A colossus starts moving
Kirchheim unter Teck, 6 October 2017 – Implenia has been commissioned by Deutsche Bahn to build the Albvorland Tunnel, a key section of the new 60-kilometre-long railway line between Stuttgart and Ulm. Construction work on the tunnel, which will be approximately eight kilometres long, officially began on Friday. The first of the two tunnel drilling machines, known as Wanda, will carve its way through the rocks beneath the Albvorland region between the towns of Kirchheim unter Teck and Wendlingen. The second machine, called Sibylle, will start drilling a little later; work on the two tunnels will progress in parallel.
The ceremony to mark the official start of construction of the Albvorland Tunnel was attended by, among others, Ronald Pofalla, Member of Deutsche Bahn’s Management Board responsible for Infrastructure, Guido Wolf, Europe Minister for Baden-Württemberg, Norbert Barthle, Parliamentary State Secretary at the Federal Ministry of Transport, and Anton Affentranger, CEO of Implenia. Tunnel “Godmother” Nicole Hoffmeister-Kraut, Minister of Economic Affairs for Baden-Württemberg, was also there to see work begin on the tunnel that has been named “Nicole” after her.
In addition to the Albvorland Tunnel, Implenia is in charge of building the link to the Stuttgart-Tübingen line, the “Kleine Wendlinger Kurve”, and the freight train link, which includes two 170-metre, single-track tunnels at the western portal of the Albvorland Tunnel in Wendlingen.
The two tunnel-boring machines Wanda and Sybille were ceremonially baptised before starting their work (Picture: Jürgen Stresius).
Implenia press contact:
Reto Aregger
Head of Communications Group
Tel.: +41 58 474 74 77
DB Projekt Stuttgart-Ulm GmbH press contact:
Jan Dambach
Press Officer
Tel.: +49 711 933 19 165
Implenia is Switzerland’s leading construction and construction services company. It also has strong positions in the German, Austrian and Scandinavian infrastructure markets. Established in 2006, Implenia can look back on around 150 years of construction tradition. It brings the expertise of its highly skilled sectoral and regional units together under the roof of a company active throughout Europe. With its integrated business model and specialists operating in all areas of construction, the Group can manage a building project through its entire lifecycle and deliver work that is economical, integrated and customer-centric. The focus is on striking a sustainable balance between financial success and social and environmental responsibility.
Implenia, with its headquarters in Dietlikon near Zurich, currently employs around 9,300 people around Europe and posted revenue of around CHF 3.3 billion. The company is listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange (IMPN, CH0023868554). More information can be found at www.implenia.com.
