By Lynda Myer
In order to completing the entrance portal on the French side of the base tunnel digging process has begun on the Lyon-Turin railway.
The intended tunnel with 3km length links Saint Jean de Maurienne and Saint Julien Montdenis, whereas it is due to be added to the 10.5km completed in April between Saint Martin la Porte and La Praz, near the border with Italy.
The responsibility of excavating the tunnel stretching from the French entrance portal is up to a consortium comprising Implenia, NGE, Itinera and Rizzani De Eccher. Construction of this tunnel, which’s over than 1km will be an umbrella vault, is slated to be implemented using traditional methods (hydraulic breakers and/or explosives).
According to Implenia: “The preparatory work has already been demanding. It has included building 794 jet grouting columns to improve the mechanical properties of the soil in the alluvial zone, as well as a Parisian wall. For the excavation of the spandrel zone, 290,000 tons of material were excavated – a total of approximately 600,000m3 for the entire project.”
In order to decreasing noise and dust pollution for local residents, the consortium is currently constructing three acoustic buildings.
Including the 57.5km Mont Cenis Base Tunnel, the Lyon-Turin line is going to be 270km long. Linking Italy’s Susa Valley with France’s St Jean-de-Maurienne, this tunnel will rise the passenger trains’ speed up to 220km/h and freight trains to 110km/h.
Annual transportation of 40 million tons of goods, 5 million passengers, shifting 1 million heavy vehicles from road to rail, as well as rushing annual CO2 emissions by 3 million tons, are advantages of the Lyon-Turin line.
The Lot 2 contract, which is in order to building the 23km tunnel among Saint-Martin-la-Porte/La Praz and Modane, has been awarded to a consortium of Vinci Construction Grands Projets, Dodin Campenon Bernard, Vinci Construction France TP Lyon and Webuild.
