Soil Water Structures

Main tunneling projects

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Engineering provides specialist engineering, project management and risk management services for infrastructure construction.

For more than thirty years, we have been helping clients build works that form the infrastructural backbone of local communities. We are committed to service quality and on-time delivery and are firmly convinced of the importance of designing and building works with a sustainable economic, environmental and social footprint.

We have operations in Italy, Turkey and Canada to deliver the best possible services for our key markets, Europe, the Middle East and North America.

Infrastructure specialists, since 1982

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Robust operating knowhow An innate vocation for partnership

We offer solid project engineering and management expertise in tunnel construction for overground and underground railways, motorways, service infrastructures for the mining and oil & gas industries. Our proprietary “smart tunneling” platform minimizes sovrastructural risk.

We successfully apply our in-depth knowledge of the BIM process (Building Information Modeling) during both design and construction, with significant benefits for our clients.

Our modeling, risk management and risk assessment services provide effective support for construction of roads, railways, bridges and dams.

As a company in the Group, we are backed by the modeling and simulation knowhow of our sister-company EngiSoft to resolve operational questions and problems relating to statics and fluid dynamics for excavation and construction work.

We believe in the power of collaboration. Many of our projects are conducted through consortia and joint ventures to provide the end client with top competences in the various disciplines. We work side by side with general contractors, other engineering and design companies, and consultants in geotechnics, finance, environmental and socio-economic services. We are loyal, reliable partners, who understand the effectiveness of teamwork.

SWS IN FIGURES

30years of experience

8,000BIM models in infrastructure

35technical papers published in the tunneling sector

Kilometers of tunnels worldwide over the last 10 years

450 km

Kilometers of railway track (HS and conventional lines) in Turkey alone in the last 3 years

730 km

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Brenner Base Tunnel →  p. 8TCDD Turkish State Railways →  p. 10Arcisate-Stabio Railway Line →  p. 12Singapore Metro →  p. 13A14 Highway →  p. 14Trans-Israel Highway →  p. 16HSR Underground Link in Florence →  p. 17T4 Frejus Highway Tunnel →  p. 18Martignano Bypass →  p. 20Orte-Falconara Railway Line →  p. 21

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Tunneling portfolio

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2,000

2,500 m

10 km0 km 20 km 30 km 40 km 50 km

Maulser Tal

SengestalPfitschtalVenntal

ValstalPedestertal

Navistal

Arztal

Viggertal

Southportal

Fortezza

AccesstunnelMauls

AccesstunnelAhrental

North portalInnsbruck

AccesstunnelWolf

ItalyMultipurposearea Innsbruck

Multipurposearea St. Jodok East pipe

West pipe

Multipurposearea Trens

Stateborder

Austria

Italy

Innsbruck

Bolzano

Trento

Waidbruck

Franzensfeste

Franzensfeste

Kundl/Radfeld

Verona

Kufstein

Munich

Austria

Germany

Railway lineLower Inn Valley RailwayBrenner Base TunnelInnsbruck bypassPriority linesStrengthening Mühldorf-Rosenheim

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EXCAVATION SECTION

The Brenner base tunnel is about 57 km long and constitutes the middle section of the high-capacity railway between Munich and Verona. It consists of two single-track rail tunnels or tubes. The distance between the twin tubes is 70 m for most of the section, decreasing to approximately 40 m in the vicinity of the portals. 

Bypasses constructed every 333 m link the two tubes. The system configuration is completed by a drainage tunnel about 10 m below and between the twin tubes. 

During the construction phase, the drainage tunnel was used for logistics.

The base tunnel is mainly straight, except for the southern approach to the Fortezza portal and station.

The gradient is constant both in Italy and in Austria; the lowest altitudes are at the two portals, whereas the tunnel apex is in correspondence with the border between Italy and Austria.

The tunnel depth is significant, with maximum coverage of about 1,600 m, and average coverage of nearly 900 m.

Country Italy, Austria

Type High Cover

Length 57 km

Excavation method Mechanized

Construction works Ongoing

Client BBT SE - PGBB

Period 2005-2007

Activities performed Final design of main tunnel

RAILWAY LINE MUNICH-VERONA

Brenner Base Tunnel

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Turkey

Ankara

Istanbul

Izmir

Adana

Bursa

Konya

Samsun

Kayseri

DiyarbakirDenizli

Erzurum

Kars

Van

Mersin

Black Sea

Mediterrean Sea

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Adapazari Istanbul

Gaziray

ToprakkaleBahçe

SivasErzincan

ArifiyePamukova

EşmeSalihli

MürşitpinarUrfa

Nusaybin Habur

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Country Turkey

Client TCDD General Directorate

Period 2012-ongoing

Activities performed Complete design process for general contractor, monitoring of construction work

TCDD Turkish State Railways

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6 Gaziray-Gaziantep RailwayCountry TurkeyClient TCDD General DirectorateTotal length 25+542 kmDesign Speed 160 km/hNumber of viaducts/bridges 2Viaducts/Bridges overall length 80mNumber of stations 17Complete design process 2012-ongoing

7 Toprakkale-Bahçe RailwayTotal length 57+687 kmDesign Speed 160 km/hNumber of viaducts/bridges 5viaducts/Bridges overall length 1,010 mNumber of tunnels 4Tunnels overall length 9,785 mNumber of stations 3Complete design process 2012-ongoing

8 Usak-Salihli RailwayTotal length 78 kmDesign Speed 250 km/hNumber of viaducts/bridges 20Viaducts/Bridges overall length 3,902 mNumber of tunnels 19Tunnels overall length 20,690 mNumber of stations 2Complete design process 2012-ongoing

4 Nusaybin-Silopi RailwayTotal length 124 kmDesign Speed 160 km/hNumber of viaducts/bridges 8Viaducts/Bridges overall length 6,850 mNumber of tunnels 5Tunnels overall length 7,050 mNumber of stations 3Complete design process 2012-ongoing

5 Murşitpinar-Şanliurfa RailwayTotal length 65+644 kmDesign speed 160Number of viaducts/bridges 5Viaducts/bridges overall length 1,385 mNumber of tunnels 11Tunnels overall length 7,640 mNumber of stations 4Complete design process 2012-ongoing

1 Adapazari Istanbul High Speed TrainTotal length 109 kmDesign speed 250 km/hNumber of viaducts/bridges 25Viaducts/bridges overall length 10,509 mNumber of tunnels 23Tunnels overall length 63.320 mNumber of stations 2Complete design process 2011-ongoing

2 Arifiye Pamukova RailwayTotal length 25+542 kmRealization date 01/05/2014

3 Sivas-Erzincan High Speed Train ProjectTotal length 245 kmDesign speed 250 km/hNumber of viaducts/bridges 39Viaducts/bridges overall length 13,117 mNumber of tunnels 37Tunnels overall length 70,920 mNumber of stations 7Complete design process 2012-ongoing

SWS Engineering is closely involved in the design and monitoring of construction of the final section – more than 130 km – of Turkey’s “Adapazari Northern Pass” high-speed railway, a line that travels westward into Istanbul.

A considerable portion of the approved route for the double-track rail project is underground, with tunnels totaling almost 80 km in length. The cruising speed of the trains on this section of track will be 250 km/h.

Construction of the tunnels involves both conventional and

mechanized excavation methods.Since the area is crossed by

the Anatolian Fault, it is at very high seismic risk and presents particularly challenging design and construction issues.

This line is the natural completion of the rail link between Ankara and Europe. The contract also includes the design of Istanbul’s new rail station.

TURKISH RAILWAYS PROJECT Railway lineProjects under development and constructionStops

Maximunsection

Minimumsection

Varese

Busto Arsizio

Stabio

Arcisate

Porto CeresioLaveno

LuganoLuino

Mendrisio

Chiasso

Como

Italy

Switzerland

Gallarate

Malpensa

Existing RailwayArcisate-StabioNorth link to Malpensa

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Arcisate-Stabio Railway Line

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SWS Engineering was responsible for the design and the Environmental Impact Assessment of the 8 km railway link between Arcisate (northern Italy) and Stabio (Switzerland).

The service provided by our company involved the design of all the related infrastructures: retaining walls, under/overpasses, footbridges, bridges, tunnels and cut-and-cover tunnels. 

Beside the numerous civil infrastructures, we also designed the Arcisate railway station, including the building architecture, working in cooperation with the companies handling the superstructure, electrification, signaling and telecommunication works.

The 890 m Bevera tunnel was excavated in part with the cut-and-cover method and

Country Italy, Switzerland

Client Rete Ferroviaria Italiana Spa

Period 2006-2008

Activities performed

Final design, environmental impact assessment

GEOGRAPHICAL CONTEXT

½ SECTION A-A EXCAVATION

Singapore Metro

Stage 2 of the Singapore Metro Downtown Line is a 16.6 km fully underground section with thirteen stations, bored/cut-and-cover tunnels and a depot. The entire route runs along the Bukit Timah Road corridor, finishing at the depot. The full contract envisages the design, construction and completion of the Hillview and Cashew stations and the connecting tunnels; SWS Engineering was engaged for the preliminary design project.

Nearby mature structures include churches, banks, low-rise cluster housing and schools, mostly on pile foundations. The Standard Charter Bank building near Hillview station, a single-storey structure on shallow foundations in very close proximity to the excavation, has been identified as a high-sensitivity structure. The main sensitive structure along the tunnel is the Malayan Railway.

Country Singapore

Client C.M.C. Cooperativa Muratori

Period 2009

Activities performed Preliminary design

in part with conventional techniques. Maximum coverage is about 60 m. 

The 950 m Induno tunnel located in the village of Induno-Olona, near Varese, has a maximum coverage of about 45 m. It was excavated following the axis of the old tunnel, at a depth of between a few decimeters and nearly 2.5 m beneath the old tunnel.

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Contruction site access lane

Excavationfront

Trafficprotection shield

Preexistingtunnel

Precast segments tunnel

Precutshell

The world’s first project to widen a highway tunnel in the presence of traffic, without resorting to alternative routes or reducing the level of service, was executed in the early 2000s, on the Nazzano Tunnel on the A1 Highway, near Rome, Italy. Given the success of this first project, Autostrade per l’Italia Spa decided to use the same method to widen the Montedomini Tunnel, as part of the project to modernize the A14 Bologna-Taranto Highway with construction of a third lane plus an emergency lane in the section between Ancona North and Ancona South.

For the Montedomini Tunnel project, SWS Engineering used the innovative pre-cut technique, where excavation work is performed “around” a pre-installed protection shield for road traffic, enabling the tunnel to remain in service during construction operations. 

Special attention was paid to minimizing risk, for example by avoiding distractions for drivers and protecting site workers against exposure to exhaust fumes from passing traffic.

Country Italy

Owner Autostrade per l’Italia Spa

Client Ghella Spa

Period 2010-2011

Activities performed Final and detailed design, assistance for construction works

A14 Highway5

THE NAZZANO METHOD

Secondary lining (shotcrete)

Dry material filling

Primary lining (shotcrete)

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T4 Frejus Highway Tunnel

A variant of a previous project for a safety tunnel, the construction of a second Frejus tunnel parallel to the existing structure (at a distance of about 50 m) was approved in two phases, between 2009 and 2012. The new Frejus tunnel project involves construction of a twin-tube tunnel with one lane in each direction. 

The transformation from safety tunnel to transit tunnel has not affected the location of the project or the dimensions of the section either for excavation or for use.

Country Italy, France

Client SFTRF and SITAF

Period 2008-ongoing

Activities performed Supervision of work

The adjustments made to the design of the safety tunnel to permit traffic transit are as follows:→  modification of the ventilation system to ensure the required air

flow rate;→  new GTC for integrated management of the two tunnels from the inspection site;→  implementation of traffic equipment inside the tunnel;→  enlargement of the technical stations to house additional equipment;→  creation of new filter rooms for each shelter alongside the new tunnel;→  four additional bypasses, taking the total to nine;→  review and upgrade of vertical signs and horizontal lateral illumination for both tubes.

Trans-Israel Highway

SWS Engineering is designing three tunnels for Highway 6, also known as the Trans-Israel Highway. Along with the findings of alignment inspections, geological reports and borehole results, the project benefits from the valuable experience gained by our company in similar contexts. Construction of the tunnels adopts conventional excavation methods, consisting of full-face section advancement combined, where required, with a pre-confining technique ahead of the tunnel face. Depending on local geomechanical characteristics, excavation can be performed with a variety of equipment. Tunnel core reinforcements (pre-consolidation techniques employed ahead of the tunnel face) may be required in critical zones with poor quality soil formations (i.e. fault zones, portal zones) and interference with sensitive surface conditions.

Country Israel

Client Impresa Pizzarotti & C. Spa

Period 2013-ongoing

Activities performed Design of 3 highway tunnels

HIGHWAY TUNNEL DESIGN

TECHNICAL DATA

Side Development Shelters Passable bypasses

Technical stations

Ventilation shafts

France 6,447 m 18 4 5 1

Italy 6,380 m 16 5 4 1*

* the fifth technical station is located inside the C ventilation control room

Newhigh-speed

station

Bologna

Faenza

S. MariaNovella station

FlorenceCampo di Marte

Romehigh-speed line

Rome

High-speed railway lineTunnel high-speed lineRailway lineStops

Florence Airport Peretola

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The high-speed underground rail link in the city of Florence is part of the high-speed railway between Milan and Naples, in Italy. 

Two single-track tunnels of about 6.5 km each link the southern end (Campo di Marte) and the northern end (Rifredi). A cover between 5 and 27 m separates the tunnels from the existing urban structures.

The excavation was performed with an EPB tunnel-boring machine to balance the stresses of the excavated ground. The machine diameter was 9.4 m.

The excavation work below the densely constructed and populated city of Florence was subject to a high risk of subsidence.

The underground works were designed to ensure the serviceability of the existing infrastructures and buildings. Subsidence models were developed to estimate the effects of excavation on buildings, railway lines and city monuments. Innovative consolidation technologies such as “compensation grouting” were implemented to contrast the subsidence risk.

SWS also provided a safety monitoring service for infrastructures affected by excavation during construction work.

Country Italy

Owner Italferr Spa

Client Consorzio Nodavia (RE)

Period 2009

Activities performed Detailed design for general contractor, monitoring of construction works

HSR Underground Link in Florence

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FLORENCE RAILWAY LINES

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Orte-Falconara Railway Line

Country Italy

Client Torno Internazionale Spa

Period 2004-2006

Activities performed Detailed design and safety coordination of works

SWS Engineering provided design and construction support services on a project to double a section of nearly 5 km of the existing single-track railway between Orte and Falconara, two towns in central Italy. In providing these services, we handled design and construction-related problems for the Fabriano tunnel, bridges, viaducts, box culverts, under/overpasses, railway superstructure, electrification, signaling and telecommunication systems.

During the construction period, we provided consultancy services and were closely involved in planning the railway doubling works, which were completed without disruption to services on the existing line.

We performed the following activities:→  widening the line, in part through a second track and in part through creation of a new route;→  removal of all existing level crossings;→  realization/adaptation of road crossings;→  adaptation of stations and halts;→  renovation and technological improvements, with the realization of electric traction lines, signaling and network circulation safety systems and railway telecommunications.

Martignano Bypass

The Martignano bypass is part of a wide-ranging road infrastructure program commissioned by the Trento provincial authorities in north-east Italy, to improve road links between the center of the province and the outlying districts. The core structure has an overall length of more than 4 km and runs for the most part in a tunnel. The natural twin-tube tunnel, with maximum coverage of around 140 m, was excavated with mechanized equipment. The section is flanked by an intersection tunnel and an artificial tunnel at the exits of the natural tunnel. At the time, the “Tecla” TBM employed for the excavation work was the largest ever used in Italy.

Country Italy

Client Provincia di Trento

Period 2000-2001

Activities performed Final and detailed design, assistance for construction works

TECLA IN NUMBERS

Total length 130 m

Excavation area 60 m2

Total weight 370 t

Total installed capacity 5 MW

12.06 m

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Engineering won the “Technical innovation of the year” award at the International Tunneling Awards in Toronto (Canada) in

2012. Our winning project investigated how expanded clay can be successfully employed as a back-filler in deep mechanized tunneling. At subsequent editions of the Awards, we have always been among the finalists. Our project for the 2014 Awards was the Smart Cross Passage (SCP), for which a patent application is currently pending.

We also support a strong safety culture and principles of sustainability in all our operations, and we are a charter member of the Green Building Council promoting LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) in Italy.

International awards and care for the environment

Headquarter Via della Stazione, 27 38123 Trento (TN)  Italy

P +39 0461 979 000 F +39 0461 979 250

info@sws.it www.sws.it 

Rome office Largo Amba Aradam, 1 00184 Rome (RM) Italy

Turin office Via Livorno, 60 10144 Turin (TO) Italy

1235, Bay Street Suite 400 Toronto ON, M5R 3K4 Canada

P +1 (416) 640 7460   +1 (416) 640 2222 F +1 (416) 969 8916

Mahatma Gandi Cad.  No: 26/2-3  G.O.P. Çankaya, Ankara Turkey

P +90 0312 446 2304   +90 0312 446 2305 F +90 0312 446 2327

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