OREANDA-NEWS. The units of the SK MOST Group of Companies have completed construction of a service gallery for the Tomusinsky Tunnel and proceeded with the driving of the main second track tunnel in the Kemerovo Region.

Sandvik MT520 Mining Machine is used for Tunneling from the Western Tunnel Entry

The new railway tunnel, which is 1,158 meters long, is built by the mining method to run in parallel with the existing tunnel. The work is done simultaneously from the eastern and western tunnel entries. A total of over 200 meters of the cap part of the tunnel (181 meters from the western entry side and 30 meters from the eastern entry side) have been driven by the second half of February 2013. The tunneling is done using two mining machines. Tunnel connection is scheduled for the end of 2014.

Working on the Eastern Tunnel Entry Site the New Tunnel

The service gallery that is intended to support operation of the main tunnel was driven by tunneling with the Lovat RMP 167 SE Tunnel Boring Machine for a cutting diameter of 4.2 m. It took four months in order to drive the 1158-meter-longgallery. The work started in October 2012 and was completed in January 2013. The average tunneling speed was 9.65 meters per day. Permanent lining has been installed in the gallery. Work is going on to drive three passageways that will connect the gallery to the tunnel. The passageways are spaced at 300 meters from each other.

A railway bridge (design: 2x16.5 m) and railway approaches are being built from the western entry. Abutments are being erected, and the footings for intermediate bridge piers are being put in place. Roadway earth filling was started.