WCA July 2014

Industry news

Joining of the continents ❍ An artist’s impression of the tunnels underneath the Istanbul Strait

existing stations. The maximum operational speed of the train is 100km/hour, while the time between trains is estimated at 120-600 seconds, which requires a fleet of 440 new trains. La Farga is one of the key suppliers in this huge railway project, unique in the world, entrusted with the task of carrying out the railway electrification of the 76km of rail tracks. Since 2013 it has been supplying the project with high-performance copper contact wire and bronze cables. The notion of constructing a railway tunnel under the Istanbul Strait was first raised in 1860. At this time the idea was to construct a floating tunnel supported on pillars constructed on the seabed. As the years went by the project was perfected. The technique used in the Marmaray Project to cross the Istanbul Strait (the immersed tube tunnel technique) was developed in the late 19 th century.

LA FARGA is supplying the cables for the railway electrification of the Marmaray project, a new 76km rail link between Halkali and Gebze (Turkey). Part of the new rail link is above ground, while the other part consists of tunnels underneath the Istanbul Strait. This revolutionary railway project is already up and running. The rail link between Halkali (European side) and Gebze (Asian side) is evidence of a firm commitment to providing the country with an improved rail network, making it more accessible through new, innovative, modern and fast rail infrastructures. This is a large-scale project, perhaps one of the largest in terms of railway transport infrastructures. There is approximately 76km of new rail tracks, including a 1.4km long immersed tube tunnel at a depth of 56m. The project also consists of three new underground stations and the improvement and refurbishment of 27

The wish to construct a public rail link from west to east in Istanbul and under the Istanbul Strait was gathering momentum in the early 1980s. During this period various technical and demographic feasibility studies of the project were carried out. In 1999 the project began to take shape from a financial perspective and the entire process is now up and running; the underwater tunnel has been inaugurated and is operational. Currently, a journey from Halkali to Gebze takes approximately three hours, including the ferry crossing from Sirkeci to Haydarpasa. With the new Marmaray railway, the journey time will be one hour and forty-five minutes. The railway is currently used by 10,000 passengers and this number is expected to rise to 75,000 with the new project. La Farga Lacambra and La Farga Rod – Spain Website : www.lafarga.es

Graphics bigstockphoto.com Artist Eky Studio

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Wire & Cable ASIA – July/August 2014