Ce541 Rohit Mtech Civil 3rd Sem H13940
Ce541 Rohit Mtech Civil 3rd Sem H13940
Ce541 Rohit Mtech Civil 3rd Sem H13940
TUNNEL TECHNOLOGY
Submitted to
By Rohit Kumar
Roll No. H13940
Tunnel
This article is about underground passages. For other uses, see Tunnel (disambiguation).
"Underpass" redirects here. For the John Foxx song, see Underpass (song). For a tunnel for
pedestrians, see Pedestrian underpass.
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The Weehawken, New Jersey helixand entrance to the Lincoln Tunnelleading to New York
City in 1955, with the south tube under construction
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Southern portal of the 421 m long (1,381 ft) Chirk canal tunnel
A tunnel is an underground passageway, dug through the surrounding soil/earth/rock and
enclosed except for entrance and exit, commonly at each end. A pipeline is not a tunnel, though
some recent tunnels have used immersed tube construction techniques rather than traditional
tunnel boring methods.
A tunnel may be for foot or vehicular road traffic, for rail traffic, or for a canal. The central
portions of a rapid transit network are usually in tunnel. Some tunnels are aqueducts to supply
water for consumption or for hydroelectric stations or are sewers. Utility tunnels are used for
routing steam, chilled water, electrical power or telecommunication cables, as well as connecting
buildings for convenient passage of people and equipment.
Secret tunnels are built for military purposes, or by civilians
for smuggling of weapons, contraband, or people. Special tunnels, such as wildlife crossings, are
built to allow wildlife to cross human-made barriers safely.
Terminology
A tunnel is relatively long and narrow; the length is often much greater than twice the diameter,
although similar shorter excavations can be constructed, such as cross passages between tunnels.
The definition of what constitutes a tunnel can vary widely from source to source. For example,
the definition of a road tunnel in the United Kingdom is defined as "a subsurface highway
structure enclosed for a length of 150 metres (490 ft) or more."[1] In the United States,
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the NFPA definition of a tunnel is "An underground structure with a design length greater than
23 m (75 ft) and a diameter greater than 1,800 millimetres (5.9 ft)
In the UK, a pedestrian, cycle or animal tunnel beneath a road or railway is called a subway,
while an underground railway system is differently named in different cities, the "Underground"
or the "Tube" in London, the "Subway" in Glasgow, and the "Metro" in Newcastle. The place
where a road, railway, canal or watercourse passes under a footpath, cycleway, or another road
or railway is most commonly called a bridge or, if passing under a canal, an aqueduct. Where it
is important to stress that it is passing underneath, it may be called an underpass, though the
official term when passing under a railway is an underbridge. A longer underpass containing a
road, canal or railway is normally called a "tunnel", whether or not it passes under another item
of infrastructure. An underpass of any length under a river is also usually called a "tunnel",
whatever mode of transport it is for.
In the US, the term "subway" means an underground rapid transit system, and the
term pedestrian underpass is used for a passage beneath a barrier. Rail station platforms may be
connected by pedestrian tunnels or footbridges.
History
Jora-lemon Street Tunnel in 1913, part of the New York City Subway system
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Much of the early technology of tunneling evolved from mining and military engineering.
The etymology of the terms "mining" (for mineral extraction or for siege attacks), "military
engineering", and "civil engineering" reveals these deep historic connections.
Antique and early middle ages
Predecessors of modern tunnels were adits to transport water for irrigation or drinking,
and sewerage. The first Qanats are known from before 2000 B.C.
"Stand-up time" is the amount of time a newly excavated cavity can support itself without
any added structures. Knowing this parameter allows the engineers to determine how far an
excavation can proceed before support is needed, which in turn affects the speed, efficiency,
and cost of construction. Generally, certain configurations of rock and clay will have the
greatest stand-up time, while sand and fine soils will have a much lower stand-up time
Groundwater control is very important in tunnel construction. Water leaking into a tunnel or
vertical shaft will greatly decrease stand-up time, causing the excavation to become unstable
and risking collapse. The most common way to control groundwater is to install dewatering
pipes into the ground and to simply pump the water out.[4] A very effective but expensive
technology is ground freezing, using pipes which are inserted into the ground surrounding
the excavation, which are then cooled with special refrigerant fluids. This freezes the ground
around each pipe until the whole space is surrounded with frozen soil, keeping water out
until a permanent structure can be built.
Tunnel cross-sectional shape is also very important in determining stand-up time. If a tunnel
excavation is wider than it is high, it will have a harder time supporting itself, decreasing its
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The Harbor Tunnel in Baltimore, which carries I-895, serves as an example of a water-crossing
tunnel built instead of a bridge.
For water crossings, a tunnel is generally more costly to construct than a bridge. However,
navigational considerations may limit the use of high bridges or drawbridge spans intersecting
with shipping channels, necessitating a tunnel.
Bridges usually require a larger footprint on each shore than tunnels. In areas with expensive real
estate, such as Manhattan and urban Hong Kong, this is a strong factor in favor of a tunnel.
Boston's Big Dig project replaced elevated roadways with a tunnel system to increase traffic
capacity, hide traffic, reclaim land, redecorate, and reunite the city with the waterfront.
The 1934 Queensway Tunnel under the River Mersey at Liverpool was chosen over a massively
high bridge for defense reasons; it was feared that aircraft could destroy a bridge in times of war.
Maintenance costs of a massive bridge to allow the world's largest ships to navigate under were
considered higher than for a tunnel. Similar conclusions were reached for the 1971 Kingsway
Tunnel under the Mersey. In Hampton Roads, Virginia, tunnels were chosen over bridges for
strategic considerations; in the event of damage, bridges would prevent US Navy vessels from
leaving Naval Station Norfolk.
Water-crossing tunnels built instead of bridges include the Holland Tunnel and Lincoln
Tunnel between New Jersey and Manhattan in New York City; the Queens-Midtown
Tunnel between Manhattan and the borough of Queens on Long Island; the Detroit-Windsor
Tunnel between Michigan and Ontario; and the Elizabeth River tunnels
between Norfolk and Portsmouth, Virginia; the 1934 River Mersey road Queensway Tunnel;
the Western Scheldt Tunnel, Zeeland, Netherlands; and the North Shore Connector tunnel
in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Other reasons for choosing a tunnel instead of a bridge include avoiding difficulties with tides,
weather, and shipping during construction (as in the 51.5-kilometre or 32.0-mile Channel
Tunnel), aesthetic reasons (preserving the above-ground view, landscape, and scenery), and also
for weight capacity reasons (it may be more feasible to build a tunnel than a sufficiently strong
bridge).
Some water crossings are a mixture of bridges and tunnels, such as the Denmark to Sweden
link and the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel in Virginia.
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There are particular hazards with tunnels, especially from vehicle fires when combustion gases
can asphyxiate users, as happened at the Gotthard Road Tunnel in Switzerland in 2001. One of
the worst railway disasters ever, the Balvano train disaster, was caused by a train stalling in the
Armi tunnel in Italy in 1944, killing 426 passengers. Designers try to reduce these risks by
installing emergency ventilation systems or isolated emergency escape tunnels parallel to the
main passage.
Project planning and cost estimates
Government funds are often required for the creation of tunnels.When a tunnel is being planned
or constructed, economics and politics play a large factor in the decision making process. Civil
engineers usually use project management techniques for developing a major structure.
Understanding the amount of time the project requires, and the amount of labor and materials
needed is a crucial part of project planning. The project duration must be identified using a work
breakdown structure (WBS) and critical path method (CPM). Also, the land needed for
excavation and construction staging, and the proper machinery must be selected. Large
infrastructure projects require millions or even billions of dollars, involving long-term financing,
usually through issuance of bonds.
The costs and benefits for an infrastructure such as a tunnel must be identified. Political disputes
can occur, as in 2005 when the US House of Representatives approved a $100 million federal
grant to build a tunnel under New York Harbor. However, the Port Authority of New York and
New Jersey was not aware of this bill and had not asked for a grant for such a project. Increased
taxes to finance a large project may cause opposition.
Construction.
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without removing the ground above. Finallly a tube can be sunk into a body of water, which is
called an immersed tunnel.
Cut-and-cover
Bottom-up method: A trench is excavated, with ground support as necessary, and the tunnel
is constructed in it. The tunnel may be of in situ concrete, precast concrete, precast arches, or
corrugated steel arches; in early days brickwork was used. The trench is then carefully back-
filled and the surface is reinstated.
Top-down method: Side support walls and capping beams are constructed from ground level
by such methods as slurry walling or contiguous bored piling. Then a shallow excavation
allows making the tunnel roof of precast beams or in situ concrete. The surface is then
reinstated except for access openings. This allows early reinstatement of roadways, services
and other surface features. Excavation then takes place under the permanent tunnel roof, and
the base slab is constructed.
Shallow tunnels are often of the cut-and-cover type (if under water, of the immersed-tube type),
while deep tunnels are excavated, often using a tunnelling shield. For intermediate levels, both
methods are possible.
Large cut-and-cover boxes are often used for underground metro stations, such as Canary Wharf
tube station in London. This construction form generally has two levels, which allows
economical arrangements for ticket hall, station platforms, passenger access and emergency
egress, ventilation and smoke control, staff rooms, and equipment rooms. The interior of Canary
Wharf station has been likened to an underground cathedral, owing to the sheer size of the
excavation. This contrasts with many traditional stations on London Underground, where bored
tunnels were used for stations and passenger access. Nevertheless, the original parts of the
London Underground network, the Metropolitan and District Railways, were constructed using
cut-and-cover. These lines pre-dated electric traction and the proximity to the surface was useful
to ventilate the inevitable smoke and steam.
A major disadvantage of cut-and-cover is the widespread disruption generated at the surface
level during construction. This, and the availability of electric traction, brought about London
Underground's switch to bored tunnels at a deeper level towards the end of the 19th century.
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Boring machines
Main article: Tunnel boring machine
A workman is dwarfed by the tunnel boring machine used to excavate the Gotthard Base
Tunnel (Switzerland), the world's longest.
Tunnel boring machines (TBMs) and associated back-up systems are used to highly automate the
entire tunnelling process, reducing tunnelling costs. In certain predominantly urban applications,
tunnel boring is viewed as quick and cost effective alternative to laying surface rails and roads.
Expensive compulsory purchase of buildings and land, with potentially lengthy planning
inquiries, is eliminated. Disadvantages of TBMs arise from their usually large size – the
difficulty of transporting the large TBM to the site of tunnel construction, or (alternatively) the
high cost of assembling the TBM on-site, often within the confines of the tunnel being
constructed.
There are a variety of TBM designs that can operate in a variety of conditions, from hard rock to
soft water-bearing ground. Some types of TBMs, the bentonite slurry and earth-pressure balance
machines, have pressurised compartments at the front end, allowing them to be used in difficult
conditions below the water table. This pressurizes the ground ahead of the TBM cutter head to
balance the water pressure. The operators work in normal air pressure behind the
pressurisedcompartment, but may occasionally have to enter that compartment to renew or repair
the cutters. This requires special precautions, such as local ground treatment or halting the TBM
at a position free from water. Despite these difficulties, TBMs are now preferred over the older
method of tunnelling in compressed air, with an air lock/decompression chamber some way back
from the TBM, which required operators to work in high pressure and go through decompression
procedures at the end of their shifts, much like deep-sea divers.
In February 2010, Aker Wirth delivered a TBM to Switzerland, for the expansion of the Linth–
Limmern Power Stations located south of Linthal in the canton of Glarus. The borehole has a
diameter of 8.03 metres (26.3 ft) The four TBMs used for excavating the 57-kilometre
(35 mi) Gotthard Base Tunnel, in Switzerland, had a diameter of about 9 metres (30 ft). A larger
TBM was built to bore the Green Heart Tunnel (Dutch: Tunnel Groene Hart) as part of the HSL-
Zuid in the Netherlands, with a diameter of 14.87 metres (48.8 ft)This in turn was superseded by
the Madrid M30 ringroad, Spain, and the Chong Ming tunnels in Shanghai, China. All of these
machines were built at least partly by Herrenknecht. As of August 2013, the world's largest TBM
is "Big Bertha", a 57.5-foot (17.5 m) diameter machine built by Hitachi Zosen Corporation,
which is digging the Alaskan Way Viaduct replacement tunnel in Seattle, Washington (US).
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Clay-kicking
Clay-kicking is a specialised method developed in the United Kingdom of digging tunnels in
based soil structures. Unlike previous manual methods of using mattockswhich relied
strong clay-based
on the soil structure to be hard, clay-kicking
clay kicking was relatively silent and hence did not harm soft
clay-based
based structures. The clay-kicker
clay degree angle away from the
lies on a plank at a 45-degree
working face and insertsrts a tool with a cup-like
cup like rounded end with the feet. Turning the tool
manually, the kicker extracts a section of soil, which is then placed on the waste extract.
Used in Victorian civil engineering, the method found favour in the renewal of Britain's
ancient sewerage systems, by not having to remove all property or infrastructure to create a small
tunnel system. During the First World War,
War the system was used by Royal Engineer tunnelling
companies to put mines beneath the German Empire lines. The method was virtually silent and
so not susceptible to listening methods of detection
detection.
Shafts
1886 illustration showing the ventilation and drainage system of the Mersey railway tunnel
excavation of a tunnel. They are
A temporary access shaft is sometimes necessary during the excavation
usually circular and go straight down until they reach the level at which the tunnel is going to be
built. A shaft normally has concrete walls and is usually built to be permanent. Once the access
lowered to the bottom and excavation can start. Shafts are the
shafts are complete, TBMs are lowered
main entrance in and out of the tunnel until the project is completed. If a tunnel is going to be
long, multiple shafts at various locations may be bored so that entrance to the tunnel is closer to
the unexcavated area.
Once construction is complete, construction access shafts are often used as ventilation shafts, and
may also be used as emergency exits.
Sprayed concrete techniques
The New Austrian Tunneling Method (NATM) was developed in the 1960s and is the best
practices that use calculated and empirical measurements to
known of a number of engineering practices
provide safe support to the tunnel lining. The main idea of this method is to use the
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geological stress of the surrounding rock mass to stabilize the tunnel, by allowing a measured
relaxation and stress reassignment into the surrounding rock to prevent full loads becoming
imposed on the supports. Based on geotechnical measurements, an optimal cross section is
computed. The excavation is protected by a layer of sprayed concrete, commonly referred to
as shotcrete. Other support measures can include steel arches, rockbolts and mesh. Technological
developments in sprayed concrete technology have resulted in steel and polypropylene fibres
being added to the concrete mix to improve lining strength. This creates a natural load-bearing
ring, which minimizes the rock's deformation.
Illowra Battery utility tunnel, Port Kembla. One of many bunkers south of Sydney.
By special monitoring the NATM method is flexible, even at surprising changes of
the geomechanical rock consistency during the tunneling work. The measured rock properties
lead to appropriate tools for tunnel strengthening. In the last decades also soft ground
excavations up to 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) became usual.
Pipe jacking
Main article: Pipe jacking
In pipe jacking, hydraulic jacks are used to push specially made pipes through the ground behind
a TBM or shield. This method is commonly used to create tunnels under existing structures, such
as roads or railways. Tunnels constructed by pipe jacking are normally small diameter bores with
a maximum size of around 3.2 metres (10 ft).
Box jacking
Box jacking is similar to pipe jacking, but instead of jacking tubes, a box-shaped tunnel is used.
Jacked boxes can be a much larger span than a pipe jack, with the span of some box jacks in
excess of 20 metres (66 ft). A cutting head is normally used at the front of the box being jacked,
and spoil removal is normally by excavator from within the box.Recent developments of the
Jacked Arch and Jacked deck have enabled longer and larger structures to be installed to close
accuracy. The 126m long 20m clear span underpass below the high speed rail lines at Cliffsend
in Kent, UK.
Underwater tunnels
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Temporary way
During construction of a tunnel it is often convenient to install a temporary railway, particularly
to remove excavated spoil, often narrow gaugeso that it can be double track to allow the
operation of empty and loaded trains at the same time. The temporary way is replaced by
the permanent way at completion, thus explaining the term "Perway".
Enlargement
The original single line Gib Tunnel near Mittagong was replaced with a double-track tunnel,
with the original tunnel used for growing mushrooms
The 1832 double-track mile-long tunnel from Edge Hill to Lime Street in Liverpool was near
totally removed, apart from a 50-metre section at Edge Hill and a section nearer to Lime
Street, as four tracks were required. The tunnel was dug out into a very deep four-track
cutting, with short tunnels in places along the cutting. Train services were not interrupted as
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the work progressed There are other occurrences of tunnels being replaced by open cuts, for
example, the Auburn Tunnel.
The Farnworth Tunnel in England was enlarged using a tunnel boring machine (TBM) in
2015.The Rhyndaston Tunnel was enlarged using a borrowed TBM so as to be able to
take ISO containers.
Tunnels can also be enlarged by lowering the floor.
The upper level traffic lanes through Yerba Buena Island, part of the San Francisco–Oakland
Bay Bridge
Some tunnels are double-deck, for example the two major segments of the San Francisco–
Oakland Bay Bridge (completed in 1936) are linked by a 540-foot (160 m) double-deck tunnel
section through Yerba Buena Island, the largest-diameter bored tunnel in the world.] At
construction this was a combination bidirectional rail and truck pathway on the lower deck with
automobiles above, now converted to one-way road vehicle traffic on each deck.
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In Turkey, the Eurasia Tunnel under the Bosphorus, opened in 2016, has at its core a 5.4 km
(3.4 mi) two-deck road tunnel with two lanes on each deck.
Additionally, in 2015 the Turkish government announced that it will build the world's first three-
level tunnel, also under the Bosporus.] The tunnel is intended to carry both the Istanbul metro
and a two-level highway, over a length of 6.5 km (4.0 mi).
The French A86 Duplex Tunnel in west Paris consists of two bored tunnel tubes, the eastern one
of which has two levels for light motorized vehicles, over a length of 10 km (6.2 mi). Although
each level offers a physical height of 2.54 m (8.3 ft), only traffic up to 2 m (6.6 ft) tall is allowed
in this tunnel tube, and motorcyclists are directed to the other tube. Each level was built with a
three-lane roadway, but only two lanes per level are used – the third serves as a hard shoulder
within the tunnel. The A86 Duplex is Europe's longest double-deck tunnel.
In Shanghai, China, a 2.8 km (1.7 mi) two-tube double-deck tunnel was built starting in 2002. In
each tube of the Fuxing Road Tunnel both decks are for motor vehicles. In each direction, only
cars and taxis travel on the 2.6 m (8.5 ft) high two-lane upper deck, and heavier vehicles, like
trucks and buses, as well as cars, may use the 4.0 m (13 ft) high single-lane lower level.
In the Netherlands, a 2.3 km (1.4 mi) two-storey, eight lane, cut-and-cover road tunnel under the
city of Maastricht was opened in 2016. Each level accommodates a full height, two by two lane
highway. The two lower tubes of the tunnel carry the A2 motorway, which originates in
Amsterdam, through the city; and the two upper tubes take the N2 regional highway for local
traffic.
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traffic and occasional flood waters in Kuala Lumpur. When necessary, floodwater is first
diverted into a separate bypass tunnel located underneath the 2.5 mi (4.0 km) double-deck
roadway tunnel. In this scenario, traffic continues normally. Only during heavy, prolonged rains
when the threat of extreme flooding is high, the upper tunnel tube is closed off to vehicles and
automated flood control gates are opened so that water can be diverted through both tunnels.
Common utility ducts or utility tunnels carry two or more utility lines. Through co-location of
different utilities in one tunnel, organizations are able to reduce the costs of building and
maintaining utilities.
Covered passageways
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The entrance to the Pont de l'Alma tunnel, the site where Diana's car hit a Fiat and then the wall.
There was no proper barrier and this contributed to her death
Owing to the enclosed space of a tunnel, fires can have very serious effects on users. The main
dangers are gas and smoke production, with even low concentrations of carbon monoxide being
highly toxic. Fires killed 11 people in the Gotthard tunnel fire of 2001 for example, all of the
victims succumbing to smoke and gas inhalation. Over 400 passengers died in the Balvano train
disaster in Italy in 1944, when the locomotive halted in a long tunnel. Carbon monoxide
poisoning was the main cause of death. In the Caldecott Tunnel fire of 1982, the majority of
fatalities were caused by toxic smoke, rather than by the initial crash.
Motor vehicle tunnels usually require ventilation shafts and powered fans to remove
toxic exhaust gasesduring routine operation.
Rail tunnels usually require fewer air changes per hour, but still may require forced-air
ventilation. Both types of tunnels often have provisions to increase ventilation under emergency
conditions, such as a fire. Although there is a risk of increasing the rate of combustion through
increased airflow, the primary focus is on providing breathable air to persons trapped in the
tunnel, as well as firefighters.
When there is a parallel, separate tunnel available, airtight but unlocked emergency doors are
usually provided which allow trapped personnel to escape from a smoke-filled tunnel to the
parallel tube.
Larger, heavily used tunnels, such as the Big Dig tunnel in Boston, Massachusetts, may have a
dedicated 24-hour manned operations center which monitors and reports on traffic conditions,
and responds to emergencies.Video surveillance equipment is often used, and real-time pictures
of traffic conditions for some highways may be viewable by the general public via the Internet.
Examples
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The three eastern portals of Liverpool Edge Hill tunnels, built into a hand dug deep cutting. The
left tunnel with tracks is the short 1846 second Crown Street Tunnel, still used for shunting; next
on the right partially hidden by undergrowth is the 2.03 km (1.26 mi) 1829 disused Wapping
Tunnel, to the right again hidden by undergrowth, is the original short disused 1829 Crown
Street Tunnel.
A short section remains of the 1832 Edge Hill to Lime Street tunnel in Liverpool. This and a
short section of the original tunnel nearer to Lime Street, are the oldest rail tunnels in the world
still in active use.
The 1,659-foot (506 m) Donner Pass Summit Tunnel (#6) was in service from 1868 to 1993.
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Liverpool Lime Street Approach. The original two track tunnel was removed to create a deep
cutting. Some of the road bridges seen across the cutting are solid rock and in effect are a series
of short tunnels.
A late 19th-century pneumatic rock-drilling machine, invented by Germain Sommeiller and used
to drill the first large tunnels through the Alps.
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The qanat or kareez of Persia are water management systems used to provide a reliable
supply of water to human settlements or for irrigation in hot, arid and semi-arid climates.
The deepest known qanat is in the Iranian city of Gonabad, which after 2700 years, still
provides drinking and agricultural water to nearly 40,000 people. Its main well depth is more
than 360 m (1,180 ft), and its length is 45 km (28 mi).
The Siloam Tunnel was built before 701 BCE for a reliable supply of water, to
withstand siege attacks.
The Eupalinian aqueduct on the island of Samos (North Aegean, Greece) was built in 520
BCE by the ancient Greek engineer Eupalinosof Megara under a contract with the local
community. Eupalinosorganised the work so that the tunnel was begun from both sides of
Mount Kastro. The two teams advanced simultaneously and met in the middle with excellent
accuracy, something that was extremely difficult in that time. The aqueduct was of utmost
defensive importance, since it ran underground, and it was not easily found by an enemy
who could otherwise cut off the water supply to Pythagoreion, the ancient capital of Samos.
The tunnel's existence was recorded by Herodotus (as was the mole and harbour, and the
third wonder of the island, the great temple to Hera, thought by many to be the largest in the
Greek world). The precise location of the tunnel was only re-established in the 19th century
by German archaeologists. The tunnel proper is 1,030 m long (3,380 ft) and visitors can still
enter it Eupalinos tunnel.
One of the first known drainage and sewage networks in form of tunnels was constructed at
Persepolis in Iran at the same time as the construction of its foundation in 518 BCE. In most
places the network was dug in the sound rock of the mountain and then covered by large
pieces of rock and stone followed by earth and piles of rubble to level the ground. During
investigations and surveys, long sections of similar rock tunnels extending beneath the
palace area were traced by Herzfeld and later by Schmidt and their archeological teams.
The Via Flaminia, an important Roman road, penetrated the Furlo pass in
the Apennines through a tunnel which emperor Vespasian had ordered built in 76–77 CE. A
modern road, the SS 3 Flaminia, still uses this tunnel, which had a precursor dating back to
the 3rd century BCE; remnants of this earlier tunnel (one of the first road tunnels) are also
still visible.
The world's oldest tunnel traversing under a water body is claimed to be the Terelek kaya
tüneli under Kızıl River, a little south of the towns of Boyabat and Durağan in Turkey, just
downstream from where Kizil River joins its tributary Gökırmak. The tunnel is presently
under a narrow part of a lake formed by a dam some kilometers further downstream.
Estimated to have been built more than 2000 years ago, possibly by the same civilization that
also built the royal tombs in a rock face nearby, it is assumed to have had a defensive
purpose.
Sapperton Canal Tunnel on the Thames and Severn Canal in England, dug through hills,
which opened in 1789, was 3.5 km (2.2 mi) long and allowed boat transport of coal and other
goods. Above it the Sapperton Long Tunnel was constructed which carries the "Golden
Valley" railway line between Swindon and Gloucester.
The 1791 Dudley canal tunnel is on the Dudley Canal, in Dudley, England. The tunnel is
1.83 miles (2.9 km) long. Closed in 1962 the tunnel was reopened in 1973. The series of
tunnels was extended in 1984 and 1989.
Fritchley Tunnel, constructed in 1793 in Derbyshire by the Butterley Company to transport
limestone to its ironworks factory. The Butterley company engineered and built its own
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railway a victim of the depression the company closed after 219 years in 2009. The tunnel is
the world's oldest railway tunnel traversed by rail wagons using gravity and horse haulage.
The railway was converted to steam locomotion in 1813 using a Steam Horse
locomotive engineered and built by the Butterley company, however reverted to horses.
Steam trains used the tunnel continuously from the 1840s when the railway was converted to
a narrow gauge. The line closed in 1933. In the Second World War, the tunnel was used as
an air raid shelter. Sealed up in 1977 it was rediscovered in 2013 and inspected. The tunnel
was resealed to preserved the construction as it was designated an ancient monument.
The 1794 Butterley canal tunnel canal tunnel is 3,083 yards (2,819m) in length on
the Cromford Canal in Ripley, Derbyshire, England. The tunnel was built simultaneously
with the 1773 Fritchley railway tunnel. The tunnel partially collapsed in 1900 splitting the
Cromford Canal, and has not been used since. The Friends of Cromford Canal, a group of
volunteers, are working at fully restoring the Cromford Canal and the Butterley Tunnel.
The 1796 Stoddart Tunnel in Chapel-en-le-Frith in Derbyshire is reputed to be the oldest rail
tunnel in the world. The rail wagons were originally horse-drawn.
Derby Tunnels in Salem, Massachusetts were built in 1801 to smuggle imports affected by
President Thomas Jefferson new customs duties. Jefferson had ordered local militias to help
the Custom House in each port collect these dues, but the smugglers, led by Elias Derby,
hired the Salem militia to dig the tunnels and hide the spoil. The tunnels ran 3 miles
connecting the wharfs in town to an underground train station. Along the way they connected
prominent businessmen and politicians homes to their stores, bank, and museums. Members
of the Salem Commons Fund hid the tunnels behind a project to fill in the ponds and grade
the local common. Tunnel dirt was hidden in those ponds and was used to fill in rivers to
create new wharfs to connect the tunnels to. Many politicians were involved including a
Superior Court Justice, a Secretary of the Navy, and many Senators in the Federalist Party.
A tunnel was created for the first true steam locomotive, from Penydarren to Abercynon. The
Penydarren locomotive was built by Richard Trevithick. The locomotive made the historic
journey from Penydarren to Abercynon in 1804. Part of this tunnel can still be seen
at Pentrebach, MerthyrTydfil, Wales. This is arguably the oldest railway tunnel in the world,
dedicated only to self-propelled steam engines on rails.
The Montgomery Bell Tunnel in Tennessee, an 88 m long (289 ft) water diversion tunnel,
4.50 m × 2.45 m high (14.8 ft × 8.0 ft), to power a water wheel, was built by slave labour in
1819, being the first full-scale tunnel in North America.
Bourne's Tunnel, Rainhill, near Liverpool, England. 0.0321 km (105 ft) long. Built in the late
1820s, the exact date is unknown, however probably built in 1828 or 1829. This is the first
tunnel in the world constructed under a railway line. The construction of the Liverpool to
Manchester Railway ran over a horse-drawn tramway that ran from the Sutton collieries to
the Liverpool-Warrington turnpike road. A tunnel was bored under the railway for the
tramway. As the railway was being constructed the tunnel was made operational, opening
prior to the Liverpool tunnels on the Liverpool to Manchester line. The tunnel was made
redundant in 1844 when the tramway was dismantled.
Crown Street Station, Liverpool, England, 1829. Built by George Stephenson, a single track
railway tunnel 266 m long (873 ft), was bored from Edge Hill to Crown Street to serve the
world's first intercity passenger railway terminus station. The station was abandoned in 1836
being too far from Liverpool city centre, with the area converted for freight use. Closed
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down in 1972, the tunnel is disused. However it is the oldest passenger rail tunnel running
under streets in the world.
The 1829 Wapping Tunnel in Liverpool, England at 2.03 km (1.26 mi) long on a twin track
railway, was the first rail tunnel bored under a metropolis. The tunnel's path is from Edge
Hill in the east of the city to Wapping Dock in the south end Liverpool docks. The tunnel
was used only for freight terminating at the Park Lane goods terminal. Currently disused
since 1972, the tunnel was to be a part of the Merseyrail metro network, with work started
and abandoned because of costs. The tunnel is in excellent condition and is still being
considered for reuse by Merseyrail, maybe with an underground station cut into the tunnel
for Liverpool university. The river portal is opposite the new King's Dock Liverpool
Arena being an ideal location for a serving station. If reused the tunnel will be the oldest
used underground rail tunnel in the world and oldest section of any underground metro
system.
1832, Lime Street Railway station tunnel, Liverpool. A two track rail tunnel, 1.811 km
(1.125 mi) long was bored under the metropolis from Edge Hill in the east of the city to
Lime Street in Liverpool's city centre. The tunnel was in use from 1832 being used to
transport building materials to the new Lime St station while under construction. The station
and tunnel was opened to passengers in 1836. In the 1880s the tunnel was converted to a
deep cutting, open to the atmosphere, being four tracks wide. This is the only occurrence of a
major tunnel being removed. Two short sections of the original tunnel still exist at Edge Hill
station and further towards Lime Street, giving the two tunnels the distinction of being the
oldest rail tunnels in the world still in use, and the oldest in use under streets. Over time a
525 m (0.326 mi) section of the deep cutting has been converted back into tunnel due to
sections having buildings built over.
Box Tunnel in England, which opened in 1841, was the longest railway tunnel in the world
at the time of construction. It was dug by hand, and has a length of 2.9 km (1.8 mi).
The 1.1 km (0.68 mi) 1842 Prince of Wales Tunnel, in Shildon near Darlington, England, is
the oldest sizeable tunnel in the world still in use under a settlement.
The Thames Tunnel, built by Marc Isambard Brunel and his son Isambard Kingdom
Brunel opened in 1843, was the first tunnel (after Terelek) traversing under a water body,
and the first to be built using a tunnelling shield. Originally used as a foot-tunnel, the tunnel
was converted to a railway tunnel in 1869 and was a part of the East London Line of
the London Underground until 2007. It was the oldest section of the network, although not
the oldest purpose built rail section. From 2010 the tunnel became a part of the London
Overgroundnetwork.
The 3.34 km (2.08 mi) Victoria Tunnel/Waterloo Tunnel in Liverpool, England, was bored
under a metropolis opening in 1848. The tunnel was initially used only for rail freight
serving the Waterloo Freight terminal, and later freight and passengers serving the Liverpool
ship liner terminal. The tunnel's path is from Edge Hill in the east of the city to the north end
Liverpool docks at Waterloo Dock. The tunnel is split into two tunnels with a short open air
cutting linking the two. The cutting is where the cable hauled trains from Edge Hill were
hitched and unhitched. The two tunnels are effectively one on the same centre line and are
regarded as one. However, as initially the 2,375 m (1.476 mi) long Victoria section was
originally cable hauled and the shorter 862 m (943 yd) Waterloo section was locomotive
hauled, two separate names were given, the short section was named the Waterloo Tunnel. In
1895 the two tunnels were converted to locomotive haulage. Used until 1972, the tunnel is
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still in excellent condition. A short section of the Victoria tunnel at Edge Hill is still used for
shunting trains. The tunnel is being considered for reuse by the Merseyrail network. Stations
cut into the tunnel are being considered and also reuse by a monorail system from the
proposed Liverpool Waters redevelopment of Liverpool's Central Docks has been proposed.
The vertex tunnel of the Semmering railway, the first Alpine tunnel, was opened in 1848 and
was 1.431 km (0.889 mi) long. It connected rail traffic between Vienna, the capital
of Austro-Hungarian Empire, and Trieste, its port.
The Giovi Rail Tunnel through the Appennini Mounts opened in 1854, linking the capital
city of the Kingdom of Sardinia, Turin, to its port, Genoa. The tunnel was 3.25 km (2.02 mi)
long.
The oldest underground sections of the London Underground were built using the cut-and-
cover method in the 1860s, and opened in January 1863. What are now the Metropolitan,
Hammersmith & City and Circle lines were the first to prove the success of a metro or
subway system.
On June 18, 1868, the Central Pacific Railroad's 1,659-foot (506 m) Summit Tunnel (Tunnel
#6) at Donner Pass in the California Sierra Nevada mountains was opened permitting the
establishment of the commercial mass transportation of passengers and freight over the
Sierras for the first time. It remained in daily use until 1993 when the Southern Pacific
Railroad closed it and transferred all rail traffic through the 10,322-foot (3,146 m) long
Tunnel #41 (aka "The Big Hole") built a mile to the south in 1925.
In 1870, after fourteen years of works, the Fréjus Rail Tunnel was completed between France
and Italy, being the second oldest Alpine tunnel, 13.7 km (8.5 mi) long. At that time it was
the longest in the world.
The third Alpine tunnel, the Gotthard Rail Tunnel opened in 1882 and was the longest rail
tunnel in the world, measuring 15 km (9.3 mi).
The 1882 Col de Tende Road Tunnel, at 3.182 km (1.977 mi) long, was one of the first long
road tunnels under a pass, running between France and Italy.
The Mersey Railway tunnel opened in 1886 running from Liverpool to Birkenhead under the
River Mersey. The Mersey Railway was the world's first deep-level underground railway. By
1892 the extensions on land from Birkenhead Park station to Liverpool Central Low level
station gave a tunnel 3.12 mi (5.02 km) in length. The under river section is 0.75 mi
(1.21 km) in length, and was the longest underwater tunnel in world in January 1886.
The rail Severn Tunnel was opened in late 1886, at 7.008 km (4.355 mi) long, although only
3.62 km (2.25 mi) of the tunnel is actually under the River Severn. The tunnel replaced the
Mersey Railway tunnel's longest under water record, which was held for less than a year.
James Greathead, in constructing the City & South London Railway tunnel beneath the
Thames, opened in 1890, brought together three key elements of tunnel construction under
water: 1) shield method of excavation; 2) permanent cast iron tunnel lining; 3) construction
in a compressed air environment to inhibit water flowing through soft ground material into
the tunnel heading.
Built in sections between 1890 and 1939, the section of London Underground's Northern
line from Morden to East Finchley via Bank was the longest railway tunnel in the world at
27.8 km (17.3 mi) in length.
St. Clair Tunnel, also opened later in 1890, linked the elements of the Greathead tunnels on a
larger scale.
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In 1906 the fourth Alpine tunnel opened, the Simplon Tunnel, linking Paris to Milan. It is
19.7 km (12.2 mi) long, and was the longest tunnel in the world until 1982.
The 1927 Holland Tunnel was the first underwater tunnel designed for automobiles. The
construction required a novel ventilation system.
In 1945 the Delaware Aqueduct tunnel was completed, supplying water to New York City in
the US. At 137 km (85 mi) it is the second longest tunnel in the world.
In 1988 the 53.850 km (33.461 mi) long Seikan Tunnel in Japan was completed under
the Tsugaru Strait, linking the islands of Honshu and Hokkaido. It was longest railway tunnel
in the world at that time.
Longest
Main article: List of longest tunnels
The Gotthard Base Tunnel is the first flat route through a major mountain range.
The Thirlmere Aqueduct in North West England, United Kingdom is sometimes considered
the longest tunnel, of any type, in the world at 154 km (96 mi), though the aqueduct's tunnel
section is not continuous
The Gotthard Base Tunnel in Switzerland, opened in 2016, is the longest and deepest railway
tunnel in the world at 57.1 km (35.5 mi) length and 2,450 m (8,040 ft) maximum depth
below the Gotthard Massif. It provides a flat transit route between the North and South of
Europe under the Swiss Alps, at a maximum elevation of 549 m (1,801 ft).
The Seikan Tunnel in Japan connects the main island of Honshu with the northern island
of Hokkaido by rail. It is 53.9-kilometre (33.5 mi) long, of which 23.3 km (14.5 mi) are
crossing the Tsugaru Strait undersea.
The Channel Tunnel crosses the English Channel between France and England. It has a total
length of 50 km (31 mi), of which 39 km (24 mi) are the world's longest undersea tunnel
section.
The Lötschberg Base Tunnel in Switzerland was the longest land rail tunnel, with a length of
34.5 km (21.4 mi), from its inauguration in 2007 until the completion of the Gotthard Base
Tunnel in 2016.
The Lærdal Tunnel in Norway from Lærdal to Aurland is the world's longest road tunnel,
intended for cars and similar vehicles, at 24.5 km (15.2 mi).
The Zhongnanshan Tunnel in People's Republic of China opened in January 2007 is the
world's second longest highway tunnel and the longest mountain road tunnel in Asia, at
18 km (11 mi).
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The longest canal tunnel is the Rove Tunnel in France, over 7.12 km (4.42 mi) long.
Notable
The Gerrards Cross tunnel in England, completed in 2010. View west towards the station in
March 2005, showing the extent of construction three months before a small section collapsed
The eastern portal of the abandoned Sideling Hill Tunnel, Pennsylvania, USA in 2009
Williamson's tunnels in Liverpool, from 1804 and completed around 1840 by a wealthy
eccentric, are probably the largest underground folly in the world. The tunnels were built
with no functional purpose.
Moffat Tunnel, opened in 1928 in Colorado, straddles the Continental Divide. The tunnel is
10.0 km (6.2 mi) long and at 2,816 m (9,239 ft) above sea level is the highest active railroad
tunnel in the US (the Tennessee Pass Line, currently inactive, and Alpine Tunnel are higher).
The Pennsylvania Turnpike opened in 1940 with seven tunnels, most of which were bored as
part of the stillborn South Pennsylvania Railroad and giving the highway the nickname
"Tunnel Highway". Four of the tunnels (Allegheny Mountain, Tuscarora
Mountain, Kittatinny Mountain, and Blue Mountain) remain in active use, while the other
three (Laurel Hill, Rays Hill, and Sideling Hill) were bypassed in the 1960s; the latter two
tunnels are on a bypassed section of the Turnpike now commonly known as the Abandoned
Pennsylvania Turnpike.
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The Fredhälls road tunnel was opened in 1966, in Stockholm, Sweden, and the New Elbe
road tunnel opened in 1975 in Hamburg, Germany. Both tunnels handle around 150,000
vehicles a day, making them two of the most trafficked tunnels in the world.
The Honningsvåg Tunnel (4.443 km (2.76 mi) long) opened in 1999 on European route
E69 in Norway as the world's northernmost road tunnel, except for mines (which exist
on Svalbard).
The Central Artery road tunnel in Boston, Massachusetts, is a part of the larger Big
Dig completed around 2007, and carries approximately 200,000 vehicles/day under the city
along Interstate 93, US Route 1, and Massachusetts Route 3, which share
a concurrency through the tunnels. The Big Dig replaced Boston's old badly deteriorated I-93
elevated highway.
The Stormwater Management And Road Tunnel or SMART Tunnel, is a combined storm
drainage and road structure opened in 2007 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The 9.7 km (6.0 mi)
tunnel is the longest stormwater drainage tunnel in South East Asia and second longest in
Asia. The facility can be operated as a simultaneous traffic and stormwaterpassage, or
dedicated exclusively to stormwater when necessary.
The Eiksund Tunnel[49] on national road Rv 653 in Norway is the world's deepest subsea
road tunnel, measuring 7.776 km (4.832 mi) long, with deepest point at −287 m (−942 ft)
below the sea level, opened in February 2008.
Gerrards Cross railway tunnel, in England, opened in 2010, is notable in that it was built in a
railway cutting, that was first opened around 1906. This arguably is the longest ever tunnel
in construction taking 104 years.The tunnel was built using the cut-and-cover method with
prefabricated forms in order to keep the busy railway operating. A branch of
the Tesco supermarket chain occupies the space above the railway tunnel with an adjacent
railway station. During construction, a portion of the tunnel collapsed when the soil cover
was added. The prefabricated forms were covered with a layer of reinforced concrete after
the collapse
The Fenghuoshan tunnel, completed in 2005 on the Qinghai-Tibet railway is the world's
highest railway tunnel, about 4.905 km (3.05 mi) above sea level and 1,338 m (0.831 mi)
long.
The La Linea Tunnel in Colombia, 2016, is the longest, 8.58 km (5.33 mi), mountain tunnel
in South America. It crosses beneath a mountain at 2,500 m (8,202.1 ft) above sea level with
six traffic lanes, and it has a parallel emergency tunnel. The tunnel is subject to
serious groundwater pressure. The tunnel will link Bogotá and its urban area with the coffee-
growing region, and with the main port on the Colombian Pacific coast.
The Chicago Deep Tunnel Project is a network of 175 km (109 mi) of drainage
tunnels designed to reduce flooding in the Chicago area. Started in the mid-1970s, the project
is due to be completed in 2019.
New York City Water Tunnel No. 3, started in 1970, has an expected completion date of
2020, and will measure more than 97 km long (60 mi).
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Mining
Main article: Mining
Military use
See also: Sapper
Some tunnels are not for transport at all but rather, are fortifications, for
example Mittelwerk and Cheyenne Mountain Complex. Excavation techniques, as well as the
construction of underground bunkers and other habitable areas, are often associated with military
use during armed conflict, or civilian responses to threat of attack. One of the strangest uses of a
tunnel was for the storage of chemical weapons
Secret tunnels
Main articles: Secret passage and Smuggling tunnel
Door to a compartment where runaway slaves would sleep, on the Underground Railroad
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Secret tunnels have given entrance to or escape from an area, such as the Cu Chi Tunnels or
the smuggling tunnels in the Gaza Strip which connect it to Egypt. Although the Underground
Railroad network used to transport escaped slaves was "underground" mostly in the sense of
secrecy, hidden tunnels were occasionally used. Secret tunnels were also used during the Cold
War, under the Berlin Wall and elsewhere, to smuggle refugees, and for espionage.
Smugglers use secret tunnels to transport or store contraband, such as illegal drugs and weapons.
Elaborately engineered 1,000-foot (300 m) tunnels built to smuggle drugs across the Mexico-US
border were estimated to require up to 9 months to complete, and an expenditure of up to $1
million.Some of these tunnels were equipped with lighting, ventilation, telephones, drainage
pumps, hydraulic elevators, and in at least one instance, an electrified rail transport system Secret
tunnels have also been used by thieves to break into bank vaults and retail stores after hours.
The actual usage of erdstall tunnels is unknown but theories connect it to a rebirth ritual.
Natural tunnels
Lava tubes are partially empty, cave-like conduits underground, formed during volcanic
eruptions by flowing and cooling lava.
Natural Tunnel State Park (Virginia, US) features an 850-foot (259 m) natural tunnel, really
a limestone cave, that has been used as a railroad tunnel since 1890.
Punarjani Guha in Kerala, India. Hindus believe that crawling through the tunnel (which they
believe was created by a Hindu god) from one end to the other will wash away all of one’s
sins and thus allow one to attain rebirth. Only men are permitted to crawl through the tunnel.
Torghatten, a Norwegian island with a hat-shaped silhouette, has a natural tunnel in the
middle of the hat, letting light come through. The 160-metre (520 ft) long, 35-metre (115 ft)
high, and 20-metre (66 ft) wide tunnel is said to be the hole made by an arrow of the
angry troll Hestmannen, the hill being the hat of the troll-king of Sømna trying to save the
beautiful Lekamøya. The tunnel is thought actually to be the work of ice. The sun shines
through the tunnel during two few minutes long periods every year.
Small "snow tunnels" are created by voles, chipmunks and other rodents for protection and
access to food sources. For more information regarding tunnels built by animals, see Burrow.
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