Negotiations underway for fourth contract for first phase of first line of Belgrade Subway with Power China – “Mole” expected to be ready for factory testing in January

A Serbian delegation recently visited China and, accompanied by experts from this company, visited three cities - Beijing, Changsha and Guangzhou - to learn about the experiences of the Chinese subway system - from planning and construction to “smart” management. In Beijing, the Serbian delegation had a meeting with representatives of the Power China company, with which three contracts for the first phase of the Belgrade metro have already been signed and negotiations for the fourth contract are now underway.

– By signing this contract, we will complete the talks for the first phase of the first line, which will stretch from Makis to the Pancevo Bridge – said Andreja Mladenovic, acting director of the Belgrade Metro and Train company.

On March 17, representatives of Power China began additional geological surveys on one section.

– Additional geological surveys represent the previous phase of subway construction. They use internationally leading technologies of geophysical measurements, drilling and 3D geological modeling. In this way, the soil structure is precisely mapped, the distribution of groundwater and the mechanical parameters of the soil are determined, which provides a solid basis for precise design, high-quality construction and risk control – this Chinese company states and reminds that the first phase of the first line is 15.4 kilometers long, that it will have 15 stations and 10 vertical shafts.

When it comes to the tunnel-boring machines (TBMs or moles), they are manufactured by CRCHI (China Railway Construction Heavy Industry), and as Andreja Mladenovic said, it is expected that the machine will be ready for factory testing in January.

– Our representatives will be at this testing to make sure that it is ready for digging in Belgrade. Because each of the machines is made according to specifications, based on the submitted documentation and the investigated geology. This means that the machines being made for our subway system can be used in Belgrade and nowhere else – Mladenovic points out.

If the machines pass the test, they will then be disassembled, packaged and shipped to the port of Constanta in Romania. From there, they should be transported by Danube to two locations in Belgrade. At CČukarica, at Bele Vode, where one mole will start work, and at the Pancevo Bridge, where the second will start work. They will go towards each other along the route of the first line. The first 11 kilometers of tunnel will be excavated, and both machines should be taken out at the Belgrade Fair station. These machines will carry out almost 70% of the tunneling work of the first phase of the first line.

– The mole structure, which resembles a train, is between 100 and 120 meters long. The outer diameter of the digging blades is nine and a half meters, and the inner one is 8.55. The machine is designed to simultaneously dig, place rings and do concrete works, i.e. build a tunnel. It has its own crew of about twenty specially trained members per shift. It is planned to work in three shifts and once it starts working, it will not stop – says Mladenovic.

The moles will only get to have a “rest” at stations that must already be prepared in terms of concrete construction. They will change the blades or perform small tasks there as needed. The stations will be located about a kilometer apart, and the machine will work about ten meters per day on average.

In the event that archaeological remains are encountered during the work, which would not be surprising when it comes to Belgrade, they say, measures will be taken as is done everywhere in the world.

– We are in constant contact with both the Republic and the City Institute for the Protection of Cultural Monuments. They were familiar with all the front-line documentation, with where the stations will be located, how the excavation will be carried out. If something is found, it will be protected and preserved according to our legal regulations – says Mladenovic.

Power Construction Corporation of China Limited Ogranak Beograd

JKP Beogradski metro i voz Beograd

Power China

CRCHI

China Railway Construction Heavy Industry

JKP Beogradski metro i voz

PUC Belgrade Metro and Train

Andreja Mladenović

Belgrade Subway

moles for Belgrade Subway