By For helping to create and facilitate the immersed tunnel section of Hong Kong’s new Sha Tin to Central Link for the MTR Corporation, Trelleborg’s marine and infrastructure operation has supplied two of its tunnel sealing systems for them. The line, which partly opened in February this year, includes a 1.7-km immersed tunnel section in Hong Kong’s prestigious Victoria Harbor. It is done by the main contractor for the works, Penta-Ocean China State Joint Venture (PCJV). The operation supplied its Gina gasket, which is able to withstand extreme pressure to prevent water ingress, as well as its Omega seal, which serves as a secondary safety seal and can endure the most severe ground movements. The railway line will allow more people to travel between Hong Kong Island and Kowloon.
The Project Director, John McLeod, at PCJV stated: “This is a high-profile project to provide additional transportation options for the Hong Kong people and alleviate the already busy rail network. The tunnel is the sixth immersed tube tunnel in Hong Kong and the first such project for 20 years. Due to the project’s significance and high level of public interest, we were delighted to complete the project in cooperation with a proven partner in Trelleborg.”
He also added: “Trelleborg’s sealing systems proved to be an easy-to-install solution when connecting 1,660 m of the tunnel’s concrete panels. With their Gina gasket being made of a softer rubber than other sealing systems, it could be closed more easily upon initial compression. This meant that our installers could deploy a lighter jacking force to seal the deeper joints and reduce the time it took to close the seals, which also reduced costs.”
“We are delighted to have facilitated yet another landmark infrastructure project with Victoria Harbor being a popular tourist destination in Hong Kong. The award of this contract is testament to our unrivaled industry expertise and undisputed reputation as a world leader in the design and manufacture of advanced, high-performance tunnel sealing systems,” said Richard Hepworth, President at Trelleborg’s marine and infrastructure operation.
The combination of the two sealing systems allows the transfer of hydrostatic loads and movements between the tunnel ends, caused by creep of concrete, temperature effects, soil settlement, and earthquakes.
Trelleborg also supplied two supplementary bespoke sealing systems to the impermanent works to comfort the construction of the tunnel’s closure joint. The supplementary seals included a side panel seal and a dome seal, which are fundamentally designed to prevent water ingress.
Assembling Trelleborg’s sealing systems follows the company’s involvement in other world-renowned projects in the region, including the world’s widest immersed tunnel –¬ the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge and the ShenZhong Link.
It is expected to have the cross-harbor section of the Sha Tin to Central Link open in 2022, and will run from Hung Hom Station in Kowloon to Admiralty Station on Hong Kong Island.
For more information on Trelleborg’s range of advanced infrastructure solutions, visit https://www.trelleborg.com/en/marine-and-infrastructure
Source: Tunnel Business Magazine
