€230 million Swiss rail tunnel project for Implenia

A visualisation of the proposed Tunnel Ligerz project to be undertaken by the IBD joint venture. Image: Implenia

The Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) has awarded an Implenia-led joint venture a €230 million contract for a significant lot on the country’s Ligerz-Twann rail line expansion project.

The Lot 2 contract will see Implenia and its partners Bernasconi and De Luca construct a 2.1km-long double-track tunnel (Tunnel Ligerz), with around 1,850m being excavated using mining techniques and the remaining 250m through cut-and-cover methods.

The joint venture vehicle, IBD, and it will install concrete lining and railway technology within the tunnel, as well as constructing four escape tunnels and a 114m-long viaduct for a highway exit, along with other supplementary structures.

Significant construction challenges

The construction process will involve the transportation of excavated material by ship, and the existing railway line will be dismantled and redesigned to accommodate the new developments.

The project poses significant challenges for the construction team, due to its location in protected areas.

The region falls under the Federal Inventory of Landscapes and Natural Monuments (BLN), and the villages of La Neuveville, Chavannes, Ligerz, and Twann are listed as part of the Federal Inventory of Swiss Heritage Sites of National Importance (ISOS).

Christian Späth, head of Implenia’s civil engineering division, “We are looking forward to carrying out this large and complex rail infrastructure project together with our joint venture partners and once again demonstrating our longstanding experience and expertise in this area. We wish the entire project team an accident-free construction period.”