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ArcelorMittal Supplying Steel Fibers for Longest Railway Tunnel in Czech Republic

“Thanks to the success of previous projects in London and Qatar we are considered a reliable contractor for underground work. We have won the contract mainly thanks to the excellent properties of our steel fibers compared to competitors and expertise of our technical teams,” says Oldřich Vlasák, the sales representative of ArcelorMittal for the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and central Europe. “In the course of two years we will supply a total of 3,800 metric tons of steel fibers and the delivery will include special equipment which is connected directly to the concrete mixing plant control room and allows automatic dosing of steel fibers together with aggregate and cement.”
 
The Ejpovice tunnel involves unique construction which has no parallels in the Czech Republic. It will consist of two tubes and it will be driven by a 1,800 metric tons heavy machine brought in from Germany with the cutting head with a diameter of almost 10 meters and with a total length of the entire set of 115 meters. This means that it is much larger than the machines used for example for driving the tunnels of the Prague Underground to Motol.
 
In addition to the size of the equipment, the method used for reinforcing the tunnel walls is also unique. The lining of the tunnel consists of prefabricated concrete blocks that are reinforced by tiny steel wires only. This is a relatively new technology and a similar solution of this scope will be used in the Czech Republic for the first time ever. The savings during construction are generated mainly thanks to lower demands for labor, handling, and warehousing. And the number of segments damaged during the erection is lower as well. Further, this solution is environmentally friendly because it saves steel as such.
 
The modernization of the railroad line will enable to shorten the time of travel by train between Pilsen and Rokycany by 11 minutes.
 

ArcelorMittal Ostrava a.s. is part of the world’s largest steel and mining group ArcelorMittal. Annually it produces 2 million metric tons of steel, which is mainly used in construction and machinery. It is the only manufacturer of safety barriers and grain-oriented electrical steels in the Czech Republic. Besides the Czech market the company sells its products to more than 40 countries around the world. ArcelorMittal Ostrava and its subsidiaries employ 7500 people. Average income was CZK 35,124 in 2014. The company produces iron and steel in compliance with all environmental legislation. Years ahead it has reduced its environmental footprint beyond the requirements of the EU legislation and this year it will complete 13 subsidized above-standard environmental projects worth CZK 3.1 billion. The sole shareholder is ArcelorMittal Holdings A.G.