Transport and handling LHC components: A permanent challenge

The LHC project, collider and experiments, is an assembly of thousands of elements, large or small, heavy or light, fragile or robust. Each element has its own transport requirements that constitute a real challenge to handle. Even simple manoeuvres could lead to difficulties in integration, routing and execution due to the complex environment and confined underground spaces. Examples of typical LHC elements transport and handling will be detailed such as the 16-m long, 34-t heavy, fragile cryomagnets from the surface to the final destination in the tunnel, or the delicate cryogenic cold-boxes down to pits and detector components. This challenge did not only require a lot of imagination but also a close cooperation between all the involved parties, in particular with colleagues from safety, cryogenics, civil engineering, integration and logistics.