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Approval for wider Eppenberg

Datec has approved the FFS project for the widening to four tracks of the Olten–Aarau rail section, including the new 3 km-long Eppenberg tunnel. Work starts on the tunnel next spring. Value ... More Information

Opportunities at Qatar Rail

Middle East Rail convention takes place in Dubai 17-18 March, 2015. The CEO of Qatar Rail has given an overview of the 14-year plan for the construction of Qatar Metro’s complex tunnel design ... More Information

Terratec TBM ready for Istanbul

Terratec TBM ready for Istanbul

Terratec has handed over a factory tested, customized 6.56 m-diameter EPB with versatile electric drive cutterhead designed to excavate the mixed geology along the alignment of Istanbul metro in ... More Information

Huge CBE moulds for Wuhan

Huge CBE moulds for Wuhan

French supplier CBE Group will provide 30 segment moulds for a 15.2 m external diameter combined road-subway tunnel in Wuhan, China. Read the press release and visit www.cbe-tunnels.com. CBE ... More Information

Turkey motorway financing

The EUR457 million financing agreement for Phase 2A of the Gebze-Orhangazi-Izmir motorway in Turkey has been signed. This section includes the bi-tube Selcukgazi tunnel, length 1,037 m. Overall, the ... More Information

Transjura A16 section opened

A 9 km-long stretch of A16 motorway between Bure and Porrentruy was inaugurated and opened to traffic on 21.08.2014. The last link of the A16 connecting the canton of Jura with France, this highway ... More Information

Submission deadline extended

The deadline to submit abstracts for the WTC 2015 in Dubrovnik, Croatia from 22 to 28 May 2015 has been extended to September 15th. Visit http://wtc15.com. 36/14. More Information

Schoema at Innotrans

Schoema at Innotrans

German specialist locomotive and rolling stock manufacturer Schoema will be presenting new technology at Innotrans 2014 in Berlin, September 23-26th. Don’t miss their exhibition stand, and ... More Information

BTS conference registration

BTS 2014 takes place at the QE 2 Centre in London on 23-24th September. Free online registration is available. Accompanied by “a very well attended exhibition, with many key people from the UK and international tunnelling sectors”. 33/14. More Information

TBM renaissance in Norway

TBM renaissance in Norway

A Robbins 7.2 m-diameter main beam TBM is at work on the Rossaga hydro project in Norway, the first Norwegian tunnel to be mechanically bored in 22 years. Watch the six-minute video and visit ... More Information

Terratec double in Delhi

Terratec double in Delhi

The first two of a scheduled 18 breakthroughs of Terratec TBMs have been accomplished on the CC-07 and CC-24 projects at New Delhi Metro Phase-III. Read the press release and visit ... More Information

Putzmeister at Expomina, Peru

Expomina 2014 takes place in Lima, Peru on 10-12th September. Putzmeister will be there on Stand E01 showing its 5 cu m capacity Mixkret 5 mixer/carrier designed for underground applications. Read ... More Information

City Rail Link update

City Rail Link update

New Zealand’s City Rail Link (CRL) will be built in two 3.4 km-long, twin tunnels up to 42 m below the city centre of Auckland. It will extend the existing rail line underground through ... More Information

Palermo railway ring

Palermo railway ring

On 23.07.2014 Tecnis SpA (Catania) began work on Lot 1 of the railway ring in Palermo. Value of the project is EUR152 million, with EUR28 million coming from EU funds. The Giachery-Politeama section ... More Information

Palermo-Messina progress

On 17.07.2014 breakout was achieved at the Palermo end of the 4,127 m-long Monte Poggio Maria tunnel, part of the dualling of the 19.7 km Fiumetorto-Cefalu Ogliastrillo section on the ... More Information

Power your business with tunnelbuilder

As the good times start to roll again in the US and Europe, tunnelbuilder readership is growing rapidly, currently averaging 71,493 visits/month for 2014. Our weekly newsletter garners 10,666 ... More Information

Atkins to lead Doha metro

UK-based design, engineering and consulting firm WS Atkins has been awarded the EUR100 million contract as lead designer for Doha metro Gold Line in Qatar. Visit ... More Information

Top award for Lok Home of Robbins

Once a year, the Underground Construction Association honours a person who has made major contributions to the tunnelling industry throughout their career. Lok Home is the exceptionally deserving ... More Information

Merano northwest bypass

Merano northwest bypass

On 22.07.2014 Bozen Province in Italy approved the definitive alignment of Merano northwest bypass – Lot 2. Tender is expected in 2016, start of work in 2017. Lot 2 will be mainly underground ... More Information

Rishikesh-Karanprayag railway

RNVL is implementing the 125.09 km-long rail project in the Garhwal region in Uttarakhand with a preliminary cost of EUR530 million. The rail project passes through Dehradun, Tehri, Pauri and ... More Information

Breakthrough at the Kargi HEPP

A Robbins double shield TBM broke through on 05.07.2014 in Turkey at the Kargi HEPP. The machine made it through fault zones and squeezing ground, ultimately excavating over 700 m/month. Click ... More Information

First Northgate Link TBM launches

The first of two TBMs that will dig new twin light rail tunnels from the Northgate neighbourhood in Seattle to the University of Washington began mining on 09.07.2014.  The TBM will mine ... More Information

Basel east ring road, new variant

Basel east ring road, new variant

The Federal Roads Office has drawn up, and discussed with the cantons, a new variant involving the construction of a tunnel under the Rhine between Birsfelden and the North Ring Road branch Wiese to ... More Information

WTC2015 – Deadline Abstracts

WTC 2015 will take place on May 22-28, 2015 at Lacroma Valamar Congress Center, Dubrovnik, Croatia. Deadline for abstract submission: July 31, 2014. Visit http://wtc15.com/forms/call-for-papers. ... More Information

Terratec micro impresses

Terratec micro impresses

A Terratec MTBM working in Bangkok, Thailand has completed a 380 m-long drive of 1.8 m-ID pipejacked tunnel in just 23 days. Key to this successful operation was the high performance of the ... More Information

Australasian conference papers

The 15th Australasian Tunnelling Conference entitled “Underground Space – Solutions for the Future” takes place in Sydney on 17-19th September, 2014. Click here for online ... More Information

New products from Condat

New products from Condat

French manufacturer Condat supplies a complete range of self-extinguishing lubricants to the tunnelling industry that includes Tail Seal Greases, Main Bearing Lubrication & Protection ... More Information

Fairbank-Silverthorn Prequalification

Fairbank-Silverthorn Prequalification

City of Toronto, Canada has posted information for potential prequalifiers for the upcoming design-build Fairbank-Silverthorn Trunk Storm Sewer System project for which an RFP is expected to be ... More Information

DTL2 metro tunnels completed

On 11.06.2014 McConnell Dowell completed excavation on the 1,395 m-long twin metro tunnel from King Albert Park (KAP) to Sixth Avenue (SAV) station for DTL2 in Singapore (contract C917A). The TBM ... More Information

Thomson Line underway

Thomson Line underway

On 27.06.2014 construction of the 30 km-long Thomson Line (TSL) got underway. The new underground rail line, which will connect the northern part of Singapore to the Central Business District (CBD) ... More Information

ExpoTunnel 2014

ExpoTunnel 2014

The second edition of ExpoTunnel will take place in Bologna-Italy on October 23-25, 2014 at BolognaFiere Hall 19. The deadline for early booking of stands at favourable rates is end-June. Visit ... More Information

North West Rail Link update

North West Rail Link update

The NSW Government has announced that the Northwest Rapid Transit consortium has been selected as the preferred operator to deliver the project’s operations contract. Click au/11. The first of ... More Information

SR 99 TBM repairs

On 16.06.2014 Seattle Tunnel Partners, the Washington State Department of Transportation’s design-build contractor for the SR 99 Tunnel Project illustrated a new repair work plan for TBM ... More Information

Finale for Twin Robbins EPBs

The second Robbins EPB broke through on 11.06.2014, marking the completion of twin tunnels at San Francisco’s Central Subway in California, USA. The first of the two machines holed through a ... More Information

New projects for CBE

CBE Group has signed new contracts for a total of 256 moulds for tunnelling projects around the world. Read the press release and visit www.cbe-tunnels.com. 26/14. More Information

Kiepe sponsors tunnelbuilder.it

Kiepe sponsors tunnelbuilder.it

Kiepe Electric provides solutions for fire protection in road, rail and subway tunnels as well as in industrial and marine sectors. 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