The “Alter Kaiser Wilhelm Tunnel”

The “Alter Kaiser Wilhelm Tunnel” is in operation since 1897. This two-lane vault tunnel had to be renovated in order to fulfill the current safety requirements. GC GROUP made a significant contribution in the redevelopment.

The old tunnel…

The old Kaiser Wilhelm Tunnel (AKWT) is a 4.2 km long two-lane railway tunnel along the railway line Koblenz – Perl, in the Mosel valley in the federal state of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. The construction of the tunnel began in 1875 and the tunnel went into operation in 1879.

Until 1988 the “Old Kaiser Wilhelm Tunnel” was the longest railway tunnel in Germany, and its construction reduced the distance between Cochem and the municipality of Neef from the original 30 km to 5 km.

…becomes the new tunnel

This project is part of the modernization of the route between Koblenz and Perl. The new 1-element tunnel – the so-called “New Kaiser-Wilhelm-Tunnel” (NKWT) – was constructed in advance parallel 30 m to the east.

This new tunnel went into operation before the renewal of the “Old Kaiser Wilhelm Tunnel” – contract section began. This enabled railway operations along the route to be maintained.

In December 2012, the Czech construction company Subterra a.s., Prague, was commissioned with the renewal of the Old Kaiser Wilhelm Tunnel. Geoconsult ZT GmbH, Salzburg was subsequently commissioned by Subterra a.s. with the implementation planning.