ABSTRACT
The realization of the planned 204 km long high speed railway line Cologne – Rhine/Main in Germany requires the construction of 24 tunnels with a total length of about 40 km in varying geotechnical conditions. Before the construction works started, the stability of the planned tunnels was examined by finite element analyses. In this paper, the geotechnical conditions along the alignment of the tunnels, the chosen geometry of the tunnel cross-sections and the driving methods are described. The stability analyses are illustrated by means of a two-dimensional and a three-dimensional example.
