Implenia wins contract from SBB to build the new Bözberg railway tunnel for around CHF 145 million
Dietlikon, 16 July 2015 – A 4 metre corridor is being added to the Gotthard route in order to encourage a further shift of transalpine freight transport from road to rail. The largest sub-project within this plan is the replacement of the existing Bözberg tunnel in Canton Aargau with a new twin-track tunnel. The goal is to allow containers with a corner height of 4 metres to be transported along the route. Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) has now commissioned Implenia with the main construction work on the new tunnel. Implenia won the contract worth approximately CHF 145 million with an offer that proved to be the most economical.
The northern portal of the new tunnel is located near Effingen, while the southern one is by Schinznach-Dorf. Installation sites are being set up at both locations. The main drilling work will be done by a tunnel boring machine (TBM) starting at the Schinznach-Dorf site. A loading station will be set up on the Schinznach-Brugg-Wildegg transport route to take away the spoil. This will save a total of 56,700 lorry journeys along the roads from and to Wildegg. Construction is scheduled to start in spring 2016, and the tunnel is due to become operational in 2020. As well as building the new track, the contract includes installation of some of the electrical equipment (rail technology). It also includes the conversion of the existing twin-track tunnel, which is not big enough for 4 metre containers, into a service and rescue tunnel, as well as all of the implementation planning. Five cross-shafts will provide emergency access from the new to the old tunnel. The conversion work will take until 2022.
For Implenia and its Business Unit Infrastructure, which brings together the Group's cross-national capabilities in tunnelling, foundation engineering and large-scale infrastructure projects, winning the project is a strategically important success in Swiss tunnelling business. You can find more information about the 4 metre corridor and the Bözberg rail tunnel here.
Implenia press contact:
Philipp Bircher
Head of Communications Group
Tel.: +41 58 474 74 77
Drilling work on the new Bözberg rail tunnel starts here at the southern portal near Schinznach-Dorf in spring 2016
(picture: Stefan Wullschleger).
Detailed plan of construction at the Schinznach tunnel portal (picture: SBB).
Implenia, Switzerland's leading construction and construction services company, also has a strong position in the German, Austrian and Scandinavian infrastructure markets. Established in 2006, Implenia can look back on around 150 years of construction tradition. It brings together the expertise of its highly skilled sectoral and regional units under the single 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 has its headquarters in Dietlikon near Zurich and employs approximately 8500 people around Europe. In 2014 it posted pro forma turnover (including the former Bilfinger Construction GmbH) of around CHF 3.6 billion. The company is listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange (IMPN, CH0023868554). For more information, please visit www.implenia.com.
