After eight years of tunnelling and building under Copenhagen, Salini Impregilo announced the completion of the Danish capital’s new Cityringen metro line on 19 July.
The 17km twin-tunnel loop with 17 new stations encircles the city centre and is expected to carry 72 million people a year in journeys round its 24-minute circuit.
By providing an alternative to cars, it is intended to help Copehagen in its goal to become the world’s first carbon-neutral capital by 2025.
Toward that end, the new line brings 85% of Copenhagen residents within at least 600 metres, about 15 minutes’ walk, of a metro or railway station.
In January 2011 a joint venture of three Italian companies, Tecnimont Civil Construction, Salini S.p.a. and Seli won the design-build contract for the Cityringen line.
This joint venture, called Copenhagen Metro Team, was taken over by Salini (99.9%) in 2014 when Salini and Impregilo merged.
"Cityringen is a work of pride for our Group and an example of excellence for sustainable mobility in Europe and the world," said Pietro Salini, Chief Executive of Salini Impregilo.
Tunnel-boring machines (TBMs) Eva, Minerva, Nora and Tria excavated 31km in all without interrupting business at street level.
At one point TBMs passed a metre and a half below the foundations of historic department store Magasin du Nord without rattling the shelves.
Salini Impregilo credited constant monitoring and the precise mapping of the area with latest technology for the tunnelling’s success.
The company chalked up safety success as well, reaching the end of 2018 with a million working hours without a single accident.
Image: An escalator descends into one of Cityringen’s stations (Salini Impregilo)
