| NEWS


Shaft machine for China hydro bores CHINA - CREG says China’s first variable- diameter shaft reaming machine recently passed its Factory Acceptance Test (FAT). The 7.23m-diameter machine, CREG


1430, manufactured by China Railway Engineering Equipment Group Co (CREG), will be used to construct vertical shafts on the Yongjia Pumped Storage project, in Zhejiang province. For the project, CREG customised


the shaft reaming machine, adopting a variable-angle conical cutterhead to facilitate rock breaking and discharging. The design also allows for assembly and disassembly in the narrow chamber. The machine will be used to bore


a 358m-deep exhaust shaft and two 488m-deep diversion shafts, respectively, on the hydro project. Geology comprises rock, partial fault zones and a sediment- tuff interlayer. The lithology is crystal welded tuff and spherical bubble rhyolite, with an average compressive strength of 119MPa-190MPa, and up to 223MPa.


Progress on Barcelona metro SPAIN - The Túnel Madri consortium has celebrated the final breakthrough of the Zona Universitaria-Mandri section of Line 9 of the Barcelona’s metro. This follows the arrival of the TBM at the Mandri shaft. The consortium of Acciona, Dragados,


Comsa, and Sorigué will next focus on excavating the 1.6km length of the Mandri-Lesseps section, which is the final part of Line 9. The TBM will first undergo maintenance and changes to meet the challenges of this section. Works began in the launch shaft of


the Zona Universitaria station, where the 12m-diameter EPBM ‘Hospi’ began to bore the 3.4km-long, 11m i.d. tunnel. The fully automated Line 9 connects Barcelona airport with the city centre.


Dubai prequal for DSST UAE - Dubai Municipality has prequalified engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) companies to bid, along with investor and operation and maintenance (O&M) partners, for the contracts to develop four of the six packages of the US$22bn Dubai Strategic Sewerage Tunnels (DSST) project. Under the current plan, the US$22bn


DSST project will be delivered in six packages, which will be tendered as public-private partnership (PPP) with concession periods lasting between 25-35 years.


The first package, J1, comprises Jebel


Ali tunnels (North) and terminal pump stations (TPS). The tunnels will extend approximately 42km, and the links will extend 10km. The second package, J2, covers the


southern section of the Jebel Ali tunnels, which will extend 16km and have a link stretching 46km. W for Warsan, the third package,


comprises 16km of tunnels, TPS and 46km of links. J3, the fourth package, comprises 129km


of links. This story was first reported by T&TI’s


sister publication https://www.meed.com/ dubai-prequalifies-epc-firms-for-22bn- tunnels-project


Blackheath Tunnel repair finish UK - VolkerFitzpatrick’s Southern Renewals Enterprise (SRE) team has completed a 10-week programme of repairs to Network Rail’s Blackheath Tunnel in south-east London. The £10m-worth of essential repairs to


the Victorian tunnel, carried out by Network Rail, included a specialist industrial vacuum to clean away old soot, fitting over 10,000 new bricks, and carrying out detailed structural and ground surveys ahead of further work in 2025. The work was needed as the 1.6km-long


tunnel, which opened in 1849, is prone to leaks and water damage because of brickwork damage caused by the freezing and thawing of rainwater that filters through the ground into the tunnel. While the structure is safe, in the last year faults in the tunnel led to train delays of around 1,000 minutes. VolkerFitzpatrick is the building and civils partner for the SRE, working in partnership with AtkinsRéalis, Octavius, VolkerRail and Network Rail, to deliver the southern region’s £9bn renewals portfolio over the next 10 years.


Aecom team bags SF Downtown task US - The Aecom-led Portal Connectors has been selected by the Transbay Joint Powers Authority (TJPA) to provide programme management and construction management services for San Francisco’s Downtown Rail Extension project. The tunnelling and station project,


also known as the Portal, will extend the Caltrain service 3.9km from its current terminal at Fourth and King Streets to the


Salesforce Transit Center and accommodate the future California High-Speed Rail service. Once complete, the extension will be a key regional rail connection, forecast to serve an average of 90,000 passengers a day connecting with 11 Bay area transit systems. Portal Connectors will be responsible


for implementing an operating model to deliver a range of programme management and project supervision services. The services under the contract include


obtaining FTA funding, finalising the procurement plan in 2024, activating collaborative delivery models, designing and building the tunnel stations, and integrating the Portal with existing rail systems and operations. The rail extension is expected to be


constructed mainly below ground using cut-and-cover and mined tunnelling underneath Townsend and Second Streets. The project includes an underground station at Fourth and Townsend Streets along with the Salesforce Transit Center’s basement levels, utility relocation, track and systems work.


Łódź tender for HS rail tunnel POLAND - Centralny Port Komunikacyjny (CPK) has launched a tender for the construction of a 4.6km-long high-speed rail tunnel in the city of Łódź. CPK aims to create a national transport


system that integrates air, rail, and road. It includes a new airport between Warsaw and Łódź, along with a high-speed rail network. The tunnel is the key element of the


Y-line, the planned high-speed route between Warsaw, CPK, Łódź, Wroclaw and Poznan. It passes under the centre of Łódź and is to be excavated by a TBM with a diameter of approximately 14m. The tunnel will house two tracks, for


trains to run in both directions, and will be Poland’s longest and largest-diameter bored rail tunnel.


Corail-Tunnelier acquires Metalliance FRANCE - Metalliance SA, a global supplier of MSVs and related equipment for the tunnelling and mining industries, has been acquired by Corail-Tunnelier SAS. The new company will retain the


Metalliance brand name. Corail-Tunnelier is a consortium


comprising: Corail-SM; Marceau Schlumberger; Steve Filipov; Mining Equipment Ltd; and, Novium.


November 2024 | 7


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