The tunnel boring machine (TBM) which will construct a new rail tunnel between Bergen and Arna in western Norway has been handed over by manufacturer Herrenknecht.
On May 7, the 1,800-tonne TBM was presented to the Skanska/Strabag joint venture at Herrenknecht’s factory in Schwanau.
The new 7.8-kilometre tunnel will sit beside the existing Ulriken tunnel, which opened in 1964, increasing capacity for both freight and passenger traffic along the route.
A renewal of the 1960s tunnel will begin when rail traffic is switched to the new tunnel in 2018. Work is scheduled to be completed in 2020.
The TBM will now be dismantled and shipped piece by piece in August and reassembled in Bergen. The largest component weighs more than 170 tonnes.
