ABSTRACT
The Metro M2 is a heavy rail metro line designed to significantly enhance public transportation in Tel Aviv alongside two other lines (M1 and M3), thereby improving connectivity and reducing congestion within the city. The project calls for advanced engineering techniques to address the complexities of construction while minimizing disruption in a busy urban environment. The line spans approximately 23 kilometers underground including 21 underground stations. The twin-tube running tunnels will be constructed using 6.5-meter internal diameter Tunnel Boring Machines (TBMs). The underground stations will be excavated using both the Cut & Cover method and conventional tunnelling techniques (mining). Specifically, eight out of the twenty-one stations will be mined, platform caverns will be approximately 20 meters wide and 15 meters high. Additionally, the project includes the construction of nine crossovers, a mined terminus, and a mined security tunnel. The ground conditions present significant challenges, primarily consisting of various types of sand ranging from very loose to weak sandstone, as well as clay and chalk in the eastern section of the alignment. The groundwater table is high, resulting in a substantial portion of the stations and running tunnels being situated below it. The project’s complexity requires significant international expertise and cutting-edge engineering solutions, particularly addressing with the challenging ground conditions in the wide range of works involved in this project. Several aspects of this project, such as the mined stations, will be carried out for the first time in Tel Aviv metropolitan area. Given the scale of this project, a large and skilled workforce will be required in the coming years.
