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Railway overpass at Ernst Reuter Allee, Magdeburg, Germany

Facts and Figures
Company PORR GmbH & Co. KGaA, PORR Spezialtiefbau GmbH
Principal DB Netz AG, Stadt Magdeburg, drei städtische Gesellschaften (MVB, AGM, SWM)
Location Magdeburg - Germany
Type Rail and road tunnels
Runtime 06.2022 - 11.2022

Overcoming huge challenges with flying colours

In 2015, the Civil Engineering division was awarded the contract for one of the largest railway infrastructure projects in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt and one of the largest transport projects in Magdeburg since the German reunification: the Ernst Reuter Allee railway overpass. It involved several prominent engineering structures: the City Tunnel in Ernst Reuter Allee, which is approx. 340m long, an approx. 60m tunnel access road to the City-Carré shopping centre, and five new railway bridges. The contract also comprised the construction of six trough structures and six retaining walls, road construction and drainage work, the construction of tracks and overhead lines for the tram, the construction of 3 new stops, and the construction of supply lines.

Rapid construction took top priority

The figures tell an impressive story. About 34,500m³ of concrete and some 5,000t of steel were installed, 48,000m³ of soil were excavated from the tunnel, 93 floor slabs were produced, and 243 tunnel walls, trough walls and retaining walls were built.

PORR’s Berlin civil engineering team was responsible for the construction work. The shoring and bored piles were produced by PORR Spezialtiefbau. Rapid completion of the construction work was the top priority, so a team from PORR Polska provided support for the concrete construction work to increase the pace. The tubes of the City Tunnel were completed in July 2022.

The City Tunnel is the basis for modern transport infrastructure

Infrastructure measures like the modernisation of the Magdeburg railway junction require both patience and stamina. In 2004, Deutsche Bahn AG decided that the railway bridges, some of which date back to the 19th century, needed to be refurbished or replaced. After many years of planning and obtaining the necessary approvals, this became a comprehensive project in which bridges, tracks, overhead line systems, points, and signalling and safety technology at Magdeburg’s main railway station were all adapted to meet the requirements of modern rail infrastructure.

In accordance with the German Railway Crossing Act, the transport infrastructure below the new railway overpass had to be adapted as well. A solid two-storey frame has been integrated into the existing abutments to separate tram services from the road traffic. On level 1, motorised individual transport between Damaschkeplatz and the City-Carré is routed underground via two separate tubes. Level 0 above it is reserved for tram services, pedestrians and cyclists. Due to the high groundwater level, the tunnel structure was constructed with a sealing slab at the base. It has a clear height of at least 4.50m, a width of 8.50m and a length of 353m in one tube and 323m in the other.