting performance in

a wide range of rock formations.

The new MT520 model, in the 100 tonne class, is based on easily interchangeable modules to adapt easily for a large range of applications. An 8m cutting reach module has a motor power of 315kW, and an integrated dust extraction system provides a healthy work environment.

Mitsui Miike in Japan launched its first roadheader at 15 tonne, back in 1968.

Since then, Mitsui Miike roadheaders have become more powerful and heavier. Its premier model, the SLB-350S, has a 350kW cutting boom motor and weighs 120 tonne, making it one of the largest available.

All models in the Mitsui range are suitable for diverse geological conditions and in rock strengths up to 100 MPa, with the MRH-S300 capable of excavating rock strengths of up to 130 MPa. Since its formation in 1989, the Chinese SANY Group has introduced a range of roadheaders aimed at the heavier end of the market. Its EBZ260H roadheader weighs in at 91 tonne and is equipped with a cutting boom power of some 260kW. It also possesses a three stage vibration dampening system, integrated dust extraction and wireless remote control operation.

The product line of roadheaders from the Xuzhou Construction Machinery Group (XMCG) in China range in weight from 23 tonne to the flag ship 120 tonne EBZ 320 which comes with an inline cone cutting head, a stronger drilling force and an optimized pick structure for low consumption rates. Other features include a three-layer water curtain partition spraying system and load sensitive control for energy efficiency.

Given the broad range of roadheaders available on the market, from all corners of the globe, there is little doubt that this method of tunnelling offers many advantages, helping to ensure that the selected method matches the geology, geography and logistics.

Sandvik flagship - the MT720

Guiding roadheaders

TunnelTalk ANNUAL REVIEW 2017

As important to their operation is the navigation and setup of roadheaders and their support equipment.

In 2017, VMT won the largest order in its history to provide 57 navigation systems for roadheaders and bolter rigs on the WestConnex highway tunnel project in Sydney, Australia. Orders are placed by the contractors progressing two major stages of the project employing a total of 36 roadheaders and 21 rock bolting rigs to excavate a total of 19km of twin-tube, threelane road tunnels and 75 cross passages.

Through its Australian subsidiary VTG, VMT will supply its TUnIS navigation equipment to ensure the roadheaders excavate the face and the bolters install rockbolt support according to design requirements. The systems will also collect information for online monitoring software in the construction site offices to process positional and profile data, power consumption, hydraulic pressures and other performance factors. The path of the roadheader cutter boom in relation to the face and the pre-designed profile of the tunnel cross-section will also be collected for post-excavation analysis to correlate cutter effectiveness in relation to the local geology.

The system used to position the bolter locates the machine precisely to ensure the bolts are installed exactly where planned.

The order includes teams of permanent on-site service technicians for system commissioning and support and for the training of surveyors, site engineers and system operators.

The systems are delivered to the Leighton/John Holland/Samsung C&T JV for its Stage 1B M4E contract, using 20 Mitsui and Sandvik roadheaders and 11 Robodrill bolting rigs, and to the CPB/Dragados/ Samsung C&T JV Stage 2 M5N contract which will deploy 16 Sandvik and Mitsui roadheaders and 10 Robodrill bolters.

“The WestConnex orders result in one of the largest single navigation system supply commitments VMT has ever had, both in terms of units provided, value for a single client and commitment in terms of VMT manpower, ” said Alexander Höfer, VMT Product Manager for the projects. “The challenge now is to deliver, commission and support the 57 navigation systems to 2019 when excavation of the two sections is due to be complete.”

Breaking bad underground

Hydraulic hammers and breakers have played a long, if unsung, role in tunnelling. Generally mounted on excavators or specialist carriers, these increasingly sophisticated pieces of equipment are essential tools for breaking and trimming rock at tunnel faces.

Considerable recent developments have improved the performance of hammers and breakers to cope with varying tunnel conditions affected by water, rock strength and geological structures Swedish manufacturer Brokk is finding its equipment suited increasingly to working underground and in confined spaces to excavate cross passages, safety niches, and for enlarging existing tunnels. The electric operation and small size of the units provides manoeuvrability with power.

Three models, the B110, B120 (MKII), and the larger, more powerful B280, have added power to improve performance by 50% over previous models, without sacrificing reach or versatility.

The Brokk 280, has a reach of 6.2m, weighs 3,150kg, and possesses both a harder punch and more blows of the breaker per minute. The unit is also fitted with the Brokk SmartPower electrical system which optimizes performance based on factors such as the quality of

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Blade saw operations

Tunnelsaws produced by Australian-owned Echidna provide precision cutting at rotation speeds of up to 4800 rev/min. Safety features include automatic blade braking, a double swivelling shield and reversible rotation, an integrated cooling system, motorspeed sensor and automatic feed via joysticks.

Dutch company ARVI, importer and distributor of Echidna saws in Europe, provided units for two particular projects.

In Germany, a custom built tunnelsaw was used to remove sections of the lining that needed repair. The saw was designed to follow the shape of the tunnel interior with a tilt rotator to control cutting speed and allow precise incision. It was able to remove sections of 50cm by 80cm.

In Bavaria, a unit was used to cut openings for cross passages. A tilt unit was used to manipulate the blade between vertical and horizontal cutting positions with a hydraulic infinite rotator to allow the blade to rotate in 360 degrees at each position.

These advances in solutions based equipment show how manufacturers are working with tunnelling companies to produce equipment which meet productivity, user friendliness and, increasingly, environmental concerns and deal with arduous operating conditions. n

References • • • • • •

Survey of Chinese drilling jumbos – TunnelTalk, December 2016 Mitsui assists the training of roadheader operators in Sydney – TunnelTalk, August 2016 Roadheader excavation on the Ottawa Confederation Line – TunnelTalk, August 2016 First tunnel award for Sydney West Connex – TunnelTalk, June 2015 WestConnex funding and contract awards – TunnelTalk, December 2016 Training roadheader operators in Sydney – TunnelTalk, August 2016

Consolidation in the rock excavation industry

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uring 2017, acquisitions and divestments saw a consolidation within the rock excavation equipment manufacturers.

In early 2017, Komatsu of Japan completed its US$3.7 billion acquisition of Joy Global of the USA. Renamed Komatsu Mining Corporation, the subsidiary will continue to operate from its international headquarters in Milwaukee and be led by Jeffrey Dawes, formerly leader of Komatsu Latin America and will operate as a subsidiary of Komatsu.

Joy brings to the acquisition its previously acquired brands P&H of the USA and Montabert of France.

The close of the transaction adds 10,000 staff to the Komatsu team bringing its global total to more than 57,000 employees.

In July 2017, Sandvik sold its Mining Systems business portfolio to Danish firm FLSmidth. This will comprise all products involved in continuous surface mining and minerals handling technologies and apply to related intellectual property, and transfer of relevant employees.

Sandvik also sold the conveyor components parts of the business to NEPEAN Conveyors of Australia.

Sandvik stated its intention to sell the Mining Systems business in 2015. “I am pleased we have completed our plan enabling us to focus now on the Sandvik core businesses,” said Björn Rosengren, President and CEO of Sandvik.

The sale agreements are said to have no bearing on any underground mining and tunnelling operations.

During 2017, Atlas Copco Group split off the Mining and Rock Excavation Technique Business Area and the Construction Tools division into a separate company to ensure that both are provided optimum opportunities for growth in their respective market segments.

The new company will comprise 12,000 employees in all divisions of the Mining and Rock Excavation Technique

Business Area and the Construction Tools division and related services.

The new company will have a dedicated Board and CEO and is established to further enable investments in growth areas such as automation, digitalization and customer service. Operationally there will not be any changes to the existing structure.

In early 2017, Atlas Copco acquired Erkat, German manufacturer of rock drum cutter excavators. The business will become part of the construction tools division of the Atlas Copco construction technique department.

Based in Hamburg, and with sales and service locations worldwide, Erkat has 38 employees and revenues in 2015 of €12 million.

In 2017, Atlas Copco also acquired the assets of US based Cate Drilling Solutions, which distributes and services Atlas Copco drilling equipment and components in the states of Utah, Nevada, Wyoming and Idaho, and agreed to acquire Rockdrill Services of Australia, a rock drills specialist serving the mining industry from shops in Kalgoorlie and Townsville. Both acquisitions will become part of the underground rock excavation service division in Epiroc, the wholly-owned subsidiary of Atlas Copco.

Helena Hedblom, who joined Atlas Copco in 2000, took over as President of the Mining and Rock Excavation Technique Business Area, when former President Johan Halling retired in January 2017. n

Helena Hedblom

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the power supply and the environmental conditions in which it operates.

Brokk B260 and B160 units were used on the Dohar Metro project for excavation of the cross passages where progress through a soft rock of 10-20 MPa averaged about 25m3/day.

Fitted with various attachments, the Brokk units drilled the 75mm x 9m deep starter holes, trimmed the profile, and applied shotcrete to secure the excavation.

Erkat drum cutter

Hard work or smart work?

Today, harder is not enough. Successful projects are about outsmarting the competition. That’s why Brokk machines are used in tunnelling projects around the world. The intelligent demolition powerhouse that combines flexibility and efficiency in a unique, remote-controlled way. Perfect for drilling, rock breaking, excavating, scaling, rock splitting, removal of debris and shotcreting.

Brokk – a smarter tunnel vision.

Intelligent Demolition Power www.brokk.com

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Rock TBM progress against the odds Lok Home, President, Desiree Willis, Technical Writer, and Robbins TBM Application Engineers

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hen boring a hard rock tunnel, homogeneous conditions are often the exception rather than the rule. While contractors can set goals such as meterage/month and performance incentives, it is also prudent to have a Plans B and C prepared for facing difficult conditions.

Plan A is to plan ahead, with the parties involved investing in enough geological testing for the risks to be reasonably and accurately assessed. Once the risks have been acknowledged, they can be mitigated, with a properly designed machine equipped with technology that can tackle fault zones, water inflows, squeezing ground, or whatever the predetermined risks may be.

The alternative - to modify the machine in the tunnel after bad ground is encountered - not only results in increased downtime, but also can expose your crew needlessly to additional risks. In the worst case, the entire operation grinds to a halt. In all but the most extreme of cases, this should not be happening in today’s tunneling world.

We have the modern technology to prevent these situations.

Remove the guesswork

To plan for potential challenges adequately, the risks must be understood. It seems a simple statement, but all too often owners tend to skimp on geological surveys due to perceived unnecessary up-front costs versus benefits. The cost of having a stuck or damaged machine in the tunnel for months, or even years however is much higher than the initial cost of adequate geotechnical studies. If such surveys can be done, then the machine can be designed specifically to deal with any known features along the tunnel length to optimize excavation rates.

Known (and unknown) risks

For sure, meter-by-meter or even kilometerby-kilometer geotechnical reports are not

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possible or feasible economically. Preconstruction desk study investigations and surface mapping can also be limited.

In such cases appropriate contingencies are required to cover additional costs and delays if difficult conditions are encountered.

TBMs today, whether open machines or shielded machines, including those capable of holding pressure, can bore successfully in difficult ground. TBMs can be fitted with a range of difficult ground solutions, including: • multi-speed gearboxes with optional higher torque capabilities; • rapid advance shield design using stepped shields and shield lubrication systems; • water inflow control facilities, and • other features that can mitigate higher risks of high cover tunneling.

If a TBM is equipped with these features from the start, then costly downtime and in-tunnel machine modifications can be avoided. If a segmental lining is applied, shielded machines have the beneficial advantage of providing excavation support and safety within the machine itself.

In even the most extreme conditions, main beam, open-type gripper TBMs can be efficient and safe. Open access behind the cutterhead for ground support and consolidation, unrestricted probe drilling, and the absence of a shield are important attributes of open machines in extreme conditions.

In ground exhibiting squeezingconvergence and rock bursting, open-type machines often fare better than shielded machines, as they are less likely to become trapped. They can also utilize the McNally Support System, which can, in essence, be made to function like a shield. In swelling or slacking ground main beam TBMs also allow for immediate ground treatment behind or over the top of the cutterhead. Open-type machines are capable of operating in ground

with occasional to continuous water inflow - if mitigation strategies such as combining injection grouting to stem flows with sufficient pumps to remove the water are employed.

Squeezing ground

Over-boring is frequently recommended for squeezing or converging ground but in practice it is seldom used effectively. Overboring is typically applied by pre-mounting extra gauge cutter housings in the periphery of the cutterhead to excavate a slightly larger diameter bore. In the over-bore zone, yielding type support structures should be erected if using an open-type machine. These elements can include yielding steel arches, steel arches in conjunction with yielding jacks, shotcrete structures with yielding rock anchors, or combinations of them all.

If using a shielded machine, a measuring system that comprises a hydraulic cylinder mounted on top of the machine and connected to the machine’s PLC can detect squeezing conditions. A machine with the shortest possible shield length, plus a stepped or tapered shield, shield lubrication and added emergency thrust can be immensely helpful to get a machine through a situation where it might otherwise become trapped.

Rock bursting

In rock bursting conditions, it is important to hold the rock in place to control and limit the disturbance of the rock to as great an extent as possible. With modern opentype TBMs, ground support such as the McNally Support System allows support of the crown to be extruded from the machine as it advances.

Probe drilling is as important on a shielded machine as it is on an open-type TBM. In all conditions, advance probe drilling is recommended 30m to 40m in advance of the face with a 10m overlap.

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The difficult question is how to predict the extent of swelling and squeezing of the rock. Because of the difficulty, two-pass lining systems are often used such as in the large diameter Niagara water diversion tunnel project in Ontario Canada. Initial ground support through sedimentary rock was followed by a waterproof membrane and a final cast-in-place concrete lining.

Fault zones and water ingress

When a probe hole predicts a fault zone or water ingress ahead of the face, the extent of the zone should be explored thoroughly prior to advancing the TBM to within 10m20m of the zone. Further probes should be drilled on a 360-degree profile and the zone grouted to stem water inflows. The support of geologists experienced in predicting and treating fault zones is highly recommended when fault zones are encountered.

If significant water pressures and/or massive inrushes of water are predicted, then a shielded machine sealable to high water pressures is recommended. In the event of a large inrush of water, a guillotine gate on the muck chute can effectively seal

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re-excavation grouting is becoming more popular as the first line of defence for controlling groundwater in underground works. Before you excavate, you block the water is the objective. Other means of controlling groundwater in tunnelling can be more complicated and time consuming to apply and be more costly.

The risk of jacking in the rock mass when applying high pressure grouting, however, is among the key issues for consideration.

These were discussed at the Nordic Grouting Symposium chaired by Professor Eivind Grøv, Chief Scientist with a tunnelling focus at the Norwegian research body SINTEF. Jacking occurs when grout injection pressure exceeds the normal stresses acting over a fracture. Injecting at high pressures leads to faster grout flow rates but also induces an increase in fracture opening or jacking. “The increase in the fracture aperture depends on the capacity of the jack, the size of the jack, the area, or the spread of the grout and the excess grout pressure,” explained Emeritus Professor at Sweden’s KTH, Håkan Stille, who reviewed workshop discussions at the conference. “This is, I think, the background to this whole question.”

The main negative effects of jacking are loss of control, higher grout consumption, concerns over opening up new, larger water channels, and the safety risks of high pressure grouting for workers.

Micro-fine cement joint infill

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off the excavation chamber to keep the crew safe and the machine protected from becoming flooded.

On a shielded TBM, additional inflatable seals can be installed to seal the gap between the front and rear shields.

These passive water protection systems operate while the TBM is stopped and grouting to seal off inflows and pumping to dewater the chamber can be carried out before boring begins again.

Blocky or jointed rock

Holding rocks in place in blocky or highly jointed rock conditions can prevent or lessen the condition of cathedralling over the cutterhead and fallout from the face to reduce damage to the cutterhead. The ground support should be placed as close as possible to the cutterhead. When using an open TBM, horizontal rock supports for the McNally system can be prefabricated rebar, wood/metal slats, or wire mesh in conjunction with straps, rock bolts and/or steel sets. In shielded machines, and in addition to shield lubrication and tapered shields, a system termed hydraulic shield breakout injects pressurized hydraulic lubricants through

radial ports in the TBM shield to free a machine that has become stuck.

Working together

Ultimately, working through challenging ground requires a close relationship between the contractor, the TBM supplier and well-trained and experienced operators and crew. All parties must be willing to accept that certain unknowns may require changes in boring protocol, ground support, or even modifications to the machine in the tunnel. Having plans in place for conditions, whether expected or unexpected, can go a long way in minimizing downtime and keeping TBMs moving forward even in the most extreme of circumstances. n

References

• • • • •

Flexibility key to battling poor geology in Turkey – TunnelTalk, July 2014 TBM excavation conquers Peruvian Andes – TunnelTalk, January 2012 Breakthrough ends TBM journey at Niagara – TunnelTalk, May 2011 Modern large diameter rock tunnels – TunnelTalk, April 2010 +60km of tunnelling completed for Iceland’s Kárahnjúkar power station – TunnelTalk, April 2008

Pre-excavation grouting frontline groundwater control “To understand what is going on in the rock mass while grouting there must be real-time data availability at the grouting rig with time, pressure, volume and flow, being recorded,” said Grøv.

In all pre-excavation grouting (PEG) applications, reasonable stop criteria are required to maintain control. “If you do not have stop criteria or you do not use them, then you are back in negative effects,” said Stille.

In discussing how to balance high pressure and good quality grouting, Stille suggested that grouting pressure should be close to the jacking pressure and that stop criteria to control jacking should be mandatory. He added his own view that “I do not like using pressure as the stop criteria. It is a challenge to determine a stop pressure and flow increases with increased pressure.” Other stop criteria suggested included volume control and adapting rheological properties to actual conditions.

Workshop discussions covered other aspects of the PEG process, such as: • Geological site investigations to include fracture orientation; • The use of the grouting intensity number (GIN). Stille questioned in his review of the symposium workshops, “do we need this number?” He said many problems have been reported with the method, that it depends on the grout being used and the rock mass, but he added that GIN is an area for further discussion; • Stable grout and the issue of bleed. Stille said that, for him, it is not an issue, as the information from a standard measurement has nothing to do with what happens in a narrow fracture; • Special conditions, such as parallel

Patrick Reynolds for TunnelTalk tunnels in which the risk of jacking in them and also leakage to other tunnels, needs to be examined; • Is jacking reversible? Would reducing pressure see the rock go back? Stille said this is an area for further research, together with more research to: • Better and understand spread penetration of grout into finer fractures; • Expand the limited experience of jacking and gather more data from the field; • Develop methods to better determine the stop criteria and the indicators to monitor to keep jacking under control.

In a lively Q&A session, the practicalities and experience of flow and pressure measurement and controls, especially as performed by operators, to react to and minimise jacking were discussed.

The contract between the client and contractor is also “a very essential part of this method,” said Stille.

To illustrate the point, the application of PEG on the Harbour Area Treatment Scheme

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Swelling/slacking ground

Extreme water inflows during an open-type TBM drive

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Fig 1. Delaware Aqueduct bypass repair

Pre-excavation grouting array

Stage 2A sewer project in Hong Kong (HATSEA) was explained as an example of wider use of the strategy. Originally, the plan was to use TBM excavation for the project “but we changed that concept to drill+blast with pre-excavation grouting,” explained Grøv. “The approach avoided issues experienced on the TBM operations used to excavate Stage 1 of the project.”

Open face drill+blast excavation allowed efficient, large scale use of probe and grout hole drilling at the required numbers, positions and angles.

Most of the 20km of HATS2A tunnels are below dense urban areas with a 4km crossing of Victoria Harbour. A total of 480km of boreholes were drilled ahead of the tunnel face and joints up to 10cm wide were successfully sealed off.

The hydrostatic head at the tunnel horizon was up to 15 bar. Micro-fine cement and the use of colloidal silica, as needed, were the prime ingredients of the non-bleed grout mix designs.

For the project, a contract form was developed that combined traditional fixed price with new elements of unit prices. The risk sharing element was not necessarily in line with Hong Kong traditions, but it was an important part in smooth execution of the tunnelling works.

is not cost effective to send divers to work in confined spaces and under pressures of up to 10 bar.”

The requirement of the machine for the Delaware Aqueduct project is to perform probing and pre-excavation grouting (PEG) under potential groundwater pressures of up to 30 bar, based on a 20 bar hydrostatic pressure x a 1.5 factor of safety.

Home has described the Delaware Aqueduct bypass project as, “a flagship project for what I hope will become more common practice in the industry, with procurement of specialised TBMs being considered an asset under development, rather than low cost regimes continuing to look for the cheapest possible options.”

For its contract, the Kiewit/Shea JV was willing, said Home, to “move forward with several new developments”, including a chemical grouting approach to handle high water pressure conditions and to allow both TBM operation and cutter changes at atmospheric pressure. “These technologies have the potential to reduce downtime and increase safety.”

Home believes such approaches present a “significant step forward for our industry” in using grouting systems capable of working under high water pressure, rather than requiring EPB or slurry machines. He adds, “There have been halfway attempts of combining grouting solution with pressurised TBM excavations but these have come at high cost and sometimes long delays.”

The pre-excavation grouting system on the Robbins Delaware project TBM comprises two independent grout mixing and pumping plants capable of grouting two holes at the same time with doubleacting piston pumps injecting at rates of 69 bar (1,000psi) maximum pressure and 190 litres/min (50 gallons/min) maximum pumping capacity.

Drilling and grout injection can be achieved from 16 different positions with an additional 14 drill collars built into the rear shield body. This is believed to be an industry record for a hard rock shielded machine.

The two drills installed permanently in the machine shield are able to operate at the same time and through a full 360 degree rotation. An extra potable drill can be mounted on the erector if needed.

The compact drills are equipped with water powered, down-the-hole hammers to achieve minimum deviation drill holes of 60m (200ft) and longer.

“This is a much more efficient alternative to top hammer drills,” said Robbins Project Manager Martino Scialpi.

“As far as I know, besides some testing on other jobs, this will be the first TBM to rely extensively on this technology.”

The PEG system is one of two grouting systems on the TBM, the other being a

TBM equipped for high pressure

The 6.8m diameter Robbins TBM procured for the Delaware Aqueduct repair project under the Hudson River in New York State is designed for both enhanced grouting and probe-drilling systems which are being employed on the single shield TBM to deal with high water pressure challenges The project for the New York Department of Environment Protection will use a TBM to excavate a 3.8km long bypass tunnel to fix a leakage problem in the 1940s Delaware Aqueduct water supply tunnel under the river. The contract was awarded to the Kiewit/Shea JV and McMillen Jacobs is the project consultant.

The alignment of the new bypass tunnel passes some 183m (600ft) below the Hudson River through mainly shale and limestone geology with the groundwater head ranging from 213m to 267m under the highest cover (Fig 1).

During development, the client, consultant and contractor contributed to the specification and design of the machine, an approach seen as critical to ensure the best chance of project success.

“The machine,” said Lok Home, President of The Robbins Company, “is designed to improve the integration of grouting cycles with excavation. I do not see the future of rock tunnelling under high water pressure being left to divers to change cutters or repair cutterheads. We all know it

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Erector and aft drilling systems through the tailskin two-component grout operation to backfill the annulus behind the segmental lining.

“This is a drilling and grouting project, as much as it is a TBM boring project,” said Scialpi. “Systematic probe drilling and inflow measurement is mandatory along the full length of the bypass and the aim for PEG grouting is to have the drilling and grouting tasks integrated as routine activities.”

During standstill grouting cycles or in emergency situations, water inflows are controlled by the machine’s powerful sealing capability, and its installed high water pumping capability of up to 9,500 litre/min (2,500 gallon/min) until the grouting processes can take over the water control management.

When presented with high ground water inflows a rapid five-step sequence seals the single shield and activates the powerful pumping capability.

1. Close knife gates over the muck chute; 2. Retract the conveyor frame; 3. Retract the belt from the excavation chamber; 4. Retract the bulkhead sealing plate; 5. Close the stabiliser doors.

The seals for the main bearing, bulkhead, articulation joint and tail, are all designed to hold up to 30 bar static pressure, explained Scialpi. This he believes is the highest rating ever achieved for a TBM. A new main bearing sealing system has been engineered with multiple rows of traditional lip type seals, which are flushed and lubricated with grease, and backed up with emergency inflatable seals that are not in contact with moving parts of the sealing system during boring.

Following collaborative design, factory acceptance of the TBM was in February 2017 and the machine was shipped, assembled and ready for launch by the end of 2017.

The high specification features of the specifically designed TBM were presented in greater detail in a technical paper presented and published in the proceedings of the 2017 World Tunnel Congress in Bergen, Norway.

The next Nordic Grouting Symposium is is to be hosted in Finland, in 2019. n

References

• •

Planning of deep sewage tunnels in Hong Kong – TunnelTalk, May 2009 Extreme challenge for Rondout bypass TBM – TunnelTalk, April 2016

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DSI Supplies Safety

Reliable Ground Support

www.dsi-tunneling.com

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New couplings for efficient drive power Mayr News Release

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hree new couplings for all types of underground construction machinery were added to the Mayr range of high power transmission components in 2017.

The ROBA-ES backlash-free, flexible elastomer couplings compensate for radial, axial and angular shaft misalignment to protect the drive system against critical vibrations.

The Smartflex steel bellow coupling with solid force-locking connections, is also backlashfree and has reliable torque transmission which ensures the maximum degree of misalignment compensation capability. The ROBA-DS disk pack couplings, with a split clamping hub, ensure simple and quick assembly and the ability to transfer high torque with a comparatively small diameter.

The Mayr product range also includes high-speed servo couplings with speeds of more than 20,000 rev/min. Individual parts are manufactured and tested to high accuracy, constrained radial run-out tolerance and axial run-out deviation.

In addition to shaft couplings, Mayr produces reliable safety brakes and overload clutches that protect machines against expensive overload damage.

“As these are often used together, our customers appreciate receiving everything from a single source,” said Ralf Epple, Product Manager at Mayr.

As a leading manufacturer of safety brakes, torque limiters and shaft couplings for electrically-powered machines and systems, Mayr has a staff of more than 600 in its Allgäu-based headquarters in Mauerstetten, Germany and has plants in Poland and China and sales and customer service subsidiaries worldwide. n

From left: New to the couplings range: ROBA-ES, Smartflex and ROBA DS

Have you disconnected today?

EAS®-High-Torque torque limiters: The precise, non-destructive overload protection for heavy machinery

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Automated concrete form filling

Putzmeister concrete pump

Formkret concrete filling system; Pump operation

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a single delivery line that links the entire system in sequential rows. The valves switch the flow of concrete automatically between both halves of the new form.

As the concrete reaches the optimal filling level in each row, the valves close, re-directing the concrete towards the delivery line, and allowing the formwork filling process to continue sequentially towards the next row. The two-way valve is operated automatically by radio remotecontrolled hydraulics. Flow is regulated

n automated filling system of concrete formwork was developed and introduced in 2017 by Kern Tunneltechnik and Putzmeister. Known as Formkret, the system is designed to enhance safety, reduce workforce related costs, save on project timelines and allow other work on site to continue simultaneously due to its compact structure.

The system is operated by a set of two-way valves that are integrated into the formwork structure and are connected by

by a Putzmeister concrete pump with an output capacity of up to 79m³/h.

Upon completion of the formwork filling, the system is cleaned in a single operation by pushing sponge balls through the delivery line with the aid of compressed air. The sponge balls, along with any surplus concrete, are safely retrieved at the end of the delivery line.

Maintenance costs are also lower because of the use of pipes, which can withstand higher delivery pressures and have a longer service life than hoses. n

Cast-in segment gaskets of patented design

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aramount to the process of avoiding cracks and damage to segments when fitted with cast-in gaskets is design and fabrication of the corners of the gaskets.

A compressible corner joint for cast-in rubber gaskets designed by VIP Polymers ensures a consistent load performance along the perimeter of the gasket to avoid build-up of pressure at one or more of the gasket corners during installation and reduce the risk of segment cracking.

Most cast-in segment gaskets are made with conventional shot-joint corners.

During the gasket moulding process, the rubber in these corners fills the compression cavities in the extruded sections, creating a solid rubber corner. When tunnel segments fitted with these gaskets are installed, the compression of solid corners is limited and can lead to corner point loading, increasing the risk of segment cracking.

The VIP corner joint is created with a particular joining process that maintains the gasket profile right to the corner edge.

This makes the complete gasket compliant with all specified load requirements and provides greater assurance to designers, contractors, and clients on the quality of the segmental ring build.

Rigorous comparative tests have shown that solid corner joints are harder to close, resulting in increasing loads. In contrast, the VIP corner joint maintains a uniform closure performance around the full cast-in gasket.

“The design and manufacture of our new compressible corner joint, which is used across our range of cast-in gaskets, has been recognised with a UK patent and an international patent is pending,” said Steve Casey, VIP Sales and Technical Director.

Technology developed by VIP Polymers also provides the ability to produce gasket corners to any angle.

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Designing gasket corners to obtuse, acute or 90 degree angles to match each segment corner allows the gasket to compress evenly across the full gasket face and accommodate segment movement to reduce point loading at the corners.

The profile orientation can also vary along the Z axis of the gasket which helps with the precise installation of segments, or non-uniform segment systems, to again reduce the risk of segment damage or partial sealing of joints. This allows engineers to optimise segment design with gaskets able to accommodate any segment corner angle.

In addition to the angle cutting machinery and jointing presses, VIP commissioned a new gasket extrusion line in 2017 with new in-line cutting technologies.

Cast-in segment gaskets manufactured

by VIP Polymers were selected by the Costain Vinci JV for the segmental lining of the 4.9km long Shieldhall sewer tunnel in Glasgow, Scotland.

“Our new cast-in gaskets performed well throughout the Shieldhall tunnel construction process,” said Matthew Levitt, VIP Technical Business Development Manager.

“The steel fibre reinforced concrete segment manufacturing process was achieved within the tightest of

VIP News Release specifications,” said Sam Simons, Tunnel Lining Supply Manager for Costain, “and the VIP gaskets contributed to a well-built tunnel with no reported segment cracking arising from high corner contact pressure or segment ram loading transfer.”

Prior to manufacture, the gaskets were subjected to T and Cruciform corner loading and pressure testing at the VIP testing facilities at its manufacturing headquarters in Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire in the UK. VIP manufactured and supplied more than 19,500 individual gasket segments at its casting operation at the FP McCann production factory in Drakelow, England.

“The geometry of the segments meant that the gaskets required intricately formed corners to fit the steel moulds correctly and provide a draft angle to the sealing face of the key and adjacent segments along the Z axis,” said Dave Derbyshire, Operations Manager for Underground Products at FP McCann. “Technical representatives from VIP visited our facility prior to segment production to ensure the correct fit was achieved on all six segment types.” n

T U N N E LT E C H

Kern & Putzmeister News Release

References •

Modern seals for segment lining integrity – TunnelTalk, May 2016

Flexible gasket corner reduces cracking; Segment mould prepared with a cast-in gasket

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Real time fleet tracking RCT News Release

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T U N N E LT E C H

arthTrack®, introduced by RCT, is a real time fleet management facility that provides machine and operator performance data on any underground equipment. Real time data, including idling time, speed, machine utilisation, payload and impact monitoring, is captured and delivered faster, allowing more prompt implementation of any changes required to minimise or eliminate extensive damage to machines and the resulting downtime.

Information is displayed on an interactive dashboard which can be accessed anywhere, anytime via any smart device with internet access. The EarthTrack® Fleet Management Solution can be fitted to any mobile machines used in underground projects.

“One of the advantages of EarthTrack® over other systems,” said Dave Holman, Head of Product Management at RCT, “is that it is universal. It can be fitted to all machine types and brands which allows it to gather all data into one area, making it easy to analyse equipment both individually and as a group.” n

References •

Remote control vehicle training solutions – TunnelTalk, November 2015

Real time tracking of fleet movements

Concrete repairs Mapei News Release

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rapid-setting, thixotropic and fibrereinforced cementitious mortar for concrete lining repairs is produced by Mapei that can be used on exposed surfaces or those in permanent contact with water.

Known as Planitop Smooth & Repair, it can be applied by trowel in a single layer from 3mm to 40mm thickness for nonstructural repairs on internal and external, horizontal and vertical concrete surfaces.

It provides for quick repairs to deteriorated parts in concrete such as honeycombing, spacer holes and construction joints.

“Production of the material is now also in the UK at our Halesowen production facilities in the West Midlands,” said Paul Russell, Concrete Product Manager at Mapei. n Mapei Planitop Smooth & Repair

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Rapid repair for underwater concrete

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series of products that are able to perform concrete repairs by changing the gel-crystalline ratio in the cement structure to provide greater durability were introduced to the US market in 2017 by distributor NRD industries.

Produced by Kalmatron Admixtures, the new compounds are designed to upgrade conventional concrete to a high performance that can withstand salted and contaminated aggregates in acidic, ionized, and isotopic environments.

Kalmatron coatings and regenerative sprays can work in harsh environments with extreme temperatures and acidity.

Kalmatron KF-C is a fast hardening plug compound that can plug leaks in 30 seconds underwater and under pressures of up to 19 bar. All materials are non toxic, inflammable and non explosive and require no drilling, routing or sealants.

The compounds are superior to shotcreting fibers that can result in shrinkage, cracking and can clog hoses

NRD News Release

Application of Kalmatron concrete repair and nozzles during application. “With 40% saving per square foot; no curing required after application; high resistance to corrosion; adhesion to any material; short application time and competitive pricing, we cannot afford to work without Kalmatron,” said a spokesman at Los Angeles Water and Power Department, the largest customer of the product for NRD Industries. n

Approved sprayed waterproofing

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fficial approval has been granted for the application of a sprayed water-control membrane product in tunnel projects for Bane NOR, the national rail authority of Norway. The sprayed membrane product, Tekflex, supplied by Minova, provides a thin flexible, permanent sprayed membrane to control water in tunnels and a reliable repair and refurbishment solution. The Tekflex range includes wet and dry products and cement based and resin injection products.

The membrane was chosen by Bane NOR for its cohesion to rock surface properties and its high tensile strength with high flexibility. The product can be applied

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Minova News Release Tekflex water control membrane in application

using standard equipment, and is non toxic and non flammable. n

Improved lighting for motorists

he Queens Midtown highway tunnel in New York was fitted with a new lighting control system from Nyx Hemera and luminaires from Schréder as part of a vital restoration program. The new system used the existing electrical wires to save money and is operated remotely.

The tunnel lighting addressable control system (TLACS) comprises a luminance camera (LCAM), local product controllers (LPC) and a network controller (NWC).

The camera helps to reduce the black hole effect at the tunnel entrance by sending a signal to the NWC to adjust the brightness of the luminaires to achieve a safe and comfortable output for drivers.

LPC units are installed in the luminaires to turn them on or off, up or down. This is both efficient and energy saving.

Nyx Hemera Technologies will also provide a dedicated remote control system, which will help the owner in day-to-day operations as they will be able to remotely and individually monitor the electrical parameters of all 2,000+ luminaires and maintain a better control over the entire lighting system. “The tunnel operator will eliminate unnecessary equipment and operations, which in turn

Nyx Hemera News Release will reduce the overall carbon footprint of the tunnel connection,” said Pierre Longtin, President of Nyx Hemera Technologies.

In Arizona, the 400m long Queen Creek road tunnel was also fitted with a new TLACS system as part of its refurbishment. The lighting system by Nyx Hemera Technologies, complete with new Holophane luminaires, features an intelligent control system that dynamically adjusts lighting levels based on ambient brightness and weather conditions.

The Nyx Hemera TLACS is installed in more than 30 tunnels around the world with LED and HPS lighting systems. n

References

•

Nyx Hemera releases new version of TLACS system – TunnelTalk, Oct 2016

New lights for Queen Creek Tunnel

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LATEST SOLUTIONS FOR SEGMENT FIXING To function effectively, tunnels need many smaller individual components. Operating specifically in this field, Optimas Sofrasar has supplied products for precast segment tunneling projects for more than 20 years. Recently it introduced its new segment fixing products to a number of important projects in North America including the SR99 Alaskan Way double deck highway tunnel in Seattle which is among the largest diameter tunnels in the world.

A new system of thermoplastic dowels for the circumferential joints enables quick and secure installation of segment rings and provide stability of the lining under pressure from ground and annular grout injection.

After proving a success on the Crossrail project in London, Optimas is currently supplying this new system to several high-profile projects in North America including the New York Delaware Aqueduct bypass tunnel, the Los Angeles Westside Subway extension I, the Columbus Blacklick Creek sewer tunnel, the West Trunk Sewer project in Toronto.The system provides a cost effective alternative to the classic bolt system.

Optimas is represented in North America by its agent David Klug and Associates.

Optimas provides a complete range of bespoke or standardized bolting systems, dowel systems, centering systems and shear dowels, grout-lift sockets, guiding rods and packers plus precast accessories and security systems. All components are designed and developed in-house and backed by a strong supply structure, so even bespoke parts can be delivered at a competitive price.

In addition to supplying components Optimas can assist during the concrete segment design phase to save costs and ensure faster production. Specialised testing jigs and software are available to check mechanical resistance and durability prior to installation on site, assuring contractors that any fastener supplied will offer maximum performance and service life in application. A number of international laboratories are available to test components independently and guarantee performance.

“As a business, we specialize in the design and delivery of components that are engineered for tunnel applications.

This is a demanding field and the research and development of new products and systems is continuous.”

Christophe Delus, Tunnel Division Director, Optimas.

Macro synthetic fibres testing

Segment gasket acquisition ES Rubber News Release

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n 2017, ES Rubber acquired producer of extruded rubber sealing products, Profily, of the Czech Republic. The acquisition will help ES Rubber expand its global markets and further develop its product portfolio.

As well as designing, developing and manufacturing rubber products, ES Rubber offers in-house research and engineering, testing and quality assurance of its products. One of the many advantages of cast-in tunnel segment gaskets is that they can be produced ahead to meet the specific requirements of each project and minimize installation time. Projects worldwide within its portfolio include:

• Tel Aviv Metro Eastern and Western lines - TunnelFlex 33C anchored gaskets which provide the advantages of the no adhesives required, better fixation against side impact during handling, no concrete groove repair work and mechanical toothing between gasket and concrete for sliding sides of key stones; • Mumbai Metro Line 3: TunnelFlex 33M coex sealing gaskets with an embedded hydrophilic rubber material; • Arequipa, Peru, TunnelFlex 26 sealing gaskets with soft gasket corners hardened by injection-molding for the 16km-long Majes Siguas water tunnel. n

References

•

Modern seals for segment lining integrity – TunnelTalk, May 2016

Low & Bonar News Release

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new laboratory was opened in 2017 by Low & Bonar brand Adfil in Zele, Belgium to evaluate and test performance of macro synthetic fibres in fresh and hardened concrete.

“The new laboratory will enable us to perform feasibility studies internally and move fibre innovations faster from concept to market,” said Tom Winters, Adfil Global Business Leader. “Concrete is one of the most used construction materials globally.

Being able to perform tests internally that comply with international EN and ATSM standards is a major step forward in our efforts to develop fibres for new applications.”

Ready-mix concrete producers, engineers and contractors can have fibres tested for specific projects in individual concrete mixes to prove and document the advantages to the projects of Adfil macro synthetic fibres and back their commercial proposals for clients.” n From left: Adfil macro synthetic fibres Durus S500(C); Beam tests in progress

ES Rubber anchor gaskets for the Tel Aviv Transit Red Line

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www.TunnelTalk.com

Effectiveness of sprinklers for fire suppression Daan Van den Broecke, The University of Queensland, Australia

Setup of the fire test

Fig 1. Schematic of the test setup temperatures keep rising, fire not contained.

Second activation, 6.6mm/min, gradual drop above the car. Third activation, 8.6mm/min, initial rise in temperature next to the car as deluge pushes flames down and outwards.

• Test 3: First activation, 4.7mm/ min, fire cannot be controlled but system protects area next to car from heat.

Second activation, highest flow rate tested, 14.1mm/min, instantaneous drop in temperature within seconds.

• Test 4: Confirmation at 4.7mm/ min dropped temperatures around the car minimising fire spread but a rise in temperature above the car during 100 sec activation. Second activation, 14.1mm/min confirms instantaneous drop in temperature.

• Test 5: First activation, 4.7mm/min, as soon the flames connected over car roof, thermocouples did not yet heat up, all temperatures near car kept below 100°C with T5 temperature rising right under roof showing fire is being actively contained inside vehicle and underlines importance of quick activation time. Second activation, 8.6mm/min, gradual drop in temperature.

The third activation, at 14.1mm/min, showed an instantaneous drop in

temperatures with initial rise right next to car.

A drop in temperature during the 100 seconds of sprinkler activation is divided into a gradual or instantaneous drop in temperature, or a rise in temperature after deluge activation (Fig 4). The transition from one sprinkler effect to another is marked with shaded regions. The most conservative approach is to assume that in this region temperature rises in the horizontal shaded bar and gradually rises in the diagonal region.

Above 6.6mm/min, the water flow should drop temperatures around a burning car. An instantaneous drop is achieved by either increasing the water flow or keeping the fire small in size by minimizing sprinkler activation time.

Eliminating the potential for fire spread relies on dropping the temperatures in the immediate vicinity of the car.

Applying a sufficiently high water flow leads to a more conservative, expensive system whereas limiting the size of the fire comes down to minimizing sprinkler activation time. This emphasizes the importance of rapid deluge activation.

A water flow of 6.6mm/min managed to drop the temperatures around a burning car. Below this the fire is assumed to be out of control. These results are only valid for the exact configuration as tested, with no ventilation affects included. It is a given that further research is needed to investigate the effects of the potential rise in temperature next to the burning car following deluge activation and that additional analysis on scalability is required to investigate applicability on heavy-goods vehicles and on the influence of droplet size and application of longitudinal ventilation. n

FIRE LIFE SAFETY FOCUS

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hile deluge sprinklers are the most common of fixed fire fighting systems (FFFS) in traffic tunnels, there is no consensus on their effectiveness or the water flow rate required to suppress a tunnel fire.

Only two countries currently have prescribed water flow design guidelines for deluge systems in their motorway tunnels: Japan, which requires a 6mm/min flow rate(1) and Australia, with a 10mm/min flow requirement(2). The substantial difference between these requirements indicates the uncertainty of the underlying fire science.

To quantify the performance of a deluge system, full-scale tunnel fire experiments were conducted to establish the absolute minimum water flow required to suppress an in-tunnel car fire.

The experiments involved placing a burning car under a single BETE deluge sprinkler nozzle type N9W20.4 positioned 5.5m from the road deck (Fig 1). Thermocouple trees were placed at the centre and at both sides of the car to estimate flame height, assess fire severity at the target surface of the tunnel lining and to determine the risk of fire spread before and after sprinkler activation. Additionally, thermocouples were placed inside the car.

Video recordings enabled understanding of the different stages of burning behaviour with infrared video cameras estimating flame heights when visibility was lost.

The water flow for two forms of deluge fire suppression - gradual and instantaneous - was simulated and controlled by regulating the system’s water pressure (Fig 2).

Pan tests were performed to determine the distribution of the water flow at ground level, with pans placed along the radius away from the sprinkler nozzle.

Fuel in the tank was not present as part of the main fire fuel load for this experiment.

A bag of woodchips drenched in diesel was used as the source of ignition.

For the tests, an instantaneous drop in temperature is defined as a drop to a constant temperature below 100° during the 100 sec of sprinkler activation. If one temperature drops slightly, but another one rises, the temperature in the immediate vicinity of the car is assumed to rise.

Five tests were performed with deluge activations at different water flows • Test 1: First activation, 2.5mm/ min, no clear drop in temperature while temperature beside car rises significantly.

Second activation, 8.6mm/min, temperatures around car drop to uniform.

• Test 2: First activation, 3.3mm/min,

Author References

1. Stroeks, R., 2001. Sprinklers in Japanese road tunnels. Ministry of Transport, The Netherlands 2. Bilson, M., Purchase, A., and Stacey, C., 2008. Deluge system operating effectiveness in road tunnels and impacts on operating policy. In 13th Australian Tunnelling Conference Proceedings May 2008. Melbourne

TunnelTalk References • • • • •

Focusing on fire safety in Switzerland – TunnelTalk, 18 Jun 2016 Mobile furnace used for fire safety testing – TunnelCast, August 2012 Full-scale tunnel fire testing – TunnelTalk, May 2012 Sprinkler limitations for tunnel fire fighting – TunnelTECH, Sep 2011 Fire fighting system unveiled by Eurotunnel – TunnelTalk, Feb 2011

From left: Fig 2. Pressure/water flow relationship; Fig 3. Water distribution away from deluge nozzle; Fig 4. Effect of sprinklers

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Maximising fixed fire protection systems Johnson Controls News Release

FIRE LIFE SAFETY FOCUS

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mproving safety of vital underground infrastructure during operation is a primary concern for authorities having jurisdiction (AHJ). The requirements for installing a robust fire protection strategy that not only ensures life safety, but also prevents damage to the tunnel structure, is the ultimate goal.

Protecting road tunnels in the case of a fire raises challenges according to the specific design of different tunnels, increased traffic levels and a lack of uniform and consistent safety standards in tunnel design. Understanding the characteristics and behaviour of a fire in an enclosed space, where fires are typically hotter, last longer and create extensive damage(1) helps to identify the key considerations when specifying and selecting a robust fire protection system.

Fire protection and fire life safety in road tunnels is covered in Europe by the NFPA (National Fire Protection Association) 502 standard, with appropriate measures also defined by the local AHJ. The European UPTUN research project for Cost-effective, Sustainable and Innovative Upgrading Methods for Fire Safety in Existing Tunnels developed the Engineering Guidance for the design, installation and maintenance of WaterBased Fire Fighting Systems for the Protection of Tunnels and Subsurface Facilities.

Designing a water-based system Table 1. TN-17 and TN-25 performance comparison TN-17 TN-25 241.9 lpm/bar1/2 360 lpm/bar1/2 16.8 gpm/psi1/2 25.2 gpm/psi1/2 Pipe thread ISO 7-R 3/4 ISO 7-R 1 connections 3/4in NPT 1 NPT Maximum 5m x 10m 5m x 7.5m coverage area 16ft-4in x 32ft-8in 16ft-4in x 32ft-8in Working 0.7 - 2.1 bar 0.5 - 2.1 bar pressure range 10 - 30 psi 7 - 30 psi Laboratory UL, C-UL certification Nozzle design Specialized open nozzle for use in tunnel deluge fire protection systems

K-factor

PassiveTec News Release

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ire protection is part of a comprehensive upgrading programme of more than 200 road tunnels across Norway. For the NOK 250 million upgrade of the Tåsen Tunnel in Oslo, fire protection technology from PassiveTec has been chosen to achieve a required 120 minutes fire protection based on the RWS time/ temperature curve.

Project contractor Peab Norway has applied PassiveTec fireboards as wall cladding in the 1,338m twin bore road tunnel. The 24mm PassiveTec Tunnel Liner is the thinnest and lightest RWS-rated board.

PassiveTec XT intumescent sealant was used for the expansion/construction joints, together with Fischer FNA II A4 anchors and tunnel coating from Kapyfract AG. The Tunnel Liner fireboards are

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to suppress and cool a fire, prevent fire spread, protect the overall tunnel structure and its facilities, and support essential firefighting activities, particularly in road tunnels through which heavy goods vehicles mix with passenger cars and where evacuation of people from vehicles is required, is vital to alleviate concerns relating to reduced visibility during evacuation, hot steam and potential deflagration once the system has discharged, and the perceived high cost of installation and maintenance. Fixed fire protection systems are tested extensively in Europe to ensure that the functional performance of the system is based on reallife fire scenarios and provides confidence to designers and operators that the selected method matches the application for safe evacuation, improved access for fire services and control to prevent fire spread and reduce damage to the tunnel structure.

A total solutions approach

The drive for safer and more effective maintenance across a wide variety of fire protection applications has led manufacturers to introduce increasingly sophisticated solutions to form a complete protection system.

Under its TYCO brand, Johnson Controls has in its range of specialised products, the TN-25 and TN-17 models of horizontal spray nozzles which are intended for integration into a water spray/deluge fire protection system. The nozzles are UL (underwriters laboratories) approved and have been independently tested and proven to suppress or control full-scale tunnel fires. The newest model in the range, the TN-17 sprinkler was

designed specifically to meet requirements for minimized water use while maximizing coverage area (Table 1).

Both the TN-17 and TN-25 sprinklers generally require only a single pipe to help protect up to 20m (50ft) of tunnel width, with the nozzles installed on a back-to-back configuration instead of using multiple mains with branch and drop lines. Fewer installed nozzles and minimal fittings and couplings reduce costs by reducing installation time and materials. Performance testing and pipe-flush maintenance can be achieved by regular discharge in the deluge zones.

The complete fire protection system integrates TYCO DV-5 deluge valves, detection and control equipment, plus a combination of ancillary equipment, including Grinnell grooved couplings and fittings, and metal framing and supports.

Continuous development within the fire protection industry prepares tunnel designers, engineers and operators to meet evolving challenges, legislation changes and the specific constraints and limitations of more demanding tunnel projects. Investing in proven products and total fire protection systems from an accredited manufacturer helps alleviate common design and supply chain pain points and minimises the need for extensive, complex and expensive retrofitting of active fire protection systems. n

Author’s References

1. H. Ingason, 2005. Fire Development in Large Tunnel Fires. Fire Safety Science 8: 1497-1508

TunnelTalk References •

Sprinkler systems for tunnel fire fighting – TunnelTalk, September 2011

From left: Single-pipe, back-to-back nozzle installation; Tyco TN-17 spray nozzle

Fireboard fireproofing in Norway made from fibre reinforced magnesium and other refractory products. As well as their fire protection performance, the specialist boards are free from hazardous substances, offer stability and durability under humid, wet or freezing conditions and are easy and quick to assemble. To increase the speed of installation for the Tåsen Tunnel project, made-to-measure panels were cut to size and coated off site.

“When PassiveTec boards were submitted and tested for use in both tunnel bores they were found to match, and in several cases exceed, the specification requirements,” said Atle Killerud, Technical Manager at specialist fire protection contractor Firesafe.

“We are pleased that our Tunnel Liner was selected for this important city-

Fireboard fireproofing installation centre infrastructure project,” said Simon MacDonald, Director of PassiveTec. “With its ability to achieve fire and insulation protection in harsh environments, PassiveTec Tunnel Liner sets new standards for fire protection in tunnels.” n

www.TunnelTalk.com

EFFICIENT. FROM ENTRY TO EXIT. Meeting the unique challenges of tunnel fire protection Tyco has proven expertise in protecting some of the longest and most challenging tunnel projects in the world. The TN-17 and TN-25 nozzles were specifically designed to meet the growing demand for a system that uses less water while providing extended coverage spray patterns. Tyco TN Nozzles are part of the total tunnel fire protection solution offered by Tyco Fire Protection Products.

For a total solution from a single trusted source, visit http://tycofpp.com/tunnels Copyright © 2017 Tyco Fire Products LP. All rights reserved

Sealing escape routes against fire hazards Beele Engineering News Release

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FIRE LIFE SAFETY FOCUS

isasters and near-accidents over recent times have imposed strict requirements on the fire-resistance and fire-protection of tunnels used to transport hazardous goods such as oil, petrol, gas or chemical products.

Fire-resistance of a tunnel must cover the systems used to fully seal evacuation escape routes from the dangers of smoke, heat, flames and toxic fumes.

Beele Engineering of Aalten in the Netherlands provides a wide range of sealing materials including Nofirno which combines a high degree of fire resistance for sealing openings for cables and pipes against gas, water and smoke.

For a cut-and-cover road tunnel, Beele developed a special fire-resistant sandwich system, known as Actifoam

Ultra, to seal the joints between the internal dividing wall of precast concrete panels and between the wall panels and the roof to ensure escape routes stay clear of smoke, heat, flames and toxic fumes.

Actifoam Ultra consists of several layers of Actifoam and Rise Ultra rubber, which together guarantee the best degree of fire resistance. The material is easy to process and can be pressed in so that it clamps securely into openings. Fire resistance can be improved further by finishing the edges of the sandwich sheets with Nofirno sealant.

In the case of fire, this sealant forms a ceramic protective layer which ensures that the Actifoam Ultra material remains intact and can do its work.

To guarantee security and safety within the escapes routes, the fireresistant sandwich system has been subjected to stringent two-hour fire tests

that mimic real life situations. Burning tankers or trucks with chemicals can very quickly reach temperatures of up to 1,100°C and impose heavy demands on fire-resistant sealing systems.

In contrast to the usual tests, which normally take an hour, the Actifoam Ultra material has been tested successfully for fire resistance through a two-hour period and at temperatures of up to 1,250°C. The sealing remained intact throughout the test and after two hours of exposure to extreme temperatures, the temperature on the other side of the wall rose by only 10°C. The flexible sandwich construction ensures that the changing loads and traffic vibrations are absorbed, and that protection is also offered against water ingress. n

References

•

Focusing on fire safety in Switzerland – TunnelTalk, 18 Jun 2016

From left: Escape routes must be protected from fire, smoke, heat and toxic fumes; Actifoam Ultra sandwich seal between the internal precast wall panels and ceiling of a cut-and-cover tunnel; Nofirno seals smaller gaps and ducts for cables and pipes

Managing safety under Sydney Harbour Australia Tunnelling Society News

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he Sydney Harbour highway tunnel celebrated 25 years of successful operation in August 2017. As Australia’s only subsea road tunnel, General Manager of the tunnel, Bob Allen describes it as an invisible landmark. The 2.3km immersed tube crossing, which provides the four lanes of northbound traffic in combination with the southbound lanes carried on the Sydney Harbour Bridge above, is used by an average of 102,000 vehicles every day, and requires a crew of about 32 to ensure the tunnel remains available to traffic at all times.

A number of features have been added over time to ensure the smooth progress of traffic. “The water screen, as we call it, or the Softstop Barrier, was developed after a fire in the tunnel in 2003 where motorists just would not stop,” explained Allen. “Some even did U-turns and then travelled south on the northbound carriageway, ignoring all the lights and stop signs in the tunnel.”

Developed with Laservision, the curtain of water has light projected onto it, giving the

illusion of a solid surface sign in the portal of the tunnel.

Fires like the one that prompted development of the sign are thankfully rare and the sign is used more frequently today as a last line of defence against over-height trucks that have ignored warning lights and signs on entering the height-restricted tunnel.

To deal with fires accurately and quickly, the tunnel has a manually-operated deluge sprinkler system. There are also vortex fire

suppression systems in the control and computer rooms.

To achieve maintenance and system upgrades, the tunnel is closed regularly to allow safe access for maintenance personnel and contractors.

Installing a fibre optic network is a work in progress, explained Allen. With only about five hours a night available, the task has been running for about five years. “As part of our obligation to operate and maintain the tunnel for a 100-year design life, a major project over the last two years has been the Enhanced Asset Management Plan whereby the tunnel design and construction has been reviewed and subjected to in-depth inspection, including non-destructive testing and breakouts and removal of concrete cores. This has allowed best practice plans to be put in place for the inspection and ongoing maintenance of the actual concrete structure.

“In addition, we do an annual 3D survey of the underwater tunnel. While there was some initial movement, this has now stabilised and is less than one-third the allowable joint design movement,” said Allen.

Asked what the biggest challenge was, Allen said it is simply ensuring the tunnel is kept fit for purpose “and that everybody comes in one end and goes out the other and I am not trying to sound flippant, but that is really what we are here for.” n

References Innovative water screen stop sign

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Immersed tube route under the harbour

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Tunnels at the heart of Sydney transport vision – TunnelTalk, October 2012

www.TunnelTalk.com

Paris advancing its

mega metro expansion

www.TunnelTalk.com

Armand van Wijck, TunnelTalk Europe Correspondent The first construction phase will have eight access shafts and 16 underground stations progressing from 22 construction sites. “That equates to one work site at about every 1,500m,” said Baumont.

Total value of civil contracts on the Line 15 South project, linking Pont-deSèvres to Noisy-Champs is €3.7 billion (Fig 2 and Table 1).

By the end of 2017, the first of 10 TBMs to be used on the project will have started excavation. “Between 2019 and 2022 we will be working simultaneously on Line 15 South, Line 16, Line 17 and a part of Line 18,” said Baumont. “During this period we will have 28 TBMs in operation at the same time and more TBMs at the ready. The project will require a large fleet of trucks for the supply of the materials to the construction sites and the removal of muck. “We will end up with more than 43 million tons of excavated material,” adds Baumont. “We are currently performing traffic studies to determine which routes our trucks need to take to minimise congestion.”

More complex are the station interfaces.

Stations on the existing lines must remain fully operational with some of the stations surrounded by a dense urban environment.

Baumont takes the construction of a complicated station in the La Defense district as an example. “There are many roads, buildings and parks here and commercial centres with foundations of up to 40m underground. We will meet these foundations and have to come up with solid preparatory works to prevent issues.”

Perhaps the greatest challenge for the project is posed by the ground conditions. The Rivers Seine and Marne are to be crossed several times and boring underneath the western side of Paris will progress under a hill at the edge of the River Seine. “The ground here is unstable so we are currently trying to find solutions to help us build the stations safely.”

All eight contracts for Line 15 South have been awarded (Table 1) and the project will continue with tendering of three civil construction contracts for the 26km long Line 16, which will include nine underground stations. The designs of the stations for Line 15 South and Line 16 are complete, station design for Line 17 is almost complete, and designs for Line 18 are at the halfway point.

Faced with annual financing needs, which will reach €2 billion per year by 2018, the Supervisory Board of the Société du Grand Paris secured a second €1 billion loan

from the European Investment Bank (EIB).

This adds to the €1 billion loan agreed with the Caisse des Dépots savings fund in July 2015 and a similar contract for another €1 billion with the EIB secured in April 2016.

When fully operational in what is expected to be 2030, the new system should serve the needs of the city for at least another 50 years. In terms of transport, as well as accommodating the future, the project is of a radically different approach than seen in other large metropolitan areas. Decisions were made not only to implement a project of this size, but also to add all new lines simultaneously. “By just adding a line, for example, every 10 years, we cannot cope anymore with the future,” explained Bas Bollinger, Global Leader Rail & Urban Transport at Arcadis.

“We have designed the metro system with a different mindset, opening up connections to such a large area in the central part of Paris that it will stimulate urban development everywhere,” he said. “Some medium densely populated areas have a lot of commuters who now work in downtown Paris. But based on the new orbital network a lot of these suburbs have started their own urban development

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aris has embarked on the largest underground project in the history of France. With about 170km of new underground infrastructure in total, the Grand Paris Express will expand the city’s metro system to one of the largest in the world. The project is of epic scale and will provide a multimetro route solution to serve the rapid growth and increasing urban density of the city.

At the moment Paris has a radial mass transit network with commuters travelling from one suburb to another by taking a time consuming journey through the heart of the city. The new orbital network will connect suburbs to each other and carry passengers between 68 new stations, 51 of them connecting to the existing radial lines (Fig 1).

While the €25.9 billion orbital network will relieve congestion on the existing radial lines, the key driving factor behind the Grand Paris Express is urbanisation. “The suburbs surrounding Paris city centre are densely populated and growing rapidly, with more people needing to travel between suburbs,” explained Vincent Baumont, Deputy Director of the Mission of Project Management Consulting company Arcadis.

In addition, the Société du Grand Paris (SGP) wants also to maximise the benefits for the growing suburbs. “We will develop the property surrounding all new stations into lively neighbourhoods to support local economic growth,” said Baumont.

Construction of the Grand Paris Express started officially with a ground breaking ceremony for the Line 15 South project in June 2016. As one of four new lines with Lines 16, 17 and 18, Line 15 will become the main part of the project, running 75km underground following a loop around the southern edge of Paris and connecting all the closest suburbs.

The 26km-long Line 16 more or less extends Line 15 and gives access to the more remote suburbs in the north-east of Paris. Line 17 will become 28km long and will branch off Line 16 to connect north with the Charles de Gaulle Airport. The 35km-long Line 18 will connect Orly Airport and suburbs to the south-west of Paris with the city centre. In addition to the new lines, which are planned to open in stages between 2022 and 2030, the existing Metro Lines 11 and 14 are to be extended.

Some sections of the new routes will be twin-bore, single-track running tunnels and others will be single-tube, double-track drives. TBMs of up to 10m in diameter will operate at between 30m and 50m below ground surface with the deepest station on the project at 55m.

Table 1. Scope and construction schedule Line

Length

Stations

Year of operation

15

75km

37

2030 (south section 2022)

16

26km

10

2023

17

28km

9

2030

18

35km

11

2030

Fig 1. The four new metro lines and extensions

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Precision CBE segment moulds

Fig 2. Route of Grand Paris Express Metro Line 15 South program with more housing, shopping malls and other facilities that will attract more commercial activity and investment. This all boils down to the centre of Paris eventually multiplying in square meters.”

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Segment mould supply

In the year of its 30th anniversary, French group CBE concluded its 500th project, supplying a carousel and six sets of moulds to the GIE Alliance, contractor for the supply of segments to a Grand Paris Express Metro Line 15 South contract.

The modular carousel has been installed at the construction site on the east side of Paris to serve two bored tunnels of 4.679km and 2.159km long. The carousel is software controlled and will accommodate different moulds for producing segments of different sizes. The carousel has a new fan assisted heating system to conserve energy and a new water spraying system to regulate humidity in the curing chamber.

Other features of the carousel include a reinforced camera system on the transfer gantry, a flying bucket system to distribute concrete from an overhead crane, an automated stacker to simplify stacking between the tilting device and the prestorage phase, and a pre-storage carousel that allows segments to cool progressively

before being stacked outside.

The first project for the CBE Group when it was created 30 years ago in 1987 was to supply segment moulds and the casting production equipment to the French side of the Channel Tunnel project. Since then, and under current CEO Didier Lefebvre, the company has supplied segment casting moulds and precast factory equipment to projects worldwide including the Follo Line railway tunnel project in Norway, metro projects in Lisbon, Budapest, Moscow, Cairo, Sydney, Quito, Mumbai and Shanghai, as well as to the 17.48m diameter TBM double-deck highway tunnel project in Seattle, USA. In 2009, the Group opened a production plant in Yangling, China. In 2010, it bought ACIMEX, a company that specialises in lifting heavy loads using vacuum technology. In 2013, it created APS (Advanced Precast Systems), to diversify its offering in terms of concrete precast moulds.

“The fact that this 500th project takes place in France is highly symbolic of the work accomplished through the years,” said Didier Lefebvre, CBE CEO.

Muck handling

To enable 1,600 tonne of tunnel muck to be removed/hr from the Grand Paris

High angle sandwich belt conveyor Express tunnelling projects, H&E Logistics of Bochum, Germany have commissioned two Dos Santos International (DSI) sandwich belt high angle conveyors. Each conveyor will elevate 800 tonne of muck/hr at a 90° angle.

The conveyors will be reused throughout the life of the project and in future projects.

Each conveyor uses two standard, smooth-surfaced conveyor belts, faceto-face, to gently but firmly contain the product being carried. This makes steep angles possible and offers a spillage free, environmentally sound operation as the material remains secured between the belts. n

Table 1. Contract packages and appointed contractors for Grand Paris Express Metro Line 15 South Package

Scope

Contractor

8 - Jul 2017

Civil works for the Noisy-Champs interchange station

7 - Jun 2017

Construction of two underground stations and a 4km bored tunnel between Isle-deMonsieur and Fort d’Issy-Vanves-Clamart 7.2km of bored tunnel plus construction of the Saint-Maur-Créteil, Champigny Center and Bry-Villiers-Champigny Stations An 8km-long x 8.7m diameter bored tunnel and construction of Châtillon-Montrouge, Bagneux, Arcueil-Cachan, Villejuif Institut Gustave-Roussy and Villejuif Louis-Aragon stations A 6.6km x 8.7m diamter tunnel and a 1.1km x 6.7m diameter tunnel from Villejuif LouisAragon to Créteil I’Échat plus construction four stations and a launch shaft for two TBMs A 4.7km-long bored tunnel between NoisyChamps and Bry-Villiers-Champigny stations plus construction of two TBM access shafts and a 2.2km-long maintenance tunnel Construction to rear of Noisy-Champs Station including a crossover tunnel to allow trains to reverse at the end of Line 15 South and a TBM access shaft for Line 16 The Issy-Vanves-Clamart Fort Station

A joint venture led by Vinci Construction with €156 million Dodin Campenon Bernard, Spie Batignolles TPCI, Botte Fondations and Spie Fondations A consortium led by Bouygues Travaux Publics €513 million with Soletanche Bachy France, Soletanche Bachy Tunnels, Bessac and Sade JV of Eiffage Génie Civil (leader) and Razel-Bec €795 million

6 - Apr 2017

5 - Feb 2017

4 - Feb 2017

3 - Sep 2016

2 - Sep 2016

1 - Mar 2016

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Value

Consortium of Vinci Construction Grands Projets (leader), Spie Batignolles TPCI, Dodin Campenon Bernard, Vinci Construction France, Spie Foundations and Botte Foundations

€926 million

Consortium of Bouygues Travaux Publics (leader), €807 million Soletanche Bachy France, Soletanche Bachy Tunnels, Bessac and Sade JV of Demathieu Bard Construction (leader), NGE Civil Engineering, GTS, Guintoli, Impresa Pizzarotti, Implénia, Franki Foundations Belgium and Atlas Foundations

€363 million

Consortium of Léon Grosse Travaux Publics (leader), Parenge and Dacquin

€51 million

Consortium of Bouygues Travaux Publics (leader), €66 million Soletanche Bachy France, Soletanche Bachy Pieux and Soletanche Bachy Tunnels

www.TunnelTalk.com

CLEVER CONVEYING. DOHA / QATAR

H+E quality in a sporting dimension DOHA / QATAR. On the occasion of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, an urban rail network as one of the world‘s largest infrastructure project is being planned.

It will connect six stadiums in the capital of Doha with another six under construction in nearby cities.

PROJECT DATA / IN TOTAL: n 12 tunnel belt conveyors n Conveying length: 64.5 km n Installed power: 7,250 kW

H+E Logistik GmbH is realising the optimum solution for conveying excavated material along belt conveyor systems with an outstanding overall length of 64.5 km.

All in all, there will be twelve systems in use. To cope with specific geological, hydrological and climatic conditions up to nearly 50 °C it was designed for highest durability and performance.

H+E Logistik GmbH Josef-Baumann-Str. 18 44805 Bochum Germany Tel. +49 (0)234 I 950 23 60 Fax +49 (0)234 I 950 23 89 info@helogistik.de www.helogistik.de

Civil contract awards for UK HS2 Phase I Peter Kenyon, TunnelTalk

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even major civil construction contracts for the first phase of the UK HS2 rail project between London and west of Birmingham were awarded to five joint venture teams in July 2017. Each contract includes significant tunnelling operations (Table 1).

The awards result in significant wins for French groups with large UK involvement and for French JV partners at the cost of Spanish based JVs that completed the largest of the underground civil works for the Crossrail project.

Tarmac, which became Carillion (along with Wimpey Construction, Cubitts and Mitchell Construction), and Sir Robert McAlpine last saw major tunnel construction work on the UK side of the Channel Tunnel project in the late 1980s-early 1990s. They have been involved in civil building projects in the meantime. Re-entering the tunnelling business will require these companies to re-establish tunnelling expertise and teams.

Just days before the HS2 contract award announcement, Carillion reported a borrowing debt for the first half of 2017 of £695 million and subsequently declared bankruptcy. Responsibility has been taken up by its French and UK JV partners Eiffage Genie Civil SA and Kier Infrastructure.

It is anticipated by HS2 Ltd, the delivery partner of the UK Department of Transport, that 10 TBMs will be procured for excavation of the 39km of twin running tunnels on the 240km long Phase I project.

Two 8.25m–8.45m diameter machines will be procured by the SCS JV for excavation of the 7km-long Euston Tunnels between the route’s southern terminus at a redeveloped Euston Station in London, and Old Oak Common Station. The same JV will procure four more TBMs of 9.5m–9.7m diameter for excavation of the 14km-long Northolt Tunnels.

The Align JV will procure two TBMs of 9.5m–9.7m diameter for excavation of the 13.4km tunnel through the Chiltern Hills and the CEK JV will procure one machine of similar diameter for excavation of the 1.5km long Long Itchington Wood Tunnel. A further machine will be required for the 2.8km long tunnel on the spur line approach to the new Birmingham International Station which is yet to be awarded.

Preparatory works ahead of the major civil contracts are under way, with main construction work starting in 2018-19 following a period of detailed design work.

Artist’s impression of new concourse at Euston

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Also, in early 2018, and with contracts worth a combined value of £70 million, Arup and WSP were awarded two stations each of the four new stations on the project. Arup is to design Birmingham Interchange and London Euston Stations and WSP will design Old Oak Common and Birmingham Curzon Street stations. Rival design bids were presented by groups led

by Mott MacDonald, Arcadis and JacobsBuroHappold-Idom Merebrook JV. Arup will partner with Grimshaw Architects for the London Euston design and Wilkinson Eyre Architects for Birmingham Interchange, while WSP is to work with Wilkinson Eyre Architects on Old Oak Common and Grimshaw Architects for Birmingham Curzon Street.

The investments at the stations will attract businesses and housing developments to four of the best connected locations in the UK. At Old Oak Common, the new transport hub will allow passengers to connect to Crossrail for Heathrow and the City of London, and to join services to Wales and the West of England.

At Euston, eleven new platforms, built in two phases, will nearly triple the station’s capacity. The staged approach to building the high speed terminus means existing services can continue to operate, reducing disruption for passengers and the urban area.

The project will also revamp and expand the London Underground station to combine Euston and Euston Square into one station and provide a new ticket hall and provision for a potential connection to Crossrail 2.

The new station and development at Birmingham Curzon Street will connect to Birmingham’s new tram network and to

destinations to the North West, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Newcastle and the North East.

The new Birmingham Interchange station will be built with four platforms close to the National Exhibition Centre and will include a direct link to Birmingham International Station and Birmingham Airport.

Invitations to tender for construction of the two London stations were called in February 2018 and are expected to be awarded in Autumn 2018. Working with HS2 Ltd and the station designers, the construction partners will be responsible also for programme management as well as procuring, integrating and managing the complex supply chains. Procurement of the Birmingham stations is expected to begin early in 2019 with contract award in 2020.

As well as advancing Phase 1 of the project, a Bill is passing through UK Parliament to deliver the next phase of HS2, from the West Midlands to the West Coast Main Line south of Crewe.

Subject to Parliamentary approval, this 50km Phase 2a part of the route could open in 2027, six years earlier than planned, to bring the benefits of HS2 to the north and Scotland sooner.

The final Phase 2b route of the current project, from Crewe to Manchester – which includes a 9km-long twin running tunnel into Manchester and its airport - and from Birmingham to the East Midlands and Leeds, will complete some 550km of HS2 and be in operation by 2033. n

References • •

HS2 begins civil procurement prequalification – TunnelTalk, September 2015 HS2 announces TBM and procurement strategy – TunnelTalk, October 2014

Major bored and cut-and-cover tunnels for HS2 Phase 1 London–Birmingham

Table 1. Award of civil construction contracts for HS2 Phase 1 S1 and S2: Euston Tunnels and Approaches and Northolt Tunnels SCS JV - Skanska Construction UK Ltd, Costain Ltd, Strabag AG C1: Chiltern Tunnels and Colne Valley Viaduct Align JV - Bouygues Travaux Publics, VolkerFitzpatrick, Sir Robert McAlpine C2 and C3: North Portal Chiltern Tunnels to Brackley and Brackley to South Portal of Long Itchington Wood Green Tunnel CEK JV - Carillion Construction Ltd, Eiffage Genie Civil SA, Kier Infrastructure and Overseas Ltd N1 and N2: Long Itchington Wood Green Tunnel to Delta Junction and Birmingham Spur and Delta Junction to WCML Tie-In BBV JV - Balfour Beatty Group Ltd, VINCI Construction Grands Projets, VINCI Construction UK Ltd, VINCI Construction Terrassement Unsuccessful bidders Bechtel Fusion JV - Morgan Sindall, BAM Nuttall, Ferrovial Agroman LFM JV - Laing O’Rourke, FCC Construction, J. Murphy and Sons Momentum JV - Dragados, Hochtief, GallifordTry Infrastructure ASL JV - Acciona, Sisk, Lagan Construction

www.TunnelTalk.com

UK potash mine moves into construction

www.TunnelTalk.com

completed a series of geotechnical investigations across the project which included preliminary geotechnical and hydrological investigations at the mine site, seven deep boreholes along the transport corridor, and a deep inclined hole for fault characterisation.

TBM assembly and excavation of the 37km x 4.3m i.d. transport tunnel is planned to commence in early 2019 as part of Phase II of the construction programme, which includes: • construction of the port facility and processing plant in Redcar; • tunnel fitout, ventilation and conveyor system installation; • construction of the raised conveyor infrastructure between the end of the tunnel and the processing plant.

Site preparations and a programme of mandated road improvements associated with the project began in 2016 Milestone funding for Phase I of the project, which was critical to moving into the construction phase, was finalised late in 2016, and took three forms: • An equity-based funding deal raised US$400 million with a further US$300 million raised in convertible bonds.

• A royalty agreement for US$300 million from Australian billionaire Gina Rinehart of iron ore mining giant Hancock Prospecting with Rinehart taking on US$50 million of new equity. Under the

Peter Kenyon, TunnelTalk terms of the deal Rinehart’s company will invest US$250m for a 5% royalty on all polyhalite sales up to 13mtpa, and 1% on any sales up to the mine’s eventual planned capacity of 20mtpa.

• A group of six banks funding up to US$700 million themselves, leaving a final US$1.9 billion yet to be sourced.

Funding for Phase II construction of the project is yet to be finalised. Sirius announced to investors that it does not expect to issue further equity to raise the US$2.6 billion needed to complete the balance of works and move to production. The group of six banks and financial institutions have signed up as mandated lead arrangers of the senior debt that will be used to finance Phase II construction. The details and terms will not be known until mid-2018, ahead of the money being drawn down from mid-2019.

Sirius Minerals is listed on the London Stock Exchange in the FTSE 250. n

References

• • • • •

Royalty funding deal for UK potash mine – TunnelTalk, October 2016 Financing milestone for Sirius potash project – TunnelTalk, September 2016 UK potash mega-project design changes – TunnelTalk, August 2016 Civils awarded for UK potash mine megaproject – TunnelTalk, June 2016 UK potash mine wins planning consent – TunnelTalk, July 2015

Fig 1. Design of the York Potash Woodsmith Mine development project

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ith US$1.15 billion of Phase I funding in place, construction works to develop the multi-billion York Potash Woodsmith Mine project in the north of England began in March 2017.

Project owner Sirius Minerals, which will excavate a 37km long tunnel to transport the high-grade potash from a new mine head to the processing plant as an essential part of the mine development (Fig 1), now has in place all the necessary finance and permissions to: • sink and line a 1,594m x 6.75m i.d. production shaft with a hoisting capacity of 13.4 million tonne/year, • sink and line a 1,565m x 6.75m i.d. service shaft, • excavate by drill+blast a 360m-deep TBM access shaft and associated launch cavern at the mine head, and • construct the portal structure at the opposite end of the transport tunnel alignment.

AMC UK, the Thyssen/ Redpath JV, is selected to sink the 1,500m deep production and working shafts to the 70m thick polyhalite seam. AMC is continuing with detailed design of the shafts and diaphragm walling rigs mobilised to site in the third quarter of 2017 to commence work.

Preferred tunnelling contractor for the 37km x 4.3m i.d. TBM excavation of the mineral transportation system (MTS) is Hochtief/Murphy JV which began excavation of the 360m deep TBM launch shaft and cavern in Summer 2017, with a scheduled completion by the beginning of 2019.

Final tunnel design by Arup calls for the use of three TBMs, rather than the original five, and excavation of a single intermediate shaft, rather than the three originally envisaged (Fig 1). Permissions are in place for the excavation of two extra ventilation shafts should they be needed if polyhalite production volumes are increased in the future.

A segmental lining installed behind the TBMs as they progress through competent mudstone will extend the design life of the mineral transportation system (MTS) to match the 100 years or more of the expected polyhalite deposit extraction.

Once operational, the Woodsmith Mine will have the capacity, and is permitted, to deliver 13 million tonne per annum (mtpa) of its natural high-grade potash fertiliser polyhalite. A continuous conveyor housed inside the 37km x 4.3m i.d TBM-driven MTS tunnel is designed to haul a 20mtpa capacity of the product to processing and shipping facilities at Redcar on the northeast coast of the UK. Geotechnical and geophysical site investigations for the project are being provided by Fugro. Under two additional contracts, seven deep boreholes were drilled in shaft and tunnel locations to test rock strength to depths in excess of 420m and to carry out an 11 month programme of seismic investigations and wireline logging work to provide a detailed assessment of geological conditions to 500m depth.

Between 2013 and 2016, the company

Geotechnical and geophysical investigations on site

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UK approves tunnel bypass at Stonehenge TunnelTalk reporting

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n September 2017, the UK Government committed to construction of a 2.9km twin-tube road tunnel as part of a 13km upgrade of the A303 east-west route in southern England to protect the World Heritage site of the ancient Stonehenge monument.

In announcing a new preferred route for the estimated £1.6 billion upgrading bypass, Secretary of State for Transport Chris Grayling brought to a close a period of public consultation that the Government was forced to conduct to re-examine a previous route that drew fierce opposition from the general public and UNESCO. The most significant improvements, according to a statement by project owner Highways England, include a change to the route through the western half of the World Heritage site and to the location of the western tunnel portal with both now closer to the line of the existing A303 than they were before the consultation. The preferred route, it states, avoids many important archaeological sites, and avoids the road intruding on the view of the setting sun from Stonehenge during the winter solstice.

Highways England is developing a more detailed proposal of the preferred route for another round of public comment, before the final scheme is submitted to Government for development consent. The next round of consultation is scheduled for early 2018 with start of construction on the new road and its tunnel possible by 2021.

Upgrade of the A303 has been under planning since 1989 (Table 1). Between Amesbury and Berwick Down, the road passes 165m from Stonehenge with some 24,000 vehicles using the stretch of road daily, twice as much as the current bidirectional single carriageway was designed for. The road and traffic can be seen and heard from the Stonehenge monument, is a high accident rate blackspot and creates high levels of air pollution.

Previous efforts to advance the project

Fig 1. Preferred route of the proposed 2.9km twin-tube tunnel; inset: Current view of the current twolane road

Table 1. Stonehenge tunnel timeline (1995-2017) 1995

First concrete proposal recommends a 4km bored tunnel alignment

1996

4km tunnel dropped on cost grounds

1999

Plans for a 2.1km cut-and-cover tunnel opposed by National Trust

2002

Plans for a 2.1km TBM-bored tunnel announced

2002

Balfour Beatty wins a £125 million ECI contract to develop a 12.5km upgrade to A303 including a 2.1km bored tunnel

2004

Public Inquiry passes 2.1km bored tunnel scheme. Cost now estimated at £192 million (2003 prices)

Jul 2005

Spiralling costs force a project review

Jan 2006

Public consultation begins on five options which now costs the tunnel scheme at £510 million

Dec 2007

UK Department of Transport withdraws all orders and cancels the scheme on cost grounds

2013

Feasibility study announced as part of the Autumn Statement

2014

Scheme included in the Roads Investment Strategy

2015-2016

Route identification

Sep 2017

Announcement of preferred route

have been defeated by public opposition and costs. The revised project remains controversial with leading opponents saying that the project needed a “complete

re-think, not a minor tweak.”

n

References

•

UK revives Stonehenge road tunnel proposal – TunnelTalk, November 2014

Excavation complete for Shieldhall sewer Scottish Water News Release

E

xcavation of the 4.9km x 4.7m diameter Shieldhall sewer tunnel in Glasgow concluded in October 2017 with installation of the last 1.5m long ring of segmental lining. The focus for the Costain/ Vinci JV was then on connecting the tunnel to the existing waste water network before it becomes operational in 2018.

The tunnel is a key part of the £250 million, five-year programme by Scottish Water to improve river water quality and the natural environment. The route of the new sewer, from Craigton to Queen’s Park via Bellahouston and Pollok parks, was chosen to maximise the use of parkland and minimise urban disruption during construction.

With an additional storm water storage

Final breakthrough (left) in October 2017 of the segmentally lined tunnel

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capacity of 90,000m3, the project will alleviate pressure on the existing network, reduce the risk of flooding in the area and improve screening of overflows into the River Clyde.

The 4.7m Herrenknecht EPBM excavated at a speed of 2cm/min, completing the drive in 15 months through challenging ground. The cutterhead, dressed with 25 cutters, succeeded in geological conditions that included boulders, clay, hard sandstone, glacial tills and old coal workings.

As it advanced, the TBM passed beneath a main railway line and the M77 motorway.

More than 3,200 x 1.5m long rings of six segments/ring were installed. Cast in gaskets, supplied by VIP Polymers, seal the joints of the steel fibre reinforced segmental lining. n

www.TunnelTalk.com

Tideway supersewer underway Julie Burchell, TunnelTalk

Fig 1. Elevation of the gravity-fed sewer

Fig 2. Main route and connection tunnels Segment production for each contract is also underway. Segments for the 6.5m i.d. West Tunnel are being produced at the Morgan Sindall precast factory at Ridham Dock in Kent. Dramix 4D8060BG steel fibre from Bekaert Maccaferri is in the concrete mix for the fibre reinforced segmental lining.

For Tideway Central, FLO has engaged Pacadar of Madrid, Spain, to cast the 7.2m i.d. lining at a facility at Thamesport Kent on the Isle of Grain. The plant is equipped with 45 moulds supplied by cbe of France to cast the seven segments plus a key in each 350mm thick x 1.8m x 8.5m o.d. x 7.8m i.d. ring of lining.

Segments for the 7.2m i.d. lining rings for the East Contract are being manufactured by Tarmac and Max Bögl at a precast factory at Tallington near Stamford in Lincolnshire.

In addition to the main tunnel, two

connection tunnels will be excavated as part of the West and the East contracts respectively. On the East contract, CostainVinci-Bachy will use a 6.4m diameter Herrenknecht slurry TBM to excavate the 4.5km long x 5.6 m i.d. connection tunnel that will convey flow from Greenwich to a connection with the main trunk sewer at Chambers Wharf in Bermondsey.

On the West contract, the Balfour Beatty-Morgan Sindall-BAM Nuttall JV will deploy a refurbished Lovat EPBM to excavate the 1.1km long x 2.6m i.d.

Frogmore connection tunnel.

The super sewer tunnel is scheduled to take seven years to build and will intercept 34 combined sewer overflows, and connect existing sewer lines to the new tunnel via transfer adits. Flow will be delivered to the Beckton Sewage Treatment Works passing through the completed 6.4km long x 7m i.d. Lee Tunnel between Abbey Mills and Beckton (Fig 2).

The new supersewer infrastructure is being financed and built by Bazalgette Tunnel Limited (BTL), a consortium of investors comprising Allianz, Amber Infrastructure, Dalmore Capital and DIF, which will also maintain and operate the facility once completed. BTL started the project in November 2015 and is expected to bring the facility into operation in 2023. n

References

• •

Preferred bidders selected for Thames Tideway – TunnelTalk, February 2015 Funding secured for 25km London supersewer – TunnelTalk, July 2015

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FM and Herrenknecht are to supply two TBMs each to the Tideway supersewer tunnel project under the River Thames in London. Following the course of the River, the TBMs will excavate the 25km long tunnel from Acton in the west to Kirtling Street in the centre and on to the Abbey Mills pumping station in the east (Fig 1).

Work is underway on the banks of the Thames to excavate a 30m diameter access shaft at Kirtling Street from which the two NFM machines for the Central Contract will progress. FLO, the construction JV of Ferrovial-Laing O’Rourke, procured the two 8.84m diameter NFM EPBMs to complete the 12.7km of the Central contract excavating about 5km to the west and 7.7km to the east.

On the East contract, the CostainVinci-Bachy JV has started excavating an operating and working shaft at Chambers Wharf at Bermondsey. An electrically powered hydrofraise machine is being used for the diaphragm walls. “As well as being more environmentally friendly, the machine is quieter in operation,” said Martin Stanley, Tideway Geotechnical Construction Manager. “This type of hydrofraise machine is thought to be one of the first of its kind and will help us reduce our carbon footprint and minimise disruption to our neighbours.” The machine, developed by the CVB CostainVinci-Bachy JV, started work at the beginning of August. An 8.8m diameter Herrenknecht slurry TBM will launch from the shaft and complete the 5.5km East Contract drive to the Abbey Mills pumping station.

Herrenknecht will also supply an 8m diameter EPBM to the BMB Balfour BeattyMorgan Sindall-BAM Nuttall JV to excavate the 7km drive for the West Contract from Acton to Carnwath Road.

30m diameter shaft at Kirtling Street; Electric driven hydrofraise for Chambers Wharf shaft; Herrenknecht EPBM for the West contract

Technical design for Morecambe Bay cable tunnel

F

ront end engineering for a 22km cable tunnel under Morecambe Bay for the National Grid in the UK was nearing completion by Morgan Sindall Professional Services (MSPS) and its sister business Underground Professional Services (UnPS) prior to issuing an invitation to tender.

The tunnel is part of the North West Coast Connection which plans to connect

and export electricity generated by Moorside, a proposed 3.4GW nuclear power station near Sellafield in west Cumbria. To minimise impact on the Lake District National Park, the power will be transmitted via a cable tunnel below Morecambe Bay seabed, between Barrow in Furness and Heysham.

The tunnel of about 5m diameter will house two 400kW cable circuits. Due to

TunnelTalk reporting

strict ventilation requirements, and to ensure the high voltage cables do not overheat when fully loaded, an islet in the middle of the bay is proposed as a ventilation point and emergency escape. n

References •

Bay crossing preferred for UK cable link – TunnelTalk, September 2014

Tunnel will house electricity cables under Morecambe Bay

www.TunnelTalk.com

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Silvertown Thames crossing procurement TunnelTalk reporting

T

hree consortia from a list of prequalified groups have been shortlisted by Transport for London (TfL) to design, finance, build and maintain the new twintube Silvertown road tunnel under the River Thames to the east of London.

The groups are: • Cintra Global, the toll highway developer of the Ferrovial Group of Spain • Hochtief PPP Solutions of Germany • The Skanska Strabag Swedish-Austrian partnership TBM excavation has been specified for the river crossing as opposed to a bridge or immersed tube structure and a twin bore rather than a single large diameter double deck tunnel is also favoured by the client and its consultants. Construction of the new tunnel could begin in 2019 and open in 2023, subject to final planning approval by UK Secretary of State for Transport. The new highway crossing is required to help ease congestion at the Blackwall road tunnel crossing.

Under the terms of the proposed

contract, the contractors of the winning consortium will be required to deliver a range of measures: • Reduce road use by construction vehicles, with at least 55% of project materials carried via the river; • All construction vehicles will be required to be Euro VI compliant; • Develop a community engagement plan, describing how it will keep the local community informed throughout the works; • Create local apprenticeships, job starts and educational opportunities.

A planning consent decision by the Secretary of State had been expected by Autumn 2017, however it was delayed by six months in November 2017 to provide more time to study concerns over air quality under new rules.

In a statement, the Department of Transport said: “The decision to set a new deadline is without prejudice to the decision on whether to give development consent.”

The Department of Transport said the extra time is needed to study how the scheme could affect air quality, including compliance with the updated UK plan to track roadside

New crossing will relieve chronic congestion on existing Thames crossings nitrogen dioxide concentrations. Details of the new air quality plan were published in July, shortly after receiving the Planning Inspectorate’s report.

The scheme will be privately financed through a design, finance, build, and maintain (DBFM) contract with the successful delivery partner receiving payments from TfL once the tunnel is open and available for use. n

References •

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TBM specified for critical Thames highway crossing – TunnelTalk, January 2016 Silvertown Thames highway crossing shortlist - TunnelTalk, March 2017

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St Petersburg plans new Neva River crossing

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Eugene Gerden for TunnelTalk

Mega aspirations of the Orlovsky tunnel

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lans are being developed for a new highway tunnel under the River Neva in St Petersburg and as an alternative to the earlier proposal for the mega 19m diameter TBM bored Orlovsky tunnel that is now suspended. According to recent press service statements from the St Petersburg Municipal Government, the new tunnel will connect Fayansovaya and Zolnaya streets of the Nevsky District, the only district of St Petersburg to lie on both banks of the Neva and one of the largest and most populous districts of the city (Fig 1).

To date, the tunnel project has been promoted by the Russian JSC KB ViPS design bureau and as part of the future Eastern Speed Diameter (VSD) highway, one of the longest highways in St Petersburg.

The tunnel was one of two options with a bridge option rejected because of the negative effect it would have on the historical appearance of St Petersburg.

The main disadvantage of the tunnel over the bridge, for KB ViPS experts, is its relatively high cost. According to estimates the tunnel will cost RUB 3-4 billion (US$80100 million) more than the bridge. “There is an axiom,” said Alexei Zhurbin, General Director of the Stroiproject Institute, the main developer of the VSD project and one of Russia’s leading organizations in the field of tunnel and bridge-building. “Building a tunnel is always more expensive than a bridge. The tunnel must be built only if building a bridge is absolutely impossible and impractical for ecological, historical, security or other reasons. In this case, we were faced with all these reasons to reject the bridge option.”

Total cost of the project is estimated at RUB 30 billion or about US$500 million with preliminary concepts envisaging either

TunnelTalk ANNUAL REVIEW 2017

Construction of the supersized Orlovsky TBM bored tunnel under the Neva was approved by the Government of St Petersburg in 2008. The project assumed construction of a double-deck, six-lane tunnel of about 1km long, connecting the Piskarevsky Prospect with the Smolny embankment. However in 2011, the new Governor of St Petersburg Georgy Poltavchenko, suspended the project because of its initial high cost estimate of RUB47.7 billion which later increased to RUB 70 billion or about US$1.1 billion.

Fig 1. Route of the future Eastern Speed Diameter (VSD) highway a deep level TBM bored tunnel excavation under the river of about 3km long or an immersed tube crossing of about 850m long.

It is planned that up to 30% of this sum will be funded by the authorities of St Peterburg with the remainder from the Russian Federal Government and private investors. Implementation of the project is reported to be personally controlled by St Petersburg region Vice-Governor Igor Albin who has instructed authorities to perform a technical analysis and feasibility study to calculate its cost.

Vice-Head Alexander Ledyaev of the higher education institution Emperor Alexander I St Petersburg State Transport University which specialises in railway transport, disagrees that building the tunnel will be more costly than building a bridge since the tunnel will be less than the length of a bridge. He said the Kanonersky immersed tube tunnel, under the sea canal in the Kirovsky District of the city, was built successfully in the late 1970s. After its opening, it was decided to build all new water crossings in the city as tunnels, but the collapse of the USSR caused a revision of those plans.

Kirill Ivanov, Director of the Dormost,

a public association that unites Russian tunnel- and bridge-building companies, also predicts good prospects for the building of the new tunnel under the Neva.

According to him, local enterprises have all the necessary technologies for the implementation of such projects. “These are completely understandable technologies.

There is nothing supernatural there,” he said. Ivanov also believes that the tunnel has more pluses than the bridge. n

References

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Mega dimensions of Russian Orlovski Project – TunnelTalk, September 2012

www.TunnelTalk.com

SPAIN: Excavation of the 6.7km long twin tube TBM bored Bolaños Tunnel on the Verínto to Ourense section of the Madrid-

GERMANY: After 25 years of excavation, a double breakthrough for two 10km long main collector tunnels completed the 51km Emscher deep gravity sewer project. The two 3,397mm EPB shields from Herrenknecht broke through into the target pit at Oberhausen-Biefang on June 12, 2017. Construction company Porr used segmental lining for the drives and at 2.6m i.d., the twin tubes are among the smallest segmentally lined tunnels in the world.

breakthrough on the single tube tunnel was achieved by the contractor Osafl, a JV of IAV, Iceland and Marti, Switzerland.

Junction at last for Vadlaheidi

Final double breakthrough for Emscher Since 1992 more than 400km of new sewer tunnels have been constructed on the Emscher project much of the network installed using pipe jacking.

Herrenknecht provided small diameter AVN pipe jacking machines as well as EPB shields for pipe jacking and for segmentally lined tunnels as well as a vertical shaft sinking machine.

The Emscher River passes through a series of cities in the German Ruhr area on its 80km path to the Rhine. Since the beginning of industrialization, the small lowland river was used as an open drainage channel and degenerated into the dirtiest river in Europe. With the renaturation of the stream, sewage and rainwater will be drained away underground and purified in intermediate treatment plants.

Commissioning of the Emscher sewer is planned for the end of 2020. n

Drill+blast tunnelling on the project began from both portals in late 2013 and was expected to finish in late 2015 but geotechnical problems led to major setbacks and delays. In the west the problem was hot groundwater and major inflows, calling for large scale and long term use of grouting. In the east the tunnel roof collapsed at a fault zone and the tube was flooded, stalling work for many months.

The 66m2, 9.5m wide single tube bi-directional toll tunnel is on the main route to the regional town of Akureyri. n

References •

Extensive grouting program in Iceland – TunnelTalk, March 2016

ITALY: A JV of Salini-Impregilo and Astaldi was awarded the Naples-Cancello Lot on the new €6.2 billion Naples-Bari high speed rail project in Italy which is part of the strategic Scandinavia-Mediterranean transport corridor of the European Union Trans-European Network (TEN-T) programme and is supported with significant funding from the EU. The 15.5km long section with a contract value of €397 million includes a 4.2km long

References

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www.TunnelTalk.com

References •

European connectivity masterplans – TunnelTalk, April 2015

UNITED KINGDOM: Pipeline contractor Stockton Drilling completed two lifts of a 28 tonne, 18m-long Herrenknecht AVN1000 microtunneling machine used to install two 48in x 450m long steel landfalls to carry high-velocity cables from the Beatrice Offshore Windfarm project at Portgordon, Scotland.

After each drive, divers attached the 34 tonne capacity, 16.6m-long beam, a Modulift custom lifting beam mounted on a barge,to the TBM so that a 120 tonne capacity crane could lift the TBM from the seabed for return to the harbour.

“Lifting the TBM in one piece from a water depth of 10m was a swift, safe and efficient process,” said Patric Ridge, Business Development Manager at Stockton Drilling.

The TBM took less than 48 hours to complete each 420m drive. Surface alluvial comprising pebbles and cobbles and overlaying bedrock of weathered sandstone prevented the use of more traditional horizontal directional drilling methods.

The Beatrice Offshore Windfarm, of 84 turbines situated in the outer Moray The TBM is lifted from the sea

Emscher project wins a 2016 ITA Award – TunnelTalk, November 2016

ICELAND: Excavation finally finished in April 2017 on the 7.2km long Vadlaheidi road tunnel in Iceland after facing major geological difficulties from the outset. Final

underground section and an underground station at Casalnuovo. The package of works is due to be completed by 2022.

Geology on the tunnel alignment is a combination of alluvial, fluvial and volcanic deposits, with Mount Vesuvius not far from the construction location. Soft rock, limestone, with varying bedding, and some breccias, marls and clays are to be encountered beneath a cover of 30m to 300m. Support will comprise rockbolts, steel ribs and fibre-reinforced shotcrete. n

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Galicia high-speed rail line in Spain was completed in January 2017. The first tunnel took 11.5 months to complete, achieving an average of 19.4m/day, and the second took 9.5 months at an average of 24.32m/day. FCC Construction used a 9.9m Herrenknecht TBM for the project and erected a lining of 370mm thick x 1.6m long precast segments. FCC Construction has built more than 99km of high speed rail in Galicia, including the Bolaños Tunnel and the 8.5km long Vigo-Das Maceiras Tunnel.

Fig 1. Route of the Naples-Cancello Lot

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Firth, is a £2.6 billion private investment in Scottish infrastructure by SSE, Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners and Red Rock Power.

Also in Scotland, two water main pipelines were installed using microtunnelling systems for Scottish Water as part of its £120 million water supply upgrade in Ayrshire and east Renfrewshire.

For the first drive, partner Caledonia Water Alliance chose an Iseki 1500 TBM to excavate a 1.2m diameter x 60m long tunnel below the A77 highway near Kilmarnock. Excavation took five weeks to complete, and involved no closure of roads or disruption to traffic.

For the second drive, a Herrenknecht 1500 TBM was selected to install the 70m long x 1.5m diameter tunnel 4m below the bed of the River Irvine without disturbing the river or the aquatic environment.

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A77 road crossing The construction of the new strategic water main, which is expected to be completed in 2020, will enable Scottish Water to transfer water between Glasgow and Ayrshire, and vice-versa and will create a larger, more robust and connected supply zone.

“At all times during this project, we aim to minimise disruption to road users and the natural environment,” said Sean Lavin, Senior Construction Manager for Scottish Water. n

FRANCE: After seven previous projects in Europe and in Hong Kong, a 3.5m diameter Robbins TBM is undertaking its eighth tunnel drive for a water project in France.

After a modernization and upgrade, the TBM was commissioned and launched in early March 2017 by French contractor Eiffage Civil Engineering for a 2.7km drive for the Galerie des Janots water supply project in La Ciotat, France.

“The machine will work 24 hours a day for almost 10 months to complete this project,” said Marc Dhiersat, Project Director of Galerie des Janots for Eiffage.

The TBM will bore primarily through limestone to excavate the Janots gallery to improve access to water in the Cassis, Roquefort-la-Bédoule, La Ciotat and Ceyreste communities east of the AixMarseille-Provence metropolis. The 2.7km long drive will pass under Le Parc National des Calanques and beneath a cover of between 15m and 180m.

To cope with the risk of being confronted with karst features, the TBM is equipped with a probe drill and equipment to backfill small karst features. “If the feature is large, we will erect a small parallel gallery,” said Loïc Thévenot, Director of Underground Works for Eiffage.

“This project is an investment of €55 million,” said Danielle Milon, Mayor of Cassis 76

TunnelTalk ANNUAL REVIEW 2017

at the TBM launch ceremony in March. “The objective of the new tunnel is to increase the water supply capacity from the current 330 litres/sec, which is insufficient in the summer period, to 440 litres/sec, as well as provide easier access for maintenance compared to the old pipes currently running beneath the invert of a railway tunnel.” n

an option was technically and economically limited in the heterogeneous, non-stable, sandy, sticky clay ground conditions. The Direct Pipe method crossed safely under an ecologically sensitive lake with sufficient power provided by the pipe thruster in the launch shaft to complete the long demanding drive.

“As a combination of HDD and microtunnelling, Direct Pipe overcomes the respective limitations of each,” said Roland Koska, Planning and Monitoring Manager for client GAZ-SYSTEM. “As a result, and to a large extent, there are no longer obstacles to completing pipeline construction quickly, economically and with minimal impact on the local infrastructure and environment.” n

TBM ready for its eighth project

MONTENEGRO: Contractor China Road and Bridge Corporation has appointed COWI as advisor for the main SmokovacUvac-Matesevo section of the 170km BarBoljare highway project in Montenegro. The highway runs north to south from the main sea port to the Serbian border and is part of the trans-European highway programme.

About 60% of the 41km section route is in 16 twin tunnel sections, through complex flysch bedrock, and on bridges across valleys.

For the tunnelling, on site geotechnical engineers from COWI will undertake advanced geological forecasting of rock mass conditions and interpretation of instrumentation and monitoring, to help with designing the primary tunnel lining support.

The highway will play an important role in the development of tourism and driving Montenegro’s economic growth. n

POLAND: With an increased demand for gas in Poland, two new gas pipelines have been installed in 29 days using the Herrenknecht Direct Pipe technology through challenging geology. As an alternative to open trench construction, the pipeline was excavated and the prefabricated pipe installed as a single operation.

The new lines of 700m and 464m long x 1m diameter were installed by contractor PPI Chrobok and using the Direct Pipe system for the first time in Poland.

The gyrocompass navigation system enabled exact steering of the system’s TBM, which was important as the new pipelines were being installed alongside existing gas lines. Crews were able to install the two pipelines in 16 and 13 drilling days.

Horizontal directional drilling (HDD) as

From top: Pipe thruster to end of drive

NORWAY: Design of the 8.5km long Fornebu Line extension of the Oslo Metro to link the Fornebu peninsula to the Norwegian capital is awarded to the JV COWI A/S and Multiconsult ASA. The new metro line will run underground from the transport hub Majorstuen, west to Fornebu, formerly the site of the international airport in Oslo and has now a mixed residential and business district. The project includes six new stations and an underground maintenance centre in Fornebu. The latest National Transport Plan from the government calls for construction of the new line to begin in 2021 and be complete in 2025.

COWI, with Multiconsult represent the largest metro, geotechnical and technical consultants in Scandinavia. n

JORDAN: The eighth largest potash producer in the world, the Jordanian Arab Potash Company, has employed German engineering and exploration company DMT to carry out a geophysical ground survey at the Dead Sea. The data collected will help create a subsurface model for a new planned pumping station to transport water from the Dead Sea to the company’s potash production plant.

DMT Explorer 5 working in the Dead Sea

The survey will be carried out in the Jordanian part of the Sea, in the southeastern area. Depths, reliefs and coastal lines are to be mapped and the geological layers and sediments below the seabed will be explored and characterized.

The survey, including a bathymetric measurement and shallow water seismic investigation in an area of approximately 14km² and a coastal topographic survey, will be carried out over a period of two to three months.

The 70-year-old Arab Potash Company has Jordanian Government granted rights to extract, manufacture and market minerals from the Dead Sea until 2058. n

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Great strides for Stuttgart rail connections

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Fig 1. Rail tunnels in Stuttgart 21 project

Fig 2. Wendlingen-Ulm alignment

First TBM for the Albvorland Tunnel

Filder Tunnel connection cavern after 18 months,” said Classen, “with the southern TBM breaking through at the west portal and the northern TBM breaking into a cavern excavated by drill+blast work that is excavating the contract’s link to the Kleine Wendlinger Kurve rail line on the Stuttgart-Tübingen route and a freight train connection at the west portal of the Albvorland TBM drives.”

The Albvorland Tunnel TBMs join several additional Herrenknecht TBMs and sections of open-face and drill+blast works to complete the underground alignments of the Deutsche Bahn projects.

At 9.5km long, and the longest underground section on the entire project, the S21 Filder Tunnel links the new central station to the airport.

Open-face excavation, particularly

at junction zones, and the operation of a single TBM undertaking multiple drives has completed the twin tubes running about 30m apart and connected every 500m with cross passages. Together with 700m of non-track tunnel works, total excavation on the lot of about 19km. Contractor on the lot is the ATCOST21 JV, comprising Porr, G Hinteregger, Ostu-Stettin, and Swietelsky, with construction supervision

by ILF Consulting Engineers.

The TBM is boring four separate drives either side of a middle geological transition zone that comprises unleached gypsum Keuper containing anhydrite that is susceptible to swelling. With open-face tunnelling excavating the middle zone, the TBM has launched twice on closed mode drives from the southern portal, first in late 2014 and again in early 2016, after recovery from the dead-end drive using a system developed by Herrenknecht. After completing its second drive, the 10.82m diameter multi-mode machine was pulled through the excavated middle zones open face tunnels and launched once again, this time in open mode, for the northern side tunnels towards the main railway station.

Progress on the other key tunnels on S21 by early April 2017 was as follows: • Oberturkheim Tunnel: of a total 12km of tunnelling, approximately 7.6km (63%) had been completed.

• Bad Cannstatt Tunnel: A total of almost 9.1km of tunnelling and just more than 6.1km (67%) was complete.

• Feuerbach Tunnel: Some 6km of tunnelling with 3.73km (62%) complete by early April.

Yet to get underway were the various tunnelling works for the Airport Tunnels, of almost 7km in total, and the Unterturkheim Tunnel at 1.8km long. Tunnel works for a 1.42km S-Bahn alignment was more than half completed.

After completing the east tube of the 6.3km twin TBM Drives of the 8.7km Bossler Tunnel on the Wendlinger-Ulm project, the 11.34m diameter Herrenknecht EPB machine progressed excavation of the parallel tunnel during 2017. Work progressed also on 17 cross passages for a total of 19.15km of excavation for the Bossler lot.

Drill+blast excavation of the 9.8km twin tube Steinbuhl Tunnel and the 12.45km Albabstieg Tunnel was complete.

Construction started in early 2014 and excavation progressed in both tubes simultaneously with faces advancing from access at Dornstadt and an intermediate adit closer to Ulm. The final lining is cast-insitu concrete with a waterproof membrane and 11 cross passages will link the two tubes.

Tunnels in the remaining five lots on the Wendlingen-Ulm project are less than 1km long and were completed by end of 2017. n

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TunnelTalk reporting

Credit: Deutsche Bahn /Arnim Kilgus

ajor milestone progress was reached on the Stuttgart-Ulm rail project in Germany with half the total tunnelling of 120.4km completed by mid2017, and crews and fleets of equipment working across the multiple tunnels of the project joined by two additional TBMs for the Albvorland Tunnel, the last major twin-tube tunnel of the project to start excavation.

The twin tube 8km long Albvorland Tunnel is on the eastern Wendlingen-Ulm part of the multi-billion railway investment scheme. The German division of Swiss contractor Implenia was awarded the €380 million contract in December 2015 and took delivery of two 10.87m diameter Herrenknecht EPBMs for launch from the east portal in late 2017.

The Stuttgart-Ulm project comprises two large projects: Stuttgart 21 (S21) in the heart of the city involving a total 58.8km of tunnelling, and the Wendlingen-Ulm link with 61.6km of underground alignment. Each is financed through separate arrangements.

Key tunnels on the S21 project are the Filder, Oberturkheim, Bad Cannstatt, Feuerbach, and Unterturkheim Tunnels plus the Airport and S-Bahn Tunnels, and smaller tunnels of less than 1km each (Fig 1). With a budget of €6.53 billion the project is funded mostly by DB with contributions also from the European Union, the city’s airport operator, and the Federal, State and City governments.

The Wendlingen-Ulm link will cut travel time between Stuttgart and Ulm by almost half to 28 minutes. The new line is a lynchpin on a priority European rail route to link Paris and Strasbourg, through to Vienna, Bratislava and Budapest. The €3.5 billion project funded mostly by the German Federal Government and EU resources, with about a fifth from the Baden-Wurttemberg State. The key tunnels on the line are the Albvorland, Bossler, Albabstieg, Steinbuhl Tunnels, with additional relatively short tunnels (Fig 2).

By early April 2017, tunnelling on the project had reached the halfway milestone with a total 61.4km, or 51%, of the running tunnels excavated. Of the various tunnels of the Stuttgart S21 project that link rail routes into the main station from different quadrants of the city, by early April a total of 27.3km, or 46.5% had been excavated (Fig 2), while on the Wendlingen-Ulm link, TBM tunnelling on its 8km twin tube commenced at the end of 2017 (Fig 2). Two Herrenknecht EPBMs have been procured by contractor Implenia. One tube will be bored to its full 8km length while the parallel tube will be 7.7km with the balance excavated by open-face drill+blast tunnelling.

The TBMs will launch and operate in closed EPB mode for the first 1.5km of their journeys underneath the A8 highway.

“The remainder of the drives are expected to require open mode only,” explained Jens Classen of Implenia Construction GmbH, “but still using the screw conveyor to extract material from the excavation chamber.” The 9.6m i.d. running tunnels will be segmentally lined with seven segments in each 2m long x 450mm thick lining ring.

“The drives are expected to finish

References

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Dual-mode TBM faces Stuttgart-21 challenge – TunnelTalk, July 2014 Major tunnels and station award on Stuttgart-21 – TunnelTalk, March 2012

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New team takes over GKI challenge Patrick Reynolds and Shani Wallis for TunnelTalk

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Strabag-led JV took on the tunnelling challenge of the 22km long Gemeinschaftskraftwerk Inn (GKI) hydro headrace in Austria after agreed termination in early January 2017 of the previous contract with Hochtief Infrastructure Austria.

The 22km long headrace is being excavated by two 6.53m diameter hard rock double shield Robbins TBMs, erecting a precast concrete segmental lining to a 5.8m i.d. as they progress in opposite directions from the mid-alignment adit.

After launching the TBMs in midOctober 2015 and January 2016, tunnelling on the project by original contractor Hochtief had been experiencing geological problems. Johann Herdina, a Project Director with client partner TIWAG-Tiroler

Two Robbins TBMs are progressing from a mid-point adit

Wasserkraft AG of Austria, explained in February 2017 that the TBM in the southbound heading and ready to resume boring under the takeover contract led by Strabag, while the TBM in the north-bound heading was prepared to restart after becoming stuck in early November 2016. “The southbound heading is the longest drive - about 2km longer than the north bound heading and is on the project’s critical path.”

Construction on the project began in late 2014 with early preparatory works and completion was then anticipated by mid-2018.

The plant is now scheduled to be operational by late 2019/early 2020, said Herdina.

When TunnelTalk visited the project in late 2015, Hochtief reported that the geology comprises mainly hard schist with the possibilities of fault zones and squeezing conditions, under an overburden of up to 1,200m Strabag AG confirmed it would be teaming with Jager Bau and G Hinteregger & Sohne for a contract that is based on the Australian alliance and partnering contract model.

“We adopted the Alliance procurement model for the take over contract as the change was negotiated at short notice and this offered the best terms for restarting the project as soon as possible,” said Herdina.

“GKI became the owner of the two TBMs

for the continuation of the project and has made them available to the new contractor for the remainder of the drives. It is the first use of the Australian Alliance contract concept in Austria,” explained Herdina.

The Hochtief workers on site were taken on by the new contractor and there was no transfer of any business obligations or liabilities as part of the takeover process.

Other specific details of the termination agreement with Hochtief, as the full and final resolution of all issues between the two parties, were mutually agreed as confidential.

In selecting a replacement contractor, Herdina explained that the second and third bidders of the original project contract in 2014 were invited to enter negotiations with the owner for the Alliance-based completion contract.

GKI confirmed in February that Gemeinschaftskraftwerk Inn GmbH (GKI) is a JV of three Austrian power companies led

by TIWAG-Tiroler Wasserkraft AG (76%) with Engadiner Kraftwerke AG (14%) and Verbund (10%).The plant is located on the upper reaches of the River Inn, close to the border with Switzerland, and will generate 414 GWh of electricity annually. n

References

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Robbins double shield TBMs for Austrian headrace – TunnelTalk, Dec 2015

Tough excavation for clean energy in Georgia Robbins News Release

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he Dariali Hydropower Project in the Republic of Georgia is the first carbon neutral hydropower project in the world and was commissioned in April 2017.

Georgia Prime Minister, Giorgi Kvirikashvili attended the commissioning ceremony of the power station developed through a joint venture by Dariali Energy Ltd with Georgia private companies Peri Ltd and Energy LLC, and the state-owned Georgian Energy Development Fund (GEDF).

The plant directs water from the Tergi River through the headrace tunnel to the powerhouse located near the RussianGeorgian border to generate 500 GWh of carbon-neutral energy per year, with 70% of power production occurring during the country’s summer months.

The 5km long headrace tunnel was excavated by a 5.5m diameter Robbins main beam gripper TBM which started work in February 2012. Robbins also has equity

in the project as a consortium partner with contractor Peri. “Robbins understood the risk in the tunneling portion of the project and we were compensated for taking on part of the risk,” said Robbins President Lok Home. “Peri is a long-time customer, as we supplied a TBM to them 15 years ago for a smaller project in Georgia. It was great to be invited to invest and risk share on this project, and to work together again.”

The TBM components were transported from the Peri workshop to the remote, mountainous jobsite at 1,700m altitude, along narrow, winding roads and dirt paths arriving in December 2011 with temperatures reaching -15°C, and -40°C with the wind chill factor.

Once the machine had launched, it encountered difficult ground including slate, sandstone, limestone and malms with fault zones. “There were also two major landslides that delayed the project for more than a year,” said Home.

The first landslide allowed mud and

water to enter the power station via the access tunnel, which required relocation at a higher elevation and facing away from the river valley as part of the recovery. When the machine was nearing the end of its drive, a second landslide blocked the exit portal and access to the main highway. Despite these challenges the machine successfully broke through in October 2014.

Although the plant’s energy production is carbon emission free, the planting of 7,000 trees will absorb enough carbon dioxide to compensate for the emissions produced during its construction.

“Overall there is much to celebrate,” said Home. “Not only does the plant produce affordable electrical power with essentially no pollution, it will continue to provide jobs during its operation and maintenance.” n

References

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Georgian hydro boom fuels underground opportunities – TunnelTalk, March 2016 Driving underground progress in Georgia – TunnelTalk, May 2016

Georgia Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili (left); with (from left) Lok Home and project officials at start up the Dariali hydropower station; Contractor Peri successfully completed the headrace using a Robbins TBM despite major geological challenges

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he Strabag/Salini-Impregilo JV recorded two milestones in 2017 for the drill+blast and TBM excavations for its Tulfes-Pfons Lot at the north end of the Brenner Base Tunnel project under the Alps between Austria and Italy.

The JV completed principal drill+blast excavations near Innsbruck on the TulfesPfons Lot and reached the halfway milestone on the 15km long TBM drive for the exploratory tunnel. By 1 August the JV had excavated a total of 30km of TBM and drill+blast tunnelling since excavations began in mid-2014. The last main milestone for the contract is completion of the Herrenknecht TBM exploratory tunnel drive, which is expected by Spring 2019.

Elsewhere on the project, the Astaldi/ Ghella-led JV progressed on its drill+blast Mules 2-3 Lot, and launched a Herrenknecht TBM in late 2017 on the exploratory tunnel section. The works include nearly 40km of main drill+blast running tunnels, the 15km of TBM exploratory tunnel and about 10km of logistics and safety tunnels.

In Italy, the Salini Impregilo/Strabag/ Collini Lavori/Consorzio Integra has started drill+blast work on the challenging Isarco River underpass contract. Ground freezing is installed to control water ingress under the river and jet grouting is used to stabilise the predominantly soft ground geology along the 5.8km length of the twin tube running tunnels as they approach the junction with existing rail infrastructure.

In the meantime, the project delivery client BBT-SE awarded the final main tunnelling contract for the Pfons-Brenner Lot to the Porr Bau, Hinteregger, Condotte and Itinera JV. Five consortia presented bids for the Lot which involves about 50km

Brenner Baseline milestones of main running tunnel excavation. The four competing bids were submitted by: • Pizzarotti, Implenia Osterreich, Metrostav, BeMo Tunnelling • Acciona Construccion and CMC di Ravenna • Astaldi, Ghella, Oberosler Cav Pietro, PAC • Strabag/Salini-Impregilo.

The 64km long Brenner Baseline will be completed between 2007 and 2026 and calls for approximately 230km of

Patrick Reynolds for TunnelTalk major excavations. The main construction phase started six years ago, in April 2011, and by mid-2017, progress had seen approximately 61km of principle tunnelling completed. n

References • •

Astaldi/Ghella Brenner Baseline contract award confirmed – TunnelTalk, Sep 2016 Complex Isarco River excavations in Italy – TunnelTalk, July 2016

Top: Drill+blast excavation of the main running tunnels; Above: Herrenknecht TBM ready for Mules 2-3 Lot exploratory tunnel drive (left); Access to the Isarco River underpass (right)

Patrick Reynolds for TunnelTalk

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pgrade and rehabilitation of the Belchen road tunnel in Switzerland required TBM excavation of a third tube to expand capacity on the heavily trafficked section of the A2 motorway between Basel and Egerkingen.

Contractor Marti completed the 3.18km long new bore with a 13.97m diameter Herrenknecht TBM in late June 2017, three months ahead of schedule.

The single shield TBM was launched in February 2016, and achieved progress of up to 90m in five days, working one-shift/ day, weekdays only.

Consultants on the project included Emch+Berger, Aegerter & Bosshardt and ILF Beratende Ingenieure.

The Belchen area of the Jura Mountains presented geological challenges, as they did for construction of the existing twin two-lane tunnels on the motorway. The geology consists of tightly compacted folds and thrust faults, and includes a large amount of swelling rock comprising gypsum Keuper marl and opalinus clay.

Increasing rock pressure over time now requires repair in the existing tunnels.

Those works will progress once the new tube is commissioned in 2022. During the works, traffic will use two of the three tubes until all is completed. The current west tunnel will then be reassigned as a central escape and rescue tunnel, linked by new passenger and traffic cross passages.

Budget for the entire upgrade by the Swiss Federal Roads Office is approximately CHF500 million or about US$525 million.

Marti Site Manager Sergio Massignani said that the construction experience of the existing tubes provided comprehensive information for anticipating conditions on the new tunnel and for design of the TBM to cope with the swelling rocks. The new tunnel runs at about 40m to the west of the existing tubes, increasing to 116m apart in one area to ensure sufficient cover, and narrowing to 19m towards the north portal (Fig 1).

At the 2017 Swiss Tunnel Congress (attended by TunnelTalk) the client’s consultants explained that during design of the third tube, both TBM and drill+blast excavation methods were under consideration.

Risk analyses had shown that additional measures would be required for both methods to manage the complex geology, which included 15 expected transition and fault zones. The TBM option

Road upgrade TBM drive

Fig 1. Belchen road tunnel route with the new TBM bore on west left side included facilities to drill boreholes, with or without core recovery, to investigate conditions ahead of the face and installation of glass fibre rock bolts through openings in the shield skin to create a spile canopy or pre-excavation pipe roof umbrella. Special measures were also specified for dealing with any interruption to TBM tunnelling at the transition zones.

Design of the lining behind a TBM or drill+blast excavation operation had to counter the development of swelling ground pressures over time. According to the consultants, there were no recognised and verified approaches for assessing the development of swelling pressures. The design approach therefore was to adopt a force-locking ring closure system, as based on empirical values from earlier works at Belchen and on the experience of other projects in Switzerland including the Adler, Mont-Terri and Chienberg tunnels.

The result was a double lining concept,

which added a secondary steel-rebar reinforced inner lining to either a TBM or drill+blast excavation. For drill+blast excavation, the challenge would be to ensure a primary lining ring closure within a month of excavation in weak zones and before the face had advanced 50m ahead of ring closure. For either excavation method, installation of the reinforcing steel work for the inner lining would have to be completed within four months of excavation and primary lining to obtain secondary ring closure within the specified time limit.

Consequently, planning of the primary and secondary lining activities needed to be decided well in advance. To achieve this, the client implemented an additional payment within the scope of the tender.

Of a total of nine bids received: • two were for both TBM and/or drill+blast solutions; • three for the TBM solution only; • one for the drill+blast solution only; and • three offering contractor variants.

Marti won the contract in mid 2014 for a TBM solution and the Herrenknecht machine, the largest single shield TBM built

by Herrenknecht, was assembled on site in 2015, with a drive power of 3,500kW. With the benefit of the earlier tunnelling works at Belchen, all transition zones were identified and the TBM was not stopped by the fault zones. Only minor difficulties were experienced. Inner lining measures also proved their worth and the existing tunnels were found to have a more positive effect than expected on controlling groundwater.

The TBM completed the drive on 21 June 2017, after 16 months of passing through the complex geology with the phases of the follow-up inner lining progressing at the required stages behind the machine.

Fit-out of the operational and safety equipment in the new tube is planned during 2019-2021 with commissioning of the third bore scheduled for 2022.

A third two-lane tube at Belchen was vital for upgrade of the A2 motorway. The route is on the Germany-Italy axis through Switzerland and currently carries about 55,000 vehicles/day with HGV trucks accounting for about one in 10 of the traffic flow. n

References

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Swiss Congress spotlight on refurbishment and upgrades – TunnelTalk, June 2017

From left: Completed inner lining of the new TBM bored tunnel to increase capacity of the Belchen highway link; Herrenknecht third bored TBM set for launch; Casting the invert section of the secondary reinforced inner lining

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Fehmarn looking at 2020 construction start Villemoes told TunnelTalk that the civil contracts signed in mid-2016 on a conditional basis for 3.5 years were flexible.

Should they not get to start within the validity period, compensation could be in order although “extension options are also available,” said Villemoes.

A total €3.814 billion in civil construction contracts were conditionally awarded in 2016 - pending environmental approval from Germany. The Vinci-led consortia has the immersed tube tunnel and the portals and ramps contracts, and a Boskalis-led group has the dredging and reclamation lot.

Femern A/S said the project has strong support in the EU as a priority project and an agreed EU funding contribution is available in the period ending in 2020.

Procurement for the crossing began in 2012 and the first environmental planning application was submitted to Germany in 2013 for an anticipated construction start by 2015 and the link completed in 2021.

Denmark approved the binational project in 2015 and is leading the funding and delivery process.

The Rambøll-Arup-TEC JV retained its engagement on the project in 2017 by securing the Client Consultancy

TunnelTalk reporting Services contract with the client Femern A/S. A second framework contract for Technical Support Services, was awarded to ÅF-Hansen & Henneberg. The new arrangement replaces but keeps the same overall scope of the previous single consultancy service contract which was held by Rambøll-Arup-TEC JV since 2009.

Under the Client Consultancy Services framework, Rambøll-Arup-TEC JV, supported by sub-consultants WTM Engineers and Schønherr, will provide conventional services, including management of contractor claims.

In the Technical Services framework brief, ÅF-Hansen & Henneberg, supported by sub-consultants ÅF Infrastructure, Atkins Danmark and Obermeyer Planen + Beraten, will second technical staff to the client’s team and perform quality assurance services, as requested. n

References

• • •

Fehmarn contracts awarded – TunnelTalk, June 2016 Fehmarn link approved but initial bids “too high” – TunnelTalk, April 2015 Fehmarn link submits for German approval – TunnelTalk, September 2013

Underground works in Stockholm

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ajor road and rail upgrade projects progressed for the Swedish capital city, Stockholm.

Work progressed on the 21km long E4 Forbifart mega-bypass, which includes 18km of twin tunnel alignment for three lanes in each direction as well as a further 14km of entry and exit ramps and 4km of intermediate access tunnels, for a total excavated length of 54km.

In January, Implenia in joint venture with Norwegian contractor Veidekke took on the Hjulstra Sodra section of the bypass project which includes a 200m long tunnel.

Implenia is already working on the project’s Lunda and Johannelund Tunnels.

The 1.6km long, twin-tube Lunda Tunnel, plus a 240m access tunnel, was awarded in mid-2016. Procurement of the 3.6km twin-tube Johannelund contract, that includes link tunnels, ventilation shafts and 60m long cross passages, was awarded initially to German contractor Bilfinger Berger. Implenia of Switzerland acquired the Swedish construction units when it sold off its construction division in 2015. The acquisition gave Implenia access to the German, Swedish and Norwegian markets.

The two contracts are to be completed

by April and December 2021, respectively.

Other contract awards on the E4 Forbifart bypass include tunnels on lots FSE 302 (Norra Lovo) and FSE308 (Sodra Lovo) to the Italian Vianini/CMC JV in August 2016.

The contracts account for two of the largest twin-tube tunnelling packages on the project at 3.5km and 2.8km, respectively. Contract confirmation followed some months after an appeal by rival bidder NCC was over-ruled.

Strabag was awarded a further road

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TunnelTalk reporting

Fig 1. Construction lots on the E4 bypass

Johannelund Tunnel on the E4 bypass tunnel contract on the Stockholm E4 highway bypass calling for drill+blast construction of twin 1.23km long tunnels. Swedish Transport Authority Trafikverket awarded the €45 million contract to the Strabag Svierge AB division of the Austrian contractor for the tunnelling works on the Akalla section of the project.

Contract award in late November 2017 will see a start of construction in January 2018 and towards a completion date by mid-2021.

The contract is in the same section

of the €3.1 billion project as an earlier contract secured by Strabag in early 2016.

The works, including a 120m long cutand-cover tunnel, have been undertaken

by Zublin Scandinavia AB, a unit of the Strabag Ed Zublin AG subsidiary.

The Akalla section of the project is to be completed in 2021.

The entire project is programmed to open to traffic in 2025.

Refurbishment of two rail tunnels on one of the country’s busiest sections of railway started in mid-2017 by contractor Implenia for the Swedish Transport Authority Trafikverket. The works are part of a four year railway upgrade package valued at SEK885 million (US$98 million) The 600m long Soderstrom Tunnel was completed in 1950 and is a combination of concrete box, rock trench with a precast concrete roof and excavated rock tunnel.

Improvement works will be completed during an eight-week track closure in mid 2018.

The 120m long x 11m wide Riddarholmen Tunnel was completed in 1955 and is an untensioned, reinforced concrete structure with a watertight inner trough. Its upgrade is scheduled over 1.5 years and requires close co-ordination for track replacement.

The works are a complex logistical challenge in the city centre location with a number of parallel works for Implenia and subcontractors in the narrow tunnels. n

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xpected start of construction of the Fehmarn road and rail immersed tube sea link between Denmark and Germany has been pushed back almost two years. The reschedule is part of contingency plans developed to deal with expected prolonged legal resistance in Germany over environmental plans for the strategic transport link.

Femern A/S had hoped to gain environmental approval in Germany for the 17.6km sea link by late 2017 and to start construction by mid-2018. However, despite positive progress in talks with the German authorities, the project developer reported to TunnelTalk that it anticipates any approval could face legal challenges from groups opposing the German end of the scheme.

“Fehmarn expects a two-year court process,” said Jens Villemoes, media spokesman for Femern A/S. “The project is now on track for a 2020 start.”

The contingency schedule is up to two years later than the 2018 start hoped for only a year ago and after earlier delays due to both procurement and environmental planning issues. The latest anticipated delay pushes completion of the scheme to as far out as 2028.

References • •

Stockholm begins mega-bypass procurement – TunnelTalk, September 2015 Implenia completes Bilfinger acquisition – TunnelTalk, 26 March 2015

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Gothenburg transport links Patrick Reynolds for TunnelTalk

process with the intent to attract more tenders that fit the needs and budget.

Trafikverket Project Director Larsson told TunnelTalk that the building boom in western Sweden, which is expected to continue for up to 20 years, presents “challenges”. He had expected up to five shortlisted groups for each package.

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rocurement of two large tunnelling projects in central Gothenburg progressed during 2017.

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West Link railway

In September, a joint venture of Astaldi, Gulermak and Segermo was awarded the contract for the Haga Lot on the Gothenburg West Link rail tunnel project with a bid of SKR 2.3 billion (about US$289 million). The Haga Lot is the central 1,520m long section of the 8km long rail tunnel project below the city centre (Fig 1).

Two rival tenders were received by Swedish transport authority Trafikverket at SKR 3.3 billion (US$ 414 million) from a JV of NCC and Wayss & Freytag and SKR 3.5 billion (US$439 million) by the Hochtief/ Veidekke/Implenia JV. Along with the 10m high x 14.7m wide x 1,520m long twin track tunnel, the Haga Lot includes excavation of a 1,310m parallel service tunnel, an underground station constructed in a 300m long concrete box, and shafts for access and ventilation.

The works are to be structured in two parts – construction-only for the rock excavations and design-build for the box station structure.

Trafikverket selected the AstaldiGulermak-Segermo JV for the contract in June but the second bidder sought a review. The Administrative Court declined the review and upheld award of the contract by Trafikverket to the JV as the lowest bid.

Bo Larsson, Project Manager with Trafikverket, said in a statement following the Court’s decision: “It feels very good that the decision was so clear and came so fast. Now we can proceed with the planning for construction of Haga Station with the contractor.”

In 2017, NCC added to its work on the Gothenburg West Rail Link with contract award of the Korsvagen Lot in joint venture with Wayss & Freytag. The SEK3.8 billion contract with Swedish transport authority Trafikverket is the longest section of the twin track tunnelling packages on the 8km long West Link, which is being built in the heart of Gothenburg (Fig 1). Comprising much of the southern half of the West Link, the contract adds to NCC’s existing contract on the project’s Centralen Lot.

Immersed tube highway

West Link rail project contract lots The tender comprised two elements: a construction-only offer for the tunnels, and a design-build proposal for a station box.

Procurement had the same approach as the Haga Lot on which NCC/Wayss & Freytag JV was runner up to the Astaldi, Gulermak, Segermo JV. “Tenders were evaluated on both their planned implementation and price,” said Project Manager Larsson. There were no appeals lodged against the Korsvagen award and main construction work is to start by mid-2018.

The contract for the Centralen Lot was awarded to NCC with consultant Cowi and Thyrens in 2015 and involves early contractor involvement for construction of a major concrete box construction.

The Olskroken Lot includes a new station by the city’s main terminus and is awarded to the Peab/WSP/Infranord JV. The underground alignments in the north section of the mostly underground West Link, are being built as cut-and-cover concrete box structures.

Trafikverket had also planned to have completed procurement on the Kvarnberget Lot before end of 2017, but the tender is being relaunched as only one bid at more than the set budget was received. Although short, the tunnelling will be in complex soil-rock interfaces near the river and on a bend in the tunnel alignment. Four JVs were shortlisted in September 2017 but three declined to submit a tender. Retendering of the contract is without a prequalification

In mid-2017, the first 100m long immersed tube element for the design-build Marieholm road tunnel in Gothenburg was floated out by Contractor Züblin.

“The launching is an important milestone in the project,” said Trafikverket Project Manager, Stein Kleiven. “We are pleased that so far everything has gone according to plan.”

The three 100m long immersed tube elements are 32m wide x 10m high and form the key part of the 500m long road tunnel below the Gota River.

The first element took seven months to construct and remained floating outside the dry dock until lowered into position towards the end of 2017. The next two elements are expected to take five months each, following the initial learning curve.

“A major challenge was construction of the dry dock in the special ground conditions we have here, with 100m depth of clay,” Kleiven told TunnelTalk. “It feels good to know that the dry dock works as planned, and work now progresses on construction of the remaining elements.”

Construction of the dry dock, which is located in the tunnel alignment, started in mid-2015 and each element is being cast one at a time. Each element is formed of five concrete segments which are tensioned together with cables that are cut after the element is placed in the dredged channel on the sea bed.

Züblin is supported with placement of the elements on the sea bed by Dutch firms Strukton and MH Poly. COWI prepared the tender documents for Trafikverket.

After sinking all elements into position by mid 2018, Trafikverket expects the Marieholm Tunnel to be commissioned by the end of 2020. n

References

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Citybanan starts complex sinking operation – TunnelTalk, May 2013

From left: Float-out of the first of three immersed tube elements of the Marieholm road tunnel from the tunnel alignment dry dock (centre); Project Manager Stein Kleiven at the project site

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Norway subsea highway progress TunnelTalk reporting

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Under sea Ryfylke; Ryfast undersea highway due to open in late 2019 into the city of Stavanger by JV contractor Kruse Smith/Risa, and on the 3.7km long E39 Eiganes tunnel by Implenia/Stangeland that links to the undersea network and comprises a warren of land-based, and relatively shallow, urban tunnels.

The Ryfast scheme includes toll funding and is due to open to traffic in late 2019.

Also in the Stavanger region is the 26.7km long twin-tube Rogfast tunnel scheme below the Bokna fjord which will become the longest undersea road tunnel in the world when completed in 2025-26 (Figs 2 and 3).

In October 2017, NCC Norge offered the lowest of six competing bids for the first tunnel package on the giant project. The tender offer of NOK183.2 million (US$23.1 million) for the E013 Arsvågen Lot was just slightly less than the nearest bid of NOK184.9 million (US$23.3 million) from Marti Tunnelbau.

The other four bids were above NOK200 million and were submitted by: • Leonhard Nilsen & Sønner – NOK213.3

million (US$26.9 million); • Kruse Smith and Nordbø Maskin – NOK219.3 million (US$27.7 million); • AF-gruppen Norge – NOK234 million (US$29.5 million); and, • Implenia Norge/Stangeland Maskin – NOK246.9 million (US$31.2 million).

The E013 Arsvågen contract involves detailed design and drill+blast excavation of 4km of tunnels with cross-sections of 45m2 and 75m2.

Statens Vegvesen also called bids for the second and smallest E011 Mekjarvik tunnel package. The estimated 13-month NOK101.5 million (US$12.8 million) involves drill+blast excavation of a 700m long tunnel.

Statens Vegvesen expects to issue tenders for the three main tunnel contracts for the Kvitsøy, Harestad and Laupland lots of the Rogfst project during 2018. n

References • •

Pre-excavation grouting – a Nordic focus – TunnelTalk, June 2017 Norway prequalification for large Rogfast contracts – TunnelTalk, November 2016

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rill+blast excavation for the Ryfast subsea road tunnel scheme near Stavanger celebrated breakthrough on the first tube of the twin tube 14.3km long Ryfylke tunnel when the 7.5km heading of the north lot Contract E02 from Solbakk by the Marti/IAV JV junctioned with the completed 6.8km heading of the Contract E03 south lot by AF Gruppen (Fig 1).

Work on the project for the national roads authority Statens Vegvesen started in August 2014 and breakthrough on the first tube was achieved at the end of October 2017. Breakthrough on the second tube on the Solbakk lot by Marti and its Icelandic JV partner IAV was achieved in early 2018.

Mucking out from the long drill+blast headings was by continuous conveyor, fed by a rock crusher and at a rate of 300 tonne/hr. As the 62m2 faces have advanced, excavation of the 12m-30m long cross passages at 250m intervals also progressed, as has lining and fit-out activities.

At its deepest point, the tunnel is 290m below sea level making it one of the deepest subsea road tunnels. The twin tubes have a finished profile of 4.6m high x 8.5m wide with wider profile laybys and cavern-like openings to break up monotony in the long tunnel drives.

Over the last 12 months breakthroughs on the Ryfast scheme have taken place on the 5.5km long Hundvåg linking tunnel

From left: Fig 1. Scope of the Ryfast project; Fig 2. Ryfast and Rogfast undersea highways in the Stavanger region; Fig 3. Contracts of the Rogfast project which will become the longest and deepest subsea road tunnel in the world

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Excavation milestones in Bergen

orway’s first TBM rail tunnel bore achieved breakthrough in August 2017 on the New Ulriken project near Bergen. Contractor JV Skanska Norge and Strabag completed the 6.9km rail tunnel for the national rail authority Bane NOR using a 9.33m diameter Herrenknecht hard rock gripper TBM. Bane NOR Project Manager Katrine Erstad told TunnelTalk after the breakthrough that “this has been a great experience for everyone in the project. It is the first railway tunnel in Norway excavated by TBM, and we have gained valuable TBM experience of the Norwegian hard rock. By using an open

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gripper TBM, we also have valuable access to the tunnel wall for geological mapping. By combining our experiences with previous drill+blast projects, we are better prepared for future TBM bored tunnelling projects.”

The new tunnel from Årna to Fløen near Bergen creates a parallel tunnel to the existing half-century old single rail tube and solves a bottleneck on the coastal rail route.

The TBM cutterhead, fitted with 62 x 19in cutters (54 single, 4 double), had a maximum rotation speed of 6.4 rev/min to drive through the banded gneiss rock. For the last part of the drive, some 20in cutters

Patrick Reynolds for TunnelTalk were fitted to assess the performance of the larger discs.

Following launch in early 2016, the TBM bored for approximately 3,850 hours achieving an average penetration rate of 1.8m/hr. According to Erstad, the best day was an advance of almost 38m with a best week of nearly 170m. “Best monthly progress was 671.5m,” said JV Project Manager Torbjørn Bakketun. A total of 9,300 rock bolts provided immediate support behind the TBM. The entire tunnel is almost 7.7km long

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Advancing drill+blast excavation on the Skogafjell highway tunnel with the balance excavated by drill+blast.

Spoil removal from the mostly unlined tunnel is by continuous conveyor. As the TBM advanced, concrete invert elements were placed as the operating track foundation.

The rail upgrade project also involves later refurbishment of the existing and parallel 53-year old tunnel, which will be linked to the new tunnel by 16 cross passages and cross-over tunnels.

Torbjørn Bakketun, Project Manager for the Skanska/Strabag JV, told TunnelTalk: “We have bored 6.9km through hard and complex rock conditions, and we made it. Everybody in our team solved all challenges together.”

Erstad also highlighted future rail tunnel work in the Bergen area that are programmed for the 2020s and as part of the E16/Vossebanen combined road and rail project with the Norwegian roads authority Statens Vegvesen (NPRA). The rail element of the scheme, running inland from Årna along a steep valley, includes two tunnels of about 18.7km and 8km each. “It is a big project,” said Erstad with significant road tunnels also included along

the joint project corridor.

Also in Norway, final breakthrough success was achieved on the first of the major road tunnels for the E39 coastal highway near Bergen. Breakthrough in April 2017 completed the 1.4km long twin tube Skogafjell Tunnel to the south west of Bergen and brought excavation of about 12.5km of the 27.8km of tunnelling on the E39 Svegatjørn-Rådal project to about the halfway mark.

Challenges have included high water ingress on the Skogafjell Tunnel and varied rock and fault zones on the longer Lyshorn Tunnel, explained Lawrence William Nilsson, the client’s geologist for the southern lot of tunnels.

Tunnelling began on the two main South and North tunnelling packages for the Svegatjørn-Rådal E39 improvements in early 2016.

The South (K10) contract involves 23.1km of main drill+blast excavation, comprising the 1.4km twin-tube Skogafjell Tunnel, the 9.2km, twin-tube Lyshorn Tunnel and, two utility tunnels - a 1.7km x 22m2 water tunnel at Hamre and the 300m

In August 2017 the Herrenknecht hard rock TBM completed the Ulriken rail tunnel

long Tverrslag mail access tunnel (Fig 1).

The North lot includes tunnels that link the E39 into Bergen and to the city’s airport.

The key tunnels are the Rå and Sørås Tunnels that include a complex of tunnel crossings and junctions. The package also has a 1.1km long water tunnel, connecting to Nordås lake and includes the portal at the north end of the Lyshorn Tunnel.

South Lot contractor Veidekke began drill+blast excavation on the Skogafjell Tunnel in February 2016 and started the Lyshorn Tunnel in April 2016. Across the major works, Veidekke had up to 11 faces under excavation at once, said Nilsson.

The tunnels have a final lining of cast concrete at the lower walls and shotcrete in the crown. The parallel Skogafjell Tunnel tubes are linked by five cross passages at 250m intervals.

Progress has ranged from 50m/ week/face down to 10m/week, according to Nilsson. Work at some locations has required more grout injection than expected to limit groundwater inflow to 20 litres/min/100m. “In Skogafjell we had up to 400 litres/min/100m, or 20 times as much,” said Nilsson.

The twin tube Lyshorn Tunnel involves a total 18,370m of excavation with several cross passages. The geology beneath a cover of 10m-250m, consists mainly of gneiss, gabbro and amphibolite with quartz-rich sandstone, mica-schist, marble and green slate. The tunnel intersects more than 60 fault zones, five of which are considered major regional faults.

Groundwater inflow is required to be limited to 5 litres/min/100m for long stretches of the Lyshorn twin tunnels, noted Nilsson.

Veidekke started blasting on the Lyshorn Tunnel in April 2016 and is working on six headings, two from the south portal and four from an intermediate adit. Work at the north portal, beside and well below an underground cavern system used for quarrying and waste disposal, is part of the North lot contract by Implenia Norway. n

References

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TBM tunnelling begins on Norway’s Follo Line – TunnelTalk, September 2016 Historic TBM breakthrough in Norway – TunnelTalk,December 2015 Hard rock challenge for Norway’s largest TBM – TunnelTalk, October 2016 Norway talks TBMs in countdown to WTC 2017 – TunnelTalk, June 2016

Project leaders: Torbjørn Bakketun, Skanska/Strabag JV (left) and Katrine Erstad, Bane Nor (right)

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etro accounts for the highest demand for TBMs underground construction in Turkey with the most intensive programme for metro development in Istanbul where up to 20 or more TBMs will be operating in the city during 2018.

Five new metro lines are currently under construction in Istanbul, Turkey and when completed in 2019, these new lines will increase the city’s current 145km metro network to more than 480km. Construction of the underground sections of these metro lines is fueling a high demand in Istanbul for metro TBMs. As well as three current metro line extensions being carried out by the Istanbul Municipality Directorate of Rail System Projects, Istanbul is building a metro link of 38km of twin running tunnels to the new international airport to the north of the city.

Developed by the appointed GYH (KalyonKolin-Cengiz) design-build construction consortium, the new line will require 10 TBMs. The Istanbul Metro and urban transportation system today comprises more than 230km in operation and there is an additional 30km to 40km of metro tunnelling under construction. In 2017 alone there is a demand for more than 20 TBMs for metro extension works on the European and Asian side of the trans-continental city.

Of the many TBM suppliers working in Istanbul, Chinese TBM manufacturer Lovsuns, with a sales and service base in Toronto, Canada, continues its established relationship with the tunnelling industry in Turkey, confirming an order for eight new EPBMs for the Istanbul Metro extensions.

Following on from two successful previous metro projects, the orders for the new machines come from the AlarkoCengiz and the Makyol/Ictas/Kalyon/ Astor JVs for their contracts on the new Kaynarca-Pendik-Tuzla Line and the Kirazli-Halkali Line respectively (Fig 1).

On the Asian side of Istanbul, the Kaynarca-Pendik-Tuzla Line comprises 19.78km of twin tube tunnels for the extension of Line M4 and connection of the M4 Kaynarca Station with the Tuzla Station of the B2 Line. The Alarko-Cengiz JV will operate two TBMs for twin 3.2km long tunnels from the C cross section to Kaynarca Station and another two machines for twin

Istanbul Metro extensions Fig 1. Istanbul Metro network

drives of 3.3km from the C cross section to Tuzla Station. Two further twin TBM drives of 3.39km will run from the Pendik Station to the Hastane Station. An additional refurbished Lovsuns TBM is on reserve pending a confirmed order for its services.

Ground conditions for the majority of the drives is mixed geology with soft to hard and abrasive rock formations of quarzite, limestone, sandstone, mudstone, as well as short sections of alluvium.

On the European side of Istanbul, the 13.2km long Kirazli-Halkali Line of twin running tunnels will connect Metro Line M3 (M1A) with Halkali Station and M1B with Kirazli Bagcilar Station, crossing the M9 Metro Line at Mimar Sinan Station (Fig 1).

The Makyol/Ictas/Kalyon/Astor JV will drive two 2.7km TBM tunnels from the Mimar Sinan to Kirazli Bagcilar Station and another two 3.9km long TBM drives from the planned Fatih Station to the Yarimburgaz Station.

Mixed ground conditions of generally soft rock, mudstone, sandstone, marn, alluvium and filled material are expected.

Both JVs have ordered their TBMs each fitted with a mixed face cutterhead, a 1,200kW main drive power, high power installation and torque, and fitted with wear protection on the cuttinghead and in the screw conveyor, which is designed for high screw conveyor output.

Lovsuns, as a wholly owned subsidiary of Liaoning Censcience Industry (LNSS) of China in November 2014 with the order for a 3.9m diameter EPBM for two wastewater tunnels in Istanbul. This was followed by further TBM orders for several drives of the new Metro Line extensions.

From left: Lovsuns TBM for Istanbul; Terratec TBM ready for work in Istanbul

Also with an established presence in Turkey is Terratec, which added to a current three machines working on Istanbul Metro expansion, an order to supply four new 6.56m diameter EPBMs for the Ümraniye-Atasehir-Göztepe Metro Line.

The order is placed by Turkish tunnelling JV of Gulermak/Nurol & Makyol. The order will see a total of seven Terratec EPBMs working simultaneously on the Istanbul Metro by the middle of 2018.

The order follows successful performance of a Terratec EPBM delivered two years ago to the Gulermak, Kolin & Kalyon JV for the Mahmutbey-Mecidiyekoy Metro Line and progress of two 6.56m diameter EPBMs purchased in 2017 by the Senbay Madencilik-Kolin-Kalyon JV for the Dudullu-Bostancı Metro Line project (Fig 1).

The new TBMs will be used by the Gulermak, Nurol & Makyol JV on the €600 million Ümraniye-Atasehir-Göztepe Metro contract awarded in April. The 13km-long line and its 11 new stations and NATMbuilt connections, will form a second north to south rail corridor under the denselypopulated Anatolian side of the city and will be located entirely underground at an average depth of about 30m.

The Terratec machines in Istanbul have versatile mixed-face cutterheads with an opening ratio of about 35%. The configuration has proven to work effectively in the mixed geology of Istanbul, which includes lowstrength sandstones, siltstones, limestones and shales. The machines also feature VFD electric cutterhead drive, cutterheads that can be fitted with either soft ground cutting tools or 17in disc cutters, high torque screw conveyors and active articulation systems.

“We are expecting great things from the TBMs,” said Ufuk Yapıcı, Project Manager for the Gülermak/Nurol & Makyol JV. “We view Terratec as a solution provider in addition to an equipment supplier.” n

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References • • •

www.TunnelTalk.com

Terratec meets rising TBM demand – TunnelTalk, February 2017 Canadian base for Chinese TBM expansion – TunnelTalk, April 2017 Lovsuns TBM breaks through in Istanbul – TunnelTalk, November 2016

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Mexico City XRE TBM finishes on a high note

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“The benefits are exceptional thrust power and variable cutterhead torque,” said Alberto Martinez, head of the tunneling department for Recsa. “This makes the process much easier should the machine become stuck in difficult ground.”

The XRE machine was launched in August 2015 to excavate the 5.8km wastewater tunnel and began in a hard rock configuration, mounted with 20in diameter disc cutters. Early in 2016 the TBM hit a 30m wide fault of fractured and blocky rock, the first of several contact zones on the alignment. While the excavation through the contact zone was slow going, progress picked up again in the more competent andesite rock to achieve breakthrough into an intermediate 80m deep shaft in March 2016. Following inspection and maintenance, it continued on its journey.

While boring in fractured andesite rock in Autumn 2016, the TBM encountered a naturally occurring cavern estimated at 90m3, including about 57m3 of unstable floor area. The TBM was stopped and immediate measures were taken to stabilize the ground in front with polyurethane foam before filling the cavern with pea gravel and grout.

Robbins News Release By the end of October 2016, the machine was converted to EPB mode for the final 900m section. In this final reach of low cover, the distance from the top of the tunnel to residential home foundations was as low as 4m, less than half a tunnel diameter. To stabilize the soils and minimize the risk of settlement, 890 micro-piles were installed from the surface at 1m intervals.

“We were able to do this without causing damage to urban property or the roads,” explained Ing Francisco Miguel Lopez, project Jobsite Manager for Aldesa.

With TBM excavation completed, the tunnel is being finished with a secondary cast concrete lining of 35cm thick. The wastewater tunnel will overhaul the current system in western areas of Mexico City and serve to prevent recurrent flooding in the cities of Valle Dorado which together total 2.1 million inhabitants. n

References • •

Mexico City manages mega drainage projects – TunnelTalk, May 2013 Success for first North American Crossover TBM – TunnelTalk, May 2016

Photo courtesy Conagua

THE AMERICAS

he President of Mexico, Enrique Peña Nieto, joined project officials in July 2017 to celebrate final breakthrough of the 8.7m diameter Robbins Crossover TBM for the Túnel Emisor Poniente (TEP) II project.

The XRE TBM, (crossover (X) between rock (R) and EPB (E)), navigated fault zones, variable ground, low cover and more, to achieve a national record of 57m (187ft) in one day, a maximum of 231m (758ft) in one week and 702m (2,303ft) in one month.

“The XRE has a major advantage as it is designed to work in open and/or closed mode, allowing it to excavate the tunnel either in soil or in rock,” said Ing Juan Alberto Herrera Moro y Castillo, Section Chief of the TEP II project for owner the National Water Commission Conagua.

The TBM and its Robbins continuous conveyor mucking system were built on location using onsite first time assembly (OFTA) for the Aldesem/Proacon/Recsa consortium. The machine featured a convertible cutterhead with interchangeable cutting tools, interchangeable TBM belt conveyor and screw conveyor, and multispeed gearboxes to increase torque through difficult ground.

Robbins XRE TBM breakthrough; Inset right: President Enrique Peña Nieto of Mexico joined final breakthrough celebrations

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TBM overcomes challenges in the Andes

Robbins 4.56m double shield TBM completed the 900m long access tunnel for the Los Condores hydroelectric power plant in Chile and began boring the first section of the headrace. The machine started its journey in May 2016, and

by January 2017 had excavated more than 1,300m. The machine is designed to be suited to the high cover and hard rock conditions and features efficient segment unloaders to minimise downtime during tunnelling.

The launch of the machine overcame logistical challenges including the remote jobsite. “The location of the project at 2,500m above sea level is a major constraint due to the rugged terrain and the geology of the overburden 500m high in the Andes,” said Pello Idigoras, Tunnel Production Manager for contractor

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Ferrovial Agroman, “but we are anxious to perform work in an efficient manner.”

The Los Condores project is a new 150MW hydro power plant with a 12km intake through the mountainous Maule region of Chile. As the TBM advances through sedimentary and volcanic rocks, the double shield is erecting rings of 250mm Robbins TBM ready for Andean challenge

TunnelTalk reporting thick x 1.2m long concrete segments in a four segment plus key arrangement. The Robbins TBM is excavating at rates of up to 25 rings/day, working two 10-hour shifts/ day with one four hour shift for maintenance.

Challenging conditions have included water inflows of up to 3,500litre/min which have been controlled with cementitious and polyurethane chemical grouting.

After boring the two sections of the intake tunnel, at 6km and 4.4km each, drill+blast will be used to connect the two headings and complete the 12km long intake. n

References

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Robbins double shield TBMs for Austrian headrace – TunnelTalk, December 2015

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California WaterFix

THE AMERICAS

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he multi-billion dollar water delivery project in Northern California, that is based on the excavation of more than 73 miles (117km) of large diameter TBMbored segmentally-lined tunneling beneath the delta area of the San Francisco Bay, cleared major phases of its development and implementation during 2017.

In July, California Governor Jerry Brown approved for the project a California Environmental Quality Act application and signed legislation granting the project a Notice of Determination. This completes the State’s environmental process for the program and, while there may be need for a subsequent Record of Decision from the US Federal Government and a process to meet Federal environmental impact requirements, the Notice of Determination from the State Government permitted the project to move from the planning phase into the implementation phase.

In October 2017, and as one of its most significant water security decisions, the Board of Directors of the Metropolitan Water District (MWD) of Southern California voted to approve its $4.3 billion 26% share of financing for the estimated $17 billion project.

At its October meeting, the MWD Board officially endorsed the State-Federal project and agreed to move forward to finalize the project’s governance structures; participate in an adaptive management program; and join separate joint-power authorities to oversee construction and finance of the mega project.

Achievement of these milestones ends a long and complex journey for the project that started decades ago to modernise the State’s water system and help to improve supply reliability for the Southland.

About 30% of the water that flows out of taps in Southern California comes from Northern California via the current delivery system of canals and water courses. Of particular concern is the 1,100-mile levee system in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta of the San Francisco Bay that is increasingly vulnerable to earthquakes, flooding, saltwater intrusion, climate

Fig 1. Principal elements of the project change and environmental degradation.

The California WaterFix project comprises more than 13.5 miles (22km) of intake tunnels from three new intake structures on the Sacramento River and more than 30 miles (48km) of twin delivery tunnels to underpass the delta levee system and deliver water by gravity to a new pumping station at the Clifton Court Forebay where supply will be lifted into the existing system of delivery canals to Southern California (Fig 1).

MWD is the principal beneficiary and promoter of the project. It is the supplier of potable water to its local water authority companies in Southern California who provide fresh water to individual customers, clients and ratepayers in their service areas. These areas include the mega population conurbations of Los Angeles and San Diego. The State’s Department of Water Resources is also a stakeholder in the project to protect the interests of the State as a whole.

The cost of the proposed new infrastructure, as extrapolated from a cost study in 2014 to 2017 prices, is estimated at $17 billion. This multi-billion investment is spread over a projected 16-year

Fig 2. Construction timeline of the mega-project across a 16-18 year period

Shani Wallis, TunnelTalk implementation period from an approval date (Fig 2).

In January 2018, the mega conveyance project entered its procurement phase with the first requests for qualifications to bid for contracts on the project released to the industry and more to follow during early 2018.

After holding an industry outreach day in early December 2017, the project’s executive division released requests for qualification to supply the first major contracts for Engineering Design Manager Services; Survey, Mapping, Right of Way Engineering/Title Services; and Geotechnical Engineering Services.

In late January, requests for qualification were released for the next two service contracts for Real Estate Services and Executive Director Services.

Firms preparing statements of qualification for the Engineering Design Manager Services will be bidding to provide expert technical advice and consultation to assist implementation of the project during the design phase.

The geotechnical engineering contractor will provide expert technical advice and consultation, subsurface exploration, laboratory testing of soil and water samples, and prepare the Geotechnical Data Reports for the project.

Construction is anticipated to begin at the end of 2020 once all required permits are in place. The full project is programmed to be in service at the start of 2035, after 13 years in construction.

The project has passed through many planning variations and reviews to reduce the environmental impact, reduce costs and control the risks associated with implementation of the civil works.

The project has also attracted significant public attention. It is a contentious issue for the residents of northern California and also for environmentalists who promote alternative options for meeting water needs in southern California including water conservation and more efficient use of gray water. It has also attracted organized opposition from farmers in the central valley region who rely heavily on existing water supplies to sustain their commercial crops and livelihoods.

In announcing its official endorsement of the project, Randy Record, MWD Board Chairman, said: “Every generation of Southern Californians has to reinvest in our water system to ensure a reliable water future. We simply must modernize and improve the reliability of our imported supplies as well as meet the needs of growth by developing more local supplies and extending conservation.” n

References • • • •

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VIDEO: California Bay Delta tunnel project – TunnelCast, November 2015 Changes to reduce mega Delta project impact – TunnelTalk, August 2013 Governor supports mega water tunnels project – TunnelTalk, July 2012 Mega water tunnel plan for California – TunnelTalk, February 2010

www.TunnelTalk.com

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TBM accepted for Delaware challenge

Robbins TBM designed specifically for the Hudson River bypass crossing of the Delaware Aqueduct in New York completed factory testing ahead of meeting the demands of the tunnel drive.

The single shield TBM will bore a bypass tunnel to replace a 3.8km stretch of the Delaware Aqueduct which runs below the Hudson River and currently leaks about 75 million litres (20 million gallons) of water/ day. The 137km (85 mile) long aqueduct delivers about 50% of the drinking water for New York city each day and is the longest continuous tunnel in the world.

The machine is designed to be sealed against up to 30 bar static water pressure and has a 9,500 litre/min (2,500 gallon/min) pumping capacity.

Representatives of the project owner, the New York Department of Environmental Protection (NYDEP), the consultant McMillen Jacobs, and the JV contractor Kiewit-Shea Constructors (KSC) witnessed the factory acceptance testing of the custom TBM at the Robbins fabrication facility in Solon, Ohio, ahead of dispatch to site for a launch in late 2017.

The existing Delaware Aqueduct was completed in 1944 and construction crews working on the under river section documented groundwater inflows of 7.5 million to 15 million litres/day (2 to 4 million gallons/day) into the tunnel heading at 183m (600ft) below the Hudson River. Considerable water inflows combined with difficult geology requires that the new Robbins 6.8m (21.6ft) diameter single shield TBM for the

replacement bypass tunnel be designed to safely seal against pressures of up to 30 bar, and operate in variable hard rock conditions.

Key design features of the new TBM include powerful drilling, grouting, and water inflow control systems.

“One particular feature of this TBM is the closeable bulkhead, which allows the excavation chamber to be sealed off,” said Niels Kofoed, Tunnel Manager for the Kiewit/Shea JV. “We expect this to be a key feature in the event that groundwater flows and potential washout of the annulus grout behind the segmental lining. Once the bulkhead is closed, the groundwater flows are stopped and secondary grouting of the precast liner can be performed, effectively cutting off the flow path of the shunt flows.”

Robbins project manager Martino Scialpi noted that, “the TBM was designed with a 9,500 litre/min (2,500 gallon/min) dewatering capacity. The machine is equipped with two drills in the shields for drilling through the cutterhead in 16 different positions and a third drill on the erector to drill through the

Desiree Willis, The Robbins Company shield in an additional 14 positions. Drilling and pre-excavation grouting will be a routine job to control and minimize water inflows.” In addition, water-powered, high pressure downthe-hole-hammers will allow for drilling 60m to 100m probe holes ahead of the machine at pressures up to 20 bar if necessary.

To launch and retrieve the TBM and its trailing equipment, two deep shafts were constructed either side of the Hudson River in the towns of Newburgh and Wappinger.

Limited space available at these launch and reception working shafts pose challenges in themselves.

Robbins worked closely with KSC to ensure that TBM components were designed and sized so that all could be lifted and lowered into the narrow 270m (885ft) deep launch shaft. n

References

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Extreme challenge for Rondout bypass TBM – TunnelTalk, April 2016

Niels Kofoed and Danny Smith of the KSC JV at the factory acceptance test

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MISSOURI, USA: A Lovsuns 3.3m diameter

THE AMERICAS

double shield rock TBM manufactured in China is to be delivered by early 2018 to Super Excavators to excavate the tunnel for the US$27 million Blacksnake Creek Stormwater Separation Improvement project in St Joseph, Missouri.

The TBM was designed and engineered by the Lovsuns team in Toronto, Canada, and built by parent company Liaoning Censcience Industry (LNSS) at its Liaoyang facilities in China. The TBM, with a main drive power cutterhead with 300KW electric water-cooled motors, can operate in double shield mode with a primary conveyor belt and be converted to operate in an EPB environment under pressure up to 4 bar.

“This is a huge step for LNSS and Lovsuns in achieving our target to deliver high-quality tunnelling machines to the North American market,” said Hongyu Xue, General Manager of Lovsuns in Toronto.

The Blacksnake Creek project will intercept and convey flows from the creek away from the combined sewer system via a new tunnel. The project comprises a 2.32km long x 2.3m i.d. segmentally lined tunnel and five shafts including the launch and reception shafts.

Construction is expected to be complete by end 2019. n

References

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Lovsuns TBM breaks through in Istanbul – TunnelTalk, November 2016

From left: Walter Trisi of CRS/Super Excavators; Hongyu Xue, General Manager of Lovsuns Tunneling Canada; Pete Schraufnagel, Jeff Weakly and Mike Garbeth of Super Excavators; Sanjay Birbal of Lovsuns

Hudson Rail Tunnel alignment; Cracks and delaminated concrete damage in Hudson Tunnel cost of US$133 million and funded by the Federal Department of Transportation via its Superstorm Sandy Relief Fund. The structure is located at the Hudson Yards facility in the heart of Manhattan in order to preserve the right of way for two new rail tunnels under the Hudson and into Penn Station. The structure protects the rail route through the site of a multi-billion office and retail development currently under construction at the Hudson Yards location.

Preparation of an environmental impact statement for the running tunnels that will emerge out of the concrete casing structure is expected to be completed in March next year (2018), and a preferred alignment has been selected (Fig 4).

The current schedule and preliminary budget, anticipates the project will enter engineering design in the second quarter of 2018, and a start of the procurement phase in Spring 2019. n

References •

NEW YORK, USA: The multi-billion Hudson Tunnel Project has been broken out of the wider $13.7 billion Northeast Corridor Gateway Program (once known as the ARC Project) that is designed to increase rail capacity for both Amtrak and New Jersey Transit trains to and through New York City and Manhattan Island.

Procurement of the project’s new rail tunnels under the river from New Jersey to Manhattan has been fast-tracked to allow repairs to the existing rail tunnel connection under the Hudson.

Inundation of the existing rail tunnel during Superstorm Sandy in 2012 caused extensive long-term damage that now requires its urgent rehabilitation. Some 450 trains pass through the existing 106-yearold tunnel each day, and full repairs can only be carried out once new TBM-driven tunnels have been constructed.

To that end an 800ft x 50ft wide x 35ft tall concrete casing or box tunnel, has been constructed by Tutor Perini at a contract

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Post Sandy pump-out under way in New York – TunnelTalk, November 2012

ARGENTINA-CHILE: After being long on the drawing board, the proposed 13.9km Agua Negra road tunnel project between Argentina and Chile in South America has enjoyed a succession of steps forward during 2017.

The Inter-American Development Bank (IADB) agreed a US$40 million loan package to support start of the procurement progress for the almost US$1.6 billion bi-national project, which will create an all-year, allweather and quicker route through the Andes Mountains. The existing mountain road over the Agua Negra Pass is closed for several months during each winter.

The development bank has agreed to back the full cost of the Agua Negra Tunnel through a series of loans. Following agreements reached in early 2016, the IADB approved initial loans to help finalise upfront planning and get procurement underway. The first debt package is structured as a pair of loans, each US$20 million, issued to the two countries.

Applications to prequalify for the design and construction works are to be called with construction to be scheduled without delay.

The Agua Negra road is a strategic transport link between the Pacific coast,

at Coquimbo in Chile, and the Atlantic, via Porto Alegre in Brazil.

At present, the heavily trucked highway over the Agua Negra Pass winds up the mountains to an elevation of more than 4,700m and is one of the highest border crossings in the world.

The new Agua Negra Tunnel project calls for a 13.9km long twin tube tunnel system linked by cross passages every 250m, and emergency inter-connections for vehicles every 1,550m (Fig 1).

The tunnel portals are at 3,620m and 4,085m above sea level and the twin tube rises at a 3.37% grade from the Chilean portal and has a majority of its length (72%) in Argentinian territory. The project also includes two major ventilation structures - a 500m deep ventilation shaft and a 4.5km long ventilation emergency access tunnel. Expected drill+blast excavation and construction of the twin tube tunnel, is anticipated to take up to nine years.

Swiss engineering consultant Lombardi has been working on the initial planning for the project since late 2012. It has been providing engineering services to cover preliminary studies, initial civil engineering and M&E designs. n

References

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Andes link a priority for Chile-ArgentinaBrazil – TunnelTalk, Dec 2011

ARGENTINA: Preparatory work has started on a water tunnel to clean up the Matanza-Riachuelo Basin in Buenos Aires, one of the most polluted rivers in the world.

The US$450 million tunnel system, to be built by Salini Impregilo, is part of a $1.2 billion public works undertaking, one of the biggest ever by the Argentine government.

At 12km, the tunnel will be excavated 40m below the riverbed by a double shield TBM and lined with reinforced concrete segments. The last 1.5km of its length will be equipped with a series of risers to discharge the effluent from two treatment plants. With a diameter ranging between 1.7m to 3.8m i.d. the tunnel will operate at a flow rate of 27m3/sec.

“This is a great day,” said Argentine President Maurcio Macri as he presided over the lowering of the TBM components into the launch shaft. This is one of the most important projects being financed by the World Bank today.”

The Matanza-Riachuelo Basin is home to 23% of the residents of metropolitan Buenos Aires and 9.16% of the total population of Argentina. Work is expected to finish by 2021. n

References

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Countdown for Argentina’s longest TBM drive – TunnelTalk, July 2012

President Mauricio Macri at the job site

www.TunnelTalk.com

DC Water awards Northeast Boundary Tunnel

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he last and largest contract in the current DC Water Clean Rivers programme for the 27,000ft (8km) long Northeast Boundary Tunnel project was awarded to the Salini Impregilo/SA Healy JV for a contract value of US$580 million. The JV comprises the tunneling division SA Healy of The Lane Construction Corporation (70%) and the Italian parent company Salini Impregilo (30%).

The Northeast Boundary Tunnel (NEBT), Project J, is the second contract in the DC Water Clean Rivers program for the Salini Impregilo/ SA Healy following award of the Anacostia River Tunnel contract to the JV and design engineer partner Parsons in mid 2015. That contract celebrated successful breakthrough of the 3.8km x 7m i.d. TBM tunnel in November 2016.

Members of the Salini Impregilo/ SA Healy team confirmed to TunnelTalk that it is in talks with Herrenknecht to rebuild the Herrenknecht 8m diameter Anacostia River project EPBM to complete the 8km long x 7m i.d. NEBTunnel. Following on from the Anacostia project, Shane Yanagisawa is appointed Project Manager for the new contract and tunneling is due to begin in January 2019 and the project is programmed for completion in 2023.

The JV won the contract from three shortlisted rivals with the best technical score and the lowest bid price at $580 million. Rival bids to a highest bid price of $688 million, were submitted by Kenny/ Obayashi JV, Kiewit-Shea Constructors JV, and the Traylor/Skanska/Jay Dee JV which

Shani Wallis, TunnelTalk

Fig 1. Clean Rivers Programme contracts completed the program’s Project A Blue Plains Tunnel in 2015.

The 27,000ft (8km) NEBTunnel Project J will run north from the northern end of the Project H Anacostia River Tunnel to the Rhode Island Avenue NW and 6th Street NW intersection, connecting on the way to the south end of the completed First Street Tunnel Project P. Running at 15m50m below ground, the NEBT includes five diversion chambers from existing sewers, six dropshafts, five stormwater inlet connections and a ventilation control facility (Fig 1).

When complete, this second designbuild contract for the JV will connect all elements of the current Clean Water program to create a continuous 21km long CSO network from the completed First Street Tunnel (Project P) through the Anacostia River Tunnel and the 7.2km Blue Plains Tunnel to convey combined sewer/ stormwater flows to the Blue Plains water treatment plant in the south (Fig 1).

A targeted NEBT completion date in 2023 will complete the project two years ahead of the 2025 Consent Decree deadline imposed on the District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority by the national EPA (Environmental Protection Agency), to reduce combined sewer overflows into the Anacostia and Potomac Rivers on the banks of which the US national capital has developed. The tunnel will reduce CSO overflows by 98% and mitigate the frequency, magnitude and duration of sewer flooding in urban areas to the north.

Once the current $2.6 billion program is completed, another phase of the Clean Rivers project is being studied to comply with an EPA Consent Decree mandate to reduce CSO overflow into the upper reaches of the Potomac River. The program includes study of new CSO interceptor that will link to the Project A Blue Plains Tunnel to convey all flow to the Blue Plains treatment plant. n

References •

Anacostia River Breakthrough – TunnelTalk, November 2016

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Herrenknecht news release

THE AMERICAS

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s well as being a bustling metropolis above ground, the area below ground in Los Angeles is busy with the construction of new metro transit routes as part of 14km of strategic subway extension to relieve traffic congestion in what is recognised as the car-capital of the world. The twin running tunnels for the underground sections of these new lines to connect open cut stations, transition ramps and mined crossover caverns are being excavated by six Herrenknecht TBMs. The first of the six TBMs completed the parallel 1.6km long drives for the new Crenshaw to LAX Line in April 2017.

The second machine is working on the Regional Connector project and finished excavating the twin 1.7km long tunnels in January 2018.

From Spring 2018 two new Herrenknecht TBMs will join the metro project for the drives through difficult ground on the Purple Line Extension Section 1 and a further two machines are on order for the Purple Line Extension Section 2.

The TBM working on the Crenshaw/LAX Line to improve public transit connections to the Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) excavated the tunnels between the

Los Angeles Metro pushing TBM 1. Crenshaw/LAX Line • Contractor: Walsh/Shea JV with design firm HNTB • Machine: 6.5m diameter EPBM • Drive power: 1,512kW • Tunnel length: Two drives x 1.6km • Geology: Alluvium, fine to medium grain sand and gravel, stones and blocks, silts and clays

TBM 2. Regional Connector • • • • •

Contractor: Skanska/Traylor Bros JV Machine: 6.5m diameter EPBM Drive power: 945kW Tunnel length: Two drives x 1.7km Geology: Weathered siltstone and claystones, sands, gravel, stones and boulders

Los Angeles Metro and extensions Expo/Crenshaw and Leimert Park stations and achieved a best performance of 43m in 24 hours and 170m for the best week.

The new Crenshaw/LAX line is expected to open on schedule in 2019.

The Regional Connector TBM started its

From left: Crenshaw Line drives complete; Executive Director Gary Baker, with Metro Deputy CEO Stephanie Wiggines and John Yen of Skanska/Traylor Bros JV celebrating the final TBM breakthrough of the Regional Connector

first 1.7km drive in February 2017 and broke through at the 4th Street reception shaft in July.

After being transported back to the working shaft, the machine completed the second drive in January 2018. Work now continues with excavation of a crossover cavern on the TBM section of the route. This requires access via a permanent installation shaft and breakup of the segmentally lined tunnels as part of the SEM excavation sequence.

When completed in 2021, the 3km Regional Connector will connect the Blue, Regional Connector alignment

Preferred bidder for Toronto underpass Patrick Reynolds for TunnelTalk

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bid team led by EllisDon Capital and Strabag was named preferred bidder for a turnkey and finance contract to build the new Highway 401 New rail tunnel to pass under main highway

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rail tunnel underpass in Toronto, Canada.

Following selection, the team, bidding as Toronto Tunnel Partners (TTP), will negotiate the final contract with a Provincial agency led by Infrastructure Ontario and including Metrolinx, which will have the new box-shaped tunnel as part of its Regional Express Rail (RER) network.

While the box-shaped tunnel of 10.7m wide x 8.6m high is not especially long at 176m, it is located in a congested urban area and presents construction challenges to build a large opening next to live rail tracks along side and below a major 21-lane highway.

Infrastructure Ontario listed among the construction challenges: • A minimum gap of 3m between tunnel crown and highway road surface through fine compacted sand.

• A distance of 1.5m-2m between the outside walls of the new and the

existing tunnels.

• Ground improvement works to assist tunnelling and underpinning of existing structures as required.

• Gravity drainage to the storm sewers must continue.

• All rail services on the existing tracks must remain in operation without interruption.

• All lanes of the highway must remain in operation without interruption.

• Modification of retaining walls at a highway ramp and removal of some footings in the path of the new tunnel.

• An instrumentation and monitoring system to be implemented in support of the design of the project and construction work to minimise any deformation and settlement risk the highway and existing rail infrastructure.

The existing rail tunnel below the highway was completed in 1965. The new

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TBMs 3 and 4. Purple Line Extension Section 1 • • • • •

Contractor: Skanska/Traylor/Shea JV Machines: 2 x 6.6m diamater EPBMs Drive power: 945 kW Tunnel length: Two drives of 5.25km Geology: Sands, silt, stones and boulders, slightly weathered siltstone and claystones

TBMs 5 and 6. Purple Line Extension Section 2 • • • • •

Contractor: Tutor Perini/O&G JV Machines: 2 x 6.62km EPBMs Drive power: 945 kW Tunnel length: Two drives x 3.2km Geology: Sands, silt, stones, boulders, slightly weathered siltstone and claystones

Expo and Gold Metro Lines to create a single seat journey to and through downtown Los Angeles.

As with the two Herrenknecht EPBMs that excavated 4km of running tunnels for the underground section of the Gold Line in East Los Angeles a decade ago, the four new TBMs that will join the Purple Line extension contracts in Spring 2018 and Spring 2019 to work through the gassy geology beneath the city. To operate in the gaseous conditions safely, all electrical components in the Herrenknecht TBMs are explosion-protected and will excavate the complex geological conditions beneath the densely populated areas with the highest degree of safety. n

References • •

First TBM launch on LA metro extensions – TunnelTalk, March 2016 LA breaks ground on Purple Line extension – TunnelTalk, November 2014

rail tunnel tunnel, running parallel to the existing rail tunnel, will provide extra capacity for Metrolinx services in the area.

No works on the existing tunnel are required under the new designbuild-finance contract. Following the construction of the new tunnel, the track alignment in the area will be modified to have twin-tracks running through each tunnel.

Estimated value of the contract is between Can$200 and $499 million with the final price announced after negotiations.

TTP was selected as the preferred bidder over rival shortlist offers from groups led by Kiewit and Aecon/Dragados.

Design services to the TTP team are to be provided by WSP Canada, Dr Sauer & Partners and Amec Foster Wheeler. n

www.TunnelTalk.com

BART to San Jose Shani Wallis and Peter Kenyon, TunnelTalk

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xtension of the Bay Area Rapid Transit system, BART, to the city of San Jose on the south end of San Francisco Bay in northern California, is into its most positive stage of development and realisation. After years of stalled progress, funding sources are now identified, a procurement programme is in place, and construction is planned to start in 2019.

Initial plans for the 6-mile extension beneath downtown San Jose (Fig 1) was to link three open cut underground stations with 4.5 miles of conventional twin-tube TBM-bored running tunnels. As an alternative, planners are also exploring the single-tube, twin-track running-tunnel concept that accommodates the station platforms in a stacked configuration within the same single-tube tunnel (Fig 2).

Known also as the Barcelona method, the concept was developed in Spain and used on the city’s Line 9 project. A particular advantage of the system is that it avoids the disruption and cost of extensive open-cut excavation of stations into the streets of the city. Excavation at stations is limited to smaller off-line ingress and egress access structures (Fig 3).

The pros and cons of the two different methods are being considered in the current schedule of studies.

Current estimates of the 9.5km underground Phase II Silicon Valley Extension beneath San Jose is costed by the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) at US$4.7 billion. Of this, US$1.5 billion (nearly 30%) is being applied for as an allocation from the New Starts Program of the Federal Transit Administration (FTA). $2.5 billion will be raised via a local sales tax increase approved by Santa Clara County voters in the November 2016 ballot.

In December 2016, a VTA spokesperson told TunnelTalk: “Based on the current schedule, construction procurement activities are planned for late 2018 with heavy construction scheduled to start by mid-2019.”

Plans for the project started in 2001 when VTA and the BART District entered into a comprehensive agreement to extend BART services into Santa Clara County. In 2002, VTA initiated planning, environmental, and conceptual engineering and in 2005, preliminary engineering activities began, followed by 65% engineering activities in 2007.

By the end of 2008, the economic downturn of 2007/2008, had reduced the amount of expected revenue from the tax funding measure passed by Santa Clara voters in 2000 to less than originally projected. As such, the decision was taken to deliver the program in two phases.

Design for the Phase II underground sections beneath San Jose was put on hold, while Phase I for the 10-mile at-grade

Fig 1. BART extension under San Jose

Fig 2. Station platforms in the singletube, double-track, TBM tunnel

THE AMERICAS

forward

Fig 3. Off-line station access structures extension from the BART Warm Springs Station in Alameda County to Berryessa Station in San Jose, continued into construction.

Planning and environmental clearance efforts for Phase II were restarted in 2013 with 4.5 miles of the 6 mile project aligned underground.

The project is located in the Santa Clara Valley, which is an alluvium-filled basin covered by alluvial fan, levee, and active stream channel deposits with marine estuary deposits located along the bay margins.

The water table in these unconsolidated deposits is approximately 10ft below ground surface with the tunnel crown being constructed at about 40ft below ground. TBM operation and hyperbaric interventions are anticipated under working pressures of between 1 and 2 bar. Beneath the rivers and where the tunnels are at their deepest, hydrostatic pressures of between 3 and 4 bar are anticipated. n

References • •

$200 billion for transit funding on US ballot – TunnelTalk, November 2016 A slow road for BART to San Jose – TunnelTalk, June 2007

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Chesapeake Bay highway crossings Peter Kenyon, TunnelTalk

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wo major projects to increase road traffic capacity across Chesapeake Bay in the USA advanced during 2017.

THE AMERICAS

Hampton Roads bridge tunnel

A request for qualification (RFQs) was called in Fall 2017 for construction of the US$3.3 billion Hampton Roads BridgeTunnel expansion project following issue of a formal record of decision (ROD) by the US Federal Highways Authority.

From a number of proposals, Corridors 8 and 9 of the Alternative A are selected as preferred options to relieve traffic congestion in and around the HamptonNorfolk-Portsmouth triangle in the State of Virginia (Fig 1).

As part of the project, a new 7,500ft-long (2.2km) tunnel between enlarged North and South Islands will provide relief for the existing pair of two-lane immersed tube tunnels on the Interstate I-64 highway across the mouth of Chesapeake Bay between Hampton and Norfolk.

According to a national study of 2011, the existing two-lane crossings are among the top 100 most congested highways in the USA. When the first two-lane immersed tube tunnel was opened in November 1957, an average 6,000 vehicles used the crossing each day. A second tube added in 1976 increased design capacity to 77,000 vehicles per day. Today the bridge-tunnel crossing is handling up to 100,000 vehicles a day.

The original Hampton Roads tunnel 60 years ago, constructed at a cost of US$44 million for the man-made North and South Islands, was the first construction in the world of a submerged tunnel between man-made islands. The second immersed tube was constructed at a cost of US$95 million and opened to traffic in 1976. The planned new project will provide three extra traffic lanes.

The decision to proceed with the project ends a period of 16 years that has seen unsolicited construction proposals and termination of an earlier construction process in 2014. The first unsolicited proposal was submitted to the VDoT in September 2010 by the Skanska/Kiewit/Weeks Marine JV, with Parsons Brinckerhoff as lead designer.

After accepting the proposal in October 2010, VDoT called for competing proposals,

and received a second proposal from the Cintra Infraestructuras SA/ Ferrovial Agroman JV. A third proposal from the ACS/ Dragados USA/ Flatiron JV (Hampton Roads Mobility Group), with Moffatt & Nicol as lead design engineer and Arcadis as tunnel design engineer, proposed to double tunnel capacity by adding a four-lane westbound immersed tube tunnel, and dedicating the existing tubes to eastbound traffic only. This would facilitate the westbound movement of overheight trucks which are currently unable to use the crossing.

In 2014 VDoT wrote to all three teams to cancel the project while “multiple opportunities for transportation improvements throughout the Hampton Roads region” were assessed.

In April 2017, VDoT hosted a contractor’s conference to test interest in the project. This attracted 271 delegates representing top American and international contractors and design engineers including the three teams that made unsolicited proposals in 2010/11.

A new proposal, from the Cintra/ Ferrovial Agroman JV, includes an option to construct two new 4-lane tunnels and decommission of the existing and aging, 2 x 2-lane tunnels which both feature belowstandard vertical clearances and narrow emergency lanes.

Although no decision has yet been made, it is likely to be an immersed tube tunnel to match the existing circular profile steel immersed tubes. In 2008, a feasibility study concluded that a TBM tunnel would have to be aligned deeper to provide adequate cover and would be significantly longer.

Following a final decision by VDOT between the design-build procurement method, or the concessionary designbuild-finance-operate-maintain or designbuild-operate-maintain (DBOM) methods, a construction shortlist is due to be announced in Spring 2018. A request for proposals in Summer 2018 would see a planned contract award in Summer 2019 and the expanded Bridge-Tunnel opening in 2024.

EPBM for Thimble Shoals

For the Thimble Shoals crossing of Chesapeake Bay, a 12.8m diameter Herrenknecht EPBM is selected by the Dragados/Schiavone JV to excavate the 1,740m long parallel two-lane highway tunnel to increase capacity of the existing immersed tube crossing.

Roger Escoda, Project Manager for Chesapeake Tunnel (CTJV), told TunnelTalk: Left: Fig 1. Favored option to widen existing bridges and add a parallel tunnel for the Hampton Roads Bridge tunnel crossing (middle); Right: Thimble Shoals bored tunnel route

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“The technical requirements were open to use either an EPB or a slurry machine. The choice was made based on our experience with EPBMs in the geological conditions depicted by the geotechnical baseline report.” The parallel drive under the central section of the 37km long Chesapeake Bay crossing is expected to encounter sand and soft and stiff clay layers.

Operating pressures of between 0.5 and 4.5 bar are expected as the EPBM completes its scheduled 12-month drive under the 20m deep shipping channel between two man-made islands.

The existing pair of immersed tube tunnels, constructed between 1960 and 1964, provide single lane traffic in each direction and are a regular choke point as two-lane traffic on the trellis bridge roadways filter into single lanes through the tunnels.

The EPB machine will be manufactured at the Herrenknecht factory in Germany and transported to the jobsite in October 2018 for a launch scheduled in early 2019.

“One of the greatest challenges of this project is logistics,” said Escoda.

“The TBM will have to be assembled and disassembled on the small size of both the islands. The launch island must also accommodate all the ancillary equipment for completing the tunnel. Logistical processes must optimize production rates and reduce stoppage times.”

Three hyperbaric maintenance stops are scheduled. The machine will be fitted with two man locks each capable of withstanding 5.5 bar pressure and accommodating six technicians.

Cutting tools will include disc cutters, scrapers and rippers welded at different heights for different penetration rates, according to Escoda.

Foam and bentonite will be used for soil conditioning and to reduce wear in the excavation chamber and through the 22m long screw conveyor. There is no stone crusher and 24 openings on the cutterhead will provide an opening ratio of 45%. A continuous conveyor will carry muck from the TBM to a muck bin at the working site for onward disposal.

A contract to supply the concrete lining segments is awarded to CSI, which will establish a casting yard in Chesapeake for transport to the jobsite by truck. Moulds supplied by Cleco will cast the 460mm thick x 1.2m wide segments.

Final breakthrough of the TBM for the project is scheduled for Winter 2020. n

References • •

Thimble Shoals tunnel contract award – TunnelTalk, July 2016 Sinking the concrete elements at Midtown – TunnelTalk, December 2014

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Bertha breakup and aftermath

fter recording an historic breakthrough in April 2017 in Seattle, crews dismantled the 17.48m diameter TBM Bertha to leave in its wake a segmentally lined tunnel of awesome scale and quality. As the torches began their work to cut up the massive components of the world’s largest ever TBM when it launched in 2013, parts of the machine were being donated by machine manufacturer and owner Hitachi Zosen as historical artefacts of the tunnel achievement to different organisations in the city.

Two control-room consoles and four cutting tools were accepted by the city’s Museum of History & Industry (MOHAI). In addition, the Port of Seattle salvaged large pieces of the giant cutterhead including the triangular center piece. These heavy steel pieces are planned as monuments along the waterfront once the elevated viaduct that the double deck four lane TBM tunnel will replace is taken down and disappears.

As the TBM was being dismantled, thousands of meters of conveyor belt was being dismantled for work to continue

by Seattle Tunnel Partners (STP) (the construction joint venture of Dradagos and Tutor Perini) to complete the highway tunnel project. These include major works to link the tunnel to the existing SR99 highway and removal of the earthquake damaged viaduct.

According to project owner WSDOT, the Washington State Department of Transportation, the tunnel is programmed

to be ready for traffic by early 2019.

The 2km long tunnel, at $2.1 billion, is the largest part of the $3.2 billion viaduct replacement project by WSDOT. It is reported that another $480 million in cost overruns associated principally with technical breakdown and costly repair of the TBM over two years, is in dispute among the major stakeholders - STP, WSDOT, the insurers and Hitachi Zosen. All parties are preparing for lengthy courtroom battles and recruiting expert witnesses from around the world to present their case.

In a statement issued in April, WSDOT released the following as the facts of the case from its point of view: • WSDOT asked the legislature for $60 million for the next budget (201719) to pay for added program costs from the tunnel project delays. In 2016, it told the legislature that added costs could go as high as $149 million due to risks in tunneling. Excavation is now complete and that $149 million estimate may decrease.

• It is the contractor’s claim that a hollow, 8in steel well casing caused the damage to the tunneling machine. WSDOT disagrees with the contractor’s assertion.

The contractor paid for the repairs and has requested reimbursement. What caused the damage is a matter of litigation.

• The tunnel was originally scheduled to open in December 2015. It is now estimated to open in early 2019, three

Shani Wallis, TunnelTalk years later than contracted.

• The tunnel contract is $1.4 billion.

The adjoining road projects bring the total tunnel costs to $2 billion. The entire project cost of $3.1 billion comprises 32 different projects to replace the viaduct and includes viaduct demolition and decommissioning of the short Battery Street Tunnel which is on the SR99 Alaskan Way route and will be bypassed by the new tunnel. n

References

• • •

STP management changes enable Bertha restart – TunnelTalk, February 2016 SR99 tunnel budget stretched to the limit – TunnelTalk, April 2015 TBM Bertha suffers main bearing seal failure – TunnelTalk, February 2014

Workers begin breakup and removal of Bertha

Preparing first US Crossover TBM for action Desiree Willis, Technical Writer, The Robbins Company

NORTH AMERICA

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he first Robbins Crossover TBM to be used in the United States was assembled, factory tested and readied for its work on a short but complex 2km (1.2 mile) interceptor sewer tunnel project in Akron, Ohio, for JV contractor Kenny-Obayashi.

With a diameter of 9.26m (30.4ft) the machine includes features of both EPB and hard rock single shield TBM types to work in both soft ground and open hard rock modes. It will launch from a 12m deep portal site and excavate the first 68m in soft ground, transitioning to a 183m zone of partial face shale before switching to hard-rock mode for the remainder of the drive in full face shale. Continuous and systematic probe drilling, using two probe drills on the machine, will determine the operating mode of the TBM. Additional aspects of the machine include a versatile cutterhead that is configured with a combination of disc cutters and sacrificial rippers for both the short soft ground section and the longer section in hard rock. The sacrificial rippers will be used in case a cutter becomes blocked. The required rolling torque of the disc cutters has been reduced by 25% to encourage smooth rotation in soft ground. The motors of the Crossover XRE machine have been reworked from an original EPB configuration to permit higher motor speed at reduced torque for the open mode segments of the drive.

Material extraction from the excavation

chamber will be achieved via a durable screw conveyor, the first flight of which is covered with welded-in wear plates.

The auger shaft is lined with hard facing in a crosshatch pattern, while the screw conveyor casing has been similarly lined in wear plates and hard facing. A wear monitoring plan has been prepared for the entire drive in order to maximize efficiency in the section of more abrasive rock.

Many components of the machine were fabricated locally in the northest Ohio area, creating jobs with local sub-suppliers, explained Robbins Project Manager Pablo Salazar.”

The machine was factory tested at the Robbins Solon, Ohio headquarters in May 2017 before being shipped 40km south to the construction job site. The large cutterhead shipped in four pieces.

Muck will be transported out of the tunnel using a Robbins continuous conveyor system. The installation for the project is the 100th such conveyor system supplied by Robbins for operation behind a TBM. The side mounted, standard design conveyor system will operate through several curves requiring patented selfadjusting curve idlers that correct themselves based on varying belt tension and belt load. The system discharges onto a customer-supplied overland conveyor, which delivers the muck to a large storage yard near the portal site. The belt was designed to handle variable geology, from

soft soils to partial face rock and finally full-face shale rock.

The conveyor in Akron is part of a long history for Robbins conveyors - the first of which was the first ever continuous conveyor system used behind a TBM. That prototype, developed by company founder James Robbins in 1963, was successfully used behind the 11.2m (36.7ft) diameter main beam TBM at the Mangla Dam project in what was then known as West Pakistan.

While conveyors would not be adopted as a standard method of muck removal for many years afterwards, the project laid the groundwork for future success.

Today the conveyor systems are capable of spanning many kilometers and hauling 1,800 metric tonne an hour or more. “This is my 20th year with Robbins and with this system we have provided more conveyors than any other TBM conveyor supplier,” said Dean Workman, Robbins Director of Conveyors, Cutters, & SBUs. “It is amazing to see what these systems can do,” he said.

The Ohio Canal interceptor tunnel for the City of Akron will provide control of combined sewer overflows at several regulators in the downtown Akron area.

Mandated by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the consent decree specifies that the tunnel be operational by December 31, 2018. n

References • •

Success for first North American Crossover TBM – TunnelTalk, May 2016 Crossover TBMs bridge the gap for Robbins – TunnelTalk, March 2015

Top, from left: Robbins Crossover XRE TBM; Manufacturing and assembly crew with the assembled machine; Inspection tour during factory acceptance testing. Bottom, from left: Installation of the continuous conveyor system on the project

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Melbourne approves West Gate highway... environment assessment process”.

After agreeing terms with the private infrastructure provider, the impact of the process is that an initial AUS$5.5 billion estimate of the project is now estimated at AUS$6.7 billion, due also, it states, to the tunnels being “twice as long as the original business case, providing better city connections, adding additional noise walls, and extending air quality monitoring for 10 years”.

Given the alignment of the new twin tube tunnels under the Maribyrnong River (a tributary of the Yarra River), and connecting to the existing M1 corridor, the two tubes have a different length with the shorter north tunnel at 2.8km long and the longer south tunnel at 4km.

The 50/50 CPB/John Holland JV was selected in early 2017 as the design-build constructor of the PPP project after a competitive tender process and ahead of rival bids from the Bouygues Construction/ Lend Lease Engineering and SaliniImpregilo/Fluor Australia/Lane Worldwide Infrastructure JVs. Bouygues and John Holland are also working in JV with Lendlease Engineering and Capella Capital on the AUS$6 billion PPP contract for construction of the new metro extension for the city.

TBM excavation was specified for the under river route and Herrenknecht is to

Shani Wallis, TunnelTalk supply two EPBMs from its manufacturing works in Shanghai. The machines are to be delivered towards the end of 2018 for launch in early 2019.

In agreeing development of the project in 2015, the State Government committed AUS$1.44 billion toward the total construction cost, with future toll income from the completed project, plus income from a ten-year extension of toll road operation by Transurban of the CityLink highway to the south and east of the city.

The terms of the PPP are described in a statement from the State Government as providing high value for taxpayers and drivers, with tolls increasing at a lower rate than agreed by the previous Liberal State Government and removing clauses that were to compensate Transurban for road projects that divert traffic off its toll network.

Following the approval announcement, crews began moving into a construction compound in the Footscray area of the project and construction of the northern tunnel portal has begun. Following a 60-month program, the project is due to open to traffic in 2022. n

References •

Tracking the world’s mega-TBMs of more than 14m diameter – TunnelTalk, November 2017

AUSTRALIA

I

n December 2017, the West Gate mega highway project in Melbourne, Australia, evolved from an unsolicited proposal submitted to the Victoria State Government by toll highway operator Transurban to an approved PPP project.

At the same time, the CPB/John Holland JV signed a contract as the selected construction partner for the project, and an order for supply of two 15.6m diameter TBMs to excavate the supersized twin tube, three-lane tunnels of the project was finalized with Herrenknecht.

The project is promoted as a vital alternative to the existing West Gate Bridge southern access to the Melbourne business district and to routes north and to the Melbourne seaport to take heavy truck traffic off residential streets in the west and cut severe congestion along the M1 highway corridor (Fig 1).

In approving the project, after receiving the unsolicited proposal from Transurban in 2015, the Labour State Government of Premier Daniel Andrews said that the proposal had passed through rigorous scrutiny.

According to a statement from the State Government, there have been “massive improvements to the project’s scope after five design updates, through two years of community consultation and as a result of a comprehensive

From left: Fig 1. Route of the new West Gate highway; Link to the M1 highway creates tubes of 2.8km and 4km long; Northbound portal into the new West Gate highway tunnel from the M1

T

...and awards its PPP metro contract

he Cross Yarra Partnership of Lendlease Engineering/ John Holland/ Buoygues Construction and Capella Capital was awarded the AUS$6 billion major PPP contract for construction of the new underground stations and running tunnels for the city’s metro extension in July 2017.

The project centres on excavation of 8.4km twin running tunnels to connect five new underground stations, two of them mined and three cut-and-cover (Fig 1).

Melbourne Metro Rail Authority (MMRA) the client, confirms that four TBMs and a fleet of roadheaders will be procured to deliver the running tunnels. Two TBMs will launch from a shaft at Arden Station for drives westwards to the portal at Kensington Station. From there they will be transported back to Arden Station for the eastward drives to Parkville where they will be walked across the excavated station box for onward progress to the mined station at CBD North.

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The TBMs will be recovered back through to Parkville Station for dismantling and retreival.

For the eastern drives, the plan of attack is for two TBMs to launch from a shaft at Domain Station for eastward drives, under the Yarra River, to the South Yarra portal.

The machines will then be transported back to the shaft at Domain for the westward drives towards the mined CBD South Station and recovered back through the tunnels to Domain Station for retrieval.

Under a separate early-works contract, awarded to John Holland in June 2016 and for a contract sum of AUS$324 million, two 35m-deep shafts are being excavated close to the CBD North and CBD South Station sites to facilitate excavation of two mined stations and the 600m-long roadheader-excavated running tunnel connection between them.

The mined CBD stations will avoid surface level disruption along

Peter Kenyon, TunnelTalk the busy Swanson Street during the construction period. n

References

• • •

First contract award for Melbourne Metro – TunnelTalk, June 2016 Three EOIs for Melbourne Metro megaproject – TunnelTalk, July 2016 Melbourne kills off road link to revive metro – TunnelTalk, April 2015

Fig 1. Melbourne Metro extension alignment

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Sydney awards mega metro extension Peter Kenyon, TunnelTalk

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AUSTRALIA

he AUS$2.81 billion tunnels, stations and excavation contract for Stage 2 of the Sydney Metro was awarded to the John Holland (45%)/ CPB Contractors (45%)/ Ghella (10%) Joint Venture in June 2017. At the same time, three groups were shortlisted to carry out upgrades to the city’s railway Central Station, with which the new metro line connects and passes under.

The 15.5km-long all-underground Sydney Metro Southwest line, at a total cost of AUS$12.5–13.5 billion, will extend the current Metro Northwest line (Stage 1) from its current terminus at Chatswood, through the city centre, to Sydenham (Stage 2). The new line includes a 750m-long twin running tunnel under Sydney Harbour (Fig 1).

In addition to the main running tunnels on either side of the harbour, contract scope includes construction of: • TBM launch sites at either end of the alignment at Chatswood and Marrickville; • access shafts at each of the three mined stations at Victoria Cross, Martin Place and Pitt Street to facilitate roadheader

Fig 1. Alignment and stations; inset: Fig 2.

Jet-grouting for harbour crossing

excavation of the station caverns; • three cut-and-cover stations at Crow’s Nest, Barangaroo and Waterloo; • a crossover cavern at Barangaroo; • a total of 57 cross passages at 240m intervals; • a temporary TBM reception shaft at Blues Point on the north side of the harbour, to facilitate retrieval of the two TBMs that will complete the northern drives as well as the TBM that will complete the parallel drives under the harbour; • a grout batching plant and segment casting yard at the Marrickville site, plus storage for the 99,000 tunnel lining segments; • tunnel and station fit-out.

The John Holland/ CPB Contractors/ Ghella JV was selected over a rival bid from the Ferrovial/ Acciona/ BAM JV to win the contract.

The current excavation strategy requires the procurement of five TBMs, two to be driven from the northern access site at Chatswood through to Blues Point temporary site on the north bank of the harbour, and two from the southern access structure at Marrickville that will drive through to Barangaroo Station on the southern side of the harbour (Fig 1). These are specified as double shield hard rock gripper machines, similar to the 6.99m diameter NFM machines that completed excavation in January 2016 of 15km of running tunnels through the Hawkesbury Sandstone geology of the central section of the 30km Metro Northwest alignment between Chatswood and Cudgegong Road. Project cost for that section of the extension was AUS$8.3 billion, with the underground works contract valued at AUS$1.15 billion.

A hybrid machine capable of operating in both open mode and closed-face slurry mode will be procured for the twin 750m-long harbour crossing drives. The machine will launch following cut-and-cover excavation of Barangaroo Station in early 2019 with a slurry separation plant established at the Barangaroo Station site to service the drives.

Following a scheduled 6-9 month drive, the machine will be retrieved at Blues Point for transport back to the launch site to complete the parallel drive.

To mitigate tunnelling risk, and prior to TBM launch, a program of ground improvement works will be carried out from barges on the harbour and at the locations where the geology transitions from Hawkesbury Sandstone to softer sedimentary layers (Fig 2). Ground improvement will limit the maximum operating pressure of the TBM through these transitions to 5 bar or less. Current design calls for establishing two grout blocks of 35m x 20m x 16m using the jet grouting process, although ground freezing may be preferred as the detailed design process takes shape.

For the northern drives, assembly and commissioning of the two TBMs is scheduled for mid-2018 with end of the drives by early-2020, a span of 12 to 18 months. For the southern drives, assembly and commissioning of the two TBMs is scheduled for end of 2018, with the drives completed by mid-2020. All five machines are therefore expected to be in concurrent operation through 2019 and into early 2020.

Three construction groups are shortlisted to complete the associated project-wide contract to upgrade Sydney’s Central mainline railway. In addition to cutand-cover excavation of the metro platforms under the existing main line station platforms 12, 13 and 14, the project scope includes excavation of a 19m wide underground pedestrian walkway linking all the main line platforms and the metro line below.

The three shortlisted consortia are: • Laing O’Rourke Australia Construction • CPB Contractors/John Holland JV • Lendlease Engineering/Lendlease Building The contract is expected to be awarded early 2018.

New South Wales Transport and Infrastructure Minister Andrew Constance said: “This new metro line will eventually

Launch of two VDMs for Perth airport link Peter Kenyon, TunnelTalk

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wo Herrenknecht variable density TBMs (VDMs) were launched in 2017 by the Salini Impregilo/NRW joint venture for excavation of the 8km twin running tunnels of the AUS$1.86 billion Forrestfield Airport Link Project in Perth, Western Australia.

The two 7m diameter machines, procured at a cost of Aust$40 million, were selected to manage the variable ground conditions expected. EPB mode will be used for excavation of the rocky geology under the Swan River while the slurry mode will be engaged for reaches through the sedimentary sands and materials expected under the airport.

A source close to the project confirmed to TunnelTalk that the choice of machine had been specified by the client, the Public

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Transport Authority of the Government of Western Australia. “The client wanted a TBM that could work in both EPB mode and slurry mode. The specification was also supported by the authority that operates the Perth international airport.”

Following nine months of manufacture and testing at the Herrenknecht factory in China, the machines arrived in WA, in May and June, and were transported by road to the Forrestfield jobsite at the southern end of the alignment. Assembly, for planned launch of the TBMs at the end of July and September progressed in the 260m long x 22m wide transition structure, construction of which began in October 2016 (Fig 1).

A slurry treatment plant for the VDM machines has been established at the launch site. At the same time, a

precast factory has been established in a transformed local warehouse to produce the 54,000 segments for the total 9,000 x 6.2m i.d. lining rings, each comprising five segments and a key.

In addition to the running tunnels, the AUS$1.18 billion contract includes excavation of 12 cross passages, three emergency exit shafts at depths of up to 20-26m, a surface station at Forrestfield, and two cut-and-cover stations at Belmont and Perth Airport. Scope also includes connection of the new underground line with existing rail infrastructure at Bayswater Junction for connection via the Midland Line to the city centre.

The machines procured for the Forrestfield Link are the ninth and tenth VDMs manufactured following development of the technology for excavation of the highly

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and shortlists for last WestConnex contract stretch 66km and connect dozens of suburbs along the way. When services start in 2024, the tunnels will move more people than the Harbour Bridge and Sydney Harbour Tunnel highway connections combined.”

Once the tunnelling drives are complete in 2021, work on the contract will continue along the 30km length of the project to lay tracks, fit out stations and upgrade the existing rail services from Sydenham to Bankstown.

Highway routes

karstic geology of the central section of Line 1 of the Klang Valley MRT in Malaysia. For the Forrestfield drives, the Public Transport Authority of WA, specified dual mode VDM technology on account of its ability to operate in both EPB and slurry mode.

The twin 8km drives are scheduled for breakthrough in April and June 2019.

The tunnels, which make up 94% of the new branch line, run to their maximum depth of 26m below the surface as they pass under the Swan River. Average depth of the alignment is 15m.

The project is fully funded by the Western Australia State Government. A single design-construct-maintain contract was awarded to Salini Impregilo/NRW in April of 2016 and for a contract sum of AUS$1.176 billion. The contract includes the first ten years of maintenance of the new infrastructure once it is completed in 2020. n

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Clockwise from top left: Fig 1. Three phases of WestConnex; Fig 2. Proposed link to the beaches; Roadheader at work on M4 East submitted to the planning authority in March 2017, project owner Sydney Motorways Corporation (SMC) proposes the use of roadheader and/or TBM excavation, subject to design proposals submitted by the two bidding groups. Should the winning bidder select TBM excavation, a TBM of more than 16m diameter would be needed to excavate the four-lane highway tunnels.

Roadheader excavation is currently being used on the two current tunnel contractss. JV CPB/ Samsung C&T/ John Holland JV is using 21 roadheaders for excavation of the M4 East tunnels following start of excavation in March 2016. The CPB/Dragados/Samsung C&T JV is using 16 roadheaders in six headings to complete a total 18km of the route in its contract.

Revised proposals for the M4-M5 link also call for construction of a 1km-long spur tunnel and associated ramps onto and off the main 7.5km-long Haberfield–St Peters tunnel, to be built as part of a separate underground works package. Procurement for this second Iron Cove Link project is

expected to progress towards an award of contract and start of construction in 2019.

Alignment studies are also under development by the New South Wales Roads and Maritime Service for construction of two new projects - a new Western Harbour Tunnel under Sydney Harbour, and the Beaches Link Tunnel under Middle Harbour that would connect the M2, M7 and beaches on the north side of the harbour with the M4 and M5 on the west and south side (Fig 2).

The proposed new tunnels, which could stretch to 20km in total, will help relieve the Pacific Highway as it approaches the city via the increasingly congested Sydney Harbour Bridge and tunnel crossing. n

AUSTRALIA

Two groups were shortlisted in June 2017 for the third and final major tunnelling and underground works package of the AUS$7.25 billion WestConnex M4-M5 highway link in Sydney.

Following a successful call for expressions of interest in November 2016, Sydney Motorways Corporation, the private company established by the New South Wales Government to manage the AUS$16.8 billion WestConnex highway mega-project and future highway projects in the State, has selected two joint ventures to bid for design and construction of 7.5km of four-lane twin tunnel alignment between Haberfield and St Peters (Fig 1).

The shortlisted joint venture teams are: • John Holland (Australia) /CPB Contractors (Australia) • Lend Lease Engineering (Australia) / Samsung C&T (Korea)/ Buoygues (France) Award of contract and construction in two phases is scheduled for 2018, although the exact route is yet to be finalised. Once completed in 2022, the new infrastructure will complete the underground link between the 5.5km of twin tunnels currently under construction for the AUS$3.8 billion M4 link to the north and the AUS$4.34 billion contract for the 9km M5 tunnels to the south. The M4-M5 link completes an unbroken 22km of highway tunnel infrastructure that will form the heart of Sydney’s new Western Bypass.

In the latest project amendments,

References • • • •

WestConnex secures Aust$1.7 billion in funding – TunnelTalk, December 2016 First tunnel award for Sydney WestConnex – TunnelTalk, June 2015 TBM record for Sydney rail mega-project – TunnelTalk, February 2016 Final breakthrough for Sydney rail megaproject – TunnelTalk, January 2016

Top: Fig 1. Deepest point of the line will be under the Swan River at 26m; Bottom (from left): First TBM ready for launch; Fig 2. Route of the underground Forrestfield rail link

References

•

Perth Forrestfield–Airport link award TunnelTalk, February 2016

•

New design TBM tames the Kuala Lumpur karst - TunnelTalk, January 2014

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Cities of India follow TunnelTalk reporting

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aving completed the first sections of underground running tunnels and stations on the network in the early 2000s, Delhi now has a metro system of more than 350km long with 120km of the network routes aligned underground. The current Phase III expansion programme includes more than double the amount of tunnelling of Phases I and II combined. In 2017, excavation of 80km of running tunnels on the Phase III project was completed using a total of 30 TBMs, ending one of the largest urban tunnelling projects in the world currently. Management of the public infrastructure capital expenditure and procurement by the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) has set the example and model on which several other cities in India are developing their own underground metro systems.

Delhi Metro Phase III completes TBM excavation

With the construction of the Delhi Metro Phase III project in India, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) is ending TBM excavation on one of the largest urban tunnelling projects in the world currently.

With more than double the amount of tunnelling of Phases I and II combined, a total of 30 TBMs were used to bore the 80km of running tunnels needed for the Phase III expansion.

Among the machines applied on the Phase III runnnig tunnel routes, eight Terratec EPBMs completed 20 drives, for a total length of 18km for four separate contracts. In addition to providing the largest number of new machines for Phase III, Terratec also provided site services to support the operation and maintenance of the equipment.

Two of these TBMs made a double breakthrough to end tunnelling works on the 58.6km Phase III Pink Line (Line 7) (Fig 1). Contractor J Kumar, working with China Railway No 3 Group (CRTG), achieved the breakthroughs on Contract CC-24 having completed the final 970m long running tunnel drives between Vinobapuri and Ashram Stations.

Two 6.61m diameter mixed rock/EPB shields were used on the Contract CC-07 Violet Line (Line 6) extension by JV Metrostroy of Russia and local firm ERA Infrastructure. The machines encountered unexpected amounts of full face very hard and highly abrasive quartzite of up to 200MPa, and sections of highly variable mixed faced conditions and numerous large diameter boulders.

In 2015, another two 6.61m diameter mixed rock/EPB shields completed 2.2km of tunnels on the second Pink Line 7 for the J Kumar/CRTG JV. The final contract on the Magenta Line 8, was delivered by the Hindustan Construction Company (HCC) and the South Korea Samsung Engineering and Construction Group JV using two 6.52m diameter Terratec EPBMs. The performance of the machines was recognised at the breakthrough ceremony. “We are thankful to all our sub-contractors and equipment suppliers that helped to complete the works ahead of schedule,” said Raman Kapil, Project Director of the HCC-Samsung JV. Fig 1. Extent of the Delhi Metro network to date

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Delhi Metro development model TBM deliveries to Mumbai

The first of 17 TBMs to be deployed to excavate the 33.5km of twin running tunnels between 26 underground stations for the Mumbai Metro Line 3 began arriving in 2107. Line 3 is the first underground metro line in the city and will connect Cuffe Parade business district in the far south to the Santacruz Electronics Export Processing Zone (SEEPZ) in the northcentral (Fig 1).

Construction of the line is divided into seven tunnel-and-station packages awarded to five different contracting joint ventures by the Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation Ltd (MMRCL) (Table 1).

Terratec is the lead TBM supplier on the project, delivering seven TBMs to two contracting JVs on three contracts.

The first two of the seven Terratec TBMs were dispatched to India following successful factory acceptance tests in China in August 2017. The first of these is the first of two new 6.68m diameter dual-mode hard rock TBMs that will be used by the HCC/Moscow Metrostroy JV to build the 4.049km twin tunnels on the UGC-02 contract from Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminal Station to Mumbai Central Station (Fig 1). The two machines launch later this year from a working shaft at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminal and progress towards Kalbadevi Station and onward to a reception shaft at the Mumbai Central Station for a total of four tunnel drives.

A second machine delivered was the first of three new 6.68m diameter Terratec dual-mode hard rock TBMs ordered by the J. Kumar – China Railway No 3 Engineering Group JV for the 4.94km twin tunnels of the UGC-05 contract from Dharavi Station to the CSIA T1 reception shaft and for the 4.45km twin tube of the UGC-06 contract from the CSIA T1 Station to the Marol Naka reception shaft. The single shield Terratec TBMs are equipped to operate in either open or closed mode in the predominantly fresh and slightly to moderately weathered basalt and breccia that are anticipated on these drives. The hard rock cutterheads are mounted with 17in disc cutters, which are interchangeable with ripper tools and feature large bucket openings that provide a 10% opening ratio.

The machines feature 2,000kW electric variable frequency drives that allow maximum cutterhead rotation of 7 rev/min and deliver a torque of 8,000kNm to cope with fractured rock zones. They had active shield articulation and built-in two component annular grouting systems.

In July 2017, Terratec completed successful factory acceptance testing of two re-manufactured 6.61m diameter mixed/rock EPB machines that will also

Fig 1. A total of 17 TBMs will work on the underground Mumbai Metro Line 3 be deployed by the J. Kumar – China Railway No 3 Engineering Group JV to fulfil a section of highly weathered ground on contract UGC-05. These TBMs were used previously on the Delhi Metro and have undergone extensive refurbishment.

In September 2017, the first of two Robbins slurry TBMs passed factory acceptance tests ahead of delivery to the Dogus-Soma JV (DSJV) on contract UGC-03. The rebuilt 6.65m diameter TBMs will excavate the twin 3.5km running tunnels between Mumbai Central and Worli Stations, passing through three intermediate cut and cover stations on the way. Ground conditions consist of fresh to weathered basalt and breccia up to 100 MPa UCS with water pressures up to 3 bar.

The JV selected slurry machines for its contract due to the challenging ground conditions expected. “I have worked with slurry TBMs in similar geology and the method will suit the hard rock geology of our Mumbai Metro contract,” said Tamay Sayin, Project Manager for DSJV. “The water table and variable geology, especially basalt of higher strength, can be tackled by the Robbins slurry mode TBMs.” The cutterheads of the machines are fitted with wear protection, wear detection bits, and Robbins 17in disc cutters. Grizzly bars will limit the size of boulders entering the cutterhead to 250mm. The slurry systems include rock crushers and abrasionresistant plating in high-wear areas.

Delivery of the first machine to DSJV is the beginning of a partnership that will span several years. “Robbins has been helpful since the inception of the project and will be our partners until the end of the contract,” said DV Raju, Senior Vice President for Soma. “The Robbins presence in India, including field service crews, will be a great support for us,” The two TBMs are the first of a total of four Robbins machines being provided for the Line 3 project. Another two 6.65m diameter Crossover XRE machines will excavate twin 2.8km tunnels on UGC-01 for the L&T/STEC contract.

Also on the project, three Herrenknecht EPBMs, one new and two used, will work

Table 1. Contract scope and appointed contractor for Mumbai Metro Line 3 Scope Contractor UGC-01 Cuffe Parade to Hutatma Chowk Larsen & Toubro and Shanghai Tunnel Engineering Co UGC-02 CST Metro to Grant Road Hindustan Construction Co and Moscow Metrostroy UGC-03 Mumbai Central to Worli Dogus and Soma UGC-04 Siddhivinayak to Shitladevi Continental Engineering Corp and ITD Cementation and Tata Projects UGC-05 Dharavi to Santacruz J Kumar Infraprojects and China Railway Tunnel Group UGC-06 CSIA to CSA International J Kumar Infraprojects and China Railway Tunnel Group UGC-07 Marol Naka to Santacruz Electronics Larsen & Toubro and Shanghai Tunnel Engineering Co Export Processing Zone

Mumbai Metro Line 3 TBMs: Top left: First of three new Terratec machines for the Kumar/China Railway JV; Top right: First of two Terratec machines for the HCC/Moscow Metrostroy JV; Bottom: Delivery of the first of two Robbins TBMs for the Dogus-Soma JV

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Official celebrations of twin EPBM breakthrough in Lucknow

Fig 1. Lucknow Metro alignments for the Continental Engineering Corp/ITP Cementation/TATA JV on the UGC-04 contact and three TBMs supplied from China will be used by the L+T/STEC JV on contract UGC-07.

The entire line is expected to be operational by 2021.

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Bangalore begins Line 2 In early 2018, tender results for the four packages to build the 14km underground section of the Phase II build-out of the Metro system in Bangalore were announced. The lowest bidders for each construction package are: • Larsen & Toubro (L&T) • Italian-Thai Development (ITD) • Afcons Infrastructure and • Gulermak of Turkey Each packages comprises up to 4km of twin tube TBM running tunnels and three open-cut station boxes for the central 21.5km the underground section of Line 4.

Although close in competitive range, the bids are substantially above the owner’s estimates with the combined total of the four lowest bids at Rs 8553.45 core nearly 70% higher than the estimated total of Rs 5047.56 core.

The contractors who worked on the underground sections of Phase 1 of the system declined to participate in the Phase II procurement. Following major problems for the EPB machines on the NorthSouth Line, full system opening was finally achieved through Majestic Station was finally achieved in June 2017. Negotiation of contracts for Phase II is likely to delay award of contracts into 2019.

Lucknow TBM breakthroughs

Breakthrough of a pair of Terratec 6.52m diameter EPBMs after completing their first 812m long twin running tunnels between Sachivalaya and Hazratganj Stations on the Lucknow Metro marked the completion of the first TBM driven tunnels in the State capital of Uttar Pradesh in India. The twin breakthroughs at Hazratganj Station on the city’s new metro system was celebrated by the tunneling crews and managers of the Gulermak-TATA JV together with representatives of Terratec, and senior officials from the Lucknow Metro Rail Corporation (LMRC).

The first of the two EPBMs working on the 3.44km underground section of the 22.88km-long Phase 1A North-South line of the project was launched from the

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Bapu Bhawan Shaft at Sachivalaya Station in January 2017 and took four months to complete the first 812m long tunnel arriving at Hazratganj Station in late May (Fig 1).

Following a 2.5-month wait for the official ceremony, the TBM broke through the station wall in August, followed a day later by its twin TBM on the parallel running tunnel drive.

The EPB machines feature a classic spoke-style soft ground cutterhead with a 57% open ratio and interchangeable cutting tools with 17in disc cutters, allowing the TBMs to bore through station diaphragm walls and cope with the presence of any unexpected obstacles in the ground. The TBMs mined through geology consisting of stiff to hard clayey silt and medium to dense silty sand.

Speaking at the ceremony, LMRC Managing Director Kumar Keshav said; “the tunnelling in this stretch posed several technical challenges as the route passes beneath highly congested areas and beneath historic buildings in the Capital Plaza heritage district of Hazratganj. This breakthrough represents a milestone for our project.”

“Due to many heritage structures, the stretch was highly challenging,” said TATA Projects Managing Director Vinayak Deshpande. “With a dedicated project team, the drives were completed to high quality and within programme.”

With tunneling work completed between Sachivalaya and Hazratganj stations, the TBMs were reassembled back at the western-end of Sachivalaya Station to excavate the twin 613m tunnels towards Hussainganj Station. From there, they will continue a further 419m crossing underneath the Haide Nalah canal, to breakthrough at the cut-and-cover transition ramp to the surface alignment near Charbagh station (Fig 1).

The 36-month EPC (engineering, procurement, construction) contract was awarded to the Tata-Gulermak JV in April 2016 and includes construction of the three open-cut underground stations at Hussainganj, Sachivalaya and Hazratganj.

Lucknow is the capital of the most populated state in India. The city’s Phase 1 North-South Metro line is being built at a cost of INR 6,928 crore (about US$1 billion).

Robbins breakthrough in Chennai

The East-West Phase 2 line involves a longer length of twin running tunnels from Charbagh to near Thakurganj with six intermediate underground stations (Fig 1). Phase 2 of the system is due to commence in 2018.

Chennai Metro progress

In October 2017, a 6.65m diameter Robbins EPBM broke through for the third time on the latest 1.8km section of the Chennai Metro project for contractor Afcons Infrastructure. “For this project, we needed a machine built to excavate mixed ground from soft clay to hard rock,” said Gopal Dey, Afcons Senior Manager. “This EPBM was ideal for the geology.”

After completing the original twin tunnels, the TBM was refurbished to optimize the machine for excavation in the highly variable mixed face conditions of the following drives. During refurbishment, the inner seal greasing system was changed from auto to manual mode and the foam nozzle system was modified.

The TBM started the third tunnel drive in February 2017 and faced a major challenge from the start. “After exiting the launching shaft, the TBM erected a few rings before having to cross a live railway track,” said Manivannan Venkataraman, Afcons Director.

“At this stage, we had to monitor TBM face pressure closely and advance the machine at a uniform rate to ensure proper annular grouting.” The geology consisted of clayey sand and about 60m of mixed ground.

“We chose this machine for its active articulation which allows the machine to turn or steer with ease,” said Dey. During active articulation, thrust cylinders react evenly against the entire circumference of the tunnel lining, even in a curve, which eliminates the problem of tunnel lining deformation.

For all tunnel drives, Robbins field service staff were on hand to assist and support as required. During the course of each bore, the Robbins team advised how best to operate the machine and manoeuvre through challenging ground.

The machine has achieved advances at rates of 80mm/min through the challenging conditions. n

References

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Delhi Metro emerging – TunnelTalk, March 2002 Triumph out of tough going on Delhi Metro – TunnelTalk, October 2004 TBM orders for Mumbai Metro Line 3 – TunnelTalk, February 2017 India, a reluctant powerhouse – TunnelTalk, December 2016 Lucknow begins TBM tunnelling – TunnelTalk, Nov 2016 Overcoming high cutter wear in Chennai – TunnelTalk, February 2016 Final end to tough Bangalore TBM drives – TunnelTalk, October 2016

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Desiree Willis, Technical Writer, The Robbins Company

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epal welcomed its first ever TBM in Summer 2017 with a 5.06m diameter double shield Robbins machine arriving in the mountain kingdom to excavate a 12.2km long tunnel for the Bheri Babai multi-purpose irrigation, water supply and hydropower project. The TBM underwent its factory acceptance testing in July and was shipped to the jobsite in the Siwalik Range, part of the Southern Himalayan Mountains. Pre-construction works for the project, including laying gravel onto rural roads, has been completed to make way for transportation, launch and operation of the TBM in the remote location.

The Bheri Babai project is one of 11 National Pride Projects sanctioned by the Government of Nepal to further develop the country. The project will irrigate 60,000 hectares of land in the southern region of Nepal, benefitting an estimated 30,000 households. It will divert 40m3/sec of water through the tunnel from the Bheri River to the Babai River using the head of 150m to operate a 48 MW turbine and produce hydropower to benefit the country by about US$20 million annually. A new 15m tall dam will create a reservoir to provide yearround irrigation in the surrounding Banke and Bardia districts.

The Nepal branch of the China Overseas Engineering Group (COVEC) and represented by the Chengtong branch the China Railway No 2 Engineering Co is responsible for the water delivery and headrace tunnel and is aware of the challenges associated with tunneling in tough geology. “The design of Robbins TBMs is known to be good, and in particular its double shield TBMs,” said Hu Tianran Project Manager for China Railway No.2 Engineering Co. The Siwalik range is projected to consist of mainly sandstone, mudstone and conglomerate, requiring a TBM that can withstand squeezing ground, rock instability, the possibility of high water ingress and fault zones. Maximum cover above the tunnel is 820m.

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Due to the challenges in the young geology of the Himalayas, difficult ground solutions have been incorporated into the TBM design, including a stepped shield to move through squeezing ground.

“A probe drill in the rear is a vital feature of the machine and is capable of drilling probe holes through the gripper shield at 14 locations,” said Missy Isaman, Project Engineer for Robbins. “There are added drill ports also in the forward shield as well and eight ports around the circumference for hand drilling. Six ports in the top 100 degrees of the shield are provided for forepoling.”

Isaman further explained that the probe hole and drilling equipment was ordered with the TBM for either of the forward shield drilling options. “It is easier to add the ports to the shield now, in case more comprehensive drilling is needed later in the bore.”

Other machine modifications included a 35mm possible overcut for gauge cutters for a 70mm overcut on the diameter, and additional ports in the forward shield for dewatering.

Robbins will provide field service to support the machine assembly, testing, commissioning and boring of the first 500m. Rail-bound muck cars will remove muck from the TBM and the tunnel will be lined with hexagonal precast concrete segments.

Project owner, the Nepal Government Ministry of Irrigation (MOI), selected a TBM over drill+blast due to the faster mobilization and rate of advance offered by mechanized tunnelling. “Drill+blast could have taken 12 years or more to complete the project because there is only one heading and no possibility of multiple heading adits,” said Robbins General Manager for Nepal, Prajwal Man Shrestha.

More generally, Shrestha saw the project as a way to prove that TBMs can take on the complex conditions of the Himalayan geology. “Since the Himalayas are a young geology, and not much has been surveyed yet, the use of newer technology is looked upon with slight apprehension. The first few

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First TBM for Nepal

Top: TBM is equipped for geological challenges in the Himalayas; Below: Robbins team with project officials TBM projects and additional surveys will illustrate the suitability of TBM technology.”

There are many hydro and water supply projects being planned for the many rivers of the Himalayan mountain countries. TBM operations will bring mechanized benefits into the young mountainous geology. n

References

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Flexibility key to battling poor geology in Turkey - TunnelTalk, July 2014 TBM excavation conquers Peruvian Andes TunnelTalk, January 2012

Early finish despite challenges in Laos

n March 2017, Seli Overseas completed the 11.5km long TBM drive for the Xe-Pian Xe-Namnoy (XPXN) hydropower scheme in Laos more than three months early, despite initial challenges for the programme. During the last year, average progress achieved by the 5.74m diameter Terratec double-shield TBM was near 680m/month, said Dario Vizzino, Project Director for Seli Overseas from the project site in the Laos jungle when contacted

by TunnelTalk.

From formal TBM launch in early 2015, the monthly average was about 500m. This included a slow start due to power supply challenges and a stop in January 2016 for cutterhead enhancements to deal with

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harder than expected sandstone.

The initial plan anticipated a boring programme of about 800 days to a completion by mid-2017. Breakthrough was actually three months ahead of that schedule, said Vizzino.

The Terratec TBM progressed upstream from near the surge shaft on the headrace alignment with a total of 7,636 rings of precast hexagonal concrete segments to line the 11.5km x 5m i.d. TBM bored section of the 13.7km long headrace.

Drill+blast advanced the 2.2km balance of the headrace from the upstream end.

Seli Overseas was TBM tunnelling subcontractor for the main, turnkey contractor SK Engineering & Construction

Patrick Reynolds for TunnelTalk of South Korea. SK is also a partner in the project development company, which has a 32-year concession to construct and operate the 410MW hydro project.

XPXN is located deep in the jungle, in the south west of the country, a location that provided significant logistical challenges. Vizzino told TunnelTalk that good planning was critical for avoiding different kinds of delays. “Effectiveness of this planning was an important contribution to the tunnelling progress and early finish,” he said. A significant challenge was the limited availability of skilled and qualified local workers, which led to more use of

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Team completes 11.4km headrace drive three months early expatriates, he added.

Issues with the local grid power were eventually overcome when the project owner installed diesel generators to provide continuous availability. As a result, while the TBM was formally launched in March 2015, excavation started effectively in AugustSeptember 2015, explained Vizzino.

Site investigations anticipated boring through mostly mudstone and siltstone of about 70MPa-150MPa with less than a quarter of the bore through harder sandstone.

The cutterhead was fitted with 39 x 17in back loading disc cutters and had a main drive power of 2000kW (8 motors x 250kW) for a maximum cutterhead rotation of 7 rev/ min and a torque of up to 8,000kNm. “Sandstone was expected to be encountered in the second half of the tunnel and it should have been of medium strength,” said Vizzino. “Instead, more than 2km of very hard sandstone was met in the first part of the drive. With the shield operating at about the limit of its thrust, it was decided to stop and reinforce the cutterhead to avoid serious damage. From then on the TBM bored continuously.”

The monthly progress jumped from about 400m/month before the upgrade works to mostly exceeding 600m/month thereafter and achieving more than 800m/ month across four consecutive months.

The best month was 1,004m in July 2016, and building almost 670 rings of hexagonal lining backfilled with pea-gravel and grout.

The TBM back-up had a hydraulic lift to

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Double shields for complex geology in Thailand Terratec News Release

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wo hard rock TBMs from Terratec were chosen for the challenging Mae Tang-Mae Ngad water diversion project in Northern Thailand for the Royal Irrigation Department. The 4.74m diameter double shield machines will be used by Thai contractors Right Tunnelling Co and Siamphan Enterprise on two contracts to excavate 15km of the 25km-long Phase 2 tunnelling works that traverse the challenging mountainous terrain north of Chiang Mai city.

The TBMs have been designed to overcome complex and variable geology, which ranges from granite, gneiss, quartzite and schist, to sandstone, siltstone, shale, slate, mudstone and claystone, and varies from massive to highly fractured and weathered rock masses with a UCS range of 8MPa to 220MPa. Numerous fault and fracture zones are predicted with the potential also for high ground water inflows.

The cutterheads each have 17in disc cutters with large bucket openings, anti-wear plates and lubrication systems for the injection of foams and polymers to prevent wear and supress dust. The 1,500kW electric variable frequency main drives (VFD) will allow the cutterheads to cut efficiently in harder rock zones at a maximum speed of 9 rev/min and deliver 2,896kNm of torque to cope with more fractured zones.

The machines are also fitted with probe drilling systems, located behind ring gear style segment erectors, that provide 360-degree coverage for probing and grouting ahead of the TBMs. They also have dewatering pumps with the capacity of up to 100litres/sec.

As the two machines progress, they will install a hexagonal segmental lining of 1.4m wide precast concrete segments, which will be backfilled with pea-gravel and annular grout. Excavated muck and supplies will be transported via rail-bound systems.

The Mae Tang-Mae Ngad water diversion tunnel is designed to convey 28m3/ second of raw water from the Mae Tang River to the Mae Ngad and Mae Kuang reservoirs.

The project involves 50km of tunnel that is being built in two phases. When complete, in 2021, a saving of more than 160 million m3 of water will be seen each year. n

References •

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Double shield for challenging Indian hydro drive – TunnelTalk, April 2016 Double shield TBM for Thailand water tunnel – TunnelTalk, July 2016

Two 4.74m diameter hard rock double shield TBMs will tackle complex geology

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raise and empty gravel cars and a doublecapacity pumping system to support high production rates.

Except for the different distribution of the expected rock types and quality, the geology presented few other particular challenges. High groundwater inflows and potential difficulties with faults had been anticipated but neither was of significant issue. “The tunnelling experience has been very good,” said Vizzino. “Terratec deserves special appreciation for its support and the attitude of all its staff.”

Other underground works include excavation of the surge shaft, a 55m high vertical high pressure shaft and a 1,300m long steel-lined low pressure tunnel over a gross hydraulic head of 630m to the surface power plant. The XPXN concession project is scheduled for completion in 2018.

Most of the output will be exported from the Lao People’s Democratic Republic to Thailand. n

References • •

TBM launch for Laos headrace – TunnelTalk, April 2015 Rallying finish for robust TBM in Laos – TunnelTalk, January 2011

Korea highway route to the sea TunnelTalk reporting

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he new 72km long Dongsea highway in South Korea to link the capital city Seoul to the east coast city of Yangyang will cut the current two-hour fastest route via Chuncheon on a heavily congested expressway, to 90 minutes (Fig 1). Some 73% of the new Dongsea highway runs through 35 tunnels, the longest being the 11km long Inje Tunnel.

Construction of the long tunnel was awarded as a Korean Won 534 trillion (US$510 million) contract to a consortium of five Korean companies led by Daewoo E&C with a 50% stake. Drill+blast NATM excavation of the twin tube tunnel started in 2011 and progressed from both portals, and in both directions from a 1.4km long midpoint adit to achieve final breakthrough on the twin 11km long tubes within two and half years. The adit is a permanent structure that will be used during operation for ventilation and fire-fighting emergencies. Another two vertical shafts add to the ventilation system.

“As well as being the longest highway tunnel in the country, it is designed to be the safest in Korea,” said Lee Yong Woo, General Manager of Daewoo E&C and Project Manager of the construction site. “It has 20 cross passages for passenger cars and six vehicular cross passages through which vehicles can be directed back out of the tunnel in the parallel tube in the event of an in-tunnel emergency.” It is also fitted with deluge sprinklers along its full twin-tube length and foam generating equipment to battle petroleum fires and large-scale fire accidents. To maintain driver concentration, landscape lighting impressions are projected onto the tunnel crown at four locations. n

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Pakistan signs Dasu Singapore DTSS sewer hydro tunnels contract contracts awarded TunnelTalk reporting

Patrick Reynolds for TunnelTalk

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he Pakistan Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) signed a PKR64.4 billion (US$615 million) contract with China Gezhouba Group Company (CGGC) for the underground works in the first stage of the Dasu hydropower project in Pakistan. The contract for package MW-02 includes the first relatively short headrace, and the long tailrace tunnels, the upstream pressure shafts and downstream surge shafts, and work on the large powerhouse cavern complex that will eventually hold 12 generating units (Fig 1).

The 4,320MW Dasu project is on the Indus River, in north Pakistan and is being developed in two stages. Stage I is designed to bring six of the proposed 12 x 360MW turbines online as soon as possible and use the revenues earned to help fund Stage 2. The upstream Daimer Basha project must also be completed before Dasu can be built out to full capacity in Stage 2. The 2,160MW Stage 1 development is scheduled for commission by 2023. Once fully developed, the project will include: • four 500m long concrete-lined headrace tunnels of 12m diameter; • four 131m deep pressure shafts with penstocks to three turbines each; • the main machine hall and a smaller transformer hall in the underground powerhouse; and • four 2,200m long concrete-lined tailrace tunnels of 10m wide x 12.5m high, Each tailrace drains three turbines with the flows coming together at a dedicated 37m wide x 45m high surge chamber on each.

The project includes further tunnels in the PKR115 billion (US$1.1 billion) MW-01 contract awarded to CGGC to build the dam and hydraulic steel structures. The tunnels are: • two shotcrete-lined river diversion tunnels of 17m wide x 20m high and,1,260m and 1,100m long and • two 9.5m diameter sediment flushing tunnels of 820m and 680m long.

CGGC won both contracts on a lowest bid basis and the awards were signed in March. CGGC is involved in several other hydro projects in Pakistan, most with major tunnel excavations.

The geology in the project area includes both igneous and sedimentary rocks. Upstream tunnels are to be excavated in granulite while the caverns are in coarsely crystalline dioritic granulite. The granulite rocks are characterised as generally massive to blocky, slightly foliated and strong to very strong. The tailrace tunnels are in amphibolite.

The project is located near the boundary of the Asian and Indian tectonic plates, and design development of the underground layout of the caverns had to be upstream of a fault zone, resulting in the relatively short headrace and longer tailrace tunnels.

Development of the project has major funding support of approximately US$1 billion from the World Bank. This is more than onefifth of the estimated US$4.2 billion budget of Stage 1. The Bank has also been closely involved in the procurement process.

At the end of March 2017, secured the country’s largest ever locally syndicated loans for an infrastructure project. Guaranteed by the Government, the total of PKR 144 billion (US$1.35 billion) is being provided by a group of banks led by Habib Bank. An added series of international loans of up to US$350 million are also to be signed.

Main works for Dasu started in mid-2017 and under supervision by a joint venture led by Nippon Koei. n

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References

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RFQs called for Singapore DTSS Phase II – TunnelTalk, April 2016 DTSS Phase I extremes – TunnelTalk, March 2005

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Fig 1. Tunnel layout for the Dasu project;

UB, the Singapore National Water Agency awarded the first three contracts for its Deep Tunnel Sewerage System (DTSS) Phase 2 to: • Ed Züblin AG • Penta-Ocean/Koh Brothers JV, and • Leighton Contractors With a combined total value of Sing$1.51 billion, the three contractors will spend the next seven years developing the detailed designs and excavating 30km of deep tunnels and link sewers as part of the total Phase 2 works of 40km of deep tunnels and 60km of link sewers (Figs 1 and 2). Contracts for the remaining sections of Phase 2 are to be awarded from 2018. Lead Consultant for DTSS Phase 2 for PUB is the Black & Veatch + AECOM Joint Venture.

“The deep tunnels are an integral part of the strategy to facilitate large-scale water recycling in Singapore,” said Yong Wei Hin, Director for PUB of the DTSS Phase 2. “The goal is to convey every drop of used water for treatment and channel it for further reclamation at the NEWater Factory thereby increasing the overall water recycling rate in Singapore from a current 40% to up to 55% of total water demand in the long term. The Phase 2 network of deep tunnels and link sewers will connect by gravity to the Tuas Water Reclamation Plant to be completed in 2025. By then, and with the completed DTSS Phase 1, the whole of Singapore will be served by the DTSS network (Fig 3). n

Fig 1. Five main tunnel packages of DTSS Phase 2 Fig 2. 40km of link sewers for DTSS Phase 2

Fig 3. Tunnels of the DTSS Phase 1 and Phase 2 strategy

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Kuala Lumpur Line 1 opens and Line 2 starts Roland Herr for TunnelTalk

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n July 2017, the new Klang Valley Mass Rapid Transit (KVMRT) Line 1 became fully operational. The 51km long rail line in the Malaysian capital from Sungai Buloh to Kajang (SBK), with the central 9.5km aligned underground is the first of three planned Metro Lines. The line took six years to build and at a cost of Ringgit 21 billion, about US$4.89 billion.

At the Line’s opening ceremony, Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak said: “As Malaysians, we can stand tall today as we have a world-class project for the people.

We are seeing not just the MRT but the shape of the future of Malaysia before our eyes.”

The ceremony in July opened the 20.5km southern elevated section and the 9.5km underground section with 12 elevated and seven underground stations.

The elevated northern Phase One section opened in December 2016.

The last of the eight TBMs on the central underground section, including six Herrenknecht VDMs, successfully broke through at Pasar Seni Station in April 2015.

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Patrick Reynolds for TunnelTalk

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relatively short but critical drive in Hong Kong for the expansion of its metro network has marked another milestone for the variable density VDM technology developed by Herrenknecht. A 7.41m diameter VDM machine was used successfully by the Dragages-Bouygues JV to excavate one of two tunnels on part of the southern section of the ShatinCentral Link project, boring 680m through complex coastal geology and below busy roads on Hong Kong Island.

Launched in mid-August 2016, the VDM completed its delicate drive at the end of November to reach the site of the future Exhibition Station at the southern end of the project alignment (Fig 1).

“The VDM built 400 x 6.5m i.d. rings of lining during a period of about 100 days, passing above the up-track running tunnel that had been built between March and July 2016 by a 7.41m diameter Herrenknecht slurry Mixshield,” said Thomas Barrett, Construction Manager for metro owner MTR Corporation.

The Mixshield drive was at sufficient

Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak leads the crowds into an opened underground station

Fig 1. Planned KVMRT network The VDMs proved remarkable in mitigating the risk of tunnelling through Kuala Lumpur limestone, which is known for extreme karst formations. The same six VDMs have been refurbished in Malaysia for further use by the same contractor MMC-Gamuda for the new KVMRT Sungai Buloh-SerdangPutrajaya Line 2. The first of these refurbished TBMs started the running tunnel excavations for Line 2 in March 2018. Prime Minister Najib was again on

site for the official inaugural TBM launch.

Line 2 is programmed for completion in 2022, while the third Circle Line is under planning with a target for it to begin operating by 2027.

Line 1 is expected to carry an average of 150,000 passengers a day and reduce the number of vehicles on the Malaysian capital’s roads by at least 160,000. n

References • •

Final breakthrough ends KVMRT TBM tunnelling – TunnelTalk, April 2015 KVMRT to repeat Line 1 success for Line 2 – TunnelTalk, April 2016

Variable density in Hong Kong depth to pass through mainly rock with some decomposed granite. The second drive, involved excavating close to and over the first tunnel, in a stacked arrangement, and below an area of busy traffic. The new metro tunnel also runs under the cut-andcover alignment of the new Central-Wan Chai bypass express roadway (Fig 1).

To negotiate through a complex mix of reclamation fill, marine sediments, some rock, with decomposed granite, and some alluvium deposits and at less than 6m beneath busy roads, the JV opted for a VDM even though it would drive only this single, relatively short drive.

“The variable density TBM bears the merit of changing its boring modes to adapt to different ground conditions along a complex tunnel alignment,” said Barrett.

“Slurry mode was used on the drive for the initial stages, then high density/EPB mode for the marine deposits. As a result, the VD concept reduced the risk of leakage of foam or slurry to the surface roads in the busy Causeway Bay area.”

The VD system is designed and

described by Herrenknecht as an all-round TBM for loose soils of all kinds, offering the capability to vary the density of the EPB foam conditioning or slurry support medium depending on ground conditions, and to do so without major equipment modifications. The VD technology was used initially in Malaysia on the Klang Valley MRT project to pass through karstic limestone within which high groundwater levels could change quickly.

At the end of 2016, with the demanding VDM drive complete, Dragages-Bouygues JV re-deployed its Mixshield for the twin tunnels between the Fenwick Pier works site and Admiralty Station. Reassembly of the TBM was nearing completion for relaunch in March 2017, and both drives were expected to finish by mid- 2018. n

References

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Shatin-Central Link progress in Hong Kong – TunnelTalk, Feb 2016 Central-Wan Chai bypass express underground highway on Hong Kong Island – TunnelTalk, March 2017

Fig 1. Southern alignment of the Shatin-Central Metro Line; Hong Kong metro milestones for Herrenknecht VDM system

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wo new 5.7m tight radius EPBMs from Terratec arrived in Bangkok to excavate a challenging curved alignment on the Bueng Nong Bon to Chao Phraya river diversion tunnel project for the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA).

Located in the south-east of Bangkok, the 9,187m long river diversion project is the third of four major flood prevention tunnels to be built in the long term plan to manage the severe flash floods that currently plague the Thai capital during the rainy season.

The need to stay within public road easements imposed a number of very tight radius curves on the alignment. To achieve these, the Terratec tight radius machines have been designed with an extreme X-type articulation system that provides a maximum articulation angle of 7.5 degrees to accommodate a minimum radius curve of 35m.

The first machine to start work for Thai contractor Sino-Thai Engineering & Construction (STECON) launched into a 65m radius curve from a 15m diameter shaft at the Bueng Nong Bon reservoir intake and travelled southwards towards the Klong Nong Bon inlet station. Following an intermediate breakthrough, the TBM turned 90 degrees within the 12m diameter shaft and re-launched westwards to the Klong Kled inlet. The third and final run for TBM1 will require a sharp 40m radius curve mid-drive to turn the TBM northwards to the reception shaft, where it will be dismantled. The total length of this first section is 5,523m.

The second machine will complete the two remaining sections of the tunnel.

Launching from the 15m diameter Bang Aor pump station inlet shaft, it will also commence its 2,975m drive with a 65m radius curve, heading eastwards to the Sukhumvit 66/1 inlet shaft. On its next drive, the machine will negotiate a double 40m radius, S-shaped spiral curve. After recovery, TBM2 will complete a final 690m drive westwards, again starting on a 65m radius curve. Geological conditions along the alignment consist of soft

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Terratec TR3000 raise boring machine completed a series of inclined raises for the Huanggou pumped storage power station project in Heilongjiang Province, China. Since starting work on the project in Summer 2016, the machine had completed five inclined shafts at angles ranging from 30 to 50 degrees with raise lengths varying from 350m to 370m and a reaming diameter of 2.4m.

Each shaft, including pilot hole and reaming, was completed over a period of approximately two months and, despite the challenging inclines, a high level of accuracy was achieved in the medium 120MPa to 150MPa strength rock with limited downtime for maintenance. The machine will bore a further eleven shafts for the 1,200MW scheme.

Manufactured at the Terratec workshop in Tasmania, Australia, the machine was transported first to copper mines in the

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Terratec News Release

Articulated tight radius EPBM

Sharp 32m-radius curve takes the turn

Fig 1. Route of the cable tunnel drives to medium sandy clays, stiff clays and very dense sands, with an average overburden of 30m and a maximum groundwater head of about 1.5 bar.

The TBM soft ground cutterheads feature an open spoke design with the addition of knife bits to assist break-in and break-out of the shafts. Reinforced 1.2m wide, 5m i.d., precast concrete segments will be installed as the machines progress, with shorter steel segments used through the sharp 40m radius curves.

When complete, the tunnel will have a drainage capacity of 60m3/sec, providing

much needed flood relief to an area of approximately 85km2.

Also in Bangkok, a Terratec tight radius EPBM shield is completing the challenging Phra Khanong cable tunnel for the Bangkok Metropolitan Electricity Authority (MEA).

Thai contractor Nawarat Patanakarn started on the first drive in February 2017 from a 7m diameter shaft located beneath an elevated expressway ramp. Due to the limited working head room and the piles of the expressway, the 3.2m diameter EPBM had to launch on a sharp 32m radius curve, which it achieved using its extreme X-type articulation system that provides a maximum articulation angle of 6.6 degrees.

Tunnelling operations were closely observed throughout the manoeuvre via a settlement monitoring programme that demonstrated minimal impact on the above ground structures. As the machine progressed through the curve it installed a tunnel lining of short 300mm wide x 125mm thick steel sets, before transitioning to 1.1m wide x 225mm thick tapered precast concrete segments.

With its soft ground open spoke cutterhead design, fitted with knife bits to assist break-in and break-out of the steel fibre reinforced concrete shaft eyes, the EPBM coped with the geological conditions, which consisted of fine sands and stiff clays with a groundwater head of about 2 bar.

The EPBM completed a second 30m long x 99m-radius curve on its approach to the reception shaft. For its second 293m long drive, the EPBM again launched into a tight 43.7m radius curve on a 2% up-grade trajectory, passing under the Phra Khanong canal and heading northwards to a second retrieval shaft. n

ASIA

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Extreme articulation for Bangkok drives

References • •

Bangkok examines flood prevention plans – TunnelTalk, December 2011 Design collaboration for extreme-articulation EPBM – TunnelTalk, October 2016

Raise boring in China Yunnan and Sichuan Provinces of China where it completed a number of 300m deep x 3.1m diameter raises in medium strength rock for ventilation ducts, manways and ore passages. The machine was then moved to North China where it undertook several more 300m deep inclined shafts of 2.4m in diameter.

Terratec TR3000 RBM at work in China

Terratec News Release The RBM has a boring size of 3m diameter and a depth of 500m with a standard pilot hole diameter of 311mm. Its maximum pilot drilling torque is 78,000Nm, with reaming torque of up to 237,000Nm and breakout to 266,000Nm. Maximum down thrust force is 1,600kN and up thrust is 4,500kN from the total installed power on the machine of 352kW. Terratec has similar raise boring machines working around the world.

The range includes combination downreaming/raiseboring machines and universal borer machines. n

References •

Hong Kong closing out West Drainage scheme – TunnelTalk, September 2011

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Underground Spaces Unveiled: Planning and creating cities of the future

History of Tunneling in the United States

BOOKS AND REPORTS

Underground spaces are typlically overlooked or neglected in the quest for developing compact, energy-efficient, resilient and liveable cities writes Dr Joan Clos, Under-SecretaryGeneral of the United Nations and Executive Director of the UN-Habitat in her foreword of the Underground Spaces Unveiled publication. As well as the architectural and technical issues of creating underground infrastructure, the legal status of space ownership beneath private surface property and other legal and governance constraints are discussed.

Written by Han Admiraal and Antonia Cornaro, the chapters provide a balanced view of the concept of underground space development, the book addresses the issues, explores the potential and expands the horizon of urban possibilities.

Documenting the use of underground space from ancient times, through existing underground developments, to plans for integration of subsurface space for cities across the globe, the book reveals the benefits, the challenges, and the possibilities of a spatial dimension that is far from understood in its entirety. It places urban underground space development within the timely context of rapid urbanisation, climate change, and urban resilience.

The book is a must read for all those fascinated by the future of human habitation, about this era of transition in which human intervention is influencing the Earth’s natural systems, about the new balance that must be found between nature and humanity, and about new paradigms that question the past and will shape the future. True to its title, the authors help lift the veil of ignorance that covers general attitudes towards the value of the underutilized underground space. Order online for £70.00 at the ICE Bookshop. n

A chronicle of 200 years of tunnelling and underground space development in the United States is presented in a lush coffee table book produced and compiled by the US Underground Construction Association (UCA) and published by its host organisation the Society for Mining, Metallurgy, and Exploration (SME).

The book, with a timeline of milestones, takes the reader on a journey from the early days of building a nation and the role that tunnelling and underground public infrastructure has played during that remarkable journey, covering railroad, transit, highway, water and tunnels. Two further chapters discuss innovations and the Future of Tunneling.

Order this beautifully crafted and comprehensively illustrated book for your private bookshelf or company library via the UCA of SME online order form. The US$259.00 ($129 to UCA members) is an investment in understanding the building of the United States of America and the underground solutions to urban and national infrastructure challenges in each period of that history. n

Index of Advertisers in the TunnelTalk 2017 Annual Review AGIR Aggregat AG Antraquip Babendererde - TPC Tunnelling Process Control BASF - The Chemical Company Brokk CREG - China Railway Engineering Equipment Group Dibit Messtechnik GmbH Dr Sauer & Partners DSI Underground - Dywidag-Systems International ES Rubber Group Gall Zeidler Consultants Geodata Engineering Geodata Surveying & Monitoring Group H+E Logistik GmbH Herrenknecht AG HNTB ITC SA Lane Construction Lovsuns Mayr Moretrench Normet Optimas Royal IHC Ruen Drilling Incorporated Sandvik Schöma Lokomotiven Shotcrete Technologies, Inc. tacs GmbH Terratec The Robbins Company Tsurumi (Europe) GmbH Tyco Fire Protection Products UTT Mapei VMT GmbH WTC2019 Naples

11 51 31 110 53 38, 43 58 17 57 62 89 23 8 69 2-4 6 32 91 49 58 95 44 61 35 89 13 79 86 31 100 109 57 65 51 14 29

TunnelTalk 2017 TIMELINE OF THE YEAR

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Albatros A.S.T. Bochum

Bekaert Maccaferri CFT GmbH

Condat Lubricants Häny

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HBI Haerter AG Rascor

VIP Polymers Wirthlin Consulting Group

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PARTNERS IN YOUR PROGRESS Every tunnel stands as evidence of problems solved, obstacles overcome, and partnerships solidified. Our drive has always been—and will continue to be—meeting our customers’ challenges head-on. Learn more about how The Robbins Company is utilizing forward-thinking tunneling methods to carve new paths in the tunneling industry at www.therobbinscompany.com.

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