The Bosphorus Rail Tunnel Project

The Bosphorus Rail Tunnel Project, located in Istanbul, Turkey, aims to provide a Euro-Asian rail link, via an immersed tube tunnel crossing the Bosphorus Strait, along which will run all commuter, freight and intercity passenger trains of Turkish State Railways (TCDD), as well as the future extension to the European rail network. The total length of upgrading and new railway construction will be approximately 76 km. The main structures include the immersed tube tunnel; mechanised shield tunnels; new Austrian tunnelling method (NATM) tunnels; cut-and-cover, at-grade and retained-cut/fill structures; and some service structures. This paper discusses Phase 1 implementation of the project, one of the major transportation infrastructure projects in the world today, whose varied structures present stimulating engineering and construction challenges.