NEWS |
DB orders Herrenknecht system for rail tunnel refurb
Jacobs finishes wave R&D tunnel design US – The Jacobs has completed the underground infrastructure engineering for the PacWave South commercial-scale, ocean wave energy testing facility in Oregon. The consultant led the engineering
services for the HDD Company, the design- build contractor for the project, to support the evaluation and testing of new energy generation technologies to turn offshore ocean waves to onshore renewable electricity. The HDD Company is part of the Crossing Group. Delivered for Oregon State University,
the PacWave South project is the first pre- permitted, full-scale test facility for wave energy devices in the US. It is designed to up 20 wave energy converters of various designs to be tested in real-world, open- sea conditions, 11km off the coast of Oregon. The project includes four offshore steel
Above: Rail refurb system to help DB projects PHOTO CREDIT: HERRENKNECHT
GERMANY – Herrenknecht is to supply two of its Tunnel Enlargement Systems (TES) to German rail company Deutsche Bahn (DB) for refurbishment project that allow rail services to continue operating during the works. The two TES machines are
to be used on refurbishment of the 160-year-old Fachinger and Cramberger tunnels. The 426m-long Fachinger Tunnel lies between Diez and Fachingen; the Cramberger Tunnel between Balduinstein and Laurenburg is 732m long. Typically, refurbishment works
can restrict the operational use of a rail tunnel and operators have to divert their train services or provide bus replacement journeys for legs of the routes. Restrictions in working hours can also add to the programme time and cost of a proposed refurbishment investment. The TES has a protective canopy
to separate the working area from rail traffic. It incorporates all equipment required for refurbishment or enlargement works in a tunnel and so an asset owner can allow operators to continue their services while work is carried out. Herrenknecht supplied its first TES to a rail tunnel upgrade in Spain in 2017. The system is around 40m long
8 | September 2023
and contains machinery required for a particular tunnel renewal project, such as excavator boom with hydraulic breaker, remote controlled shotcrete nozzle and drill rigs. Herrenknecht project manager
Volker Breuning said enlarging and relining a tunnel with the TES resulted in a cross-section and durability similar to a new tunnel. He said TES uses drill and blast to enlarge the tunnel and then spoil falls to the side of the machine to be removed via a separate tunnel heading and loading machines. Aging infrastructure as well as
upgrade, including to meet current regulations, modernising emergency provisions, renewal of tunnel lining, accommodating wider gauges or faster trains, or electrification of a line can all lead to growing demand for intervention on existing underground rail assets. While tunnel refurbishment is
mainly driven by rail operators the system could also work on road tunnels,” said Herrenknecht project manager Volker Breuning. He added that, at present, there
are two stages to the work – excavation and primary lining, followed by the permanent lining – and it would be good to combine the two stages. “But this is an outlook for the future and to be developed.”
conduits up to 36.5m below the seafloor and extending a mile offshore, connecting to a bundle of five onshore high-density polyethylene (HDPE) conduits, all installed using horizontal direct drilling (HDD) methods and ultimately connecting to PacWave’s Utility Connection and Monitoring Facility. The project won an award from
the American Council of Engineering Companies in 2022.
Downer completes sale of unit to Gamuda AUSTRALIA – Downer has completed the sale of its Australian Transport Projects business to Gamuda’s Australian subsidiary. The Australian Transport Projects
business is responsible for delivering major construction services to mainly government, including the design and construction of tunnels, roads, rail, signalling, station works and bridges. The newly acquired business will operate
on a standalone basis within the Gamuda group of companies and trade as DT Infrastructure Pty Ltd (DTI). Downer said completion of the Aus$212m
(US$144m) sale was an important milestone in the company’s portfolio simplification strategy. When the proposed acquisition was
announced in February, Gamuda said the strategic move would support a wider variety of project delivery for customers in Australia. Last year Gamuda Australia won the
Sydney Metro West – Western Tunnelling Package, in consortium with Laing O’Rourke; Coffs Harbour Bypass; and M1 Raymond Terrace extension.
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