The first WT 1000 e.tronic goes into operation

27 January 2021

The Munich S-Bahn carries up to 840.000 passengers daily and travels more than 20 million kilometres each year. That makes it one of Germany’s largest suburban railway networks. Having been opened during the 1972 Olympic Games, the main line is now reaching its capacity limits, especially since all urban trains have to pass Munich city centre through one tunnel. In order to overcome this bottleneck, Deutsche Bahn is building a second main line over a distance of around ten kilometres between the station Laim in the west and Leuchtenbergring in the east. The key element is a seven kilometre tunnel that connects the Main Station and the East Station.

In the heart of Munich not far from the famous Frauenkirche, one of three new underground tunnel stations, the Marienhof, is currently being constructed. It is being built by a consortium consisting of Hochtief and Implenia (Arge Marienhof).

After the outer shell of the future underground station, a 1.5 metres thick and 55 metres deep concrete diaphragm wall, was completed, the assembly of the new WT 1000 e.tronic crane was begun.

The 750 t mobile crane required for the assembly of the WT 1000 was already brought in on Sunday, 3 January 2021 and was mobilised the following day with a hook height of 80 metres. The assembly of the WT 1000 was completed within three days including commissioning.

The working height of the WT 1000 e.tronic is 60 metres (tower top height of 75 metres) with a jib length 65 metres, at the end of which loads of 16 tons can be carried (maximum load capacity is 48 tons). With its outreach, the crane is able to swing over the entire construction area and can lift even the heaviest components, such as steel columns.

The foundation of the tower crane needed particular consideration in the planning stages. A specially designed foundation anchor is used to counteract any subsequent settling of the ground and any resulting tilting of the crane.
In case the crane should tilt nevertheless, custom made compensation plates can be changed on the erected crane with the help of several different types of presses.

Another challenge for the crane assembly in the city centre of Munich is the delivery of the crane components which had to be at exactly on time and scheduled to the minute to avoid conflicts with the tram.

The white colour of the crane chosen by Arge Marienhof also enables an impressive illumination. Wilbert cranes are equipped with a particularly UV-resistant powder coating as a standard that can be customised for individual colour schemes.
Now, the crane will complement Munich’s cityscape for several years and will be seen from afar.

For further information regarding the project please visit
https://2.stammstrecke-muenchen.de

WILBERT TowerCranes GmbH is a German manufacturer of top-slewing tower cranes with extensive experience in construction and rental. Our focus is on complex construction projects, especially in the structural engineering and power plants sector. All trolley and luffing jib cranes in our product range are part of a sophisticated modular system that can easily be supplemented by custom-made components.