Breakthrough at the Gotthard Base Tunnel
October 14, 2010
October 14, 2010
Breakthrough at the Gotthard Base Tunnel: Bilfinger Berger completes technically demanding centerpiece of the world’s longest rail tunnel
On October 15, 2010, Bilfinger Berger celebrates the breakthrough at the Gotthard Base Tunnel – at 57 kilometers, the longest rail tunnel in the world. Together with its Swiss and Italian partners, the Company has been working on the centerpiece of the new trans-alpine route since 2002. Public reaction to the breakthrough at the southern end of the section has been very positive.
With a volume of about €1.2 billion, the Sedrun lot is the largest order placed by Alptransit Gotthard AG. Bilfinger Berger accounts for approximately €310 million of that total. The middle section of the Gotthard Base Tunnel, with a total length of 8.6 kilometers, is particularly demanding from a technical perspective.
Special mining procedures were used for the first time in tunnel construction. Reaching up to 2,500 meters above the central tunnel section is the Gotthard Massif, a mountain range with a complex geology and little explored underground geography. Flexible steel rings capable of supporting loads of up to 180 tons per square meter were used to stabilize the tunnel against the huge pressure of the mountain. Their installation was made possible using special multi-functional machines normally used in mining. Bilfinger Berger and its joint venture partners made good progress – up to nine meters per day – despite the tremendous technical challenges. This led to the original order being extended by about 1.5 kilometers toward the southern connecting lot so that the construction schedule for the entire project could be maintained.
The Gotthard Base Tunnel is one of the most ambitious transport infrastructure projects in Europe. Rail service in the tunnel is expected to begin in 2017, reducing travel time between Zurich and Milan by about an hour. Bilfinger Berger has many years of experience in tunnel construction and is involved in a number of important infrastructure projects for Europe's railway companies including Zurich's Cross-City Line, the Silberberg, Brandkopf and Lohmeberg series of tunnels in Thuringia, Germany, the Wienerwald Tunnel in Austria and the Stockholm City Line.
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