Two Herrenknecht EPB TBMs To Bore Line C of the Rome MetroMetro C SpA, formed by Astaldi, Ansaldo Trasporti Sistemi Ferroviari, Consorzio Cooperative Costruzioni (CCC) and Vianini Lavori, signed on 8th March, 2007 with Herrenknecht a contract for the design, construction and delivery of two EPB shields, each 6.69 m in diameter, to excavate the tunnels that will run from Malatesta station to San Giovanni station (section T4) and from Teano station to Alessandrino station (section T5). In March 2008, the two Herrenknecht machines will commence their job to drive 4.5 and 6.5 km respectively. To bore safely and accurately under the antique Rome on the proposed path, the challenge for Herrenknecht engineers is to design machines capable to cope with slight curved radius and to excavate under a minimum overburden of eight metres. The project schedule is tight since the first driverless trains will circulate in spring 2011 on the new subway sections, T4 and T5, from San Giovanni to Alessandrino, to relieve the north-south traffic in the Italian capital. Visit www.herrenknecht.com, www.timecosrl.it, www.astaldi.com, www.ccc-acam.it and www.vianinigroup.itCivil works are entering in the operational phase with main road deviations to prepare the construction sites, starting with the Piazza Roberto Malatesta site on 2nd April and Via di Pigneto site on 5th April. Then, later in April the Lodi station construction site will be prepared, which will require the partial closure of Via La Spezia, while utility relocation will begin at Alessandrino station.Sections T4 and T5 of the future Line C stretch 7.2 km between San Giovanni and Alessandrino serving nine stations. It is the so-called priority segment, which will connect the Prati area with the far southeast suburbs beyond the orbital highway around the city. Contract signature for the supply of two state-of-the-art EPB TBMs. On the photo (right to left): Dr.-Ing. Martin Herrenknecht and for Metro C SpA: Ing. Filippo Stinellis (CEO), Ing. Mario Accurso (general manager), and Ing. Luigi Vivian (manager for machinery and supplies). To minimize the impact of the construction sites in the city, planners have decided to organize production around a base camp and ten operating areas (the stations and the first intermediate shafts for ventilation). The base camp, situated Via dei Gordiani on a surface of about 20,000 square metres, will house the logistics and amenities used by the operating areas, such as offices, canteen, warehouses, and plants for concrete and precast segments. The first phase of activity at the construction sites will consist in relocating utilities (water, electricity, wastewater, telephone, gas) to change their route so that they do not interfere with the subway construction. Subsequently, construction of the stations will commence, using the cut-and-cover method, which requires little right of way. In fact, the stations and shafts will not be built in open cut since once the diaphragm walls of a large concrete box are built, a cover slab will be installed and excavation will proceed underground. Visit www.romametropolitane.it Rome is plagued by a continuous traffic increase in the city centre, like in most European metropolises. To avoid a complete gridlock and the subsequent paralysis of surface transportation, the city council is expanding, step by step, the subway system. In addition to the existing lines A and B, the new line C has been planned to connect the north of Rome with the southeast. Click here & it/14. Read E-News Weekly 7/2007, 45/2004 & 25/2002.With the two new EPB shields ordered, machines S-409 and S-410, this is a total of four Herrenknecht EPB TBMs that will be used to expand Rome's metro. In 2006, SELI placed an order for two EPBs (S-387 and S-388), each of a diameter of 6.77 m. This pair of machines will bore the tunnels on the B1 branch of Line B and their assembly in the start shafts is programmed for the end of the year. Read E-News Weekly 18/2002. Visit www.selitunnel.com 14/07.