By rosebell
With the aim of receiving the first of two tunnel boring machines (TBM) in February, Trojena is advancing its construction activities with preparations underway.
The excavation process of a twin 3.8km-long tunnel for the funicular railway will be done using this 235m-long, 2,000-tonne TBM, that currently is on route from Germany.
Linking the Mirage Visitor Centre terminal with the Vault building, this railway will traverse the mountainside. The TBM is being produced by the German company Herrenknecht.
“This will be the first operating funicular rail system in the kingdom and the steepest TBM-driven funicular tunnel in the world. There is a one-kilometre height difference between the start of the tunnels at the bottom of the mountain to the breakthrough point at The Vault building, so this tunnel drive is not only complex but unique,” said Philip Gullett, executive director and region head of Trojena.
While the responsibility of the tunneling and excavation work for the project is up to a Turkish-local joint venture between Limak Holding and Al-Ayuni Investment & Contracting Company, the tunnel boring machine is part of their contract.
