By Lynda Myer
Being operated by the Italian-French group CO 6-7, which comprises a French-Italian group of companies comprising Vinci Construction, Webuild, Dodin Campenon Bernard as well as Campenon Bernard Centre Est on the Lyon-Turin line, the Herrenknecht machine that is another TBM to be used on the Mount Cenis base tunnel has passed its Factory Acceptance Test.
The intended TBM is 180m long and has a 10.4m diameter and is due to dig the 9km of the north tube, alongside the work already completed on the south tube, between Saint-Martin-La-Porte and La Praz.
While in July 2023 the first Herrenknecht TBM for CO 6-7 passed its FAT, it is going to bore one of the two tunnel tubes among La Praz and Modane.
Also the weight of each TBM is 2,300 tons and it has 8,100kW of power and equipped with 61 cutters.
As Tunnel Euralpin Lyon-Turin (TELT) states work on the rail line is progressing on 11 fronts.
Following that the 12.5km of the 57.5km tunnel had been excavated in September, the second of four 500m-deep ventilation shafts was completed in the Avrieux area.
The used method for excavation on the Saint-Julien-Montdenis construction site is the traditional method, whereas on the Saint-Martin-la-Porte platform, the consolidation of the entrance face of the West Logistics Tunnel and the tunneling of the second logistics tunnel continues, while the construction of the first part of the large technical cavern transverse to the foot of the descent has almost reached 50m. In the meantime, the shaping of the descent has been completed in La Praz.
Considering g that for this construction site between Saint-Martin-la-Porte/La Praz and Modane, delivery of the three TBMs this section in both directions is awaited, the first two TBMs were arrived to the factory between July and early October and the scheduled date for delivery of the third is mid-November.
In order to creating the technical caverns for the assembly of the TBMs or logistics, three traditional advance fronts are active towards the Italian border, at the foot of the Villarodin-Bourget/Modane descent.
As a part of the new Modane ring road which is going to allow construction vehicles to bypass the city center, the road tunnel is under excavation on the surface.
Additionally, a contract for the recovery of excavation materials on the French side of the Mont Cenis tunnel (works package CO11) has been granted by TELT to a consortium comprising Vinci Construction subsidiaries Eurovia Alpes, Carrières du Bassin Rhônalpin, and Terélian; VICAT subsidiaries SATM and Granulats Vicat; and Spie Batignolles Valérian, Spie Batignolles Malet and GIE GMM 73.
Involving industrial processing of the 23 million tons of materials dug on the French side with a circular approach, including reuse of over 50% of the spoil on site, this contract’s value is €800m (£694m).
The complex will include three permanent storage sites, three materials processing stations, eight logistics platforms, 15km of conveyor belts and a full train loading facility.
After completion, the 57.5km Mont Cenis base tunnel, which is 12.5km in Italy and 45km in France, is slated to be one of the longest rail tunnels in the world.
