Advance rate rockets for Lemcon

2009-11-13

Finnish tunnelling specialist Lemcon has further increased its already rapid rate of progress at the Nygård rail tunnel project in Sweden. Sami Niiranen reports from the site with the latest news.

High-tech grouting: Lemcon’s new Unigrout mobile grouting plant from Atlas Copco at work in the Nygård rail tunnel.

When M&C first visited the site in October 2006, the advance rate, on five faces, was in the range of 60-70 metres per week. Having fine-tuned its operations, and with access to six faces, Lemcon is now achieving about 22 blasts per week, corresponding to a weekly advance rate of 130 metres.

Excavation of the 3,030 m Nygård tunnel through hard gneiss is being carried out with two Atlas Copco four-boom Rocket Boomer XL4 drill rigs, equipped with high-powered COP 3038 rock drills.

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