Atkins to design Varberg tunnel

The tunnel will run under the coastal town of Varberg to accommodate the West Coast Line’s extension to a double track railway, which will increase the capacity and reduce travel times for passenger and freight services. This work includes a 2.8km drill-and-blast tunnel, a 450m cut-and-cover tunnel, a 1.3km cutting, several bridges, a new railway station and a total of 2.7km of track as well as a freight train station. The main tunnel will have a cross-section of 75sqm, the service tunnel of approximately 20sqm with cross-tunnels of varying cross-sections.

Collaborating with a number of other consultants, Atkins has already completed the phase 1 design of the project, which included the development of the implementation plan. The next stage includes detailed planning for the construction phase of the new tunnel under a time and materials contract worth an initial GBP13m (USD16.9m).

The expansion of the railway has been underway since 2015 and approximately 85 per cent of the West Coast Line has been upgraded. The project, which is being led by the Swedish Transport Administration and Swiss construction company Implenia, is expected to be completed in 2025.

Atkins is currently working on a range of rail projects in Sweden including the 160km East Link Project, a 250km/h high speed line running from Järna to Linköping; the double track railway through the city of Hallsberg; the electrified direct connection to Gävle harbour and electrification of the harbour track from the freight yard to the new railway station; and the expansion of the railway from two tracks to four between Tomteboda and Kallhäll in Stockholm.