Bothnia Railway (Botniabanan)

The Bothnia Railway is a new 190-km long, high-speed, single-track coastal railway along the western littoral of the Gulf of Bothnia. It will run from the Ångerman River Bridge near Kramfors to the university city of Umeå, capital of Sweden’s Västerbotten County. Intended to connect key communities more efficiently and supplement an older inland railway, this SEK 13.2 billion (USD 1.9 billion) project includes the construction of no less than 143 bridges and 25 km of tunnels, the longest of which is 6 km. Started in 1999, it has required the excavation of about 7 million m3 of rock and 9 million m3 of earth. Two sections of the line have now been handed over to the Swedish Rail Administration, Banverket. The third, final and northernmost section is scheduled to be handed over in August 2010. Once completed, the new Bothnia Railway will cut intercity journey times dramatically and generate new business for the region.

 

Risk Analysis: Nitro Consult’s first commission was to carry out a risk analysis of all contracts between Husum in the north and Nyland in the south with regard to bridges, terracing and tunnels. This included identifying the areas that would be affected by the construction activities, determining the need for structural surveys, establishing limits for vibrations and airblasts, and preparing a suitable control program.

 

Structural Surveys: Nitro Consult was appointed to survey 200 properties in connection with the passage of the new line through the industrial port city of Örnsköldsvik. The works along this section included driving two long tunnels, constructing a new railway station and relocating a ski-jump.

 

Environmental Controls: Nitro Consult was appointed to measure continuously the vibrations, airblasts and noise generated during the excavation of the 2065 m Varvsberg Tunnel south of Örnsköldsvik. The measurements were reported continually in our Web portal, NCVIB, which is accessible to clients, contractors and registered third parties.