Massive construction movement expands Moscow‘s Metro

Quelle/source: Robbins

Arrival of a Robbins EPB cutterhead at one of several small jobsites in the densely urban city of Moscow

Quelle/source: Robbins

Three new Robbins EPBs and one refurbished machine were custom designed for Moscow’s mixed ground ranging from fine sand to stiff clays and boulders

The Robbins cutterhead supplied for a refurbished Lovat machine, which excavated between Khodinskoye Pole station and Polezhaevskaya station

One machine for several jobsites: Crew members work together to refurbish a tunnel boring machine for its next tunnel drive underneath Russia’s capital

Quelle/source (4): Robbins

Continuous conveyors are being used in limited space conditions – this Engeocom site is within meters of skyscrapers and a service road

Quelle/source (4): Robbins

Quelle/source: Robbins

The Robbins continuous conveyors are designed for mixed ground conditions, with sealed transfer points and customized belt washing and cleaning systems

Quelle/source: Robbins

The SK MOST machine broke through in May 2013 after achieving a Russian record for excavating 37.8 m in a single day and up to 621 m per month

Quelle/source: Robbins

In Russia’s capital city of more than 12 million people, the average Muscovite has become accustomed to daily commutes of two hours or more. To ease the perpetually slow flow of traffic, the Moscow Government has initiated a major scheme that consists of at least 50 km of new metro line by 2016, and more than doubles that by 2020. At its current pace, Russia’s rate of metro construction will be second only to chinese projects.

The metro system, nearly entirely underground, involves the use of dozens of mixed ground EPB TBMs: the largest simultaneous construction by TBM that has ever taken place in the city. The compact jobsites, complex ground conditions, and tight construction schedules are all challenges that are being met head on, using customized machines, conveyor muck haulage systems, and an army of skilled personnel.

Moscow’s Metro Development Program, unveiled in 2012, calls for 150 km of new metro lines within the next eight years. Work thus far has been around the clock, with more than 35 000 workers and...