By Lynda Myer
In order to advancing the tunneling process on the shield section of Turkey’s Halkali-Ispartakule high-speed rail project, the 8.54m diameter EPBM CREC 1148, which has been designed and manufactured by China Railway Engineering Equipment Group Co (CREG), was commissioned in previous week.
Completion of the shield section, that comprises of twin bores each around 6 km long and with a maximum depth of 55m, is slated to be done by two EPBMs, while clay, silt, sandstone, conglomerate, claystone and marlstone are the main geology of this path.
The EPBM is going to excavate beneath Lake Küçükçekmece and the proposed Istanbul canal.
With 135m length, the two CREC 1148 and CREC 1149 EPBMs have maximum thrust speeds of 80mm/min.
Additionally, the high water pressures will be dominated by CREG’s double screw conveyor system design and implementing strata reinforcement.
The scheduled date for launching CREC 1149 that currently is being assembled will be September 2023.
Improving passenger and freight transport between Istanbul, from the existing Halkali Station, and Ispartakule, will be the advantage of Halkali-Ispartakule high-speed railway project.
