Breakthrough at Hallandsas

The TBM Asa has broken through on the north side of the Hallandsas Tunnel in Sweden. Boring is now completed on the first of two planned tunnel tubes for the double-track railway.

“This is a great day for everyone working on the project and a major step towards eliminating the greatest bottleneck on the West Coast Line,” said Per Rydberg, project manager at the Swedish Transport Administration.

The West Coast Line currently consists of 85 per cent double track. The sharp curves on the single track over the Hallandsas ridge constitute the line’s greatest remaining bottleneck. When the double track through Hallandsas is completed, a doubling of rail freight tonnage will be possible, and the number of trains can be increased from the current number of four to 24 per hour. The first trains are expected to pass through Hallandsasen in 2015.

“We have a well-functioning method and have gained valuable experience that we bring with us for continued drilling,” said Anders Rehnstrom, project director at Skanska-Vinci.