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Cross River Rail’s first mega machine ready to go

Cross River Rail’s first mega machine ready to go

The first of the two TBMs that will excavate the bulk of Cross River Rail’s 5.9km twin tunnels is passing factory acceptance testing, before being disassembled and transported by trucks to ... More Information

Government gives green light to A303 Stonehenge improvement

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has given the formal green light by granting a Development Consent Order for work to start on the A303 Amesbury to Berwick Down (Stonehenge) ... More Information

Press release - Barge number 238 delivers final concrete segment rings to Tideway’s Kirtling Street

The 238th and final barge delivering concrete segment rings used to line the central section of the Thames Tideway Tunnel has arrived at Tideway’s Kirtling Street site. Each barge ... More Information

4-day HS2 Ltd virtual event for contract opportunities begins

HS2 Ltd, the company delivering Britain’s new high speed railway, kicked off a four-day event yesterday that will showcase many of the EUR13.49 bn (GBP12bn) worth of contract opportunities. ... More Information

Several milestones for the Grand Paris Express

Several milestones for the Grand Paris Express

TBM Ines, began its journey from the Verdun shaft  at La Courneuve on the 11/08/2020, and has now reached Le Bourget RER station for Line 16.  The TBM – which is 100 m long and ... More Information

Robbins Webinar - Encountering Caverns in France: TBM Tunnelling in Karst Conditions

Robbins Webinar - Encountering Caverns in France: TBM Tunnelling in Karst Conditions

France's recently completed Galerie des Janots featured some unexpected challenges: Karst cavities large and small were found throughout the bore as well as two large, uncharted caverns. During ... More Information

Moscow’s light green line updates

Moscow’s light green line  updates

This week construction of the left and second tunnel began, A route that will go from Lianozovo to Phystech station for the Lyublinsko-Dmitrovskaya metro line or light green line in Moscow.  ... More Information

TBM Coline crosses the 1,000 metre mark!

TBM Coline crosses the 1,000 metre mark!

After having crossed the "Saint-Genis-Laval - Hôpitaux Sud" station at the beginning of July, the tunnel boring machine crossed the 1,000-metre mark last Friday 13/11/2020.  The TBM is ... More Information

6th edition of the ITA Tunnelling and Underground Space Awards

On the 3-4 December 2020 you will be able to attend the presentations of the finalists and the announcement of the winners. This year the 6th edition of the ITA Tunnelling Awards will move into a ... More Information

Press release - Works to kick off on the Suburban Rail Loop

The Andrews Labor Government is delivering the Suburban Rail Loop, unveiling a huge Budget boost that will pave the way for the biggest rail project ever built in Victoria – and help drive our ... More Information

TBM Meg is on her way to State Library Station

TBM Meg is on her way to State Library Station

Last week TBM Meg was relaunched from the Metro Tunnel's Parkville Station site towards the CBD, to complete the second tunnel. It follows the relaunch of TBM Joan, which began a parallel 1 km ... More Information

Federal Council approves the Rhine tunnel project in Basel

At its meeting on 11 November 2020, the Federal Council approved the general project for the Basel Rhine tunnel. The new tunnel will relieve the frequently congested A2/A3 between the Hagnau and ... More Information

Insight into finalist for ITA ‘Overcoming the Challenge’ category

Insight into finalist for ITA ‘Overcoming the Challenge’ category

The Mexico City-Toluca interurban rail line project has been shortlisted as a finalist for the ITA tunnelling awards in the category “Overcoming the Challenge’  - High performance ... More Information

Highways England -Lower Thames Crossing Update

Highways England is inviting tenders to build the longest road tunnel in Britain that sits at the heart of the proposed Lower Thames Crossing, the most ambitious road project for a generation. ... More Information

Snowy 2.0: first TBM components arrive at site of Australia’s biggest Hydropower Project

Snowy 2.0: first TBM components arrive at site of Australia’s biggest Hydropower Project

Throughout the beginning November a huge 750-t crane has been lowering into place the giant front shield parts of the first of the three Snowy 2.0 TBMs. Snowy 2.0 is the largest renewable energy ... More Information

BBT - First breakthrough under the Isarco river

 BBT - First breakthrough under the Isarco river

On  the 6th of November 2020 an excavator with hydraulic hammer  broke through  the first 59 m tunnel under the Isarco river. The ground in the most southern construction lot of the ... More Information

Rijnland Route Updates

On 01/09/20 after 3.5 months of excavation and a month ahead of schedule, the TBM called Gaia completed the second tunnel tube for the Rijnland Route. The TBM covered a distance of 2,250 m, from ... More Information

New milestones for Tideway

New milestones for Tideway

Connection Tunnel Excavated at Cremorne Wharf - Cremorne Wharf Depot became the latest site in the central section of the Tideway project to connect to the main 'super sewer' tunnel as ... More Information

COMPLIMENTARY ROBBINS WEBINAR - TUNNELLING PAST THE VOIDS

COMPLIMENTARY ROBBINS WEBINAR - TUNNELLING PAST THE VOIDS

France's recently completed Galerie des Janots was the scene of some unforeseen challenges.  During excavation with a Main Beam TBM, crews encountered a stalagmite studded 8,000 cubic meter ... More Information

Sotecnisol Press Release - Tunnel Waterproofing

Sotecnisol Press Release - Tunnel Waterproofing

For over the last 50 years, Sotecnisol led the waterproofing market in Portugal and has grown a strong presence in other countries, namely in tunnel drainage and water proofing with PVC ... More Information

Virginia Launched Largest Infrastructure Project in Commonwealth’s History

Virginia Launched Largest Infrastructure Project in Commonwealth’s History

On 29/10/20 Governor Ralph Northam joined the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) and state and local leaders to break ground on the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel (HRBT) Expansion Project. ... More Information

HS2 launches first virtual ‘Meet the Contractor’ event

Registrations now open for over 1,000 one-to-one meetings with HS2 contractors.  HS2 Ltd’s third annual ‘Meet the Contractor’ event takes place between 23rd-26th November ... More Information

TUNNELMESH – 100% WIRELESS CONNECTIVITY FOR TUNNELS

TUNNELMESH – 100% WIRELESS CONNECTIVITY FOR TUNNELS

A modern, safe, resilient, and reliable communication system is a key component of any confined space, mine, or tunnel access safety system. Tunnel workers rely on regular contact with their ... More Information

Results of the Purple Line Extension Section 3 TBM art and naming contest

Metro has selected the winners of its art and naming contest for its third and final set of tunnel boring machines that will dig twin Purple Line Extension subway tunnels between Westwood and ... More Information

Melbourne Metro Tunnel Project Updates

TBM Joan - On the 20/10/20 TBM  Joan began its 1 km journey from the Parkville Station site to the new State Library Station site of the Melbourne metro. Named after Victoria’s ... More Information

BBT - Isarco river underpass tunnelling begins

BBT - Isarco river underpass tunnelling begins

After months of preparation on the Isarco River Underpass construction site, the excavation of the first few metres of the tunnel has begun.   The excavation works in this southernmost ... More Information

Designs for HS2 Canterbury Works vent shaft and headhouse revealed

On 27/10/2020 HS2 revealed updated designs for the Canterbury Works vent shaft headhouse and compound, in South Kilburn, London.  It will be one of four structures that will be built to provide ... More Information

Super sewer drives its way through London passing underneath 21 bridges

Super sewer drives its way through London passing underneath 21 bridges

Super sewer drives its way through London passing underneath 21 bridges   A giant tunnel has this week been dug under the final bridge in London before completion.   On 26/10/2020 ... More Information

Modified TBM to construct the diversion tunnel for the Mularroya dam

In March 2008 the ACCIONA and Sacyr consortium were awarded the contract to design and construct the Mularroya dam in La Almunia de Doña Godina, Chodes and Ricla (Zaragoza). The contract ... More Information

Factory Acceptance Testing for the Ship Canal Water Quality Tunnel Storage Project’s TBM

Factory Acceptance Testing for the Ship Canal Water Quality Tunnel Storage Project’s TBM

A TBM EPB-Shield (diameter 6.57 m) has been assembled for the Seattle Public Utilities and King County Wastewater Treatment Division's Ship Canal Water Quality Tunnel Storage Project. The TBM is ... More Information

ITA Tunnelling Awards 6th edition - List of finalists

ITA Tunnelling Awards 6th edition - List of finalists

Online Conference and Ceremony - The international competition launched in 2015 by International Tunnelling and Underground Association (ITA) returns in 2020 for a promising 6th edition. For 5 ... More Information

HAGERBACH NXT 50 WEBINAR – Moving beyond the obvious

HAGERBACH NXT 50 WEBINAR – Moving beyond the obvious

Taking part in the HAGERBACH NXT 50 series of webinars will broaden your understanding on the role of underground spaces in helping humankind sustainably develop on this planet and eventually future ... More Information

Clearwater Project’s TBM arrives

On the 22/10/2020 the Mixshield TBM (diameter 6.54 m)  for the Los Angeles Outfall Tunnel project arrived at its destination.   The Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts invited Los ... More Information

City Rail Link’s TBM arrives in Auckland

 City Rail Link’s TBM  arrives in Auckland

Last week a TBM, named Dame Whina Cooper in honour of the Maori rights champion, arrived in Auckland after a voyage of more than 9000 km  from its factory in southern China.   The ... More Information

InnoTrans postponed until 2022

Due to the constantly changing situation regarding the coronavirus pandemic and the resultant lack of planning certainty, InnoTrans is to be postponed until 2022. After consulting with international ... More Information

Cross River Rail Update

Work is progressing well, across Cross River Rail’s eight worksites in Brisbane. The project will help transform South East Queensland by unlocking the bottleneck at the core of ... More Information

Tunnelling News

IN MEMORIAM - OLIVIER VION (1962-2024)

Through the past decades, the energy and foresight to lead the management of the ITA International Tunnelling and Underground Space Association has been in the hands of Olivier Vion, a man ... More Information

Amtrak awards construction contract for East River Tunnel rehabilitation

The $1.6 billion project calls for demolishing all existing tunnel systems down to the liner, then restoring both tubes. During the project, one tube ... More Information

Strabag in €110 million deal to equip transalpine tunnel

Austrian contractor Strabag has won a €110 million (US$120 million) to equip a transalpine tunnel linking Austria and Slovenia... More Information

19 tunnel boring machines for Manila subway set

A close-up of the tunnel boring machine head, with a diameter of 6.9 meters. ... The first cutter head of the first tunnel boring machine (TBM), named ... More Information

$16 billion Gateway Tunnel Project gets federal funding boost after years of delays

The $16.1 billion project includes a new rail tunnel linking New York and New Jersey — and is set to be open by 2035 ... More Information

Preferred bidder announced for second tunnelling contract

The global consortium of WeBuild S.p.A, GS Engineering and Construction Australia and Bouygues Construction ... Tunnel Project, North East Link ... More Information

Bechtel Picked as CM for $12.7B Single-bore BART Extension

Officials with the VTA are aiming to begin major construction and tunnelling for the $12.7-billion BART Silicon Valley Phase II Extension Project next ... More Information

Stonehenge could be put on world heritage danger list over tunnel plan

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has recommended that Stonehenge be listed as ‘World Heritage in Danger’ due to the A303 upgrade scheme and is ... More Information

World’s longest railway tunnel to reopen after a year

The tunnel closed on 10th August last year following the derailment of a freight train, and SBB has since been pushing ahead with repair work... More Information

Afcons Infrastructure Wins Bid for Thane Tunnel Project

Afcons Infrastructure secures the L1 bid for a tunnel project in Thane, marking a significant milestone in infrastructure development. More Information

Kolkata Metro: D-Wall's Construction Work At Victoria Metro Station Is Advancing Swiftly

For the tunnelling work of the stretch from the Khidderpore to Park Street stretch of this Corridor, two Tunnel Boring Machines (TBM) will be deployed ... More Information

K2D Skøyen – Vækerø

Implenia has been awarded the contract for section K2D Skøyen - Vækerø, which is part of the entire Fornebu line that will be completed in 2030... More Information

Massey Tunnel replacement project hits design-build proposal stage

Tunnel replacement project has finally hit the design-and-build proposal stage. The Transportation Ministry announced Wednesday that three bid ... More Information

Barhale wins £36m East London sewer remediation

Thames Water has appointed Barhale to deliver essential remediation works on a Victorian gravity sewer as it passes above the Jubilee Line and Docklands Light Railway in East London... More Information

Reaping Rewards From Continuous Innovation

In boring underground tunnels for Malaysia's MRTs, Gamuda developed the world's first autonomous tunnel boring machine (A-TBM), utilizing in-house ... More Information

5 of the longest tunnels in the world and how they were built

Since the invention of the tunnel boring machine in 1853, engineers have used advanced technology to drill, blast, and bore into the earth. From ... More Information

Femern - inauguration of the first tunnel element

We are pleased to announce that H.M. King Frederik X will take part in the inauguration of the first tunnel element on the construction site on 17 June. H.M. King Frederik X will arrive at ... More Information

HOCHTIEF-MURPHY Joint Venture (HMJV)

A busy first half of the year on the HOCHTIEF-MURPHY Joint Venture (HMJV) Package 5 Headhouses & M&E contract on National Grid’s LPT Phase 2... More Information

Tesla Cybertruck escorts Boring Co's Prufrock-3 tunnel boring machine

The Boring Company's Prufrock-3 tunnel boring machine (TBM) recently completed a tunnel to Giga Texas, and in true Elon Musk fashion, ... More Information

Kazakhstan’s First Automobile Tunnel and Largest Bridge to be Completed this Year

As reported by the Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Transport, Kazakhstan’s first automobile tunnel through the Shakpak Baba Pass and the country’s largest bridge over the Bukhtarma Reservoir ... More Information

HRBT Expansion Project hits big milestone, could be on track for early completion

The tunnel boring machine, known as Mary ... construction of our two new bored tunnels,” said Project Director Ryan Banas... More Information

TBMs Pass Factory Test For Lesotho Highlands Water Project

A team of engineers and tunnel experts from the Lesotho Highlands Development Authority (LHDA) together with consultants and contractors working on the Polihali transfer tunnel recently ... More Information

Royal Cargo opts for Goldhofer heavy transport equipment

It has also been in action moving tunnel boring machines (TBM) for the Metro Manila Subway project ... machine part posed a significant challenge due ... More Information

Tunnel breakthrough on NI Water's £7.8M Portadown wastewater project

The tunnel boring machine excavated roughly 1,000m3 of material, which would have risen to 8,000m3 of spoil with a more traditional open-cut method. More Information

The Boring Company announces Cybertunnel at Tesla Texas HQ

In January, the company's latest tunnel boring machine (TBM), Prufrock 3, was first spotted near Tesla's Giga Texas. Prufrock-3 has ... More Information

How do you build tunnels and bridges underwater?

Underground construction usually uses powerful tunnel-boring machines to excavate soil directly. This machine is often called a mole for a reason. More Information

Five Huge New Construction Projects Coming To The US

A spokesperson for the project told Newsweek: "The Hudson Tunnel Project is a generational investment that is expected to create 95,000 new jobs and ... More Information

Chennai Metro Corridor 3: Adyar River Tunnel Work Hampered By Geological Setbacks

For the stretch between Greenways Road and Adyar, CMRL engaged two TBMs, 'Kauvery' and 'Adyar.' These machines were launched from Greenways Road ... More Information

French and Danish firms to build Valby 'cloudburst tunnel'

The underground tunnel will be 2,380m long and will be constructed as a drilled tunnel with an internal diameter of 3.4m. The tunnel will have the ... More Information

Howard's approved budgets include $44.9M for Ellicott City tunnel

The Howard County Council has approved a $2.4 billion operating budget for fiscal 2025, along with a $413 million capital construction budget that ... More Information

DC Water Breaks Ground On Potomac River Tunnel Project

DC Water on May 21 hosted a groundbreaking ceremony to officially commence construction activities for the Potomac River Tunnel Project... More Information

Silvertown Tunnel portal connections completed

A complete transformation of the tunnel shape was needed to connect the circular tunnel boring machine (TBM) constructed ... More Information

The $4BN Tunnel to Save Stockholm - The B1M

Above: A tunnel entrance under construction. When it completes in 2030, the $4BN project will be one of the longest road tunnel systems in the world. More Information

OHLA awarded the Gjønnes tunnel in Norway for nearly 160 million euros

The Norwegian Public Roads Administration (Statens Vegvesen) has awarded the company the design and construction of the Gjønnes tunnel for 156 ... More Information

Utilities tunnel dug through 'challenging' ground conditions under River Tees

Main contractor Farrans Construction worked with specialist contractor Joseph Gallagher to construct the tunnel. During its five weeks of tunnelling ... More Information

China develops world's first boring and blasting machine

In a groundbreaking development, the world's first boring and blasting machine, jointly developed by Tsinghua University and China Railway Science and Industry Group, has successfully ... More Information

Tunnel boring machine wedged in hard rock, leaving Snowy 2.0 hydropower project with new issues

Tunnelling problems are plaguing the $12 billion Snowy 2.0 hydropower project, with a boring machine previously bogged in soft ground now wedged in ... More Information

Construction Complete On New High-Speed Rail Tunnel

Inside the completed Desheng Tunnel, and inset, a Chinese high-speed train. Work on the project is now complete. © China ... More Information

DC Water Breaks Ground on Potomac River Tunnel Project

The Project consists of a large-diameter deep sewer tunnel, diversion facilities, drop shafts, and support structures to capture flows from existing ... More Information