NEWS |


Progress pushes ahead for Forbach hydro


Melbourne’s Metro Tunnel


set to open AUSTRALIA - Melbourne’s Metro Tunnel is to open to passengers in early December, with trains stopping at all five new stations. The twin 9km-long tunnels, which


connect the east and west of Melbourne, were built by the Cross Yarra Partnership comprising Lendlease Engineering, John Holland, Bouygues Construction and Capella Capital. The four TBMs completed tunnelling in May 2021. The service start – dubbed the “summer


start” – will be the biggest transformation of the city’s rail network since the City Loop 40 years ago. The launch will be followed by the ‘big switch’ in February 2026 with the introduction of a new timetable and broader network changes integration. Premier Jacinta Allan’s office said


Above: The Rudolf Fettweis plant, in Germany, is being converted to a pumped storage power facility PHOTO CREDIT: PORR


GERMANY - Porr Tunnelbau recently achieved the breakthrough of the main tunnel between the cavern water reservoir and the outlet structure on the Rudolf Fettweis power plant in Forbach, Germany. The 1km-long tunnel is the


longest tunnel on the project. Concrete work in the cavern has


been under way since the beginning of September and excavation in the cavern is expected to be fully completed shortly. In August, the Porr tunnel


construction team broke through from the cavern to the Schwarzenbach underwater tunnel and then began the raisebore excavation on the Murg shaft. The power plant owner, EnBW


Energie Baden-Württemberg, is converting its more than 100-year- old run-of-river facility into a pumped storage hydro scheme. Since Q3-2023, Porr has been


constructing a cavern and tunnel system for the conversion project. It says the project remains on schedule to be commissioned in 2027. After completing the excavation


of the access tunnel and the throttle chamber, the contractor


8 | November 2025


began preparing for work on the 350m-deep shaft. The 350mm-diameter pilot bore


began mid-year and would serve as preparation for the subsequent widening of the shaft. Porr reached the shaft base


cavern in less than two weeks. To widen the shaft to a diameter of approximately 3.1m, the next step was to mount an approximately 11-tonne reamer on the drill rod to perform the raisebore operation. Work was also progressing in


the cavern. Drilling and blasting are under way, and excavation is complete on the crown and benches one and two. With the advance of bench three in the cavern section of the Schwarzenbach power plant, excavation of the next significant phase proceeded. Earlier in the summer


breakthrough was made on the Murgwerk access tunnel, which is a key step in the Forbach hydro conversion project. The breakthrough of the energy diversion tunnel to the cavern and the installation of the crane runway beam were completed in advance.


international best practice made it clear that the best way to ensure a smooth service was to open the tunnel and run services first, then make the big timetable switch afterwards – not attempt them simultaneously. “It also saves time. Instead of the


tunnel sitting idle during the lead-in time for the new timetable, we can open it immediately upon safety approval and get people moving sooner on hundreds of new services,” a statement said. “The Metro Tunnel will transform


Melbourne, cut congestion and get you to work, uni and home sooner – and it opens in early December, a year ahead of schedule.” During the fit-out stage a robot equipped


with cameras and a laser scanner was used to document progress.


Gamuda orders TBMs for Taiwan metro TAIWAN - Contractor Gamuda has ordered three Herrenknecht TBMs for Taiwan’s Kaohsiung Metro Yellow Line, Package YC01. Three EPB shield machines are to be


supplied for the mass transit project. They are to be designed for local silty clay and sand conditions of the geology along the alignment as well its tight curves. Project owner Kaohsiung Mass Rapid


Transit Bureau awarded Package YC01 to the consortium of Gamuda Berhad and Asia World E&C in November 2023. The contract involves construction of a


4.4km-long railway in NiaoSong district, including 3.5km-long twin-tunnels and 0.9km of elevated tracks, four stations (three underground and one above ground), two crossovers and cross passages.


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