Partial renovation of the Bommerstein Tunnel
excursion by our specialists from the Tunnel Refurbishment and Renewal team
Amberg employees from Regensdorf, Chur and Sargans were part of the excursion to the Bommerstein tunnel on Lake Walen.
SBB is renovating the double-track Bommerstein tunnel on the Walenstadt—Mols route so that trains can continue to run through the tunnel safely and punctually.
AE is in charge of the overall project planning and construction management of this SBB infrastructure project, with PL Marc Hohermuth, in a consortium with Lombardi. The execution is carried out by Rhomberg Bahntechnik AG and the specialist services of SBB I-VU.
The Bommerstein tunnel is on the Sargans Ost - Ziegelbrücke railway line on the Walenstadt - Mols section. The tunnel is about 450 m long and was completed in 1941. The planned measures are aimed at renovating the tunnel and adapting it to current standards. The ongoing renovation works consist, among other things, of lowering the base to comply with the requirements for the clearance gauge and to keep the space free for a standard-compliant roadway structure. It further includes the renovation of the vault, the renewal of the railway technical systems and consolidation work in the vicinity of the portal area.
Construction work has been underway since October 2020 and is expected to be completed by 2023. During the entire construction period, the section must continue to be accessible to trains without interruption. As a result, half of the tunnel will be renovated in order to enable a permanent single-track operation phase. To ensure the safety of the construction site, the track in operation is separated using a partition wall.
Our team had a really good look at the site and project progress: "At the beginning of the excursion there was a brief introduction to the project in the site management office in Walenstadt. After we had put on our safety equipment, a minibus took us to the entrance to the site. After looking at the exposed part of the site (reinforcement work on the side walls), we on the way to the tunnel portal. While crossing the tunnel, we were able to see the various stages of construction progress, the different tunnel linings and ongoing anchoring work," concludes a woman from Amberg.
Thanks to Markus Schlumpf, Martina Puglia and Sabine von Büren for the great organization of this exciting excursion. We wish the project team continued success!
