One of the most complicated infrastructure projects for the Olympic Games in Sochi is the rail-road connection between Adler and Alpika resort, ensuring the transport of competitors and spectators to Krasnaya Polyana stadiums and Imeretinskaya Lowlands Olympic Park (Adler- Krasnaya Polyana route). Regarding the railway infrastructure, the project implied the construction of a 48-km electrified line with double track sections, two new stations and terminals and also the construction of 6 tunnels and 22 bridges, works developed simultaneously.
Because of the specific relief (mountainous) and of the environmental requirements respectively, the line consists especially of bridges and viaducts, some of them measuring 2-km in length. The bridges were not built over Mzymta River but alongside this river, due to the water level, which rises several meters during floods. In addition, this approach allowed the minimisation of the construction project impact on the environment. The design features varied for each location, the type of terrain and the gradient differences in the various areas of construction. Thus, the builder in charge (Stroy-Trest Sochi Division-part of SK MOST group) has cooperated with several design companies, the operations being carried out for the entire route. The major structures were designed by a design organisation, the construction sites and facilities were designed by another organization, and a third organisation integrated the construction sites with the facilities necessary for the infrastructure. A number of construction sites were designed so that the tunnel builders and bridge builders had to interact closely. “A good example is a double-track railway bridge at Stake 447, which is located near the southern entry of Tunnel System No. 6 that ends up at the Alpika-Service, which is the terminal station of the route. The tunnel and the bridge are connected using a number of very interesting design concepts for integrating the structures. However, their implementation required a highly accurate schedule that considered simultaneous operation of the highway building and tunnelling organizations”, declared Evgeny Yakovlev, Production Manager of the OJSC Stroy-Trest Sochi Division.
Work development has required the latest construction methods based on the geographic and climatic specifics of the region, some of them never before used in Russia. All bridges on this route have been built using innovative and common concepts. Their main feature is that the track is ballasted to ensure significant noise and vibration reduction at a speed of up to 160 km per hour. This also ensures a constant bridge stiffness to avoid a dynamic impact when the train enters the bridge.
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