Changes of Railway Tunnel Technology and its Overview


Toshihiro ASAKURA

@In this paper, the history of railway tunnel technology is traced and its technological development followed up to the present. Concerned with mountain tunnel method, shield tunnel method, cut and cover tunnel method and immersed tunnel method, historical changes of tunnelling methods and characteristics of tunnel designing methods are described. In addition, the guidelines and manuals established by Japan Society of Civil Engineers and Japanese National Railways are chronologically arranged. Finally, an overview from the present trends to future problems is given.