MTRC Express Rail Link - Detail Design

The Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link (XRL) is a committed cross Boundary transport infrastructure project, which will provide high speed rail services between Hong Kong and Guangzhou in Mainland China, and a connection to the China national high-speed passenger rail network serving major mainland cities outside of Guangdong province. The XRL, measuring about 26 km from West Kowloon, Hong Kong to the Boundary of Hong Kong and Mainland China, will use a dedicated corridor to ensure that the required line capacity can be achieved and to ensure operational compatibility with the Mainland. The southern section of the alignment covers approximately 15 km of the total XRL alignment between the north of WKT approach fan and the Tse Uk Tsuen works shaft. The line within this section is to be constructed by a combination of tunnelling methods including drill and blast, machine bored, mined and cut-and-cover techniques.

For the detailed design the tunnels have been divided into two packages, namely a northern and a southern section. The southern section will comprise some 15km of running tunnel, four ventilation buildings and all the necessary construction access and support facilities. Atkins was appointed as the design Consultant to MTRCL on the Detailed Design Consultancy Agreement No. C802 – XRL Tunnels and Associated Structures (South) on 16 January 2009. The C802 Consultancy Agreement comprises several design packages, including 3.83km twin TBM tunnels (the Kowloon Tunnels) mainly in soft/mixed ground, a 3.57 km section of both single bore twin track or twin bores single track tunnels by drill and blast methods in rock (the Kwai Chung Tunnels) and a 7.65 km single bore twin track or twin bore single track tunnels using drill and blast also in rock (the Tai Mo Shan Tunnels).

Contract Type: Reference Detailed Design for Design and Build Construction Contracts

Shatin to Central Link Cross Harbour Section Agreement No. NEX/2202
Preliminary Design

The Shatin to Central Link (SCL) is a strategic railway line that runs through multiple districts in Hong Kong. It comprises two sections. The first section will extend the existing Ma On Shan Line from Tai Wai to the West Rail Line through East Kowloon. The second section will bring East Rail Line across the harbour from Hung Hom Station to Hong Kong Island. The SCL will strengthen the current railway networks by connecting several railway lines through a number of interchange stations. The project will be implemented in two phases.

Atkins was responsible for the preliminary design of the 6km long Cross Harbour Section, 1.33km of which will be immersed tube tunnel. Three new stations are planned, with provisions to facilitate a possible station in the central business district of Hong Kong Island in the longer term. Most of this section will be underground.

Contract Type: Engineers Design and Target cost contracts for main tunnelling works contracts associated with the proposed Hung Hom Station.

West Island Line - Detail Design

The WIL will extend the Island Line (ISL) train service from Sheung Wan (SHW) Station to Kennedy Town (KET) Station via Sai Ying Pun (SYP) and University (UNV) Station, adding approximately 3.3km of underground route length to the ISL. Atkins was lead design consultant for MTRC on Consultancy Agreement C703 which comprises of a schematic design and the detailed design for both permanent works and major temporary works for SYP and UNV cavern stations, associated adit networks and shafts, and SHW to KET tunnels. All will be constructed underneath high-density residential urban areas, and a temporary underground Explosives Magazine will be constructed under natural terrain at Mount Davis.

The cavern stations are generally over 22m in span and 16m in height in good to fair rock mass conditions, but inferred structural zones intersecting the cavern have been identified. The rock head dips steeply both along and across the cavern axis at the eastern end of SYP cavern.  These inherent geological features form a significant challenge in the design associated with cavern construction in an area having shallow rock cover and intersecting geo-structural zones in urban areas. The computer program UDEC (Universal Distinct Element Code) has been applied to simulate the rock mass responses to the proposed staged excavation and provision of rock supports, taking into account the envisaged geological setting (structural zones and discontinuities).

Contract Type: Target Cost Contract

KCRC Contract No. DB320 West Rail Phase I – Tsing Tsuen Tunnels
The 3.6km long Kwai Tsing Tunnels form a key component of the KCRC West Rail Project, which serve the Western New Territories of Hong Kong . Atkins led the design team commissioned by DZJV to undertake the successful tender and detailed design for all aspects of this project including geotechnical, tunnelling, architectural, structural civil, electrical and mechanical and system safety. The Tsing Tsuen Tunnel section comprised two 8.75m diameter TBM drives, each 1.8km long. The contract was awarded on the basis of an alternative design proposal using a mixed ground Earth Pressure Face Balance (EPB) machine. The use of a TBM was proposed at tender stage as an alternative to the conforming cut and cover and Drill and Blast option, and was the first use of a large scale EPB TBM in Hong Kong.

KCRC East Rail Extension Contract No. LDB201 – Sheung Shui to Chau Tau Tunnels
Atkins was the Independent Checking Engineer (ICE) for the Dragages (HK) Joint Venture for the HK$2.8Billion Design and Construction of KCRC Contract LDB201 - Sheung Shui to Chau Tau Tunnels. This 4.3 km tunnelling project formed part of the KCRC Lok Ma Chau Spur Line which is required to relieve congestion of the Lo Wu Station boundary crossing between Hong Kong and Mainland China . The tunnel was constructed by a combination of cut-and-cover and Earth Pressure Balance (EPB) Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) techniques. The tunnel option for this railway alignment was selected in order to minimise the impact on the environmentally sensitive area of Long Valley . The use of ground freezing in the construction of the emergency cross passages was one of the measures adopted to avoid any adverse environmental impacts.

Mass Transit Railway Corporation - Penny's Bay Link MTRC Contract No 581 - Tai Yam Teng Tunnel
Atkins was the Independent Checking Engineer (ICE) for Gammon Skanska Limited for the HK$1.9Billion Design and Construction of MTRC Penny's Bay Link (PBL) Contract No. 581 - Tai Yam Teng Tunnels. This 6m span, 3.2km long, single bore tunnelling project formed part of the MTRC PBL between Tung Chung and the Hong Kong Disneyland Theme Park at Penny's Bay on Lantau Island . A combination of cut-and-cover and drill-and-blast tunnelling techniques were used to construct this railway tunnel. Atkins was responsible to Gammon Skanska Limited for independently checking all aspects of the temporary works design for the cut and cover and bored tunnel. Atkins multidisciplinary team for this project included specialists from the geotechnical, civil and structural teams.