References

The A3 motorway represents one of the most important connection between Basel, Gotthard, Zurich and Chur.

The Brenner Base Tunnel (BBT) connects Austria with Italy. With a total length of 64 km, it will be the longest railway tunnel in the world after its completion. In Austria, Amberg is involved in the project with the design of the tender and execution as well as the geotechnical site management.

The Albula Tunnel is a single track narrow gauge railway tunnel running between Chur and St. Moritz, crossing the Albula Pass.

The renovation of all the tunnels along the Axen was necessary due to the building substance dating from 1882 and the adaptation to the larger clearance gauge.

Amberg was responsible for the condition surveys, variant studies and overall project planning. Amberg is also responsible for overall coordination and site management.

The revitalisation of the port area in Rio de Janeiro includes the construction of two tunnels, which will improve traffic flows in the city in a sustainable way.

The Amberg services include the planning of the tunnel ventilation, safety design, extensive simulations of fire scenarios as well as a quantitative risk analysis.

The Vereina tunnel is 19,1 km long and is characterized by mixed traffic with conventional passenger trains and transport of road vehicles on train carriages.

Amberg was given the task to develop a new safety and rescue concept

The Uma Oya Multipurpose Project is located in the south-eastern part of the central highlands of Sri Lanka and comprises the construction of three tunnels for water conveyance and hydro power with a total length of 22.6 km.

The Gotthard Base Tunnel is part of the new international north-south alpine transversal. With a length of 57 km and an overlying rock mass of up to 2'300 m, it is one of the longest railway tunnels in the world. It is designed to achieve a maximum speed of 250 km/h.

Amberg realised the ventilation for the entire tunnel. Amberg was also responsible for the design and construction management of several construction sites and various additional infrastructure projects. In addition, surveys and preliminary seismic investigations were conducted, along with a wide range of tests and prototyping in the Hagerbach test gallery.

The Ceneri Base Tunnel in Ticino is part of the NRLA (New Rail Link through the Alps) and directly connects the agglomerations of Lugano, Locarno and Bellinzona. The project consists of two single-track tunnels, each approximately 15.4 km long. For this project, Amberg supported the preparation of the construction project and was responsible for site management. The Amberg Group experts were also responsible for preliminary seismic exploration, concrete quality control, geomonitoring, and numerous surveying services.

The "Cover" of the east portal of the Rosenberg tunnel on the city-highway to gain more space for a new exhibition and event hall.

Amberg is responsible for the inventory using laser scanning, the inventory modelling, 3D modelling of the underground elements and BIM-Management

In order to secure the 4-metre corridor on the Gotthard axis, a new Bözberg tunnel is being built and the existing one will be used as a safety tunnel in the future.

Amberg has the overall project management for the BözbergPlus joint venture.

For the first time, a BIM 3D model with geodata is used in this project.

The city of Porto plans to extend an existing metro line by 3,2 kilometres.

Amberg is responsible for the tunnel design, ventilation as well as various complementary works like an environmental impact study.

For future particle accelerators at the CERN, Amberg conducted a feasibility study. It comprises the concept to build three new accelerators which serve the research in physics.

The first underground chip factory in the world offers the customer exactly what he needs: a vibration-free cocoon with stable climate conditions which is optimal to produce high-tech wafers. Amberg planned, design and executed the factory.

In the "Full-Scale Emplacement" (FE) experiment, practical experience was gained for the subsequent deep disposal of high-level nuclear waste. The primary objective was to assess the impact of heat on bentonite granulate and Opalinus Clay.

Amberg carried out the study of variants and the preliminary project. The company also assisted with the invitation to tender and planned the implementation, including the construction procedures.

The International Airport in Montreal is planning a new tunnel stretch that will connect the airport to the city's metro system. Amberg has been assigned to design the monitoring and instrumentation plan for the construction period. Amberg already realised a similar project beneath the Zurich Airport.

The tunnel is planned to be built 40 meters below ground level. Despite the good quality of the rock mass, extensive monitoring measures need to be taken. The collected data will be used as part of the proof-gathering regarding a possible impact on the airport. The concept developed by Amberg includes monitoring the terminal building, a multi-story car park, and all external structures potentially affected by the airport. Given by its nature, monitoring an airport is quite challenging and has to be done within a tight framework.

The concept has to provide readings with the highest density possible. Furthermore, the settlement is with less than 10 millimetres for the terminal building and the runways are very limited. There are exclusion zones along the runway where it is not possible to place any standing surveying device. Vibration-sensitive equipment in the basement of the airport, as well as possible contact between passengers and measurement equipment, must also be considered. And last but not least, the rough Canadian winters with a lot of snow and thick layers of ice complete the set of challenges.

The following solutions were developed for the concept:

The free ground surface will be surveyed with a total station and surface measurement along the tunnel axis and additional settlement profiles vertically to the centreline, covering a range of 30 m left and right to the centreline of the tunnel. As no protruding structures are allowed at the runways and their exclusion zones, the concept provides horizontal and inclined chain inclinometers, multiple extensometers and vertical inclinometers from the ground surface as well as measurement points and strain gauges in the tunnel.

The measurement concept relies on the idea that deep underground installations will provide early warning of adverse developments at the tunnel level and facilitate a timely reaction before the consequences appear on the surface. The taxiway will be monitored with automatic total stations fixed on poles. Special reflectors for ground observations will enable precise measurements.

The terminal building and the multi-story car park are monitored using tilt meters and strain gauges in areas with limited line of sight or in public areas. Vibration measurements will be installed on sensitive equipment. The exterior walls and areas with free visibility will be measured with total stations and reflectors. The tunnel lining shall be monitored by ovalisation monitoring immediately after the shield, 3D surveying targets and embedded strain gauges in the pre-cast segments.

The combination of the presented methods ensures comprehensive monitoring of the short and the long-term behaviour of the infrastructures during the excavation of the tunnel.

A digital aid for a better understanding

All project partners received the 3D-BIM modelling of the tunnel and the survey installation well. It offers a practical and understandable way to visualise the monitoring concept. Showing the different layers for installations, runways and power lines makes it possible to discuss collisions and difficulties easily. The 3D modelling helps to plan faster and more efficiently.

In a steep forest area northeast of Caraguatatuba, a new motorway section with several tunnels is being built to connect the coastal city with São José dos Campos.

In this project, Amberg is responsible for ventilation and safety issues.

Amberg is involved in the planning and site control of the Otero and la Puebla tunnels as well as the foundations of the viaducts along the high-speed line from Madrid to Galicia.

Deutsche Bahn (DB) carried out a BIM pilot project on the Karlsruhe-Basel line.

Amberg scanned the inventory and realized a digital twin of 400m of the west tunnel.

The buildings on the Simplonpass road A9 between Brig and Gondo suffered various damages due to their age and were comprehensively repaired. Amberg assumed the role of local site manager.

On the Schollberg, rock has been mined for the most diverse applications for over 100 years. When the quarry was relocated underground, Amberg was responsible for the feasibility study and for advising the client.

Singapore plans an extensive cavern system providing office and laboratory space for R&D on Information Technology, Bio-Tech and Life Sciences. Furthermore, it will serve as the housing of Data Centres.

Amberg conducted a feasibility study for this unique pioneer project.

The "National Cooperative for the Disposal of Radioactive Waste" (NAGRA) investigated the construction and behaviour of a sealing structure as a technical barrier for future radioactive waste repositories.

Amberg supplied 3D analyses, a variant study and the implementation planning of the sealing mechanism.

The line M4 of the metro in Bucharest will be extended with 13 more stations. Amberg was responsible for the safety and ventilation design including safety audit, risk analysis and assessment. Furthermore, the services included tunneling design and the definition of construction methods.

Traffic congestion occurs almost daily on the Swiss A1 motorway. To improve the situation, extensive measures are being taken, including the construction of a new tunnel. The experts from Amberg are responsible for planning the ventilation of all infrastructures.

A large number of galleries, caverns, trial areas, laboratories and schooling rooms in the Hagerbach Test Gallery (VSH) offers ideal conditions for research, development, testing, 1:1 trials and events of all kinds. Since its foundation in 1970, Amberg has accompanied the test facility with engineering services in all areas. In addition, a digital twin of the VSH is currently being built using BIM, and innovative projects for alternative use of the underground space are being implemented.

By 2025, the Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) have set themselves the goal of improving both the operation and maintenance of their facilities by means of digital data. In the pilot project, Amberg was responsible for model-based planning and implementation. The project included the "machine readability" of the data from the previously created 3D BIM model, which was generated from scan and inventory data.

The metro in Stockholm, called Tunnelbana, is extended by four kilometres from Odenplan to Arenastaden.

Amberg was tasked with finding engineering solutions for challenging areas in the metro tunnels as well as modelling and coordinating the tunnels through the use of BIM.

The Engelberg Base Tunnel, completed in 1999, shows severe deformations and damages of the inner shell. For this reason, the entire technical equipment of the two tunnel tubes will be upgraded over the next few years.

Amberg is responsible for both the object planning and the structural design.

The railway line from Katra to Dharam is part of a 345-kilometre-long, newly built railway line in the regions of Jammu and Kashmir in India. Amberg was responsible for planning the safety and ventilation. In addition to analysing fire scenarios, this included the establishment of safety measures and rescue strategies.

Amberg was commissioned to conduct a study for the construction of individual utility plants and their clustering in underground rock caverns.

The Sha Tin Sewage Treatment Works is being considered for a relocation underground in order to free up valuable surface space.

Amberg performed a quantitative risk analysis (QRA) for the proposed facility, evaluating potential risks as well as means to prevent or mitigate them.

The Tunnel Soroška is part of the segment Roznava - Jablonov nad Turňou of the R2 expressway, traversing the mountain massif of the Slovak Karst National Park

Amberg Engineering is responsible for the ventilation design for main and egress tunnel.

The Follo line tunnel connects the Norwegian cities of Oslo and Ski. The double-tube tunnel is about 20 km long.

Amberg was responsible, along with local partners, for the tunnel, ventilation, and aerodynamic design.

India is upgrading its national highway NH-211 between Solapur and Dhule. The Autram Ghat section of this route involves a 7 km long tunnel.

Amberg Engineering was responsible for an early feasibility design as well as the final ventilation design for this tunnel.

Malaysia is expanding the connection between the Straits of Malacca and its East Coast Economic Region with a double track railway connection.

Amberg Engineering is responsible for the ventilation design for the tunnel Marang, along the eastern coast of the Malaysian peninsula.

The 2 new single-track subway tunnels create a new connection between the two existing lines U5/U55 with the stations Alexanderplatz/Brandenburger Tor. Additionally, three new metro stations were constructed. The alignment leads underneath the river Spree and the Spree channel and crosses several existing tunnels and a few of them with only 4m overburden. Amberg Engineering elaborated the conceptual- and tendering design and the implementation planning for the client BVG in a JV with SSF Ingenieure and ISP Ziviltechniker GmbH.

Two single-track tunnels are driven over a distance of 3.2 km using an EPB TBM. In addition, two stations are built in open cut mining with the help of diaphragm walls. With the project in a densely populated area and difficult subsoil, the crossing under existing railroad lines and buildings worthy of protection pose particular challenges.

This mammoth metro project – located in Ahwaz, Iran – consists of two 23 km long single-track tunnels and 3 metro stations. The tunnels are constructed using an EPB TBM while the stations are constructed by cut and cover. Amberg Engineering is responsible for the risk and quality management, cross passage design, settlement and face pressure calculations, as well as design of adequate contingency measures for the challenging ground conditions in this urban environment.

The Alto Maipo hydropower project in the Chilean Andes, 50 km southeast of Santiago, consists of two underground powerhouses and 67 km of pressure tunnels, pressure shafts and adits. Amberg has been involved in the project as a partner of STRABAG since the end of 2018 and is responsible for the ground assessment of the as well as the detailed design of two advances and the temporary and final support.

The project is part of the Delhi Subway and Mass Rapid Transport System (MRTS). Amberg Engineering’s tasks include the design of the earthquake-resistant lining of the 12.5 km long tunnels, the design of the stations and construction supervision. The tunnels are being constructed using a tunnel boring machine. The construction of the stations is being carried out using the cut and cover method.

The construction of the 3rd tube of the Gubrist tunnel is the core of the expansion of the Zurich northern bypass with a total length of 3.3 km. Of this, 3,010 m were created as a mined tunnel and approx. 300 m as an open-cast tunnel

• The tunnel will be connected to the existing 2nd tube with 12 cross connections (walkable and driveable).

• The expansion was carried out in two shells with drained partial sealing (umbrella sealing)

• It contains 3 operations centers, one of which will be built underground in the area of the exhibition bay

• 2 ventilation centers with smoke outlet structure at the Affoltern and Weiningen portals

• The work is carried out using blasting/ mechanized tunnelling method

Amberg Engineering’ services include:

• Overall, project and construction management in IG (SIA work phases 32 to 53)

• Planning of all underground buildings

• Project planning and coordination of the sub-projects tunnel, surface mining / excavation pits, installation sites / loading station, covering Weiningen within the IG

Further:

• Application of the FEDRO departments T/G, K, T/U, BSA

• Services of the ventilation planner and the geologist up to the end of the detailed project task of the IG

• Coordination of the interfaces with adjacent sub-projects (Lots 1, 3, 4)

• Coordination with other specialist planners BSA, environment, traffic, design

• Coordination with ongoing operations (GE VII), city and canton of Zurich, municipalities, AXPO, SBB

The Jurong Rock Caverns in Singapore South Asia's first underground facility to store liquid hydrocarbon. The project envisages the construction of 5 caverns and 8 km of tunnels in a first phase. A total excavation volume of approximately 3 million cubic meters is expected. Amberg Engineering's tasks in this project included checking the rock stability and the lining of the rock caverns.

The new pumped storage power plant in an alpine environment consists of 18 km of headrace gallery and 3 km of pressure shaft with an altitude difference of 1’000 m between Lago Bianco and Lago di Poschiavo. In addition to the inaccessible surroundings, which in some cases required transportation by cable car, the crossing of fault zones posed a particular challenge. Amberg Engineering took over the entire planning of the preliminary design as part of a consortium.

Metro Line 3, with a length of 33.5 km and 27 stops, is intended to improve the transport system of the economic metropolis of Mumbai. Within the scope of this project, Amberg Engineering is responsible for the geotechnical evaluation, consultancy on different types of excavation methods and the provision of engineering services for a tunnel section of 4.2 km. During planning and design, particular attention has to be paid to space restrictions due to the densely populated urban area.

In addition to the construction of a dam, the Ratle hydropower project on the Chenab River envisages the underground construction of 4 pressure tunnels with a length of up to 217 m, a cavern for the power house and 4 further tunnels to channel the water back into the river. On a project site which is difficult to access, Amberg Engineering is responsible for the execution design of the underground work and for advising the consortium.

The new Semmering Base Tunnel is the core of the Südbahn-Semmering rail network. The high-speed connection will be created as two single-track tunnel tubes with a length of 27.3 km and a maximum overburden of 800 m. Challenges during the construction phase include large water ingress (up to 300 l/s) and the crossing of major fault zones. Amberg Engineering has been responsible from the beginning for planning and tendering tasks, such as geomechanical and iImplementation planning , tender process incl. participation in awarding contracts and client consulting regarding waterproofing as a securing construction measure during TBM tunnelling . Currently we are also the general contractor on site.

The Suez Channel Tunnel with 2 two-lane tunnel tubes connects the economically important region of Sinai. The main challenges were the low overburden beneath the tunnel, combined with high water pressure in soft clay. In this project, Amberg Engineering was responsible for the evaluation of existing data and the detailed and construction design as part of a JV.

This 4.5 km long road tunnel with two parallel tubes serves as a western bypass of the city of Zurich and connects the A3 and A4 highways. The tunnel was built in soft ground using the conventional core construction method. In the hard rock area, a tunnel boring extension machine was applied. Amberg Engineering carried out the planning and design of all underground structures and supported the site supervision.

The service tunnel is part of the two Alborz main tunnels of the Tehran - Shomal highway.

The service tunnel was previously used as an exploratory tunnel for the complex geology of the project and as a drainage tunnel for water drainage.

The length of the tunnel is 6.1 km and is used for design planning for a road tunnel with two tubes with two lanes each.

The challenges of the project, which started in 2005 and was finished in 2009, were the altitude at 2'400 m.a.s.l., the pressurized ground, significant mountain water ingress (up to 800 l/s), the presence of methane gas as well as H2S and the existing fault zones. The latter could lead to significant overprofiling and possible jamming of the TBM drill head. After the completed construction of the service tunnel in 2009, Amberg Engineering subsequently started the design planning of the main tunnel.

During the construction of the service tunnel, Amberg Engineering was contracted by Tehran Shomal Freeway Company to provide on-site construction management. In addition, they provided consulting services for the project management as well as for the design and planning management. The geotechnical services and the detailed design were also part of Amberg Engineering's tasks.

The Wienerwald Tunnel is the centerpiece of the four-track extension of the Western Railway between Vienna and St. Pölten. It is the first railroad tunnel in Austria to be driven by TBM.

The tunnel was planned between 2003 and 2004 and built between 2005 and 2010. The existing geology was molasse as well as flysch formations with various fault zones. The overburden was 250m.

Amberg Engineering accompanied the tender planning and process, advised the client, Eisenbahn-Hochgeschwindigkeitsstrecken AG, on the comparison of bids and carried out an evaluation to determine whether a single-shell or a double-shell construction method was more suitable.

The construction of the Villa Carcina tunnel is the key element of the connection between Brescia and Lumezzane. The new link will make it possible to reduce traffic congestion on the provincial road that connects the Valtrompia Valley with the city of Brescia. The project was defined as strategic more than 20 years ago but went through several variations related to the financial approval of the project. In addition, the bidirectional tunnel also provides underground connection ramps with the city of Sarezzo.

The tunnel, which was designed in 2019 and 2020 will be constructed from 2021-2024. It will have a length of 3.652 km. At its deepest point, a pumping station is foreseen to bring the water to the outside.

The main challenge of the project is the small cover of 5 m at the south portal where roads and buildings have to be crossed. Therefore, both the buildings and the tunnel are to be constantly monitored for convergences, settlements and vibrations.

Amberg Engineering has been entrusted by ANAS SpA with the detailed design of all underground structures as well as with the risk management.

The Borasbanan is a high-speed rail line between Boras and Gothenburg, including a station under Landvetter Airport. This part of the line is 25 km long and is to be operated at speeds of up to 320 km/h. In addition to two sections, each of which will have two single-track tunnels driven by blasting, six double-track tunnels are also planned.

The main requirements of the project, which is to be realized with BIM, are on the one hand the low rock cover of only 5 to 40 m and this under built-up areas and on the other hand the airport undercrossing, which has to be carried out during operation.

Amberg Engineering was a subcontractor of Bergab AS and in charge of the geotechnical design of the station and tunnel. A feasibility study was carried out and subsequently the excavation support had to be determined. In addition, Amberg Engineering was in charge of the BIM 3D model. The preliminary planning of the project started in 2015 and ended in 2017. Further studies are ongoing.

The project concerns the network extension of the Brussels Metro between Gare du Nord and Bordet station (Brussels North). The planned line is the first step in the extension of the existing metro network along the important north-south axis in Brussels.

The project includes a single-tube tunnel with a length of 4.5 km as well as seven stations and a connection to the existing line under the cooling plant of Gare du Nord station. Due to external constraints, the seven stations will be individually designed architecturally.

The challenges are the very dense development which is due to the inner-city location. Therefore, there are also very high requirements with regard to possible settlements. The extension of an existing stop to a connecting station of two lines as well as the conversion to a fully automatic passenger transport system must also not be underestimated. Furthermore, there are many interfaces to rail and tram networks in the project which must be given special attention.

BELIRIS has entrusted Amberg Engineering with the overall planning of the tunnel as well as a major part of the fire protection study. The feasibility study started in 2013, followed by the preliminary and design planning, the approval procedure as well as the execution planning and the awarding of contracts. Construction is scheduled to take place between the years 2022 and 2030.

The Lucerne Bypass project of the Swiss Federal Roads Office (ASTRA) aims at eliminating the bottleneck on the N02 / N14 national highways in the Lucerne area by increasing capacity. The N02 freeway is the most important north-south axis in Switzerland and connects north-western traffic from Bern and Basel regions with the N14, which carries traffic from Zurich to the east.

The junction of the two highways A2 and A14 is located north of the city of Lucerne and runs through and in parts under the city to the communities in the agglomeration. The Tunnel Bypass is the core of the overall system and includes the two 2-lane tunnel tubes. Main challenges of the project are the undercrossing of buildings with low overburden as well as the undercrossing of the river Reuss. Because of the latter, there are extensive environmental constraints.

Specifically, the project involves two tunnels, each with a length of approximately 3 km. The Federal Roads Office (FEDRO) has commissioned Amberg Engineering with the execution as well as the detailed project. In addition, Amberg Engineering is responsible for the coordination and for the BIM planning. Project planning started in 2014 and execution is scheduled for 2027.

El Teniente is one of the largest underground copper mines in the world. In total, there are more than 2,500 km of excavated cavities underground, and the mine supplies about 2.5% of the world's copper demand. For this copper mine, a new access tunnel with a length of 2 x 8850 m and a diameter of 11m was constructed.

In addition, a service tunnel was also built which has a length of 1’200 m and a cross section of 48 m2. In addition to the tense economic conditions, the project was also challenged by the isolated geographic location at more than 2'000 m.a.s.l. and the variable geology with very tectonized rock and dangerous unstable zones.

Amberg Engineering advised the mining company CODELCO, assessed the subsurface conditions and took over the planning for the tender. The aforementioned planning took place between the years 2009 and 2010.

The tunnel was driven with a Gripper TBM and by blasting in the unstable areas. The proposed system for the access tunnel allows material transport and access to the mine at the same time. Ore and other materials are to be transported by conveyor belt. The haul road will be used for transportation of material by trucks and transportation of personnel by buses to and from the mining area.

The Cornberg Tunnel is a mining tunnel with a length of approx. 700m, which is to be replaced. In addition, the old tunnel has to be backfilled and the two listed portals have to be secured. The project will be realized with an overall BIM coordination, BIM management and 3D modeling.

The construction of the new tunnel is taking place under operation, which is another challenge in addition to the area at risk of sinkholes. Besides the overall BIM coordination, Amberg Engineering is responsible for the object and structural planning of the engineering structures and the environmental planning for DB Netz AG.

The BIM planning also includes the creation and coordination of the specialist models and their collision check, the derivation of 2D plans, the linking of the data models with deadlines (4D) and costs (5D), and much more.

The renewal of the Rudersdorfer Tunnel is realized by means of an overall BIM coordination. This makes it the largest BIM project of the “ Deutsche Bahn” for tunnel construction. One challenge is that the construction has to take place under operation. Furthermore, the existing tunnel, after the construction of the two new ones, has to be backfilled and the listed portals have to be secured. The high overburden of up to 175 m as well as the challenging groundwater conditions are requirements.

The two new tunnels, which are to be planned and built on behalf of DB Netz AG, each have a length of approx. 3 km. The project scope also includes railroad overpasses, bridges and culverts. In addition to the overall BIM coordination, Amberg Engineering was commissioned with the object and structural planning of the engineering structures, the environmental planning and the surveying. The overall BIM coordination also includes 3D modeling, coordination of the specialist models, derivation of 2D plans, linking the data models with deadlines (4D) and costs (5D), visualization and quality assurance.

The ferry connection between Helsinki and Tallinn is part of the Trans-European Transport Network and one of the busiest maritime shipping lines in Europe. A tunnel connection under the Gulf of Finland would reduce travel time between the two city centers to about 30 minutes, increase mobility and create additional competitiveness in the area.

Specifically, this project is a feasibility study of a high-speed rail tunnel of more than 100 km long, which was carried out between 2016 and 2018. The transportation concept includes passenger trains, vehicle shuttles as well as conventional freight trains. Stations are to be built underneath Helsinki city center and Helsinki-Vantaa airport, one of the many complexities. Another obvious challenge is that it is an underwater tunnel and the complex project organization.

Amberg Engineering was in charge of the FinEst link, on behalf of the Finnish Transport Authority, of the project management as well as the associated material logistics, risk management and economic feasibility. Furthermore, the technical as well as the safety concept for the tunnel and the stations was developed by Amberg Engineering.

The Förbifart project is a 21 km long freeway which is the western bypass of Stockholm. In its context, two tunnel tubes with three lanes will be built. In addition, three full underground connections will be constructed, as well as ventilation shafts and an underground ventilation center.

The geology in the project parameter consists of hard scandinavian bedrock with overlying moraines and soft clay deposits. These are sensitive to settlement, which is problematic because the tunnels have a low overburden in densely built-up areas. Also, important main roads and utility lines have to be crossed. For these reasons, it was decided to secure the ground with injections and a pipe shield. The large cross-sections and the complex geometry in the area of the connections pose further challenges.

Trafikverket and AF Consult have entrusted Amberg Engineering with the review of the construction project, the preparation of the invitation to tender, the one of the implementation project and the on-site construction management.

Two international high-speed tunnels, each with one tube, are being built to extend the cross Alpine rail link between France and Italy. A key challenge is the high overburden of up to 2’400 m under pressurized rock conditions.

Further challenges are the complex geology and the risk of gas deposits and asbestos. Furthermore, thermal water was expected to enter the tunnel.

The two tunnels have a length of 57.5 km and an excavation cross-section of 70 m2. In addition to the two tunnels, the project also included two stations, two viaducts, three emergency stops and additional structures, which were planned between 2005 and 2012.

Amberg Engineering, on behalf of Lyon-Turin Ferroviaire SAS, was in charge of the detailed project planning as well as of the tender design during that phase of the project.

The Furka Tunnel, which is located between Brig and Andermatt, has to be rehabilitated in terms of safety technology, as it no longer meets the BAV guidelines. In this context, Amberg Engineering was commissioned by MGB Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn to support and to advise the owner in ventilation and safety matters.

In addition to the above-mentioned tasks, Amberg Engineering took care of the preparation of the tender documents and performed a risk analysis. The refurbishment is intended to bring the Furka Tunnel in line with the current safety requirements for existing railroad tunnels and to improve the tunnel climate in order to reduce corrosion.

The challenges of the project, which started in 2012 with the planning and whose main rehabilitation is to be completed by 2022, consist of very tight space conditions as well as the realization during railroad operation.

The purpose of the pumped storage power plant is to utilize the sporadic overcapacity in the power grid and thereby stabilize the Swiss power grid. The pumped storage power plant will be built underground and will mainly use water from the existing Oberaar and Räterichsboden reservoirs.

The Grimsel 3 hydropower plant was designed for a capacity of 660 MW, requiring a flow rate of 130 m3/s over an elevation difference of 550 m. The cavern was designed to accommodate the high horizontal rock stresses. In this high alpine construction area, one of the challenges was the construction logistical supply and disposal of the various headings. This was also because access in winter was only possible by cable car.

The geology was also a challenge as it is grimsel granodiorite which has steep fault zones and reduced strength. In addition, it is also partially water-bearing.

The construction project consists of a cavern used as a machine hall with the dimensions 30 x 30 x 40 m, a pressure shaft with a total height of 700 m and a diameter of 6 m, a pressure water tunnel with a length of 2’200 m including two surge tanks as well as various access tunnels, shafts and construction caverns.

Amberg Engineering was commissioned by Kraftwerk Oberhasli AG to take care of the overall planning. For this purpose, a study of variants was carried out and the project for the circulation, the construction and the tendering were prepared. The planning lasted from 2010 to 2013 and the preparation of the tender documents from 2012 to 2013.

The project included civil and structural design services for two bored tunnels with a section length of more than 4 km, the cut-and-cover and elevated ramps sections (at Subhas Sarobar), and the associated crosscuts. The design must take seismic loading into account, as the site is located within Zone Ill and near Zone IV of India's seismic zone.

The bored tunnel route crosses under existing rail lines at ground level, with a mined tunnel crossing under the main NSL station. In addition, the tunnel alignment is located adjacent to and under a significant number of buildings and streetcar lines. The segmental lining of the tunnel is 275 mm thick and consists of five main segments and one key segment. The open cut ramp structure connects the bored tunnel to the elevated ramp, which connects to an adjacent viaduct.

Amberg Engineering was contracted by Italian Thai Development - ITD Cementation JV for the detailed design of the cut-and-cover and elevated ramp sections, the bored tunnels and associated crosscuts, and the mined tunnels. In addition, a settlement calculation was carried out.

The Gibraltar Tunnel is the connection between Europe and Africa, more precisely between Spain and Morocco. Within the scope of this project, Amberg Engineering was commissioned by SEGEG and SNED to assess the preliminary design and to review the preliminary project from a technical point of view.

The preliminary project was prepared as part of the feasibility study for a two-tube rail tunnel. The total length of the planned tunnel is 38.7 km of which 27.7 km are under water. The maximum depth below the sea surface is 475 m and the tunnel is expected to be driven by a TBM.

The main challenges of the project are the socio-economic conditions and the special tectonic elements in the middle of the strait. The project was designed and tendered between 2010 and 2011.

In order to relieve the city of Brno from transit traffic, the Kralovopolsky Tunnel was built as part of the international freeway network. Amberg Engineering was commissioned to provide the design engineering as well as the detailed design and its tendering as well as the detailed design and the construction supervision.

The main challenge was the construction in a densely populated area with low overburden. Due to the special design of a three-level branch in the area of the west portal, a complex analysis of the settlements was necessary. The planning was started in 1999 and the tunnel was put into operation in 2012.

The new metro line 17 north in Paris connects Bourget REB station and Le Mesnil-Amelot. This line is part of the new metro extension project which will connect the agglomeration of Paris with the city center. Within the framework of this project, a 19.5 km long metro line is to be built, of which 14 km are single-track tunnels and 5.5 km are viaducts.

In addition, five new metro stations and 14 ventilation shafts are to be built. One of the challenges is that the line will pass under Charles de Gaulle airport and its runways. In addition, the tunnel will pass under high-speed rail tracks and other train tracks which will have to be in operation during the entire construction. Another important aspect is the tight schedule, as the new metro line has to be ready for the Summer Olympic Games, which will be held in Paris in 2024.

For this purpose, Amberg Engineering was commissioned by the Société du Grand Paris with the complete engineering design as well as with the monitoring of the airport.

The Tunnel de Viret passes under the Lausanne Cathedral and two museums between the Place de la Riponne and the Béssieres Bridge. The buildings stand on terrain prone to settlement (water-bearing sand layers). These settlements are to be avoided by all means.

The project was realized between 1998 and 2008 by Amberg Engineering on behalf of Métro Lausanne-Ouchy SA. The total length of the project is approx. 6 km and that of the Tunnel de Viret 265 m. The tunnel was driven over the entire surface using a roadheader. The ground was supported with a pipe shield and supplemented with injections where necessary. Amberg Engineering was responsible for the assessment of the geological fundamentals, the compilation of the hazard maps, the comparison of possible driving methods, the cost and construction time estimates as well as the evaluation of the best variant.

The overall renewal of the freeway tunnel comprised the repair of the structural and the operational and safety installations (OSS) on the Reussegg-Grosshof section of the national highway. This section, which has been in operation for over 30 years, has a high traffic volume with an average of over 90,000 vehicles per day. The freeway tunnel has to be renewed while it is in operation, which is the challenge of the project in addition to the complex logistical conditions. This is necessary because traffic would have to be diverted through the city of Lucerne if the tunnel were closed, which is not an option.

The Astra, Federal Office for Roads, commissioned Amberg Engineering in the years 2009 to 2010 with the bid comparison, which was followed by the execution of the project in the years 2010 to 2013 and taking over the construction management.

In detail, the order was for the renewal of the Reussport and Sonnenberg tunnels. In this context, additional SOS niches were installed, the surface protection of the concrete surfaces was repaired, and the intermediate ceiling was renewed and reinforced. In addition, the drainage system was adapted to today's requirements.

The 10.2 km long tunnel under the city of Niagara Falls with an outer diameter of 14.4 m conveys water from the Niagara River to the Sir Adam Beck Generation Station of Ontario Power Generation (OPG) at a rate of 500 m3/s. The tunnel was excavated with the largest open gripper TBM in the world. The tunnel was driven with the world's largest open gripper TBM and the lining was subsequently post-tensioned.

The challenges during construction were on the one hand the difficult geological conditions and on the other hand the large bore diameter. In addition, it is worth mentioning that all work was carried out under full operation.

Amberg Engineering optimized the design, provided support when it came to the prestressing work of the lining and evaluated and interpreted the collected data. These tasks were carried out between 2008 and 2013.

The project received two awards. On the one hand "Canadian Project of the Year 2013" and on the other hand "North American Project of the Year 2013".

The Amberg specialists say the following about the project: "Working for the Niagara Tunnel Facility project was very challenging from a technical point of view. Nobody before pre-stressed such a big water tunnel. We combined well known construction techniques with new innovating technologies to reach the project requirements."

Pakal Dul Hydro-Electric-Power (HEP) Plant with an installed capacity of 1000 MW has been proposed as a project for Marusadar River. The annual production is estimated to be about 3387 GW/h.

Specifically, the project consists of a dam with a height of 167 m and two penstocks, each 10 km long and 7.2 m in diameter, as well as a power cavern with four turbines of 250 MW capacity each.

Amberg Engineering, on behalf of CVPP Ltd., Jammu (A Gov. of India Organization), acted as the owner's engineer in the consortium and led it. In addition, they analyzed the various price proposals, reviewed the design of various contractors, and provided construction supervision and related services for the project implementation. The bid evaluation took place between the years 2012 and 2015 and the design and construction phase between the years 2016 and 2019.

The refurbishment of the old Elb tunnel is a total restoration of the ancient Elb tunnel, which was opened in 1911 and connects the St. Pauli and Steinwerder districts of the city of Hamburg. The restoration was necessary because the historical monument showed significant signs of decay.

The old Elb tunnel consists of 2 single-lane tubes, each 426 m long, and passes under the Elb shipping lane at the Port of Hamburg. The new tunnel tubes, which were built using shield tunneling and extended with steel tubbings, are accessible through two shaft buildings.

The main challenges were on the one hand the tight space conditions in the old town of Hamburg, which complicated the construction logistics, and on the other hand the fact that the tunnel is located in groundwater. For this reason, some additional weights had to be placed in the tunnel to compensate for the weight of the excavated material and thus avoid buoyancy.

As the old tunnel is a listed building, the original wall panels and reliefs had to be removed and stored for later re-installation. The side walkways also had to be dismantled and rebuilt after rehabilitation. In addition, the new security installations and automatic ventilation had to be harmoniously integrated into the historic fabric of the building. With these measures, the required authenticity could be maintained.

Amberg Engineering was commissioned by the Hamburg Port Authority HPA to review the overall project and to support them during the planning, tendering and awarding process.

Between the Olympic Village near the town of Adler on the Black Sea and the winter sports region of Krasnaya Polyana in the Caucasus, about 57 km away, rail, road and service tunnels with a total length of about 30 km of tunnel were being newly built. The alignment had to be adapted after the start of construction to avoid a landslide.

On behalf of the Russian State Railways, Amberg Engineering optimized the alignment during construction under time pressure. This was necessary to avoid a huge slide mass in the north portal area. For the 4.4 km long rail tunnel as well as the 3.2 km long road tunnel and the 4.8 km long service tunnel, Amberg Engineering was also responsible for risk management and the planning of auxiliary construction measures. In addition, they accompanied the construction from 2009 to 2014 and assisted the client.

Line 5 of the Sao Paulo Metro includes several stations, ventilation shafts and parallel single-track tunnels, each about 5 km long. The single-track tunnels were driven using an earth pressure shield TBM and with an inside diameter of 6.0 m. The contract includes a total of 5 ventilation shafts (on the side of the line) and 4 stations along the course of the line.

Challenges included the confined space conditions at the launch shaft due to the densely populated urban area as well as the neighborhood sensitive to construction noise and air pollution. Added to this were difficult ground conditions with the risk of subsidence.

Amberg Engineering provided consulting services for the entire TBM excavation as well as various engineering services and the geotechnical evaluation.

The Waisentunnel in Berlin, which carries the metro line under the river Spree, has to be rehabilitated to ensure a service life of another 100 years. For this purpose, a BIM 4D model is created after the as-built survey of the existing tunnel, which is subsequently used for the planning of the construction processes.

One challenge of the project is that full operation must be maintained during construction. In addition, high demands are made on environmental protection and the space conditions are, as expected, very tight. It should also be noted that the listed riverbank walls must be well secured.

Amberg has been working on the project in an engineering consortium with ZPP Ingenieure for the client Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe (BVG) since the beginning of 2021. Amberg Engineering is responsible for the overall deputy project management as well as the surveying and the overall BIM coordination and is involved in the service phases 1 (basic evaluation) to 9 (object supervision). Thanks to the developed 4D construction sequence simulation, it is possible to plausibilize the construction sequences on the model and to make temporal dependencies visible. The project is expected to be completed in 2023.

The San Bernardino tunnel in the canton of Grisons is the centerpiece of the Swiss A13 highway between Bellinzona and Chur. The challenges were, on the one hand, the rehabilitation while maintaining traffic with single-lane traffic routing and, on the other hand, the blasting of the escape and rescue tunnel including the 17 escape exits from the driving area while the tunnel was in operation.

As part of the renovation, the vault and the intermediate ceiling were rehabilitated, the roadway slabs were replaced and the floor in the central channel was lowered.

The design phase lasted from 1989 to 2004 and construction work was carried out in parallel from 1998 to 2008. Amberg Engineering acted as overall project manager, coordinated the traffic police with the tunnel operation and the renewal work, and developed the traffic as well as the safety concept for the construction and operation phases.

The S-Bahn line 21 between Potsdamer Platz and Yorckstrasse has to be renewed. It is a major inner-city project with dense existing buildings and thus confined space conditions. Two single-track railroad tunnels as well as the associated above-ground and underground stations are being panned and built with the BIM method.

In addition to the cramped conditions, the sandy ground, which also lies in the groundwater, is a major challenge. Therefore, it was decided to drive the tunnel under compressed air and to work with icing as an additional construction aid.

Amberg Engineering is responsible for the overall coordination as well as the deputy overall BIM coordination. The contract awarded by DB Netz AG includes the inner-city route finding with the connection to existing civil engineering structures at low or high level as well as the extension of three existing stops to interchange stations.

The extension of the FGC Metro Line 2 (FGC: Ferro-carrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya) towards Sabadell North was built as an underground structure with a total length of more than 5 km, including a 320 m long service tunnel, a 360 m long depot area and five underground metro stations. The single-track tunnels have an internal diameter of 6 m.

The main challenges were the settlement problems as well as the densely populated urban area which complicated the construction site logistics on the one hand and on the other hand the residents living in the vicinity who are sensitive to noise and dust pollution.

From 2008 to 2012, Amberg Engineering worked on the optimization of the execution planning of the project, took over the construction management, carried out the monitoring due to possible settlements and managed the cost controlling.

The tender design includes two highway sections. One is the 32 km long Pacifico 1 section and the other is the 42 km long Mar 1 section. The Pacifico 1 section includes two major tunnels, 1.6 km and 4.1 km. The Mar 1 section includes 18 tunnels, one of which is the 4 km long twin-tube Occidente Tunnel.

The challenges of the project are on the one hand the unstable mountain slopes, due to the weathered rock or fissured lithology, and on the other hand the limited access possibilities. In order to realize the project, several experts were involved to jointly manage the tasks.

Amberg Engineering was assigned by Ferrovial Agroman S.A. Madrid with the optimization of the alignment, the geological investigations and assessments, the preliminary design as well as the cost calculation. In addition, a concept for the use of materials and foundation design for the viaducts and other structures is to be prepared. The project was initiated in 2014 and scheduled for operation in 2021.

The Stuttgart 21 project involves two tunnels in populated areas with an inner diameter of 8.1 to 9.4 m and a total length of approx. 30 km. As the tunnels cross layers of anhydrite-bearing Keuper gypsum, heavy swelling was to be expected.

In addition to the tunnels, the project includes branches and overpasses as well as an undercrossing of the Neckar River, carried out on behalf of DB Projekt Stuttgart-Ulm GmbH. In the case of the undercrossing of the Neckar River, there is an overburden of only 6 m. However, the overburden in other areas is up to 220 m.

In addition to the tunnels, two other large structures are necessary. These are, on one hand, a cavern with a floor area of up to 180 m2, which is necessary for the installation of the TBM, and, on the other hand, a 22 m deep shaft as an access gallery to the tunnel construction site. The planning of the project started in 2008 and has been executed since 2011.

Amberg Engineering was in charge of the design planning for alternative realizations with shotcrete lining and TBM heading as well as the tender planning and the preparation for the necessary documents for both methods. In addition to the design of the two different methods, water separating structures had to be designed to stop the water flow along the tunnel and thus keep the swelling as local as possible. Another measure to reduce swelling in the tunnel is a planned internal lining with a thickness of up to 100 cm.

The project consists of an envisioned underground maglev train that will one day connect Swiss cities. It will relieve rail traffic precisely where additional capacity is most urgently needed. At peak traffic times, a Swissmetro is to run every 6 minutes at a speed of 500 km/h. The project includes two single-track tunnels.

For this purpose, two single-track tunnels with a length of 95 km each are to be built between Basel and Zurich. Amberg Engineering is in the name of Swissmetro AG responsible for the planning study of the tunnel system and the sttion at Zurich Airport. The mentioned planning study was carried out in 2002.

Amberg Engineering was commissioned in an engineering consortium with Basler&Hofmann AG and Schubiger Ingenieure AG with the extension of the Lucerne railroad station as well as with the Dreilindentunnel. This is being built to create a connection to the Rontal. The tunnel has a length of 3.5 km, a cross-section of 126 m2 and lies mainly under built-up inner-city areas. The preliminary project was developed between 2010 and 2013.

For the extension of the station, the railroad track will be widened to four tracks in the area of the lake basin and introduced into the station about 14 meters below the current tracks 8 to 14.

In the new lowest perron floor, there are two 12-meter-wide central pergolas, four stopping platforms and six sets of stairs and escalators are planned. Above this, a new retail floor will be created with a direct, open connection to Rail City in the area of the current baggage claim area.

The Dreilindentunnel is a double-track rail tunnel and runs from Ebikon/Rotsee in bedrock, changing to unconsolidated rock for around 130 m in the Hofkirche area. It will be excavated with a TBM and additionally secured in the unconsolidated rock with a large-diameter pipe shield and hydro shield drive.

For its extraction, a temporary large shaft will be built at Schweizerhofquai, which will also serve as an entry point for the lake crossing. For the undercrossing of the lake basin, a so-called caisson construction is planned.

Due to the damages found in the western portal area, Amberg Engineering was commissioned by the Rhaetian Railway to investigate whether bypassing the geologically difficult zone by means of a new construction would be an economically viable option. Three variants were studied, considering not only the geology but also the requirements of the rail alignment.

The study of variants as well as the overall renewal took place between the years 2003 and 2009. In addition to the comparison of variants, Amberg Engineering was also responsible for defining the evaluation criteria.

The Riedberg tunnel is part of the A9 freeway in the Upper Valais between Sierre and Brig. It is about 550 m long and consists of two tubes with two lanes each. The Riedberg is a creeping slope. Driving, which started in 2004, was already stopped again in 2005 due to increasing displacement rates of the slope. Driving was not resumed until 2017.

Monitoring of the slope is therefore an essential part of the project.

Due to the long project duration and driving interruptions, various securing and reinforcing measures have been used. The final excavation of the tunnel has to be designed compatibly for all areas.

Amberg Engineering was entrusted by the Office for National Roads (ASTRA) with the overall project management as well as the detailed design, execution and commissioning.

The U5 is to be extended from Laim to Pasing. For this purpose, two single-track subway tunnels are to be built in single-shell construction with a route length of 2.7 km. The tunnels will require excavation in groundwater under difficult geological conditions. Additional challenges are the limited space available, which leads to complex logistics, and the numerous interfaces, as this is a major project.

In addition to the tunnels, two stations are to be built using the cut-and-cover method, as well as three emergency exits using the shaft construction method. The connection to the stations is also part of the project. The connection to the Pasing station is to be made under operation.

Amberg Engineering is responsible, on behalf of the City of Munich, for the deputy overall project management as well as for the design, tendering and execution planning of the line tunnels and emergency exits.

Two new tunnel tubes were built under the Rio Rimac, each of which can be driven in one direction. Each tube has space for three lanes. The length is 1.62 km.

The challenges were mainly in the area of safety. On one hand, the tunnels were optimized in terms of operational safety, and on the other hand, the workers had to be trained from the ground up in terms of safety. Not only that, but also the type of infrastructure was something new for Peru, which also had to be considered. Since the tunnel was built in the center of Lima, space was very limited, and the heavy traffic had to be taken into account in the design.

Amberg Engineering was commissioned by LAMSAC with the ventilation, risk management and safety organization. The project was launched in 2013 and the contract was awarded in 2017.

Amberg specialists stated the following about the project:

"This challenge was unique, both from the technical and from the cultural point of view. The unusually comprehensive work carried out by Amberg Engineering’s team ranged from design and design verification all the way to safety organization, training of LAMSAC’s staff and tunnel commissioning. A demanding, open environment, with plenty of space for innovative approaches and solutions. A genuine technical and personal enrichment!"

In 2000, the project for the construction of an X-Ray Free-Electron Laser (XFEL) for physics research was launched. The main components of the project are three linear accelerator tunnels with a total length of 3'085 m and a diameter of 6.17 m each.

The difficult ground and the high groundwater level required the use of shield machines. Furthermore, there were very high demands on the positional accuracy of the tunnel structures and buildings that had to be crossed underneath. Regarding the physical experiments, coordination with them on one hand and the complex excavations in very deep ground required for them on the other hand, were a challenge.

In addition, the project scope included eight tunnels with a total length of 2,697 m and a diameter of 5.48 m each, eight shafts with a maximum depth of 40 m, and various test halls, some of which were very large.

Amberg Engineering was part of the project planning as part of a planning consortium. In addition, they were responsible for the construction supervision as well as the general construction program management. The planning started in 2001 and the commissioning took place in 2016.

The lighthouse project "Roadway Renewal SBB Basel II, Freight Station" is intended to show how the process from planning to execution can be realized within one year in contrast to a conventional planning period of approx. 5 years. Thanks to the already piloted projects (among others pilot FBE 18 Mellingen, Basel I) and the development of new use cases in the field of project planning, tendering and construction as well as the good cooperation between Rubi Bahntechnik and C+S Ingenieure, the realization in October 2021 is possible.

The project includes the crane/excavator conversion and a truck access for logistics in the siding area - and this without PGV. With tracks Z19-Z21 and switches 895/897, a new project can be designed and executed with BIM from the first to the last step.

The BIM modeling is done using Revit and cadwork. Using Scan2BIM, the objects are automatically recognized from the point cloud. The quantities and costs can then be determined based on the model. In addition, GIS data is integrated into the model and the interface between model and construction machine is further elaborated.

The main challenge is to create an as-built model with a high level of detail and information content in a short time window.

Amberg Engineering was commissioned by SBB to provide the BIM modeling services Scan2BIM and BIM support for the BASEL II, carriageway renewal pilot project. The services provided by Amberg Engineering also include the creation of the as-built model with a high level of detail, data management and the creation of the geological model.

This project is about ensuring the tunnel safety of a 3180-meter-long twin-tube road tunnel of the A2 freeway between Hägendorf and Eptingen. In addition, the ventilation regime was adapted, and the tunnel infrastructure was expanded.

Specifically, this involved the construction of an exhaust tunnel in single-shell construction with an integrated service duct at both portals with a length of 200 m including a connecting structure. In addition, a pilot cut, and a central extension were built between the two tunnel tubes. The exhaust tunnel and the service duct were connected to the driving area and a new intermediate ceiling was built after the old one was dismantled. The whole project was carried out under traffic conditions in individual night closures between 2006 and 2014.

Amberg Engineering took care of the construction, tendering and execution project planning as well as the construction management on behalf of the ASTRA Federal Roads Office.

The aim of the project was to create a digital twin of the Oelberg tunnel. This is a single-track railroad tunnel with a length of 1200 m. Thanks to important metadata, a digital documentation of the structure was created. It is a masonry structure with shotcrete.

The process and procedure had to be recreated and optimized during the project. Scanner readings and schematics were used to create the model, as well as documentation of the completed 2D structures. The available schematics with accurate scanner readings of the structure also had to be harmonized.

Amberg Engineering was commissioned by SBB to carry out the scanner readings of the tunnel with a resolution of 5 mm accuracy, from which a georeferenced BIM model had to be created with the GIS data integrated within it.