Tunnel rescuer in Rastatt: drilling machine Wilhelmine freed after 7 years!

Tunnel rescuer in Rastatt: drilling machine Wilhelmine freed after 7 years!

progressing with a huge step: The tunnel boring machine "Wilhelmine" was finally dismantled under the Rhine Valley Railway in Rastatt after more than seven years. This important progress is the result of months of demanding work after the machine fell into an accident trap during the tunnel construction in August 2017 and lowered the tracks. The tunnel construction site was closed to long-distance and freight traffic for seven weeks, which had a significant impact on transport traffic. Now the last parts of this millions of millions have been cleared out of the tunnel, like swr reports .

The last chapter of the "Wilhelmine" was completed in a spectacular way: With the use of cutting distillers, excavators and chisels, construction experts freed the machine and promoted around 52,000 cubic meters of material from the construction pit. The contextualization of this disassembly is of great importance, since Deutsche Bahn has already started building the tunnel. According to project manager Frank Roser, only 200 meters of the Ostrohre are missing. Work on the major project Karlsruhe-Basel aims to expand the Rhine Valley Railway from two to four tracks, which should enable a faster connection for ICE trains. The entire expansion of the railway tunnel is planned until 2041, whereby the goal is to expand the Rhine Valley Railway as one of the central north-south axles in the European rail network, such as bnn.de reports .

While train interruptions have been worsening due to the accident since 2017, it is now being worked out to complete the eastern tube by summer 2025. The construction work for the remaining 200 meters is carried out in an open construction. According to the planners, the west tube is already equipped with a fixed road. After completion, the trains will in future cross the urban area, which promises a relief for residents in relation to noise from train traffic. According to the rail spokeswoman, no precise information can be given about the additional costs caused by the accident.