page_title: Rastatt Tunnel
section_title: Construction
hierarchical_section_title: Rastatt Tunnel / History / Construction
caption_attribution_description: Deutsch: Die Trasse der geplanten Neubaustrecke Karlsruhe–Rastatt-Süd, im Bild die Rampe zum Anschluß an die bisherige Strecke in Höhe DurmersheimEnglish: The route of the planned new-build Karlsruhe–Rastatt South train line; view of the ramp up to the existing train line near Durmersheim
context_page_description: The Rastatt Tunnel is a railway tunnel that is currently under construction on the Karlsruhe–Basel high-speed railway under Rastatt in the German state of Baden-Württemberg. Once complete, the line will be used by long-distance passenger services and freight. It shall form part of the Rotterdam–Genoa corridor; the tunnel is also part of the Main line for Europe.
  Having been under consideration since the 1970s, and given planning approval during 1996, the tunnel's construction was delayed by decades due to a lack of financing. During 2013, construction finally commenced with the awarding of a contract to Arbeitsgemeinschaft Tunnel Rastatt. In 2012, it was projected that Rastatt Tunnel should be opened during 2022. Being financed by the German federal government, early projections forecast a total cost of around €693 million.
  On 12 August 2017, there was a collapse during the construction of the tunnel's eastern bore. This collapse not only affected the tunnel, but also stopped operations on the Rhine Valley Railway, disrupting international rail traffic; the line was not reopened until on 2 October 2017.
context_section_description: During 2001, the construction interval was forecast to take around six years to complete. However, prior to any work commencing, the construction phase of the project was subject to multiple postponements; according to the European Commission, these delays were due to a lack of available funds.
  On 7 April 2011, fresh exploratory drilling for the tunnel began in the district of Niederbühl. Another exploration program began between Ötigheim and Rastatt Süd on 9 May 2012. Three rigs were due to drive 40 holes to depths of up to 40 metres (130 ft) by October 2012. Work on the ramp at the northern tunnel portal was tendered in March 2013.
  On 30 July 2013, the official ground-breaking ceremony was held at the future groundwater basin under Autobahn 5 in Niederbühl. This was to allow construction work to commence between Basheide junction and Rastatt Süd. The work was expected to be completed by 2015. At the end of 2013, work began on the construction of the northern groundwater basin. As part of works worth about €13 million, a 700-metre long (2,300 ft) and up to 29-metre wide (95 ft) excavation pit was established and approximately 300,000 cubic metres (11 million cubic feet) of material and 11,400 square metres (123,000 sq ft) of sheet piles were installed. The work was expected to be completed by October 2014 (as of late 2013). It was expected that the construction of the actual groundwater basin would begin in early 2015, By the end of March 2014, the earthworks for the northern groundwater basin has been completed. Starting in July 2014, sheet piles were driven into the ground in preparation of further construction activity commencing.
  The contract for construction of the shell of the tunnel was awarded to Arbeitsgemeinschaft Tunnel Rastatt ("Rastatt tunnel construction community"), a company founded specifically to undertake this project. The technical leadership was taken by Ed. Züblin AG and the commercial leadership by Hochtief AG. The tunnel contract is worth €312 million; making it the biggest contract of the project in terms of value. On 4 August 2014, the contract for the shell of the tunnel was signed in Berlin. Construction work was expected to start in November 2014 with the preparation of a building site area in Ötigheim. The first tunneling machine was expected to be assembled in April 2015 and the driving of the tunnel was expected to start in October 2015. The completion of the shell was intended to be achieved at the end of the first quarter of 2018. The completion of technical construction is to follow in 2020 and trial operations are scheduled to start in 2022.
  Due to the geological and hydrological environment of the tunnel, a large part of it is being driven by two tunnel boring machines (TBMs), which travelled its length along the north-to-south alignment. Some of its length was tunnelled through ground that has been stabilised by a combination of ground freezing (using either brine or liquid nitrogen) and concrete injections. Around 3,800 m (12,500 ft) of the tunnel would be bored, about 470 m (1,540 ft) would be built using the New Austrian Tunnelling method or by cut-and-cover.
  In early December 2014, Deutsche Bahn provided updated details of the procurement of the two TBMs. The two 90-metre long (300 ft) and 1,750 t (1,720-long-ton; 1,930-short-ton) machines would be provided by Herrenknecht AG. At the time, the first machine was to be assembled in September 2015 and excavation work was set to commence during December 2015. The assembly of the second machine would begin in early January 2016 and the excavation would begin in April 2016. With a 10.97-metre wide (36.0 ft) boring shield, each TBM would prepare a usable section of 9.6 m (31 ft). The contract for the two machines was estimated to be worth €36 million. The structure of the tunnel was still estimated to be completed in the first quarter of 2018.
  According to an updated schedule of June 2015, the beginning of the tunnel drive had been delayed by three months to the spring of 2016 as the first parts of the tunneling machine would be delive
caption: Already finished subgrade of the approach line in the Durmersheim area in September 2009
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