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The Monte Ceneri Tunnel - an innovative worksite

The innovative machines, protagonists of the GCF track work in the Monte Ceneri tunnel

GCF machines and procedures for the Monte Ceneri track.

GCF's work on the railway track in the Monte Ceneri Base Tunnel features specially designed machines and innovative solutions.
This has been highlighted by the magazine "Strade e Autostrade" which, in the latest September/October issue, dedicated a special article to GCF's worksite in Switzerland and drew attention to the unique engineering solutions adopted at the site which is a vital stage of the NFTA project.

The prestigious bi-monthly magazine outlines the advantages offered in terms of operational efficiency when the concrete is cast in the tunnel using a Blend concrete mixer combined with a GCF mobile gantry wagon, the deus ex machina created especially for the Ceneri Tunnel, as the GCF Site Manager Roberto Garilli explained in the interview: "The tunnel casting would not have been possible with the traditional methods we use, for example, on underground lines where conventional cement lorries are employed. In the Monte Ceneri Base Tunnel, which is 15 km long, we had to find an innovative system that was rapid and efficient and taking six MX08 mixer tanks to the place where the concrete is cast has been an excellent response to the problem. The technical and commercial interface between the two companies has helped to develop the best solution which will definitely make the work easier as far as both quality and meeting deadlines are concerned. It will also help to achieve the operational flexibility and high performance that a project like the Ceneri one demands: to align the tracks laterally and vertically, AlpTransit has set a maximum tolerance of approximately 4 tenths of a millimetre on the project measurements after casting”.
Download the Strade & Autostrade article

Inside the Monte Ceneri worksite: the video

Innovative machinery, work methods and techniques and procedures for laying the tracks and casting the concrete can be clearly seen in the video we have provided a link to below.