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The agenda of the ACUUS-2020 Helsinki conference outlined issues related to sustainable urban development and the development of underground space in the world. The online event was broadcast on two threads, consisting of thematic sessions on issues: urban planning, architecture, and design, development of underground infrastructure, sustainability and ecology, risk emergence, the introduction of technical methods, innovation.

Annie Sinnemaki, Deputy Mayor of Helsinki for Urban Development, addressed the participants with welcoming words. One of the keynote speakers on the first day of the conference was Finnish mobile game developer Angry Birds, brand manager of Lightneer, an investor, entrepreneur, and founder of a development company for the tunnel project between Tallinn and Helsinki FinEst Peter Vesterbacka.

In total, about 187 participants from different countries of Asia, Europe and America were registered at the online event. The rich agenda and a solid line-up of participants allow us to talk about the conference as one of the most important, authoritative events in the world in the field of underground space use. Despite the importance and complexity of the conference theme, the organizers managed to create a friendly and welcoming atmosphere during the event.

Many speakers discussed the efficient use of transport systems and their operation during the pandemic (COVID-19), as well as the use and production of geothermal energy. Russian specialists made presentations: Mikhail Lebedev Research OJSC “NIPII “Lenmetrogiprotrans”, Dr Nikolai Bobylev Saint Petersburg State University, Prof Dmitry Koniukhov JSC Mosinzhproekt, Dr Aleksei Arkhipov “Geodiagnostika”, Prof Ilizar Mirsayapov Kazan State University of Architecture and Engineering. Congratulations to our colleagues on the successful presentation of their reports and wish them further success!

The next ACUUS conference is scheduled to be held in a face-to-face format in 2023. The venue is Singapore, Marina Bay Sands Hotel.

The construction of the storage spaces for oil is a necessary measure to cover seasonal and daily variations, technological needs, and export supply. For crisis mitigation, the oil producers aim to stock the storage reserve. The estimated amount stated in the document equals to 103.5, 141, 178.5, 218 billion Russian rubles respectfully for every storage volume. The proposed funding suggests the state budget and private investors.

World practice of oil storage construction has been continuing since the end of WWII. By the 2000-es 23 countries had had the underground storage spaces for oil, gas, gasoline, helium, etc. In 2005, the total volume of the underground storage comprised:

• The USA – 131 million cubic meters,
• France, Germany, Scandinavia – 144.

Today the total volume of such storages abroad exceeds 300 million cubic metres. In Russia, the storage spaces constructed on the ground and the tubes of Transneft keep the largest amount of oil.

Certainly, the underground oil storages are safer and ecologically friendly than others. Recent ecological disaster in Krasnoyarsk reminded us about the necessity of safety measures. The storage space damages caused the leak of 22 thousand cubic meters of oil. The nearest river suffered. And unfortunately, it is not a very rare case. Natural and artificial caverns can be used for different purposes. For example, natural is more suitable for gas, while artificial made in salt deposits are used for oil.

The document indicates about 12 suitable places for artificial oil storages in different regions. The construction of each storage may take about 10 years. Also, besides being environmentally safe, underground storages have more economic value and efficiency.

The TBM Federica has built the first 9 km of the tunnel. The vent shafts were constructed. The total length of the rail connection will be 270 km, with 70% of it being on the French side and 30% on Italian land.

According to the project, the end stations Saint-Jean de Maurienne (France) and Susa (Italy) will become a large hub. The railroad near the border is a part of important trans-European link TEN-T T, connecting 7 major transport links of EU.

The tunnel will reduce the traffic in the area of the famous square Bab el Had (The Iron Gate) leading to medina – the historical part of the city. It is planned to solve the transportation issues for local citizens and tourists. Also, the project includes underground parking for 500 vehicles.

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The project is a part of the developing program with a total cost of $154.4 million, started in 2015 by the Societe Rabat Region Amenagements Group.

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The program is designed for improving the transport situations and affordance of the local services while preserving the greenery and environment. The document serves for the development of the economy of Rabat and its transportation.

Association of Belgic contractors Tijdelijke Handelsvennootschap Combinatie Oosterweeltunnel (THV COTU) started the preparation works and will be ready to start construction in Autumn 2021. The road tunnel will be 1.8 km long and will cross the Schelde river. It will become a part of the 15 km long section of the Oosterweel Link, which will complete the ring-road at the North of the city. The tunnel will have two lanes, and it will also include lanes for bicycles and pedestrians.

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The contract value is estimated at $570 million. The sunken tubes tunnel will have 8 sections, each weighting 60 thousand tons. The Antwerp ring-road is the largest infrastructure project of Flanders.

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At present, the Eastern part of the Large Circle Line with a length of 11 km is under construction. The majority of the tunnels are double-track tunnels and will be constructed with the TMB with a diameter of more than 10 m. The tunneling of 42 km is planned for this year, and 14 km have already been completed. The operation will start next year for 25 km long in total sections.

At the beginning of May of 2020, the tunneling of the double-track tunnel began from the station Klenovy Bulvar to Kashirskaya. The works implemented by the China-made TBM Pobeda will have been carried out by the end of October 2020.

The construction of the Eastern section of the Large Circle Line with future four stations Klenpvy Bulvar, Nagatinsky Zaton, Pechatniki, and Tekstilshiki began in 2017. The length of the double-track section is 11.4 km.

The design of the station Klenovy Bulvar was planned with the matter of the station Kolomenskoe being close. The chosen route puts Klenovy Bulvar outside of the local park, and the tunnels don’t come close to the historical objects.
The next section from Kashirskaya station to Nizegorodskaya is planned to be completed by 2022. Since 2011, Moscow has received 301.4 km of the metro lines, 145 stations have opened.

According to the project, the new road 10.5 km long will be constructed in the central part of Bulgaria with five tunnels with a total length of 4 km. The tunnel through Shipka will be the largest of them. Its future length is 3.2 km.

The tunnel will provide a fast connection between the Southern and the Northern parts of the country. The Turkish companies Duygu Muhendislik, and Kolin compete for the contract. Also, the Chinese company China Communication Construction Company and several associations from Bulgaria are interested. The construction is expected to be completed in 3.5 years.

Salini Impregilo, the compnay involved in the civil construction, and Astaldi, the international construction group, are implementing the contract. The exceptional security measures are undertaken at the construction site as an emergency response to prevent COVID-19 spread. The construction is relaunched at all three active sections.  

Line M4 is a new automatic line. It was planned to be opened in 2015, but due to the lack of funding, the completion of the construction is expected in 2022.

The total length of the line will be 15 km. It will comprise 21 stations. The expected passenger traffic is 87 million per year. The total project cost is estimated at €1.7 billion.

23 Stars

Alongside Victoria, 22 other TBMs helped break the record. All of them were given female names like Liliya, Svetlana, Hope, Rose, Alexandra, Esmina, Sofia, Claudia and Daria and others. The penetration rate of these shields is high, around 15 meters per day as they dig through the ground to excavate a tunnel and lay the concrete lining at the same time. This method significantly reduces construction time.

Why Victoria Shines the Brightest

The TBM Victoria is particularly fast and efficient when it comes to tunnel construction in more ways than one. Owned by SK Most Group of Companies, this machine is extensively used in laying a two-track tunnel on the Eastern section of the Bolshaya Koltsevaya line. This section is currently a priority in the construction of the Moscow metro.

Mayor Sergei Sobyanin promised Muscovites that the Bolshaya Koltsevaya line would be completed in two years. Since the mayor specified that postponing deadlines would not be acceptable, what better machine to get the job done on time than Victoria? After all, this is not the first time this machine has set a Guinness World Record.

Prior to being part of the team that broke this record, Victoria became the first TBM to be lowered into the ground for work, already assembled, thus setting a record. The standard practice of working with this type of machinery is to lower the shield’s components into the construction pit where it is assembled underground.

For the first time in Russia, technology was used to transport a machine which is over 10 meters in diameter and weighs more than 830 tons. First, Victoria was lifted a meter above the ground, then the unique machine was moved 50 meters above the ground before getting lowered into an underground chamber 23 meters deep. As with many other major infrastructure projects, mayor Sobyanin personally monitored this unique operation.

How the Guinness World Record Was Broken

At the end of March 2020, the record was duly verified by officials from Guinness after a rigorous process was observed. A judge from the organization was appointed, as well as approximately 50 participating witnesses, as due diligence was carried out in collecting evidence to substantiate the world record.

Two people were assigned to each of the 23 sites where tunneling operations were taking place. Armed with clear instructions given to them the day before, these witnesses collected video evidence to be submitted to the judge who was situated in London, the UK which is where the final decision about awarding the world record was made. The video evidence consisted of five minutes of footage covering the operation of each TBM in the tunnel complex. The information was recorded and then passed on to the judge. This was followed by several hours in which participants were waiting in anticipation until notification that the record was set was finally received.

On Track and on Time

The project is currently running smoothly and over 220 of the 1,310 meters of the tunnel have already been excavated. Victoria, owned by Ruslan Baysarov and SK Most Group of Companies, has already installed over 122 rings of reinforced concrete lining from the Tekstilschiki Station. Based on preliminary projections, the Pechatniki Station will be reached by July 2020. From there the tunnel will continue to be excavated all the way to the Nagatinsky Zaton Station. This ambitious and successful project is not the first, or last, of Ruslan Baysarov’s many unique construction ventures.

Other Exclusive Projects by Ruslan Baysarov and SK Most Group of Companies

Since 2016, Ruslan Baysarov has been instrumental in building a range of transport infrastructure facilities throughout Russia. The company has over 2,500 successfully completed projects, each unique in its own way. Some of these projects include:

• Construction of the second Baikal tunnel as part of the BAM reconstruction. SK Most Group of Companies carried out 6.7km of the project by tunneling through a mountain range under challenging conditions. This is an ongoing project.
• Construction of a railway viaduct in challenging geological conditions in Serbia. This project required the company to create special anti-landslide structures.
• A combined railway and motorway built in record time for the Sochi Olympic Games. This project required the construction of a dozen mountain tunnels and over 40 bridges.
• Construction of port facilities for the Arctic harbor of Sabetta on the Yamal Peninsula. Work was done to excavate the bottom of the area to create the port as well as an underwater channel. All facilities on land were completely reconstructed.
• The construction of the first road bridge that crossed the border between Russia and China. The bridge was constructed in Blagoveshchensk in the summer and is already all set to begin accommodating vehicles. The associated railway bridge nearby the village of Nizhneleninskoye in the Jewish Autonomous district is nearing completion.

Ruslan Baysarov, who has long been associated with some of Russia’s largest infrastructure projects, is also known for his role in constructing the very first railway line in the Republic of Tuva. This railroad will connect Tuva with the rest of the infrastructure in Russia and will eventually become a delivery route for coal extracted and processed at the largest coal deposit in Russia, the Elegest coalfield. The Elegest coal deposit is also being developed by one of Ruslan Baysarov’s companies, Tuva Energy Industrial Corporation.

“This year the Moscow metro will reach a record construction pace. Now, we have 20 TBMs working simultaneously. They make about 3 km per month. For the first time in the history of Moscow metro, such a high construction pace is available. Two large-diameter TBMs work at the western section of the Large Circle Ring. Their diameters are 10 meters. And it is a unique situation as well,” – said Sergey Sobyanin, Mayor of Moscow, according to the official website of Town-planning Policy and Construction Complex of Moscow.

The TBM “Nadezhda” was transported from St. Petersburg. It was manufactured by Herrenknecht for Metrstroy company and worked at double-track tunnels for two metro sections, including the stations constructed for the World Cup. Now, it is working from Kuntzevskaya station to Davydkovo station. This section is 1.3 km long. Then the TBM will continue construction to the next station.

The Large Circle Line project will be the largest in the history of the Moscow metro system. The total length of the line will be about 70 km. It will comprise 31 stations and will connect the Center and the suburbs.