Down the tube
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The wheels are finally in motion for the construction of a new underground line for Warsaw. ‘Eurobuild Poland’ takes a look at some of the difficulties that lie ahead for this project
When first-time visitors to Warsaw use the city’s Metro, they are likely to be struck by 2 things. Firstly, by how modern it is compared to other major European cities, and secondly by how limited it is, having only one line running north-to-south. The modernity of the underground is due to the fact that it was only relatively recently (1983) that construction work started on this line, and there are 5 stations still to be completed. But because of the lack of routes to the eastern and western districts of the city, it cannot be rightly called an underground railway system at all. This situation is finally set to change, with a tender likely to be announced early next year for the design and construction of the Warsaw Metro’s first new line.
According to Metro Warszawskie, the company which is in charge of the expansion of the Warsaw underground and is wholly owned by the city council, this new section is the first of 4 they intend to have built. This, the ‘central section’ of the new line, will run from Rondo Daszyńskiego in the west to Dworzec Wileński in the east (both will be new stations), crossing the original line at Świętokrzyska station. It will be 6 km long and have 7 stations. The second section will go west from Rondo Daszyńskiego ending at Chrzanów, and will be 9 km long with 8 stations. Then there will be a northeast section, starting from Wileński and ending at Rembielińska, which will be 5 km long with 5 stations; and finally a 6 km southeast section with 6 stations, running from Stadion to Wilga. Altogether, when completed, the four sections amount to 26 km of new underground railway and 25 new stations.
In the mud
However, it is the first section which will be the most problematic to construct. Jerzy Lejk, management board member of Metro Warszawskie points to “technical problems concerning the soil at Nowy Świat and Powiśle – according to the very precise drillings in these two locations by our specialists” as one difficulty that has to be overcome. Warsaw’s soil is notorious for the quantities of sand and clay present, which poses problems in the drilling and construction of tunnels. Added to this is the high-water level below the city. But it is the fact that the new section will pass under the river that presents the most difficulties. According to Marek Sochanowicz, director of technology and organization of Hydrobudowa-6, the company responsible for 11 years for the construction of the original line and 8 of its stations, this makes “the problem of high water levels even more acute. This will mean that the tunnels will have to be drilled 25-30m deep, compared to the usual 10-12m on the original line. In fact, the deepest tunnel on the old line is under Trasa Łazienkowska, at 15-16m.”
Mr Sochanowicz explains how this work is carried out: “Special kinds of drills are used designed to pump bentonite clay into the machine at a pressure of 5 atmospheres and protect it against the water, whilst the drilling itself takes place in a tube to hold out the soil and the water.” However, these machines are rather big and expensive; but the possession of one of them would be a massive advantage for any company intending to take part in the tender process, as Hydrobudowa-6 do.
The long and short of it
The work on the stations themselves takes longer than that for the tunnelling. “It takes 6 months for the drilling, but for the station itself about 1 to 1.5 years to build,” says Marek Sochanowicz, “and this also depends on whether the station is short or long with a store for the trains. Each station is 156m long, but a long station has an extra 250m.” As with the existing metro stations, the construction work will involve deep excavations. These, says Jerzy Lejk, “are protected from water and the earth by steel walls, which for the new line will probably be 20 to 25m.”
Stadion station – which will become one of the biggest public transport hubs in Warsaw, with 3 platforms serving three lines – will, according to Jerzy Lejk, also be “one of the most problematic in terms of construction, as the site is under water close to Port Praski, and poses similar problems as the London Docklands development.”
Graveyard smash
Another problem that might eventually arise is in the case of the western section, which could be routed underneath the Wola Cemetery (Cmentarz Wolski). Apart from the technical and environmental difficulties involved in this stretch of the line, there is a fair likelihood of public protests putting a sizeable spanner in the construction works.
So these are some of the potential hurdles that have to be negotiated once the construction work finally gets underway. But before this can happen the public tender must be held to choose the general contractor. Jerzy Lejk of Metro Warszawskie provides us with some idea of the likely timeframe: “We are planning to hold the public tender for the central section in April 2007 – and this will be both the building and design. It is then likely to take another 6 to 8 months for the winner of the tender to finalize their plans and get construction work under way – probably in Q2 of 2008. We expect that this section will be complete in June-July 2012.”
According to Mr Lejk, the finance for the project will probably come from two sources: “EU funds, from which we hope to receive as much as a 70 pct subsidy, with the remaining 30 pct coming from the Warsaw city budget. We are currently preparing the application for this EU funding, and should have it ready in Q1 2007.” He goes on to add that: “We estimate the cost for the central section at EUR 600 mln, and for the entire project – EUR 2 bln.”
Nathan North
When first-time visitors to Warsaw use the city’s Metro, they are likely to be struck by 2 things. Firstly, by how modern it is compared to other major European cities, and secondly by how limited it is, having only one line running north-to-south. The modernity of the underground is due to the fact that it was only relatively recently (1983) that construction work started on this line, and there are 5 stations still to be completed. But because of the lack of routes to the eastern and western districts of the city, it cannot be rightly called an underground railway system at all. This situation is finally set to change, with a tender likely to be announced early next year for the design and construction of the Warsaw Metro’s first new line.
According to Metro Warszawskie, the company which is in charge of the expansion of the Warsaw underground and is wholly owned by the city council, this new section is the first of 4 they intend to have built. This, the ‘central section’ of the new line, will run from Rondo Daszyńskiego in the west to Dworzec Wileński in the east (both will be new stations), crossing the original line at Świętokrzyska station. It will be 6 km long and have 7 stations. The second section will go west from Rondo Daszyńskiego ending at Chrzanów, and will be 9 km long with 8 stations. Then there will be a northeast section, starting from Wileński and ending at Rembielińska, which will be 5 km long with 5 stations; and finally a 6 km southeast section with 6 stations, running from Stadion to Wilga. Altogether, when completed, the four sections amount to 26 km of new underground railway and 25 new stations.
In the mud
However, it is the first section which will be the most problematic to construct. Jerzy Lejk, management board member of Metro Warszawskie points to “technical problems concerning the soil at Nowy Świat and Powiśle – according to the very precise drillings in these two locations by our specialists” as one difficulty that has to be overcome. Warsaw’s soil is notorious for the quantities of sand and clay present, which poses problems in the drilling and construction of tunnels. Added to this is the high-water level below the city. But it is the fact that the new section will pass under the river that presents the most difficulties. According to Marek Sochanowicz, director of technology and organization of Hydrobudowa-6, the company responsible for 11 years for the construction of the original line and 8 of its stations, this makes “the problem of high water levels even more acute. This will mean that the tunnels will have to be drilled 25-30m deep, compared to the usual 10-12m on the original line. In fact, the deepest tunnel on the old line is under Trasa Łazienkowska, at 15-16m.”
Mr Sochanowicz explains how this work is carried out: “Special kinds of drills are used designed to pump bentonite clay into the machine at a pressure of 5 atmospheres and protect it against the water, whilst the drilling itself takes place in a tube to hold out the soil and the water.” However, these machines are rather big and expensive; but the possession of one of them would be a massive advantage for any company intending to take part in the tender process, as Hydrobudowa-6 do.
The long and short of it
The work on the stations themselves takes longer than that for the tunnelling. “It takes 6 months for the drilling, but for the station itself about 1 to 1.5 years to build,” says Marek Sochanowicz, “and this also depends on whether the station is short or long with a store for the trains. Each station is 156m long, but a long station has an extra 250m.” As with the existing metro stations, the construction work will involve deep excavations. These, says Jerzy Lejk, “are protected from water and the earth by steel walls, which for the new line will probably be 20 to 25m.”
Stadion station – which will become one of the biggest public transport hubs in Warsaw, with 3 platforms serving three lines – will, according to Jerzy Lejk, also be “one of the most problematic in terms of construction, as the site is under water close to Port Praski, and poses similar problems as the London Docklands development.”
Graveyard smash
Another problem that might eventually arise is in the case of the western section, which could be routed underneath the Wola Cemetery (Cmentarz Wolski). Apart from the technical and environmental difficulties involved in this stretch of the line, there is a fair likelihood of public protests putting a sizeable spanner in the construction works.
So these are some of the potential hurdles that have to be negotiated once the construction work finally gets underway. But before this can happen the public tender must be held to choose the general contractor. Jerzy Lejk of Metro Warszawskie provides us with some idea of the likely timeframe: “We are planning to hold the public tender for the central section in April 2007 – and this will be both the building and design. It is then likely to take another 6 to 8 months for the winner of the tender to finalize their plans and get construction work under way – probably in Q2 of 2008. We expect that this section will be complete in June-July 2012.”
According to Mr Lejk, the finance for the project will probably come from two sources: “EU funds, from which we hope to receive as much as a 70 pct subsidy, with the remaining 30 pct coming from the Warsaw city budget. We are currently preparing the application for this EU funding, and should have it ready in Q1 2007.” He goes on to add that: “We estimate the cost for the central section at EUR 600 mln, and for the entire project – EUR 2 bln.”
Nathan North
