On the 20th December 2016 FCC Construction completed the boring of the Bolaños tunnels (Verín-Ourense). The works entailed the delivery of two parallel single-track tunnels, each 6.7 kilometres long, on the Madrid-Galicia High-Speed Line.

With an average excavation performance of 19.40 linear metres per day in the first tunnel (the right tube), the work took 11.5 months to complete. The boring of the second tunnel (the left tube) saw an average excavation performance of 24.32 linear metres per day, resulting in a completion term of 9.5 months.

FCC Construction used an innovative solution in the construction of the tunnels. This involved the application of a stabilisation system for land of high geological instability. The excavation diameter is 9,900 mm and the useful cross-section 60.27 m². The tunnel was lined using precast segments that are 370 mm thick and 1,600 mm long.  The tunnel boring machine (TBM) used for the excavation was a single shield and manufactured by Herrenknecht in Germany.

Carlos M. Jarque, CEO of FCC Group, said: “FCC Construction has built up extensive experience and technical knowledge in transport infrastructure. This has increased the company's competitiveness and internationalisation in the rail sector”.

FCC Construction has built over 99 kilometres of AVE in Galicia, undertaking unique projects such as the Bolaños Tunnel or the Vigo-Das Maceiras Tunnel with a length of 8.5 kilometres. A video of the Bolaños Tunnel can be viewed here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k8fOOM6guX8&feature=youtu.be .

Click es/45 for tunnelbuilder archive. Visit http://www.fcc.es/. 02/17.

02/17.