The major order is part of the overall Stuttgart-Ulm rail project, in which the Stuttgart railway junction is being configured, writes Implenia in a news release. Implenia has been chosen to build the Albvorlandtunnel segment of the route (section 2) of the new, 60-kilometre-long Wendlingen-Ulm railway line, which will provide a faster, more convenient route over the hills of the Swabian Alp.
According to Implenia, over half of the route runs through tunnels. The largest underground segment is the Albvorlandtunnel, which comprises two shafts, each around 8 kilometres in length and eleven metres in diameter. The section also includes a link to the Stuttgart-Tübingen railway line – known as the Kleine Wendlinger Kurve – and a freight train connection. The freight link consists of two single-track tunnels about 170 metres in length.
The project involves specialists from Implenia’s tunnelling, foundation engineering and civil engineering departments. Preparatory work begins in early January 2016, and the main construction work is set to begin in summer 2016.