Facts & Timetable

Technique & details

MCG has approximately 120 people permanently occupied in the consortium. In addition to this, up to 500 people are engaged through different subcontractors. The number varies according to the diff erent phases of the project.

You cannot go back
It is important to navigate correctly underground. The TBM cannot reverse because the lining reduces the tunnel diameter from about 9 metres to about 8 metres.

How does the tunnel turn?
By making the lining rings asymmetrical (a little wider on one side), it is possible to turn the ring and make the tunnel turn or go up or down, without affecting the seal between the rings.

Sheet Piles
The pit walls are 25 m straight down so they must be sheet-piled to prevent collapse. The most common method is to drive heavy steel profiles in the ground that create a gigantic wall of “corrugated iron”. The sheet piles are secured with ground anchors – wires that are drilled diagonally into the ground and secured by casting.

Facts

CITYTUNNEL FACTS
TOTAL LENGTH .......................................... 17 km electrified railway
NEW STATIONS .......................................... Malmö C Lower, underground station. Triangeln, underground station. Hyllie, station above ground
EXCAVATION MATERIAL ........................... About 3 million m3

E 201 FACTS
BORED TUNNEL .......................................... 4.6 km
CUT-AND-COVER TUNNEL ......................... 360 m
RAMP .......................................................... 440 m
CONCRETE CONSUMPTION ........................ About 243,000 m3 of which 85,000 m3 for lining segments
LINING SEGMENT ........................................ About 40,900 segments, forming about 5,100 rings

TUNNEL BORING MACHINE FACTS
BRAND ........................................................ Herrenknecht
MODE .......................................................... EPB-shield (earth pressure balance)
LAND OF MANUFACTURE .......................... Germany
LENGTH AND WIDTH .................................. 120 x 8.9 m
TOTAL WEIGHT .......................................... 1,330 tons
EFFECT ....................................................... About 5,440 hp / 4,000 kW
SPEED ......................................................... About 0.001 km/h (18 m a day)

Timetable

2001
The agreement between Bilfinger Berger AG, Per Aarsleff A/S and E. Phil & Søn A.S to form the consortium Malmö Citytunnel Group, MCG, and make a tender for the construction of the Citytunnel.

2003
Tender phase.

2004
11 November. Signing of the contract for Contract E201 – tunnels and rock chamber.

2005
5 April. Work starts – cutting the first sod. 1579 days until the required delivery date.

2006
September. Start of assembly of the first TBM at Holma.
November. The first TBM starts boring.
December. The second TBM is assembled.

2007
In autumn the two TBMs pass the rock chamber in Triangeln, this means that the construction of Station Triangeln enters a new phase.

2008
During the second half of 2008 the TBMs reach Malmö C.

2009
MCG hands over the finished construction in accordance with contract E201 to the client.

Pressure equalization shafts

Just north and south of Triangeln Station, pressure equalization shafts are being built to connect the tunnels with the surface. The function of the shafts is to eliminate the “air cushion” that would otherwise create excess pressure in the station every time a train arrives.

”Navigation”

How do you find the right route underground? When the Öresund Bridge was built, high precision GPS* was used. But GPS signals do not penetrate underground so highly specialized surveying techniques will be used for the tunnel. From fixed points on the surface, a network of measuring points
will be built in the tunnels as the tunnel boring machines advance. The system is accurate down to the last millimetre.

* Global Positioning System, satellite based navigation system.