Bothnia contract

Skanska was awarded the largest single contract on the Bothnia rail line in Sweden last month that includes more than 11km of tunnels.

The US$171M design and build contract involves the construction of 30km of railway line, including the 6km long Namntallhöjden tunnel and the 5.2km long Björnböleshöjden tunnel. Both will have 70m² cross sections, and parallel 25m² service tunnels.

"Overall Skanska presented the most favourable bid," Lennart Westberg said, Botniabanan's (the client) president said. "We have secured a strong and competent organisation with all the prerequisites to deliver a product that meets our highest demands on quality and the environment."

Skanska, too, is upbeat about the award, and is likely to draw on the experience it has gained on the other nine contracts it has secured on this project. "We are proud to have earned Botniabanan's confidence and look forward to cooperating further on the largest infrastructure project currently under way in Sweden," Kenneth Nilsson said, Skanska Sweden's executive vice president. "It is also highly pleasing to secure a contract of this size."

Drill and blast will be used to excavate the stable rock formations, made up of good quality gneiss.

The US$1.2bn, 190km long Bothnia high-speed rail line is the largest rail infrastructure project to be constructed in Sweden for over 50 years. It is all single track, with passing stations every 10km-14km. There are 25km of tunnels on the line, accounting for 20% of the project's budget, and will increase the country's rail tunnels by 50%.

See T&TI, October 2002 p16, for details about the Bothnia Rail Line project.