Urban Metro Tunneling

With COVID-19, the biggest epidemic humanity has faced in the last century, public transportation vehicles providing transportation services within the city suddenly became the most unsafe areas in the world. In many countries around the world, urban public transportation has almost reached a state of being unable to provide service, and as a result of people turning to private vehicles, urban traffic congestion has brought life to a standstill. In countries with large station areas, high-speed train vehicles with increased wagon numbers, and an extremely modern and technologically equipped urban metro network, the fact that transportation services could continue uninterrupted, even with some restrictions, has once again demonstrated the importance of urban metros.

Metro tunneling is a field that encompasses a great deal of knowledge and techniques, from engineering to architecture, from culture to art. It contains many elements, from the selection and application of the correct technique, to the creation of the metro line, and its completion with an architectural design that will make the passenger comfortable. Moving step by step on an unknown path truly underground is an adventurous journey. During tunnel construction, many situations are encountered, which vary both underground and on the surface, as progress is made by creating a void in the ground. Under these variable data, tunnel construction must continue in line with constantly updated engineering designs and calculations. This work examines the excavation phase of metro tunnel construction, each of which can be described as a living project, with examples from around the world.