Tunnelling started at the end of last month on a 1.85km twin rail drill+blast tunnel 50km south of Göteborg in Sweden. The Finish company, Lemminkäinen is constructing the US$20m, 115m2 Åsa tunnel, and associated parallel 30m2 rescue tunnel, using a 4-boom Tamrock Axera T12, and a 3-boom Tamrock Datamaxi to excavate the gneiss. Grouting conditions are proving to be difficult, due to restrictions placed on the project – noise and vibration levels are being closely monitored by the local community. The project is part of the ‘Nordic Triangle’, which involves massive investment in the road and rail routes between Oslo, Stockholm, Copenhagen, Turku and Helsinki.
