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On track with Doka

Press release / March 2020

On track with Doka

Global metro projects for tomorrow’s infrastructure

As an increasingly large proportion of the population is concentrated in cities, metro systems have become a crucially important mobility factor. Passenger numbers worldwide have increased by approximately 8.7 million in the last six years. According to current estimates, the global metro rail network will be expanded by 1, 400 km per year. Doka is involved as a formwork expert on a large number of metro projects all over the world, providing the best solutions for a variety of construction methods.

Globalisation, urbanisation and digitalisation are the three megatrends currently shaping global economic growth. This growth is, in turn, creating enormous demand for the development of private and public sector infrastructure such as power plants, electricity grids, water supply and treatment plants, roads, railways, airports, bridges, telecommunications networks, schools, hospitals and much more.

Rapid urbanisation in developing countries and continuing urbanisation in advanced economies will be the main drivers of infrastructure investment in the coming decades. Other aims will include achieving a significant reduction in road traffic and environmental pollution. Metro systems are playing an increasingly important role in this context. There is a clear global trend towards further expansion to reach as many regions as possible and transport the largest possible number of passengers. The latest statistics show that 168 million passengers worldwide use metros as a means of transport every day.

According to the International Association of Public Transport (Union Internationale des Transports Publics – UITP), the global metro landscape today comprises 640 lines in 182 cities and 56 different countries, covering 13, 811 km and serving 11, 043 stations. A total of 75 new metros have opened since the year 2000, most of them in Asia. In 2018 alone, metro projects covering a total of 960 km were completed in 17 countries and 39 cities. 62% of these are new lines, and 38% are line extensions. The association anticipates an average expansion of the metro rail network by 1, 400 km per year for the years 2018-2022.

The ideal Doka formwork solution for every construction method

Metro construction projects are generally divided into a number of individual construction lots, often involving different construction methods. This makes them highly complex to plan and implement. Doka distinguishes between three different construction methods for metro lines and stations: underground, ground-level and elevated. The most common construction method for meeting urban conditions involves constructing the lines and stations underground. Here again, there are three different options: cut-and-cover method, mining method and the top-cover method.

Cut-and-cover methods are generally used in places where there is little ground coverage.

Space is generally very limited in urban areas, however, and the excavation pits are secured by means of bored piles, sheet piling or diaphragm walls. The modular tunnel system DokaCC allows rectangular and circular tunnel cross-sections to be formed rapidly and economically while employing the cut-and-cover method.

For tunnels constructed using closed, mining construction methods, the required cavity in the mountain is created by conventional or mechanical driving methods and secured by trailing equipment. Here, unlike the cut-and-cover method, the formwork or formwork carriage has to absorb all the pressure from the fresh concrete. The heavy-duty supporting system SL-1, our heavy-duty modular system for tunnel construction, offers comprehensive formwork solutions for a wide range of tunnel cross-sections, regardless of shape and complexity. The sophisticated grid also ensures that it can be adapted to accommodate every load.

Top-cover is the method of choice in urban areas. This construction method involves creating bored pile or diaphragm walls and then placing a cover directly on top and concreting it into place. The tunnel is then excavated, and the base slab and facing (the shell lining the tunnel walls) are concreted.

The fastest and most straightforward option for metro construction is the ground-level method. Standard formwork systems are primarily used here. However, this construction method is rarely used in urban areas due to the lack of space.

The elevated construction method involves building the line and the station on top of permanent piers, depending on the available space and geological conditions. All the usual construction methods commonly employed in bridge construction can be used here.

The following international projects illustrate how Doka uses a variety of formwork systems to implement major metro projects:

Sydney Metro, Australia
Cityringen Copenhagen, Denmark
Doha Metro, Qatar

Photos:
Please include photo credits when publishing these images.

A new standalone railway system is being built in Australia’s largest city. After completion, the new network with its 31 stations and more than 66 kilometres of new metro rail will have a target capacity of about 40, 000 passengers per hour. Doka is providing engineering services and formwork equipment for the concrete tunnel construction, which is being built using mining methods.
Photos: Sydney Metro.jpg, Sydney Metro_2.jpg
Copyright: Doka

The Cityringen Copenhagen project saw the addition of 17 stations to the existing metro network in the Danish capital. From a technical point of view, this was an extremely complex project. Copenhagen is situated at sea level, in addition to which the construction site was located in the middle of the city centre, which posed a logistical challenge. Doka supplied various formwork systems, including special steel formwork and the heavy-duty supporting system SL-1.
Photos: Cityringen Copehagen.jpg, Cityringen Copenhagen_2.jpg
Copyright: Doka

The Doha Metro will be one of the most advanced rail transit systems in the world, with four lines (Red, Green, Gold and Blue) covering a total of 300 kilometres and serving 100 stations. The Red Line, also known as the “Coastal Line”, runs 40 kilometres across the country from north to south, forming the main line of the Qatari transit system. The Green Line will comprise 124 kilometres of tracks, divided into 66 kilometres of at-grade sections, 25 kilometres underground and 33 kilometres of elevated lines. A whole range of Doka formwork systems was used, especially for the stations, tunnels and viaducts. These included the load-bearing towers Staxo 100 and Staxo 40 and the heavy-duty supporting system SL-1.

Photos: Doha Metro_Red Line.jpg, Doha Metro_Green Line.jpg
Copyright: Doka

The metro hall of fame:

Oldest underground railway: 1863 – the year the “Metropolitan Railway” (known today as the “London Underground”) was commissioned in London, UK
Longest rail network: 639 km – the Shanghai Metro, China
The largest number of stations: 472 – the New York City Subway, USA
Deepest underground station: 105.5 m – Arsenalna Station, Kiev, Ukraine
The largest number of passengers: approx. 3.8 billion per year – Beijing, China

About Doka:
Doka is a world leader in developing, manufacturing and distributing formwork technology for use in all fields of the construction sector. With more than 160 sales and logistics locations in over 70 countries, Doka has an efficient sales network at its disposal. It ensures that equipment and technical support are provided swiftly and professionally. Doka is an Umdasch Group company with a workforce of 7.000 worldwide.

Press contact:
Doka
Michael Fuker
Public Relations Manager
M +43/664/9610657
press@doka.com
 
press contacts

Michael Fuker
Austria
Mob.:
+43/664/9610657
e-mail original [rar 1069 K]
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