Sennebogen 653 E works Munich U5 station dig at Pasing

A 400 m station box beneath a working railway hub

As part of the extension of Munich’s U5 underground line, the ARGE U5 West 2 consortium of Wayss & Freytag, Max Bögl and Züblin is building a station roughly 400 m long directly beneath Pasing station, around 25 m below ground. The busy railway station and a heavily trafficked main road sit immediately alongside the works, and several bored piles and diaphragm wall panels are constructed at the same time within the limited footprint.

That combination sets the brief for the lifting plant: the crane has to handle a wide range of loads, thread its way between large specialist foundation machines and work close to ongoing excavation. The 653 E has carried out these duties on the site for around nine months.

Tool carrier for bored piles and diaphragm walls

During bored pile construction, the telescopic crawler crane lifts tools to the drilling rig and takes them away again after use — among them six-metre drill pipes with a diameter of 1.50 m, filled tremie pipe boxes, pumps and smaller machines. It also unloads deliveries, moves materials around the site and installs reinforcement cages.

On the diaphragm wall side, the 653 E handles tremie pipes, pumps, diaphragm wall cutters and other equipment, and sets the lighter reinforcement cages. The crane’s compact dimensions and manoeuvrability let it work hard up against the drilling rigs and reach pockets of the site where larger cranes would run out of room, so lifting and excavation can run in parallel.

The crews are specially trained for the confined conditions, and one or two signallers assist each lift. The operator also makes use of the 653 E’s remote control, stepping out of the cab to watch the working area from a better vantage point while manoeuvring loads.

Sharing the work with a 200-tonne 5500

At times the 653 E worked alongside a 200-tonne Sennebogen 5500 crawler crane, which took on the heavier picks and the longer lifting distances. Its main task was installing reinforcement cages in the diaphragm wall, placing loads of up to 35 tonnes, while the 653 E concentrated on lighter loads and the tightest corners of the site.

Once the heavy diaphragm wall lifts were complete, the 5500 left the site. The 653 E remains at Pasing, carrying on with its recurring lifting tasks as the station build progresses.