Atkins Awarded Contract to Design Sweden’s Varberg Tunnel

By TBM Staff February 11, 2020

Atkins, a member of the SNC-Lavalin Group, has been awarded a contract to deliver the detailed design and construction support for the new Varberg tunnel in Sweden, which forms part of an expansion to the country’s 300-km West Coast Line between Gothenburg and Lund.

The new 3.1-km tunnel will run under the coastal town of Varberg to accommodate the West Coast Line’s expansion to a double track railway, which will increase capacity and reduce travel times for passenger and freight services.

Atkins – alongside a number of other consultants – has already completed the phase 1 design of the project, which included the development of the implementation plan. The next stage involves detailed planning for the construction phase of the new tunnel under a time and materials contract worth an initial £13m.

The expansion of the railway has been underway since 2015 and approximately 85 percent of the West Coast Line has been upgraded. The project, which is being led by the Swedish Transport Administration and Swiss construction company Implenia, is expected to be completed in 2025.

Johannes Erlandsson, CEO, Atkins Sweden, said: “The Varberg tunnel and the line expansion will benefit the entire west coast of Sweden by connecting towns, cities, businesses and communities.

“Having been involved since its early stages, we now look forward to working with our partners to deliver this complex and transformative project.”

Atkins is working on a range of rail projects in Sweden including the 160-km East Link Project, a 250-km/h high-speed line running from Järna to Linköping; the double track railway through the city of Hallsberg; the electrified direct connection to Gavle harbor and electrification of the harbor track from the freight yard to the new railway station; and the expansion of the railway from two tracks to four between Tomteboda and Kallhäll in Stockholm.