New Ebensfeld-Erfurt line

The new Ebensfeld-Erfurt line is part of the German Unity Transport Project No. 8 (VDE 8) and connects the cities of Nuremberg and Erfurt via an approximately 107 km long high-speed line. Crossing the Thuringian Forest with a total of 22 tunnels and 29 bridges posed a particular engineering challenge, as the route runs through geologically complex and water-bearing mountains.

In the central section of the route, Züblin realized the following four double-track tunnels (excavated cross-sections 130 - 160 m²) and two bridge structures in 3 contracts:

Tunnel Blessberg
Length 8.326 m
Parallel rescue tunnel, emergency exit tunnel and shaft

Goldberg Tunnel
Length 1,123 m
Emergency exit tunnel 233 m

Masserberg Tunnel
Length 1,051 m

Rehberg Tunnel
Length 602 m

The tunnels were excavated and blasted using the shotcrete method. Before installing the reinforced in-situ concrete inner shells, a rain screen seal made of 2 mm plastic sealing sheets was applied.

Geology/hydrology:
Crystalline limestone, clay and silt shale, greywacke and quartzite Mountain water inlets