Invitations to tender for the construction of a 3km long tunnel under Rotterdam, the Netherlands, will be issued in May this year.
A TBM twin-bored section, each with an outer diameter of 6.5m, will make up 2.4km of the route. The remaining 0.6km will be cut and cover.
The alignment runs from a cut and cover metro station, to be built as part of Rotterdam’s central station, north to another cut and cover station (Statenweg station), before continuing through the suburbs of Blijdorp and Schieprein where it surfaces and joins the existing Hofplein line to The Hague.
The expected geology consists mostly of sandy soil. Near the shafts and Statenweg station, the expected soil conditions are partly soft clay and partly sandy soil.
The underground section forms part of the RandstadRail project, a light rail project that will link Rotterdam to The Hague. At Rotterdam’s central station, the tunnel will join the existing metro.
The client, RandstadRail, is a joint venture between Haaglanden (which includes The Hague) and Stadsregio Rotterdam. Also represented are Rotterdam’s municipal departments, including the Municipal Works Department, which is responsible for the majority of the in-house design. The German consultant Maidl & Maidl is providing support on the bored technology.
