Southern section of the Consolação tunnel excavation completed - the Conexão Paulista/Consolação CTS consortium - formed by Constran, Telar, and Sprail - has completed the excavation of the southern section of the tunnel connecting Consolação station on Line 2-Green and Paulista station on Line 4-Yellow of the São Paulo Metro.
The excavated section, approximately 8 m long and 7.42 m in diameter, in the Consolação direction beneath Track 1 of Line 2-Green, involved the removal of about 180 m³ of soil.
Excavation of the northern section of the tunnel, toward Paulista, has reached 47% completion, with 1,520 m³ of soil removed. Overall, about 50% of the civil works have been completed along the entire 90-m-long tunnel, with more than 4,000 m³ of soil removed, along with the application of 880 m³ of concrete and 52 t of steel.
Located at the intersection of Avenida Paulista and Avenida Consolação - one of São Paulo’s busiest areas - the project faces challenges due to limited space and restrictions on the movement of heavy machinery, requiring meticulous planning. Excavation is being carried out from a 31.5-m-deep shaft on Avenida Paulista, between Consolação and Bela Cintra streets, which will later serve as a ventilation and air extraction shaft for the new tunnel.
The gallery is being excavated using the NATM (New Austrian Tunnelling Method), which allows greater flexibility in dealing with varying geological conditions.
Among the heavy machinery used are cranes, concrete mixers, generators, compressors, dump trucks, crane trucks (Munck), shotcrete pumps, vacuum pumps, hydraulic excavators, and drilling machines.
The new connecting tunnel - with an estimated capacity of up to 18,000 passengers per hour -will reduce congestion and speed up passenger flow between Lines 2-Green and 4-Yellow, as the existing connection will become one-way.
The investment amounts to EUR1.17 million (BRL70 million), with completion scheduled for 2026.
Final section for the TBM Cora Coralina
In September, the TBM Cora Coralina (11.66 m in diameter and weighing 205 t) -which last June completed the first 4.5 km section between Complexo Rapadura and the Falchi Gianini shaft (Vila Prudente station) on Line 2-Green, passing through Vila Formosa, Anália Franco and Orfanato stations - was returned to the Penha station construction site to be reassembled and to begin the second phase of excavation: the final 3 km tunnel section between Penha station and Complexo Rapadura.
The consortium formed by Sacyr, Engibras, and S.A. Paulista, upon completing the excavation, will handle the track installation. Click here and br/27 for tunnelbuilder archive. Visit https://www.agenciasp.sp.gov.br and http://www.metro.sp.gov.br. 43/25.
