Rail project for Veidekke

Norwegian construction company Veidekke Entreprenør has signed up with the country’s National Rail Administration to build 5.75km of double tracks for the Farriseidet to Porsgrunn project.

The value of the contract is put at NOK980 million (€133 million) excluding VAT, and the 5.75km of double tracks Veidekke will build includes two tunnels and two bridges.

The Skillingsmyr tunnel will be the longest at 3,810m, and will extend from the Telemark county border to Gunnarsrød at the head of Langangfjorden. At Gunnarsrød there will be a 300m open stretch, including the 62m Gunnarsrød bridge.

From there, a 580m tunnel will be built through Ønnsåsen, and a 228m bridge over Ønna will take the track into the Storberget tunnel. Blasting and securing the first 300m of the Storberget tunnel is also included in Veidekke's contract.

The company will also build a 264m cross cut and two escape tunnels totalling just over 700m.

Rigging starts in mid-January 2013, and Veidekke said it was to hand over the stretch in September 2016.

The Veidekke contract is the second of four major ground and tunnel contracts for the Farriseidet to Porsgrunn to be contracted in the coming year