Concepts to overcome squeezing geological conditions at the Koralm tunnel / Konzepte zur Bewältigung druckhafter Gebirgsverhältnisse beim Koralmtunnel

The Koralm tunnel forms the central part of the route of the Koralmbahn railway from Graz to Klagenfurt in the section Deutschlandsberg- St. Andrä. The tunnel, split into three construction contracts (KAT 1,2 and 3) connects the federal states of Carinthia and Styria in Austria with a length of 32.8 km. Continuous tunnelling is intended for the section through the central mountain complex of the Koralpe. The very variable geological conditions (rock and loose ground sections, overburden of up to approx. 1,200 m, possible high water pressures and pronounced zones of faulting and fracturing) represent a major challenge for the implementation of mechanical tunnelling (tunnelling, lining and logistics concepts). The present article discusses the geological and hydrogeological conditions as well as the basic concepts for support and machine system and the particular measures to overcome squeezing rock conditions.