U5 Europaviertel: The tunnel boring machine “Eva” has reached its final position
/ Special civil engineering / Structural engineering / Tunneling / Press Release
In 2017, SBEV Stadtbahn Europaviertel Projektbaugesellschaft mbH commissioned the U5 Europaviertel consortium – consisting of PORR and Stump-Franki Spezialtiefbau – to construct a 1,160m long section of the U5 tramline in Frankfurt am Main (including the connection to the existing U5 line) and a station. The tunnel boring machine “Eva” was used for the extension of the U5 line, which will connect the Europaviertel to the city’s underground railway network. The tunnel boring machine "Eva" was used here. With a total of 8,358 segments, "Eva" built around 1,700 meters of tunnel - distributed over two tubes. It has now reached its final position.
View of the project U5 Europaviertel
Tunnel construction project with a pioneer spirit
For the very first time, mechanized tunnelling was used in Frankfurt am Main. With the tunnel boring machine “Eva”, which is specially adapted to the project’s geological conditions, PORR has performed a pioneering feat. On 29 May, “Eva”, short for “Europaviertel anbinden” (“connect the European Quarter”) reached its final position in the north tube in front of the existing structure at the Platz der Republik. The cutting wheel is now on frozen ground. The consortium is producing the last section using traditional construction methods before breaking through the existing wall at the Frankfurt Central Station.
U5 Europaviertel: Significance & challenges
The Europaviertel was created around ten years ago on the premises of the former Frankfurt goods station and is Frankfurt’s largest new district. Around 30,000 people will ultimately live and work in this inner-city district. The extension of the U5 line will connect the Europaviertel to the city’s underground railway network. The difficult conditions of tunnelling within the city have been extremely challenging for all concerned. The operating team from PORR Ingenieurbau, PORR Tunnelbau, and Stump-Franki have stood shoulder-to-shoulder to master those challenges.
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