While Metrolinx continues work in Ontario to prepare the launch shaft for the Scarborough Subway Extension’s tunnel boring machine
single tunnel calls for a big tunnel boring machine – one that can build a tunnel with a 10.7-meter (35-foot) diameter
soon to be the biggest subway tunnel in Toronto
The 7.8-kilometer (4.8-mile) Scarborough Subway Extension will be the first subway project in Toronto to operate in both directions within a single tunnel
requiring only a single boring machine to create all the necessary space
The TBM for the Scarborough Subway Extension is being manufactured by Herrenknecht
which has supplied tunnelling technology for underground infrastructure around the world
including major subway projects in the UK and around Europe
teams at Herrenknecht’s manufacturing facility in Schwanau have been busy preparing a custom-built TBM for the Scarborough Subway Extension
After teams complete quality control and testing at the Herrenknecht facility
the machine will travel in multiple shipments
The TBM shipments are set to arrive on Canadian shores in early 2022 and will then travel by truck to the launch shaft site at McCowan Road and Sheppard Avenue
they will lower the assembled machine into the ground so it can begin tunnelling its way south under McCowan Road
digging about 10 meters (32.8 feet) of tunnel daily
workers will remove the machine from the ground at an extraction shaft that will be built at Midland and Eglinton
Metrolinx will also be launching a TBM naming contest later this fall to crowdsource names for Scarborough’s new tunnel boring machine – much the same way the tunnel boring machines used on the Crosstown route were named by the public
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Herrenknecht AG’s headquarters in Schwanau
Mid-sized companies are reducing their dependence on China
dominating their industries and creating a roadmap to succeed in a new world economy
And the cherry on the Black Forest cake: The United States picked up the bill for defense while the Germans devoted all their energies to making money
Germany’s two previous irruptions onto the world stage — in 1914 and 1939 — had occurred in the name of nationalism and militarism
The new age of globalization allowed Germany to showcase its ability to work across borders in the name of universal prosperity
AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND & SCHWANAU, GERMANY, SEPT 10, 2018 -- For the modernization of a wastewater treatment plant near Auckland
innovative Direct Pipe® technology is in use to install a sea outfall pipeline
the machine is tunnelling its way through the New Zealand subsoil into the sea
The new sea outfall not only increases the plant's capacity
but also sets a new distance world record with Direct Pipe® technology
the site crew in New Zealand's Whangaparaoa can report the successful breakthrough of the microtunneling machine "Blanche"
contractor McConnell Dowell's project team sets a new distance world record with the Direct Pipe® method
Watercare's Army Bay Wastewater Treatment Plant project
will create an additional 2.9 kilometer long sea outfall
The pipeline connects the pump station with the discharge point
This will significantly increase the capacity of the wastewater treatment plant
Special attention is being paid to environmental protection so as not to impact the surrounding recreational and fishing area
Under no circumstances must the local flora and fauna be affected
The Direct Pipe® method is ideal for such sensitive installations
Herrenknecht's patented pipeline installation method uses an AVN machine
The pipe string is attached to it and simultaneously inserted during the tunneling process
This is done with the help of the "Pipe Thruster"
Pipeline installation takes place in one step
the environmental impact is kept low and the landscape remains intact
The highlight of the project is the distance world record cracked at 1,496.48 meters -- the longest pipe string ever laid with Direct Pipe® so far
"The world-record breaking Direct Pipe drive at Watecare’s Army Bay project would not have been possible without the expert assistance and timely backup that Herrenknecht provided contractor McConnell Dowell right from tender preparation
through establishment of the plant to successful breakthrough,“ says McConnell Dowell Project Manager Brent Whiting
The AVN machine was lifted out of the sea at the outfall and towed ashore
The new discharge at Watercare’s Army Bay Wastewater Treatment Plant is scheduled to go into operation early next year and will equip the facility for future population growth
Stuttgart 21 consists of two projects: 'S21 – reconstructing the Stuttgart rail node' and 'NBL – new build of the Wendlingen to Ulm line'
The aim of the former is to transform the existing terminus station into a through station 12m underground
thereby connecting Stuttgart to the European high-speed rail network from Paris to Budapest and freeing up valuable real estate
The latter project will cut travelling time from Stuttgart to Ulm in half
Instead of the current track next to the river through built-up areas in the Filstal
is designed for maximum speeds of 250 km/h
Stuttgart 21 was first presented to the public in 1994 and it is expected to be completed in 2019
The project has proved hugely controversial
Those with long memories may remember Professor Gerhard Heimerl
enthusiastically stating on television that it would hardly cost anything because of the 100 hectares of prime building land which would become available in the cramped heart of the city
By the time construction finally got underway in 2010
costs were estimated at four billion euros but these have since risen to 6.8 billion euros and are expected to rise further still
Whereas the question of who will end up paying for the cost overrun – perhaps inevitable with this kind of project – will rumble on
and its significance for years to come seems beyond dispute
the one-and-a-half-hour journey from Stuttgart to Herrenknecht AG in Schwanau passed quickly with a welcome packed lunch and animated discussions
is one of the typical owner-run engineering businesses which are the backbone of the German economy
However its achievements in just 35 years are outstanding in that it has become the worldwide market leader in tunnelling technology
The scale of Herrenknecht AG's operation was brought home by a state-of-the-art animated display wall
By touching any one of the hundreds of different pictures
all the details of that particular project
no less than eight Herrenknecht tunnel machines (six Earth Pressure Balance Shields & two Mixshields) are being used by three consortia for the high-speed Crossrail project in London
For the 10km long Filder Tunnel near Stuttgart
a 10.82 diameter multi-mode tunnel boring machine (TBM) is being used
It is followed by a TBM for the Bosslertunnel and two for the so-called Albvorlandtunnel (all EPB-Shields)
The largest boring machines made to date are up to 19m in diameter; an arch of this size has been placed in front of the Finance Building to help visitors visualise the scale of such equipment
After a tour of some of the production shops at Herrenknecht and closer inspection of various TBMs currently under construction in the open air
the visit ended with some people returning on the coach to Stuttgart while others chose to stay on in the Baden region over the weekend to enjoy the delights of this wine growing area
Find out more about the Germany Group's events and activities by visiting Germany's Near You pages.
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Metrolinx is preparing to embark on digging the single-largest subway tunnel in Toronto's 67-year history of rapid transit: the controversial 7.8-kilometre Scarborough Subway Extension is now finally underway
The Scarborough subway will extend the TTC's Line 2 eastward into Scarborough with three underground stations, replacing the above-ground Scarborough RT and its six stations
While most of Toronto's transit lines were designed with twin tunnels
the Scarborough extension's eastbound and westbound tracks will both run through a single 10.7-metre diameter tunnel
about as tall and wide as a telephone pole
And building such a massive tunnel requires an equally enormous tunnel boring machine
Such a machine destined for Toronto is currently being tested by manufacturer Herrenknecht
Metrolinx shared a post in early September with photos of the enormous machine being assembled
Their latest update reveals a fully-assembled monster of a machine
emblazoned with a red maple leaf on the cutting head that will forge the line's path below the streets of Scarborough
View of the TBM during assembly in Germany
this titan will be disassembled to begin its long crossing of the Atlantic Ocean by boat
expected to arrive in Canada early next year
before making the final leg of its journey to Toronto via truck
Metrolinx is gearing up for the arrival of the TBM in a couple of big ways
This includes a contest to name the machine launching this fall
and the actual preparation of a launch shaft where the TBM will begin its mission
Crews are now getting their feet dirty at the corner of Sheppard Avenue and McCowan Road
working on a gargantuan pit that the TBM will eventually be lowered into
The TBM's launch shaft being excavated at the corner of Sheppard Avenue and McCowan Road
Once the colossal machine is lowered into the ground next spring
it will begin digging the line at a rate of approximately 10 metres per day
Launch shaft for the Eglinton Crosstown LRT
the Scarborough subway's two tracks will be within a single
A second shaft will eventually be dug at Midland and Eglinton
where the TBM will be removed after completing the almost eight-kilometre tunnel
The largest subway tunnel in Toronto's 67 years of underground transit is coming, as early prep work sets the stage for the 7.8-kilometre Scarborough Subway Extension
Bringing the TTC's Line 2 east into the heart of Scarborough, the line hasn't come without controversy, panned for its outrageous price tag of $5.5 billion and offering just half the number of stations as the above-ground Scarborough RT it will replace
there's still plenty about the new line extension for transit nerds to get excited about
Unlike the twin tunnels that carry trains along most of Toronto's subway lines, Scarborough is getting one big tunnel
Both the eastbound and westbound tracks will be contained within a single 10.7-metre diameter tunnel
much wider than your average transit tunnel
Building a tunnel of this magnitude is no easy feat
and Metrolinx had to look all the way to the small town of Schwanau
to source the gigantic tunnel boring machine (TBM) that will carve out a path for Toronto's next subway line
Metrolinx has been following the testing of this enormous TBM since day one, sharing photos of its assembly and maple leaf-emblazoned cutter head.
Now tested and disassembled, the TBM is ready for its trans-Atlantic journey to the line's launch shaft, currently being excavated at McCowan and Sheppard.
Over the last few weeks, the dismantled TBM has been loaded into containers and shipped via barges along the Rhine River to the Dutch port of Westdorpe. From here, it will depart on Friday, Nov. 26, crossing the Atlantic Ocean as part of a 6,300-kilometre trek to Toronto.
A container packed with TBM parts at the Dutch port of Westdorpe, awaiting its cross-ocean voyage. Photo by Strabag via Metrolinx.
But what kind of ship do you need to get a 2,000-tonne behemoth across an ocean?
A Dutch heavy load cargo container ship, aptly named Jumbo Vision, is the perfect ship for the job, with an impressive carrying capacity of almost 7,000 tonnes. That's the weight of almost 4,000 average-sized cars.
Jumbo Vision being loaded with containers full of TBM parts at the Dutch port of Westdorpe. Photo by Strabag via Metrolinx.
Jumbo Vision's approximately two-week voyage will depart Dutch shores on Friday, but there will be more updates as the giant TBM makes further progress.
The next big update will occur when Jumbo Vision passes through the St. Lawrence Seaway and arrives in the Port of Oshawa in mid-December. From there, the shipping containers carrying the goods will be trucked to the launch site, assembled, and lowered into the ground for a spring launch.
Jumbo Vision awaiting departure from the Dutch port of Westdorpe. Photo by Strabag via Metrolinx.
The Scarborough RT is expected to close in 2023, and Scarborough residents will have to go years riding replacement buses before the new subway extension opens, currently scheduled for 2029-2030.
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has welcomed the imminent arrival of a gigantic tunnel-boring machine for the development the next stage of Sofia’s Metro system
will arrive in Sofia for digging through the central part of town for the Sofia Metro," he announced on Wednesday
"After what we saw in the factory in Schwanau in Germany I do not doubt that in 2012 the Sofia metro will run from the Central Station and Nadezhda to Cherni Vrah Boulevard," stated the Prime Minister on taking symbolic delivery of the machine
The tunneling machine weighs some 1 600 tons
It will be transported from Germany to Belene
The monster digger has been specifically designed for the conditions of the Metro in Sofia
the machine will dig about 9 meters and will remove approximately 1 000 cubic meters
It will work on a continuous 24-hour rota of three shifts
with completion of the next section of the Metro scheduled for one year later
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and the official Day of the Bulgarian Army
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