PREVIEW | WORLD TUNNEL CONGRESS
UNDERGROUND CONSIDERATIONS
As host nation for WTC 2023, Greece recalls a long history of underground construction while looking ahead to further tunnel projects, including more metro lines. ITA President,
Prof Arnold Dix, and Greek Tunnelling Society (GTS) President, Nikolaos Roussos, discuss how underground space, though, is often undervalued as an asset
The theme of WTC 2023 is Expanding Underground and the host city, Athens, has a long history with tunnels. The Greek capital aims to add metro extensions to the city’s transport work that will increase the previous total of 75 stations by almost half again. Recently, the Line 3 extension project was completed
as 7.6km-long twin tunnel to Piraeus, including six new stations toward the increased total. The metro owner, Attiko Metro S.A, has work underway on Line 4. The Phase 1 section is totally in tunnel between Alsos Veikou and Goudi. Beyond Athens, other tunnel projects has included
works for Thessaloniki metro, which has been under development for years and includes 18 underground stations and required 14.4km of tunnelling; a total of 13km of road tunnels for the Northern Road Axis concession, on Crete; and, a 1.2km-long subsea road tunnel from Lefkada island to the mainland. With much achieved over centuries and with a view
to examining what may come ahead, ITA President, Prof Arnold Dix, and Greek Tunnelling Society (GTS) President, Nikolaos Roussos, took some questions from ITA and they shared their answers and discussion on challenges for tunnelling and what the WTC 2023 Conference offers delegates from across the world.
Top:
ITA President, Prof Arnold Dix
Above:
Greek Tunnelling Society (GTS) President, Nikolaos Roussos
IMAGES COURTESY OF ITA, GTS AND WTC 2023
WHAT IS THE STATE OF THE TUNNELLING SECTOR GLOBALLY AND PARTICULARLY IN GREECE? Arnold Dix (AD): Globally this sector has never been busier with major infrastructure being delivered as part of economic stimulus packages in many countries. Also the role of underground infrastructure in adaptive and resilient responses for the challenges posed by the changing climate has seen a boom in flood diversion, hydro power, sewerage and mountain transportation projects. Nikolaos Roussos (NR): We see this trend here in Greece and in Athens. Its underground network has expanded considerably in recent years and this development is now accelerating significantly. The metro Line 3 extension project to Piraeus was successfully finished in October 2022, with the public opening of the final three new stations, Maniatika, Piraeus, and Dimotiko Theatro. The project, which included a 7.6 km long twin-track running tunnel, six new modern stations, and
14 | April 2023
seven ventilation shafts, is one of the most significant expansions for the greater area of Athens and Piraeus region in decades.
A MAJOR PLAN FOR THE EXTENSION OF THE METRO NETWORK IN ATHENS IS UNDER DISCUSSION. WHY ARE THESE PROJECTS ESSENTIAL? NR: At this time, in Athens, a metro network with over 110 stations is proposed, with 35 new stations in nine extensions. After a decade of focusing metro projects on the extension of Line 3 in Piraeus and the effort to begin the implementation of Line 4, new goals appear to be established for the coming years. The goal is to connect with other means, expand the network, and create new growth poles in the city, making Athens a friendlier city to its citizens and visitors. Major plans for the extension of metro networks in
big cities are essential for improving transportation, reducing congestion, promoting economic development, and enhancing urban mobility. These projects can have a significant positive impact on the lives of people in the city, making them a crucial investment for the future.
WHAT’S YOUR VIEW ABOUT SUSTAINABILITY IN TUNNELLING AND RESILIENCE AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE? DOES THE SCARCITY OF URBAN SPACE RESOURCES MAKE THE UNDERGROUND SPACE PLANNING DE FACTO MORE SUSTAINABLE? AD: The threats posed to urban environments like climate change, tend to relate to less reliable surface assets like roads, railways, power distribution, and surface drainage, because more frequent, higher intensity storm events and more severe weather (such as heat or cold), tend to damage and render existing surface infrastructure compromised. This, then, raises the prospect of more adaptive
infrastructure of which the underground delivers many unique opportunities. The sustainability of such options depends partly upon the consequences of building and operating them on the climate emergency itself. Enormous improvements have been made to the environmental implications of building such infrastructure, including low carbon materials and techniques.
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