Your search: (no limitation)

Requirement

tunnelling project

Employment Railway
Geology Granite
Tunnel Length 14,292 m
Diameter 9,510 mm

Solution

machine data

  Machine Type Double Shield TBM
Support Techniques Segmental Lining
Cutterhead Power 4,200 kW
Torque 963 kNm

The project involved the construction of a twin railway tunnel through the Central Spanish mountain range of the Sierra de Guadarrama to the north of Madrid, which was to form part of the new high speed rail link between Madrid and Segovia. The route ran under the Manzanare National Park, where the predominant geology was granite, with a hardness of up to 160 MPa.

The project developed into a race between four Double Shield TBMs, two of which were manufactured by Herrenknecht, and two by Wirth. One Herrenknecht machine and one Wirth machine at the north and south ends began tunnelling, culminating in a neck and neck finish. The competition contributed greatly to the success of the joint project: in just three years, nearly 58 kilometers of tunnel were bored, with a boring diameter of 9.51 meters - a milestone in mechanized tunnelling through hard rock.