By Lynda Myer
In order to advancing the Vienna subway extension, Herrenknecht has presented the TBM to the client and construction team.
The extension process of subway line 2 from Vienna City Hall to the south for the operator, Wiener Linien, will be done using the EPB shield TBM by ARGE U2 17-21, a Strabag/Porr joint venture.
With 6.84m diameter, this machine is 120m long and weighs almost 1,200 tons, while it has a cutterhead drive power of 1,920kW and maximum torque of 15,028kNm.
Tunneling a 2.1km tunnel northwards to below Augustinplatz, the machine is due to be commissioned at the future Matzleinsdorfer Platz station and will then be pulled back through the bored tunnel to build the parallel tube from Matzleinsdorfer Platz.
Herrenknecht project manager Ralph Lickert said the EPB shield TBM was the optimal machine type for the predominantly clayey geology.
Considering that the Austrian capital’s growing population is expected to reach over than two million people by 2030, this metro development is designed to meet this issue and according to the city, the investment in the line extensions will create and secure around 30,000 jobs.
