The first 70 meters of the new longest railway tunnel in the Balkans have already been dug

The first 70 meters of the longest two-pipe railway tunnel ever built in Bulgaria have already been dug. It is 7 km long and is a component of the large-scale railway project Elin Pelin-Kostenets, whose implementation started a little over a month ago. Upon completion, the tunnel will become the longest on the Balkan Peninsula. The current record holder is also in our country. It is located on the railway line Koprivshtitsa-Stryama, is more than 5.8 km long and connects Stara Planina with Sashtinska Sredna Gora, passing under the Koznitsa ridge. Its rehabilitation and modernization, as well as the entire section, was completed days ago.

At the end of yesterday, the Minister of Transport, Information Technology and Communications Georgi Todorov inspected the construction activities of the site. "What I see is that work is being done at a very good pace on the ground. At the moment, the builder has completed work on the eastern and western portals of the tunnel and is carrying out excavation works in the tunnel body, "the minister commented.

He pointed out that this is one of the important strategic projects for Bulgaria. "Its implementation will improve the connectivity on the main railway line from the direction East - West, which is part of the European corridor No. 8 and the passing TEN-T network in our country. It is therefore important not to delay, despite technical and operational challenges. The implementation of continuous control over the entire process is also important to ensure high quality construction, "said Minister Georgi Todorov.

The tunnel is expected to be completed in 3 years. The technology on which the facility is built includes implementation of a new Austrian method. It is one of the most commonly used methods of tunnel construction, providing flexibility and safety.

In addition to the long tunnel, another tunnel facility is currently under construction, with a length of almost 1 km, explained representatives of the contractor. The geology of the terrain in which the tunnels are being built is the big challenge, said project manager Plamen Mitov. With each change in the geological conditions, the type of fortification is determined - heavier or lighter. In the process of work it changes. The tunnels are operated around the clock and adequate and quick decisions must be made constantly, Mitov explained.

"One section is being excavated and, depending on the geology at the moment, the progress should be 1.5 to 2 meters. Strengthening is carried out immediately from the point of view of safety, both for people and for equipment. Until last week, work was done mechanically, with excavators. Blasting activities are already underway as a solid rock mass has been reached. Every two meters, the smoke and harmful gases from the explosion are waited for first, the material is dug up and taken out, the first reinforcement is made, a net, frames and others are laid. This is a cyclical process of repetition, and the most important thing is the safety of the people working on the site, "said Plamen Mitov.

The railway line from Elin Pelin to Kostenets, 51 km long, is the most complex section of the Sofia-Plovdiv route. In order to overcome the mountainous terrain through which the high-speed railway line will pass, almost half of the section will be built underground. It is planned to build over 20 km of tunnels and 3 km of bridges. The design speed of the new route is up to 160 km / h for passenger trains and 120 km / h for freight trains.

The modernization of the entire route is worth BGN 1.024 billion, which will be provided by two operational programs - Operational Program "Transport and Transport Infrastructure" 2014-2020 and Program "Transport Connectivity" 2021-2027.