Press release

Several days ago, a major transformation awaited passengers hurrying through an underpass below the new Prague – Podbaba train stop near Stromovka Park. 
A recent project aimed at optimizing the Prague Bubeneč – Prague Holešovice line, executed by a consortium led by Metrostav, the largest Czech construction company, included the building of an underpass under the new train stop for use by both local inhabitants and visitors to the Czech capital. Regrettably, the passageway immediately became the target of graffiti vandals. In an effort to prevent further damage, Metrostav and the investor, RIA, decided that young artists would be invited to adorn the space with their creations, instead of the never-ending task of painting over graffiti sprayed on the two main, approximately 15-meter long walls.

Metrostav approached the Petřiny North Elementary School, which focuses on the arts, with a request for assistance. In response, from May 18 to 21, 2015, eighth grade students, under the direction of Professor Halina Suková, created a painting inspired by the nearby Troja Zoological Garden. The walls of the underpass are now graced with roaming exotic animals, flying birds of supernatural size, swimming multicolored fish, and much more.

The beautiful decorations have breathed life into the cold technical outlines of the passageway. The project has been a success. Metrostav's engineers hope that the students' creation will survive the vandals' attacks, and are considering further cooperation with schools.  

Petřiny Students Graffiti Podbaba

The General Meeting of Metrostav a.s. held on May 7, 2015 adopted the following resolutions:
•	The General Meeting approved the financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2014.
•	The General Meeting approved the consolidated financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2014.
•	The General Meeting approved the following use of profit earned in 2014:

Mandatory Contribution to Reserve Fund 	
CZK 0.00
Payment of Dividends	CZK 169,993,362.00
	 (Dividend in the amount of CZK 21.50 
per share with a nominal value of CZK 100)
Payment of Directors’ Fees	CZK 0.00
Transfer to Retained Profit Account	CZK 283,019,654.07
Total Profit To Be Distributed	CZK 453,013,016.07

  Further, the General Meeting made the following decisions:
•	The date of record for the payment of dividends for the year 2014 is the date of the General Meeting, i.e. May 7, 2015.
•	The payment date for dividends for the year 2014 will fall three months after the date of record, i.e. on August 7, 2015.
•	Dividends will be paid to shareholders using the following payment terms:
•	Payment terms for the payment of dividends to shareholders of Metrostav a.s.:
•	The Company will pay dividends at its expense on the payment date by a transfer of funds to the bank account of a shareholder specified on the list of shareholders (Section 348, Paragraph 3 of the Business Corporations Act); the list of shareholders is substituted by a register of book-entry securities maintained in accordance with the law by the Central Securities Depository (Article 6, Paragraph 1 of the Company’s Articles of Association);
•	A dividend payable to a shareholder with their permanent address or registered office in a country other than the Czech Republic or Slovakia who fails to present a certificate of tax domicile will be subject to withholding tax at the rate in effect in the Czech Republic;
•	Shareholders to whom dividends for the year 2014 cannot be paid by a transfer of funds to the bank account specified on the list of shareholders by December 31, 2015, regardless of the reason, will be paid dividends based on a request, which must be delivered to the Company’s address:
o	Natural Persons – A written request specifying the shareholder’s name and surname, date of birth, and address, as well as the identification of the bank account to which payment is to be made, bearing a notarized signature, mailed to the registered office of Metrostav a.s. no later than on the expiration date of the entitlement to payment of the dividend, i.e. no later than on August 7, 2018;
o	Legal Entities – A written request specifying the shareholder’s name, Identification Number, and registered office, as well as the identification of the bank account to which payment is to be made, bearing notarized signatures of the persons authorized to act on behalf of the shareholder and including the original or a notarized copy of an abstract from the Commercial Register not older than three months, mailed to the registered office of Metrostav a.s. no later than on the expiration date of the entitlement to payment of the dividend, i.e. no later than on August 7, 2018.
Furthermore, the General Meeting:
•	Approved an amendment to the Articles of Association;
•	Charged PricewaterhouseCoopers Audit, s.r.o. with carrying out an audit of the fiscal performance of Metrostav a.s. in the year ended December 31, 2015; 
•	Charged EKSPERT Zakładem Usług Księgowo-Finansowych Sp. z o.o. Grupa FINANS-SERVIS with carrying out an audit of the fiscal performance of Metrostav S.A. oddzial w Polsce in the year ended December 31, 2014 and in the year ended December 31, 2015; 
•	Discharged Member of the Metrostav a.s. Audit Committee Miroslav Pánek effective as of May 7, 2015;
•	Elected Daniel Knotek as Member of the Board of Directors;
•	Elected Jindřich Hess as Member of the Supervisory Board;
•	Elected František Potisek as Member of the Supervisory Board; 
•	Elected Lukáš Kvapil as Member of the Audit Committee; and
•	Approved amendments to the executive service agreements with the re-elected members of the Company’s bodies and a service agreement with a member of the Audit Committee.

2010 – 2014 Financial and Operating Results						
 	 	2014	2013	2012	2011	2010
Production	CZK '000 	 19,314,347	21,595,901	20,826,075	21,674,888	21,135,621
Revenues	CZK '000 	 20,263,044	20,545,227	20,656,063	21,491,000	21,238,855
Value Added	CZK '000 	 2,597,343	3,869,634	3,683,643	3,921,534	3,949,018
Operating Profit/Loss	CZK '000 	 479,016	776,914	908,483	856,674	955,150
Net Income for Fiscal Period	CZK '000 	 453,012	286,666	288,578	704,454	714,210
 	 	 	 	 	 	 
Total Assets	CZK '000 	 18,987,459	20,134,085	19,198,328	19,250,827	19,243,078
- Fixed Assets	CZK '000 	 4,976,902	3,964,711	4,237,125	4,386,859	4,318,598
- Current Assets	CZK '000 	 1, 837,570	15,874,467	14,701,309	14,684,990	14,721,792
Equity	CZK '000 	 6,347,601	6,054,393	6,282,068	6,202,444	5,640,195
Registered Capital	CZK '000 	 790,667	790,667	790,667	790,667	790,667
Liabilities	CZK '000 	 11,657,781	13,344,214	12,130,814	12,287,568	13,088,507
Headcount (FTE)	Employees 	2,889	3,063	3,147	3,106	3,071
Nominal Monthly Income	CZK 	44,234	  43,381	46,523	43,937	40,955
Value Added per Employee	CZK '000 	899	1,263	1,171	1,263	1,286
Profit per Employee	CZK '000 	157	94	92	227	233
Dividends Paid	CZK '000 	169,993	169,993	169,993	169,993	169,993


						
Production in Main Segments 
of Construction Market		2010	2011	2012	2013	2014
1 - Civil Engineering	CZK '000	4,994,477	5,250,420	5,575,226	6,011,186	4,220,917
2 - Housing	CZK '000	1,196,915	1,392,310	858,341	801,126	1,109,732
3 - Industrial Facilities	CZK '000	2,065,856	3,394,452	3,644,571	4,419,461	3,813,101
4 - Transport Infrastructure, Subway	CZK '000	3,982,996	4,805,447	4,774,339	4,615,409	6,274,292
5 - Underground Structures	CZK '000	6,692,872	5,000,804	3,991,576	3,641,132	2,154,019
6 - Other	CZK '000	1,531,703	1,098,873	1,209,375	1,612,405	1,065,097
TOTAL CONSTRUCTION PRODUCTION	CZK '000	20,464,819	20,942,306	20,053,428	21,100,719	18,637,158



Fiscal Overview 

The Company’s production in 2014 amounted to CZK 19,314 million. This figure represents a decrease from previous years, but conforms to the forecast and planned results. Operating profit amounted to CZK 479 million. Net income before taxes amounted to CZK 547 million, a 17.7% year-on-year increase. Net income before taxes in 2013 amounted to CZK 465 million.

The balance sheet total amounted to CZK 18,987 million, a 5.7% decrease from the previous year, mainly due to the development of current assets and liabilities. The value of long-term financial assets increased as a result of an increase in the size of selected ownership interests.

Fiscal Forecast for 2015

The forecast for production and earnings in 2015 corresponds to realistically achievable results in consideration of the current and anticipated developments on the construction market. The Company’s priority is to maintain current profitability and operating efficiency. 

Results of General Meeting of Metrostav a.s. 

The upgrade of the D1 Highway section stretching over approximately five kilometers between the municipalities of Hvězdonice and Ostředek is scheduled to begin in the coming days. Worth approximately 550 million crowns, the project will be carried out by the consortium of Metrostav, Swietelsky and Hochtief, led by the former. Following the signing of the contract with the Road and Motorway Directorate, the consortium’s representatives have taken over the construction site and engaged in intensive preparations for the demanding task that lies ahead.
Given that the busiest Czech highway, particularly its cement-concrete pavement, reached the end of its projected service life a decade ago, the road surface is now plagued with innumerable problems, such as cracks, corrosion, roadway disintegration, and vertically shifting panels. Because ongoing repairs of the individual problems are no longer enough to maintain the highway in appropriate condition, a comprehensive overhaul has become necessary. As part of the upgrade, the roadway will be widened outwards. The new pavement will be 270 millimeters thick and will be built using recycled materials from the original road. The project will include two bridges, the removal of an old overpass and the construction of a new one, sewerage, an SOS system, four right-hand shoulder emergency bays, the relocation of a noise barrier, and numerous other tasks smaller in scope. The demolition of an overpass at kilometer 34 will necessitate the complete closure of the highway for a 14-hour period.
According to Josef Neuwirth, Head of Metrostav’s Transport Infrastructure Projects Division, the highway modernization project will present numerous challenges for the contractors and drivers alike. “No major complications are expected. The project will be executed by seasoned specialists, using state-of-the-art equipment, not to mention that our company has ample experience with similar projects. In the past, we have worked on the construction of many sections of the D1 Highway in Northern Moravia and on the D3 Highway near the city of Tábor. Our most recent project was last year’s reconstruction of the cement-concrete pavement of some 14 kilometers of the D1 and D2 Highways. We are confident that the project will be executed in strict adherence to the timetable to the full satisfaction of both the client and highway users, and that it will provide us with a springboard for winning other transport infrastructure contracts in future.”
Construction workers will work in 12-hour shifts, seven days a week, conforming to the conditions required by the authorities and in consideration of technical restrictions. The project will begin with temporary modifications to the existing roadway, where traffic will be channeled to 2+2 lanes in each direction. An overhaul of the median and the sewerage system will ensue, during which the fast lanes in both directions will be closed. Subsequently, the left and right halves of the highway in the direction of Prague and Brno, respectively, will be successively upgraded. During most of the works, traffic will be restricted to 2+2 lanes in each direction. 

Metrostav and Partners Set to Begin Modernization of Another Section of D1 Highway

Metrostav in Media

A steel bridge over Strahov tunnel in now in place to support residential project
Residential developer SATPO has finished a crucial step in the construction of its Sacre Coeur2 residential project in Prague on a slope near KinskyGarden.
The project’s general contractor, Metrostav, successfully lifted a bridging steel structure over the Strahov tunnel. This is a technologically unique solution in the construction industry.
Structurally, the bulk of the construction of the building, located directly above the body of the Strahov tunnel, is divided into three separate units. The south and north wings of the building consist of a steel structure that bridges the tunnel and transfers the load to the surrounding buildings. Now that the structural bridge is in place, construction on the flats can begin.
A gala event to mark the occasion was attended by SATPO CEO Ing. Tibor Mikóczi, while sales manager Mgr. Lubos Králíček described the project and detailed information about the actual construction was presented by Metrostav Division 9 site manager Ing. Luke Brezina. During the event, guests had the opportunity not only to look at the building, but also to see the stunning views of the historic center of Prague.
"Breathtaking views, quality comparable to the highest world standards, timeless and airy architecture, functionality in every aspect, protection of your privacy. … These all were the criteria which we had on our mind when we – in cooperation with the renowned 4A architectural studio – were designing this unique residential complex. Our priority is focused on the comprehensive quality of your housing. Our commitment does not end with your purchase of a new flat, loft or perhaps penthouse, but, quite the opposite, it just starts here," the developer states about the project.
According to SATPO, the flats at Sacre Coeur2 have a design that looks beyond he standard doors and corridors. The developer claims to have designed a modern place to live full of light and interesting layouts with standard flats that by their quality and concept designs by far exceed other offers of residential projects. “All the Sacre Coeur2 flats are divided into two zones – living and private. Each living zone has its own toilette with a washbasin, which will certainly be appreciated not just by you, but also by your guests. The bedroom, children´s bedroom and other rooms are situated in the private zone of a flat,” SATPO states.
The 3+kitchenette and 4+kitchenette flats have two bathrooms as a standard. “Evening atmosphere is strengthened by a possibility of a pleasant sit-down on the balcony or terrace of your new flat,” the developer says.
The project also has two-floor lofts with a spacious living room with a height over five meters and a view of the Prague skyline. The bedrooms are situated in the comfort zone of the internal atrium of the building. Summer evenings can be spent in the gardens belonging to each maisonette while in winter you can cherish the panoramic views of Prague straight from the settee of your new flat.
The location is also a plus, within walking distance of Petřín Hill and Malá Strana and close to shopping centers and offices in Anděl.

Sacre Coeur2 celebrates construction milestone 

Metrostav’s team led by Radim Čáp has completed the reconstruction of the steel load-bearing structure of the Stefan Grot-Rowecki Bridge on the S8 thoroughfare leading through Warsaw, reaching an important milestone in the closely-watched modernization of a 4.65-kilometer section of the most important road in the Polish capital.

Metrostav, the largest Czech construction company, has been working on the project, worth over five billion crowns, since July 2013. The contract was awarded by GDDKiA (General Directorate of National Roads and Motorways), the institution responsible for managing roads and motorways in Poland. Completion is scheduled for October 2015. In the course of 27 months, Metrostav’s team of 85 experts from both the Czech Republic and Poland will have completed a project that will have a major impact on the lives of people living in and visiting the Polish capital. 
The modernization of the S8 expressway consists of building an additional lane in both directions wherever local conditions permit. Once completed, Warsaw’s main thoroughfare will have four to five lanes on each side. Taking place near the northern boundary of the city’s downtown area, the project includes 46 bridges and a 600-meter glass noise-reducing tunnel. Most noticeable to the public has been the reconstruction of the load-bearing structure of the Grota-Roweckiego Bridge, a seven-span steel structure over the Vistula River, and nearby interchanges.
In the middle of last February, the swift completion of Metrostav’s contract in Warsaw gained in importance when one of the city’s busiest connections over the Visla, the Łazienkowski Bridge, was so damaged by fire that car traffic will have to be rerouted for at least one and a half years. Since then, numerous comments have been made in the Polish media suggesting that the reconstruction contract should be awarded to the company that is repairing the Grota-Roweckiego Bridge, namely Metrostav. Examples of what has been written include: “All Polish contractors should use the Czech company as an example of how fast and efficiently work can be done and how smoothly a construction site can be run so as to prevent the public from being bothered needlessly. Bravo Metrostav!” Another debater responded: “How much do the Czechs pay you for such obtrusive hype? Every time there is an article about this project, I read comments about how great Metrostav is.” The reply read: “I don’t get paid anything. All I can see is that the work is progressing fast and efficiently.” Another person concluded: “They don’t need to pay anyone to say good things about them. It’s enough that their work is better than that of the others.” 

”We would like to secure more contracts in Poland in the near future so that our well-coordinated team can continue to work together. Until now, however, contracts for which we have submitted bids were awarded to bidders that offered what clearly are dumping prices. Nonetheless, we expect that many local construction companies will abandon this malicious strategy, and that the time will come for our realistic budgets,” explained Project Manager Radim Čáp. 

Metrostav’s performance on the Polish market should be facilitated by the establishment of a local subsidiary. Pavel Pilát, CEO of the Czech construction leader, emphasizes: “The Czech market is now being devastated for a seventh year in a row. In order to keep together specialized teams that have been built over many years, we are forced to seek opportunities in other countries. Although construction work is difficult to export, our revenues from contracts abroad today account for more than 20% of all revenues. We are working or have recently worked in such countries as Iceland, Norway, Finland, Belarus, Slovakia, and others. Another positive effect is that surveys that map the popularity of companies among graduates of technical universities identify Metrostav as an employer of choice, in part thanks to the fact that the firm gives employees the opportunity to gain experience abroad.” 

Metrostav Continues S8 Road Construction in Warsaw as Planned

The first metres of the more than four-kilometre-long Ejpovice tunnel have been driven by the team headed by Metrostav’s Štefan Ivor today. The largest TBM tunnel-boring machine in the Czech Republic, named Victoria, with a head diameter of almost 10 metres, has sunk her teeth into the shale on Homolka Hill near Kyšice, to appear once again near Potoční Street in Pilsen – Doubravka in about ten months. Afterwards, it will return to the starting point, where it will begin the construction of the second (northern) tunnel tube of these underground works, which should be completed in 2017.

The construction of two single-track tubes, which will have a length of 4,150 m and will be interconnected by passageways, is the centrepiece of the Rokycany – Pilsen Railway Line Modernisation Project, as set out by Pavel Surý, Director General, Railway Infrastructure Administration, during the ceremony to christen the machine. It is being implemented by the Consortium of Metrostav and Subterra, and should result in reduced running times and improved railway traffic safety. Once the modernisation of the entire railway line between the capital city and Pilsen has been completed, the travel time by train should take less than one hour. At the same time, passenger comfort will be improved, and a maximum line speed of up to 160 km/h will be achieved.

“After years of delay, we are glad that the modernisation of this important section of the railway line has finally begun, and that we have the opportunity to take it on jointly with Subterra,” commented Roman Fuksa, Director, Division 5, Metrostav, on the same occasion. The tunnelling and all of the work around the machine are ensured by 100 workmen and 24 technicians, who work in two alternating 12-hour shifts. “Approximately 12 people work at the machine itself, while another 15 people work with supporting technologies,” said Štefan Ivor, Head of Tunnelling. Once the machine passes through the hard spilite under Chlum Hill, the current railway line will have been shortened by more than six kilometres.

The tunnels are being driven by a special shield manufactured for Metrostav by Herrenknecht, based in Schwanau, Germany. It is 114 m long, weighs 1,800 tonnes, and with a head that rotates at a maximum speed of 4.5 revolutions per minute, it is able to bore up to 15 metres per day. The machine works as follows: To begin with, the machine excavates two metres of soil, and then stops. Then, under the shield envelope, it assembles a two-metre wide ring of final lining, and places it into the freshly bored section. As soon as the lining ring, with an internal diameter of 8.7 metres and a weight of 60 tonnes, has been completed, the shield continues forward in the same way. Excavated rock, the total quantity of which will amount to over 600,000 m3, is removed to the surface by belt conveyors, which will measure almost five kilometres in length in the final phase.

The project is co-financed from the Cohesion Fund under the Transport Operational Programme, where subsidies amount to 76.44% of eligible project costs, which translates into a maximum of CZK 3,419,440,199. Domestic funding is provided by the State Fund for Transport Infrastructure.

Victoria Sinks Her Teeth In 

In observance of a time-honored tradition, a statue of Saint Barbara, the patron saint of all miners, has been placed in the portal of a new tunnel that will be bored in Ejpovice, Czech Republic. Attended by top executives from the Railway Infrastructure Administration and the Metrostav and Subterra corporations, the ceremony also included the christening of a special, more than 110-meter long TBM S-799 tunnel boring machine, before it begins cutting through the Homolka and Chlum hills to bore the two longest tunnels in the Czech Republic. Each will measure more than four kilometers in length.
The statue of Saint Barbara – the traditional patron saint of miners, and according to more recent tradition, also the patron saint of every large tunnel construction project – was consecrated by the Bishop of Pilsen, Mons. František Radkovský. Afterward, it was placed in a niche in the tunnel portal, where it will remain until construction work ends.
The ceremony also included the christening of the boring machine, which was named Victoria. The name has been chosen to honor the history of the Pilsen region, and to symbolize the success of the many years of planning and preparation, and the overcoming of numerous hurdles that preceded the launch of the project. 
Victoria is the younger sister of Tony and Adele, the shields used to bore the V.A Extension of the Prague Metro. Manufactured by Herrenknecht in Schwanau, Germany, Victoria weighs some 1,800 tons and boasts a cutter head with a diameter of nearly 10 meters. The tunnel boring technology (TBM) deployed in Ejpovice is among the most modern tunnel construction methods. With speed and safety being the principal advantages, TBMs are currently deployed to bore approximately 80% of all tunnels in all parts of the world.
"We are glad that, following years of delays, the modernization of this important railway section is now finally under way. We are honored to be able to take part in the project together with the Subterra Company," said Metrostav's CEO Pavel Pilát. "I am confident that this project, like others, will underscore the profound expertise of our engineers and workers as regards the deployment of modern TBM technologies, whose benefits have been well proven during the extension of the Prague subway," he added. 
The Pilsen-Rokycany railway line is part of the core trans-European transport network, as well as of the third domestic railway transit corridor, which leads from Prague to Pilsen and Cheb, as far as the Czech-Germany border. Once the entire line has been modernized, traveling from the Czech capital to Pilsen will take less than an hour. Worth 3.9 billion crowns, the project will be executed by the Metrostav, Subterra, and MTÚ Rokycany-Pilsen Consortium, where Metrostav and Subterra are the lead and regular members, respectively. The unique tunnel in Ejpovice will account for about half of the cost.


"The key part of the project will be the construction of the tunnel in Ejpovice under the Homolka and Chlum hills. There will be two single-track tunnels interconnected by cross-passages. The length of the two tunnels from the east entry portal to the west exit portal will total approximately 4,150 meters," said Pavel Surý, CEO of the Railway Infrastructure Administration, describing the most interesting aspects of the modernization project. The new tunnel will reduce the railway line's current length by more than six kilometers. 
"The project will shorten travel time and will improve the safety of railway operations. In addition, passenger comfort will be enhanced, and the maximum travel speed will increase to as much as 160 kilometers per hour. In the future, trains are expected to travel as fast as 200 kilometers per hour," stated Surý, talking about the future parameters of the railway line.
Project Title	Rokycany-Pilsen Railway Line Modernization
Rails	
Removal	35,143 m
Installation of UIC 60 Rails	28,132 m
Installation of S 49 Rails	1,338 m
Installation of Switches	8
Tunnels	
Tunnel Length	Two 4,150-meter tunnels
Additional Technical Parameters	
New and Modified Railway Bridges	16
Overall Length of Bridges	199 m 
Retaining and Lining Walls	731 m
Noise-reduction Barriers	7,120 m
Platform Edge Length	850 m
New Overhead Power Supply Lines	32,100 m
New Switch Safety Units	10
New Double-track Automatic Block System	16,794 m
 

 

František Polák
Metrostav a.s.
Media Spokesperson 	Tel.: 602 612 793
E-mail: polakf@metrostav.cz

Special Tunneling Machine Christened; Victoria Ready to Set to Work

As of this morning, as much as one thousand meters of the south section of the more than four-kilometer long railway tunnel at Ejpovice has been bored by Metrostav's team, headed by Štefan Ivor. After overcoming initial difficulties that involved unfavorable geological conditions in the rock underlying Homolka Hill, the boring machine Victoria was able to pick up the pace to such a degree as to allow her to repeatedly achieve record-high progress of 30 meters a day. 

According to Metrostav's Division 5 Director Roman Fuksa, boring the first kilometer was an extremely laborious task. In the first 300 meters, five exploratory wells had to be bored to map the average geological characteristics, such as rigidity, water presence, and other parameters. The measurements so obtained allowed the approximate overall geological makeup to be determined, as well as estimations to be made as to how it would respond to boring. "Our specialists and foreign experts had to make an extra effort to deal with unstable caprock conditions, constant water leakage, and various other difficulties. In the end, however, we were able to cope with the problems, and the boring is now advancing at the originally planned tempo." 

"Already when a statue of Saint Barbara, the patroness of miners, was christened in Ejpovice before construction work began, experts predicted that the local geological conditions would make the project a difficult and complicated challenge. I'm happy to report, however, that the initial problems have been overcome. I hope that no further troubles will now be encountered past the one-kilometer mark, and that work will proceed in accordance with the original plans and expectations," commented RIA's CEO Pavel Surý with respect to the first underground milestone being reached.

Featuring two tubes interconnected by cross-passages, the Ejpovice tunnel is the main component of a project undertaken to modernize the Rokycany – Pilsen railway line. Executed by a consortium of Metrostav and Subterra, the venture will reduce travel time and improve the safety of railway operations. Once the entire line is modernized, a journey from the Czech capital of Prague to Pilsen will take less than an hour. Passenger comfort will be enhanced, and the maximum travel speed will increase to as much as 160 kilometers per hour. 

The tunnel is being bored by a boring machine named Victoria, which features a cutter head with a diameter of nearly 10 meters, a length of 114 meters, and a weight of 1,800 tons. Boring operations and machinery maintenance are secured by 100 workers and 24 technicians, who work in two 12-hour shifts. The tunnel-boring machine is manned by some 12 specialists, while an additional 15 operate supporting equipment. Once the south tube, which begins near Potoční Street in Pilsen – Doubravka, is completed, Victoria will return to her original starting point to begin the boring of the second, north tube. The completion of the entire tunnel is scheduled for 2017.

The project is co-financed from the Cohesion Fund under the Transport Operational Program. Subsidies amount to 76.44% of eligible project costs, which translates into a maximum of CZK 3,419,440,199. Domestic funding is provided by the National Transport Infrastructure Fund.

Victoria Bores First Kilometer 

Metrostav engineers and workers are returning home to spend the Christmas holidays with their loved ones after a year of boring underground structures in Iceland and Norway in Northern Europe, as well as at two sites in the Czech Republic’s neighbor to the east, Slovakia.

The longest tunnel bored by specialists from the largest Czech construction firm to date is located in Iceland. In the wake of the success of Metrostav’s first reference project, which involved building the Siglufjordur and Ólafsfjordur road tunnels with a total length of close to 11 kilometers, the company emerged victorious in a tender for the construction of the Nordfjordur Tunnel. Thus, Czech specialists are now in the process of boring the longest tunnel in Iceland, which, once completed, will feature two lanes and a length of close to eight kilometers. Led by site supervisor Aleš Gothard, Metrostav staff have been using the traditional Scandinavian drill & blast tunneling technology, which breaks rock by blasting, to drill precisely 2,685.5 and 2,119.2 meters from the Eskifjordur and Fannardalur portals, respectively. Overall, they have bored tunnels with a total length of 4,804.7 meters in less than 13 months. The average monthly progress amounted to nearly 370 meters of bored tunnel length, which is an excellent achievement. Metrostav’s workers have now left their camps in the Icelandic cities of Eskifjördur and Neskaupstadur in anticipation of winter snowfall, which can be as deep as six meters. Local people appreciate the presence of Metrostav’s specialists, because their work will provide them with a year-round connection to the rest of the world. Construction will resume in the New Year, when crews will bore the remaining 2,761.3 meters of the tunnel.

Elsewhere, close to three dozens Metrostav specialists have for now finished work on the construction of a 1,565 meter tunnel in Bjornabakkane og Lindeskreda near Veitastrond Lake in Central Norway. Since the launch of the project on August 7, 2014, they have bored and completely secured 700 meters of tunnel, together with their consortium partner Havnen Anlegg. They must now take a winter break, because snow and the risk of avalanche prohibit work on anti-avalanche embankments on the surface, necessitating the stoppage of work inside the tunnel, because boring operations depend on support from outside facilities. In view of the local climatic conditions, the team headed by Project Manager Pavel Bűrgel will only return to Norway in May 2015 to complete boring the remaining 865 meters of the tunnel. Bored by the Czech company using the drill & blast method, one third of the underground work, which has already been completed, will feature two lanes. The rest will consist of a single lane and emergency shelters. Metrostav’s Norwegian partner is using excavated granite to fill a section of lake near the shore on which a new road will be constructed. The remaining quantity of excavated material serves for building anti-avalanche embankments.

Like in Norway, Metrostav’s tunneling specialists, headed by supervisors Andrej Korba and Jiří Břichňáč, have encountered difficult geological conditions during the construction of two highway tunnels in Slovakia. The first project, executed by Metrostav in a consortium with the Doprastav Company, consists of building the Žilina two-lane tunnel on the D1 Highway between Hričovské Podhradie and Lietavská Lúčka. Construction work began in mid-November after a ceremony consecrating a statue of St. Barbara, the patroness of tunnel builders. Each tunnel tube will measure over 600 meters. Completion is scheduled for the end of 2015. 

Metrostav Tunnel Builders Return Home for Christmas

A new Information Center was opened today in the Pilsen Ejpovice Industrial Park, located between the municipalities of Kyšice and Dýšina, to provide information on the progress of the reconstruction of the railway line connecting the cities of Rokycany and Pilsen as well as various other important facts about the project. The facility was opened by the contractor, the Metrostav, Subterra, and MTÚ Rokycany – Pilsen Consortium, in the presence of representatives of the investor (Railway Infrastructure Administration), local government officials, and other guests.

The reconstruction of this railway line, which forms a part of the Third Transit Railway Corridor and of the Trans-European Transport Network, is one of the most important projects currently under way on Czech railways. "The objective is to reduce travel time between the Prague and Pilsen Central Stations to under one hour in both directions, to increase the safety of railway traffic, and, no less importantly, to improve passenger comfort," emphasizes Mojmír Nejezchleb, the Deputy Managing Director of the Railway Infrastructure Administration responsible for modernization projects.

Milan Veselský, Sales Director of Metrostav, the consortium's leading member, says that a tunnel for two single four-kilometer tracks will be bored by a full-profile TBM S-799 tunneling machine, which features a cutting wheel with a diameter of close to 10 meters. The machine is currently being assembled. Once completed, it will measure 115 meters and weigh 1,800 tons. "We have opted for this modern method, because it is safe and fast. The advantages of this boring technology were tested during the construction of Section V of the A Line of Prague's Metro, including its financial effectiveness and environmental friendliness toward the landscape and structures on the surface," mentions Veselský.
The project is co-financed from the Cohesion Fund under the Transport Operational Program, where subsidies amount to 76.44% of eligible project costs, which translates into a maximum of CZK 3,419,440,199. Domestic funding is provided by the National Transport Infrastructure Fund.

The Information Center is located in close proximity to the construction site near Ejpovice, about 10 minutes by car from Pilsen, on Highway D5, which connects Prague with Pilsen and Rozvadov. The facility will be opened on every other Wednesday from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Individual arrangements can be made for visits by organized groups and schools.

Interested in Info on the Modernization of the Rokycany – Pilsen Railway Line?

After a 1,400 km and 14-day voyage, the main and most important parts of a new tunnel-boring machine arrived at the North Bohemian port of Lovosice. This tunnel-boring machine, the cutting head of which has a diameter of almost 10 metres, will be used by Metrostav to drive the longest Czech railway tunnel, the Ejpovice Tunnel on the line from Rokycany to Pilsen. It will be the first time that this modern technology, the priority of which is safety and minimising disruption to the surface above, will be used in the construction of tunnels for the Railway Infrastructure Administration (SŽDC).

	The largest domestic construction company commissioned Herrenknecht, Schwanau, Germany to manufacture the tunnel-boring machine, like the previous two used in the construction of Section V.A. of the Prague underground. With regard to the passage, the heaviest parts of the machine were transported by the ship URANUS from the port of Kehl on the Rhine, along canals and the Elbe River as far as the town of Lovosice. From there, it will be transported by truck to Kyšice in the Pilsen Region, where the tunnelling starting point is being prepared. The total weight of the load is almost 600 tons. It consists of a main bearing (150 t), cutting head centre (75 t), shield segments (224 t), and erector (118 t). After assembly, the 110 m long machine will weigh 1,800 tons.

	The construction is being carried out by the Metrostav/Subterra Consortium. The tunnelling itself, which has been postponed due to several important archaeological finds, should start early next year. If everything goes as expected, i.e. there will not be any problems with, for example, geological overburdening, construction work should finish on schedule in 2017.

The current railway line between Rokycany and Pilsen will be shortened from the original length of 20.2 km by more than six kilometres. Due to a higher speed of up to 160 kilometres per hour, the running time of tilting trains will be reduced to half (at present, it is 20 minutes). Two single-track tunnels, each with a length of 4,150 m, will be extremely safe. They will be interconnected by means of emergency exits located every 350 metres. Fire trucks will even be able to enter the tunnel tubes, where trains can go at a speed of up to 200 kilometres per hour. The Project also includes the construction of a new railway station in Ejpovice, noise barriers with a length of almost 6 km, new overhead lines, interlocking equipment and six bridges.

	According to Ing. Štefan Ivor, Head of Tunnelling, Metrostav, who gained extensive practical experience working on the new Section V.A underground line, mastering the Prague geology was a graduation of sorts for drifters. “I believe that the acquired skills will help us keep the planned dates. Despite the geological survey for the construction project, we cannot, however, exclude the possibility of some unpleasant surprises underground. However, I am convinced that after our people have managed to bore tunnels at the icy waters of Iceland, under the seabed in Helsinki, Finland, and in harsh Norwegian conditions, we will fulfil our mission.”

Shield for Ejpovice Arrived on the Elbe River

Helping Connect Places and People 

Almost half – exactly 3,686m – of the 7,566m long Nordfjardargöng Tunnel in the east of Iceland has been excavated by Metrostav's team, led by Ing. Aleš Gothard. This, the longest local road tunnel, is being constructed for the company Vegagerdin (similar to the Czech Road and Motorway Directorate). It should be completed in the autumn of 2017.

This underground structure will simplify travel in the region, as it interconnects places that are virtually inaccessible in winter due to the local mountain terrain. The builders are advancing from two sides: from the Eskifjörður portal to a distance of 4.8 kilometers, and from the Norðfjörður portal to a distance of 2.7 kilometers. 

The presence of Hanna Birna Kristjánsdóttir, Minister of Interior of Iceland, during the groundbreaking ceremony last November confirms that the country’s leadership is paying great attention to the construction of this link between the two small villages. The Czech tunnel builders were also visited by the Prime Minister, Sigmundur David Gunnlaugsson. For Metrostav, this is not the first project in the country of fire and ice. In 2006-2010, the company built a 14.1 km road project, with two tunnels and a bridge, for the same investor.

According to the original plan, the Nordfjardargöng Tunnel was to be excavated just using the traditional Scandinavian Drill&Blast tunneling method, which consists of disintegration of the rock by blasting. Since it is being driven through alternating solid basalt rock and non-cohesive sediment, the works in the sediment sections, with a thickness over 2.5m, require reinforcement with lattice girders (BTX). Ing. Gothard noted: “Our builders successfully apply their experience with both the Drill&Blast method and with the New Austrian Tunneling Method within one project.” 

In addition to Iceland, the traditional Czech civil engineering company also successfully works in Finland and Norway, Poland, Belarus, and is striving for new projects in Southeastern Europe. 

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