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Tunnel rescuer in Rastatt: Wilhelmine” drilling machine freed after 7 years!
The “Wilhelmine” tunnel boring machine was successfully dismantled in Rastatt. A new construction phase for the Rhine Valley Railway begins.
Tunnel rescuer in Rastatt: Wilhelmine” drilling machine freed after 7 years!
A huge step forward: The “Wilhelmine” tunnel boring machine was finally dismantled after more than seven years under the Rhine Valley Railway in Rastatt. This important advance is the result of months of demanding work after the machine encountered an accident during tunnel construction in August 2017 and the tracks sank. 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 multi-million dollar machine have been cleared from the tunnel SWR reports.
The final chapter of the “Wilhelmine” was concluded in a spectacular way: using cutting torches, excavators and chisels, construction experts freed the machine and extracted around 52,000 cubic meters of material from the excavation pit. The contextualization of this dismantling is of great importance because Deutsche Bahn has already started further construction of the tunnel. According to project manager Frank Roser, only 200 meters of the eastern tube are missing. The work on the major Karlsruhe-Basel project 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 rail tunnel is planned by 2041, with the aim of expanding the Rhine Valley Railway as one of the central north-south axes in the European rail network bnn.de reports.
While train interruptions due to the accident have increased since 2017, work is now underway to complete the eastern tube by summer 2025. The construction work for the remaining 200 meters will be carried out using the cut-and-cover method. According to the planners, the western tube is already being equipped with a solid roadway. After completion, the trains will in future cross under the urban area, which promises to provide relief for residents with regard to the noise caused by train traffic. According to the railway spokeswoman, no precise information can be given at this time about the additional costs caused by the accident.