STUVA 2023

The latest bi-annual Conference and Expo organised by STUVA (Research Association for Tunnels and Transportation Facilities), in Germany, will take place over 8-10 November, in Munich. The venue is the ICM – International Congress Centre, Messe Munchen.

The main conference programme runs over the first two days (8-9 Nov), has two tracks (Tunnelling; Tunnel Operations/Planning). Lectures will have simultaneous translation between German and English.

The two days of conference lectures (highlighted below) will be followed by a selection of site visits (on 10 Nov) to major underground projects primarily in Munich – on various lots of the huge 2nd Core S-Bahn main rail project with its deep tunnels and stations – and the surrounding region.

The STUVA Conference and Expo has been underway for more than 50 years – the first conference then held in Munich in 1963. STUVA said the last event, in 2021, was attended by more than 1900 delegates to the talks and exhibition, plus about another 700 registered trade visitors from about 20 countries. Around 200 companies exhibited.

TECHNICAL PROGRAMME | October 2023 DAY 1: 8 NOV ­

• Welcome Address – STUVA Chairman Univ.-Prof. Dr.- Ing Martin Ziegler ­
• STUVA Prize 2023 ­
• Opening Lecture – ITA President Arnold Dix, ‘Sustainability in Underground Construction: Combining ecological efficiency with economic realisation’

Track 1 – TUNNELLING
International Major Projects ­

• Gotthard road tunnel, 2nd tube ­
• Brenner-Nordzulauf rail project ­
• Düsseldorf metro’s U81 line ­
• Silvertown road tunnel, London ­
• Loisach Valley road tunnels ­
• Q&A

Sustainability & CO2 Reduction ­

• Sustainability in Underground Construction: DAUB position paper ­
• Climate-friendly construction of metro lines ­
• Reducing CO2 in cement production ­
• CO2 reduction potential of materials for annular gap grouting ­
• Using river water for bentonite slurries ­
• Real-time characterisation of spoil in EPM tunnelling in granular soils, looking at recycling management ­
• Q&A

Track 2 – OPERATION/PLANNING
Optimised Solutions ­

• Design of Hamburg metro’s U5 line, spotlighting a 4km-long section ­
• Underwater road tunnel Swinemünde, Poland, using slurry shield TBM and ground freezing ­
• Fehmarnbelt immersed tube tunnel ­
• 2nd Core S-Bahn main rail project, in Munich ­
• Deep Tunnel Sewerage System (DTSS) Singapore

BIM Applications ­

• Various planning stage models for the Garmisch- Partenkirchen road tunnel project ­
• Reconstruction of Cornberger rail tunnel with BIM pilot project ­
• BIM 4D optimisation of construction process at Munich’s 2nd Core S-Bahn project ­
• Using BIM to plan HVDC cable tunnel below Elbe River ­
• Designing rail equipment for Koralm tunnel using BIM ­
• Moving from BIM to a digital twin: possibilities for implementation ­
• Q&A

End of day:
Youth Forum ­

• BIM-ready: path from BIM pilot to model-based design, using Hamburg metro Line 5 ­
• Danish-German joint immersed tube tunnel: Fehmarnbelt ­
• Site optimisation in urban settings for mechanised tunnelling ­
• Load-bearing behaviour insights on RC segment lining ­
• Developing resilience concepts for transport infrastructure ­
• Q&A

DAY 2: 9 NOV
Track 1 – TUNNELLING
Mechanised Tunnelling ­

• New method for conditioning EPB shield in coarsegrained soils with foam conditioning solids ­
• Ibbenburen mine water drainage tunnel: long tunnel with small diameter variable density TBM ­
• Innovations in TBMs ­
• Staged start-up of large diameter EPB machine on Silvertown road tunnel, London ­
• Support of openings in segment tunnels ­
• Q&A

Safety, Digitisation, Monitoring ­

• Case studies in using Machine Learning to help improve TBM navigation ­
• Large-area monitoring with distributed fibre-optic sensors in tunnels ­
• Measuring deformation and developing strengthening measures for natural stone vault near a cut and cover tunnel ­
• Tunnelling underpass with low cover in rail embankment ­
• New safety standards for small diameter mechanised tunnelling: requirements of DIN EN 16191 ­
• Q&A

Deep Underground Stations ­

• Deep construction work for the Korsvägen rail station, in Gothenburg ­
• Design change for junctions on the Stuttgart-Ulm rail line ­
• Frankfurt metro Line U5’s deep underground station at Güterplatz ­
• Tunnel and station junctions for Main station of Munich’s 2nd Core S-Bahn project
• Platform and metro connecting tunnels at Marienhof station on 2nd Core S-Bahn project ­
• Q&A

Track 2 – OPERATION/PLANNING
Tunnel Refurbishment ­

• Refurb of German Alpine road using BIM – Weinkaser Protection Gallery ­
• Refurb of Italian motorway tunnel – on A1 Milan- Rome section ­
• Upgrade and modification of Munich metro’s Sendlinger Tor station

Sustainability & CO2 Reduction ­

• Grey energy rail tunnels – research tool to determine the optimum tunnel cross-section to balance cost, energy use and environmental impact over asset life ­
• Using advanced digital technologies to design more sustainable tunnels ­
• Q&A

Tunnel Equipment and Operation ­

• Recommendations for cross-section, equipment and operation of urban road tunnels ­
• Water-mist FFS for Egypt’s Ismailia road tunnel ­
• Air filtration system for Madrid’s M30 road tunnel ­
• Modelling frost risk on Steinbühl rail tunnel ­
• Drainage on long rail tunnels: case study Koralm tunnel ­
• Q&A

Tunnel Safety ­

• Integrated rescue gallery in German road tunnels ­
• Update of risk analysis methodology for German road tunnels ­
• Using AI with car-to-infrastructure comms to improve tunnel safety ­
• Influence on tunnel safety of alternative energy carriers for vehicles ­
• Securing and protecting tunnels from sabotage and disruptive incidents ­
• Q&A

End of day:
Tunnel projects in the Munich region ­

• Overview of metro tunnel and station works in Munich ­
• Spotlight on Munich metro’s U9 line ­
• Extending Munich’s U5 metro line to the west ­
• Fire protection during construction and operation of 2nd Core S-Bahn rail project ­
• Q&A
• Closing Remarks – STUVA Chairman