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NYMTA Awards $1.97 Billion Contract for Second Avenue Subway Phase 2 Tunnelling Works

The New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority (NYMTA) has awarded a $1.972 billion contract to Connect Plus Partners—a joint venture of Halmar International and FCC Construction—to ... More Information

TERRATEC TBM commences excavation on Bangkok MRT Purple Line

TERRATEC TBM commences excavation on Bangkok MRT Purple Line

TERRATEC is pleased to announce that its Earth Pressure Balance Tunnel Boring Machine (EPBM), TERRATEC S114, has commenced excavation on Contract 3 of the MRT Purple Line (Tao Poon – Rat ... More Information

Heathrow’s Expansion Hinges on M25 Tunnel Engineering

The expansion of Heathrow Airport has once again brought the spotlight onto one of the most complex tunnelling proposals ever considered in the UK: the realignment of the M25 motorway through a ... More Information

Breakthrough for the Lower Olentangy Tunnel Project in USA

Breakthrough for the Lower Olentangy Tunnel Project in USA

The Herrenknecht TBM EPB named “The Mighty Quinn” arrived at its destination in early August after boring a total of 5.64km under the city of Columbus, Ohio, USA. For the Lower Olentangy ... More Information

The fourth Snowy 2.0 TBM shipped to Snowy Mountains

Snowy Hydro is now preparing for the arrival of its fourth TBM to join Snowy 2.0 – Australia’s largest renewable energy project.  The new TBM - 178-m length and 11.86 m diameter - ... More Information

Canada - Breaking ground on second Ontario Line tunnel launch shaft

Canada - Breaking ground on second Ontario Line tunnel launch shaft

Metrolinx is creating a second tunnel launch shaft near Gerrard Street and Carlaw Avenue which is now under construction. This will serve as the starting point for the second underground section of ... More Information

Veidekke Secures Final Tunnel Contract for Gothenburg’s West Link Project

Scandinavian construction powerhouse Veidekke ASA has officially been awarded the contract section of Gothenburg's ambitious West Link (Västlänken) rail project. Project Overview Scope: ... More Information

Central Romania: Cluj-Napoca Metro Project Moves into Underground Construction Phase

Work on Romania’s second metro network, in Cluj-Napoca, has entered a key new stage with the start of excavation for the tunnel boring machine (TBM) launch shaft.  Turkish general ... More Information

Underground Engineering in the Spotlight 1-3 October, Belgrade, Serbia

Serbian Association for Tunnels and Underground Structures in collaboration with the International Tunnelling and Underground Space Association will  host the Southeastern ... More Information

North End Connectors Awarded C$1.4B Contract for Yonge North Subway Extension Tunnelling

On August 6, 2025, Infrastructure Ontario (IO) and Metrolinx awarded North End Connectors a fixed-price C$1.4 billion contract to design, build, and finance the advance tunnelling phase of the Yonge ... More Information

Canyon Tunnel Project: A New Lifeline in the Central Valley

Overview & Purpose - The Canyon Tunnel Project is a major $84 million regional water infrastructure initiative carried out by the South San Joaquin Irrigation District (SSJID) in partnership ... More Information

Vietnam - Breakthrough of TBM Than Toc for Hanoi's Pilot Light Metro Line

Vietnam - Breakthrough of TBM Than Toc for Hanoi's Pilot Light Metro Line

On July 28, 2025 at 10h20 a.m.,  TBM n.1 named Than Toc (Lightning speed) - designed and manufactured by Herrenknecht, over 100 m length and 850 t weight -  successfully completed its ... More Information

Australia - New Sydney Metro West Updates

Australia - New Sydney Metro West Updates

TBMs Dorothy and Betty power into Parramatta Tunnelling for the Sydney Metro West project is nearly 90% complete, with the arrival of two TBMs at Parramatta’s metro station site. This marks a ... More Information

France – Breakthrough of the Marguerite de Catellan TBM at the Cote Pavee station on Toulouse Line C!

France – Breakthrough of the Marguerite de Catellan TBM at the Cote Pavee station on Toulouse Line C!

On Thursday 24 July, the TBM Marguerite de Catellan broke through at the future Côte Pavée station, Lot 4 of Toulouse Line C: click here for the video. The TBM - launched in ... More Information

HS2 lifts third giant TBM in London after 5.47 km (3.4-mile) underground journey

On Saturday 26th July, the team working on the HS2 project lifted the TBM Emily's 9.11m diameter cutterhead, front and middle shield, weighing 880 t, using a large gantry crane, at the Green Park ... More Information

Production of segments completed in Ahrental for the Austrian H41 construction site of the Brenner Base Tunnel

Production of segments completed in Ahrental for the Austrian H41 construction site of the Brenner Base Tunnel

On Saturday 19 July, production of the precast concrete segments used by the TBMs for the final lining of the line tunnels were completed at the Ahrental plant located  near the Austrian H41 ... More Information

Delhi Metro Rail Project update

The Delhi Metro Rail Project marked another significant milestone as Afcons Infrastructure’s Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) Disha (1264B) achieved a breakthrough at the Tughlakabad Railway Colony ... More Information

Ontario Line - Name the first two TBMs

Be part of transit history! Here’s your chance to make your mark on Toronto’s newest subway line. The first two TBMs have arrived in Canada. They will dig the tunnels in the southern ... More Information

ITA Awards 2025 Finalists Announced

After rigorous adjudication by the Panel of Judges, the Finalists of the 2025 series of the ITA Tunnelling Awards has been announced. From a short list of 51 entries from 27 ... More Information

TBM replaced by traditional method on a 500 m section on the south side of Second Gotthard tunnel

In February 2025, excavation work began on the construction of the second tube of the Gotthard motorway tunnel. While the TBM on the north side is progressing steadily, on 23 June 2025 it was ... More Information

Italy - Gran Sasso Tunnel: measures to accelerate upgrading activities

The green light has been given for work on the Gran Sasso Tunnel to begin. They had needed to comply with current technical regulations on the tunnels safety in the trans-European road network ... More Information

Construction Begins on Cross Island Line Phase 2

The Land Transport Authority (LTA) has commenced civil construction works for Phase 2 of the Cross Island Line (CRL). Acting Minister for Transport Jeffrey Siow officiated the ground-breaking ... More Information

First Scheldetunnel Element Successfully Immersed in Antwerp

DEME Group has announced a major milestone in the construction of the Scheldetunnel, part of the Oosterweel Link in Antwerp. The first of eight prefabricated tunnel elements has now been ... More Information

Underground Breakthrough for €114M Athlone Drainage Project

The €114 million Athlone Main Drainage Scheme has recorded a successful breakthrough on its second underwater tunnel beneath the River Shannon—marking a significant milestone in the ... More Information

Torrens to Darlington Project Update

ADELAIDE, SA — July 2025: The Torrens to Darlington (T2D) Project continues to gain momentum, with June marking a month of significant progress across several key construction sites. As South ... More Information

Bhopal Metro Rail Project

The Bhopal Metro Rail Project has marked a significant milestone with the successful completion of the Factory Acceptance Test (FAT) for its first tunnel boring machine (TBM), designated TBM 427. ... More Information

Europe’s Largest Road Tunnel: The Lower Thames Crossing

Preparatory work for the Lower Thames Crossing—the future title-holder of Europe’s largest road tunnel—is slated to begin in late 2025 Project Overview Tunnel length: 2.6 ... More Information

Rome metro line C - Executive design of section T2 gets underway

With Ordinance N. 10 from the 27 June 2025, the Special Commissioner approved the final design for the 4km section T2 of Line C, involving the construction of four new stations (Chiesa Nuova, San ... More Information

Last Chance Grade Project - California

Caltrans District 1 announced a USD 40 million allocation toward the design phase of the Last Chance Grade Project along U.S. Highway 101 south of Crescent City in Del Norte County. This funding ... More Information

HS2 completes excavation of the Norton tunnel under London

HS2 completes excavation of the Norton tunnel under London

Excavation of the  twin-bore Northolt tunnel between West Ruislip at the outer edge of the capital and the new Old Oak Common super-hub station in west London has been completed. On 26th June ... More Information

ITEC 2025 - Highlighting Advanced Trenchless Technologies for Saudi Arabia’s Infrastructure Transformation

The International Trenchless Exhibition & Conference (ITEC) 2025 officially commenced on 23 june at the Jeddah Hilton. More Information

TBMs resume digging North East Link tunnels in Australia

Gillian and Zelda, the two massive TBMs building Victoria’s longest road tunnels are back in action, relaunching from Lower Plenty Road to continue their journey towards Bulleen as part of the ... More Information

Swiss Tunnel Day 2025

Starting in 2024, the Swiss Tunnel Congress (STC)—Switzerland’s premier event for underground construction—will be held exclusively in even-numbered years. To maintain momentum in ... More Information

Turin/Lyon - Open days on the construction site to discover the TBM Viviana

Less than a year after the previous open day organised at the entrance to the base tunnel on the French side, TELT once again welcomed the public on the 14 and 15 June 2025, this time at the ... More Information

Government Injects £590 Million into Lower Thames Crossing

A Crucial Boost to Britain’s Largest Road Tunnel Project -  On 16 June 2025, Chancellor Rachel Reeves confirmed an additional £590 million funding boost for the Lower Thames ... More Information

WTC2026 Call for abstracts - Extended Deadline!

The WTC2026 planning committee would like to inform you that the deadline for the abstract submissions has been extended for a final time to June 30, 2025. The Congress will take place from 15 to 21 ... More Information

Tunnelling News

Rome digs deep for railway that burrows beneath the Colosseum

Tunnellers used lasers to check whether ancient columns at the nearby Forum were not wobbling as their 300ft long tunnel boring machine churned ... More Information

World’s largest-diameter high-speed railway shield tunneling machine reaches milestone

The world's largest-diameter high-speed railway shield tunneling machine independently developed by China, “Linghang,” for the Chongming-Taizhou ... More Information

Third circuit on £1bn London Power Tunnels 2 project energised

Electricity has begun flowing through a new section of National Grid's London Power Tunnels 2 (LPT2) project after the energisation of a ... More Information

Westmead metro station cavern formwork the biggest in the southern hemisphere

Crews are now retrieving the 1,200-tonne Tunnel Boring Machines (TBMs) that arrived beneath Westmead in September and October, lifting each machine ... More Information

Webuild: excavation begins on three tunnels for Salerno-Reggio Calabria HS/HC Railway

All four TBMs planned for Lot 1A Battipaglia–Romagnano section are operational with launch of latest three Joining TBM Partenope, already active, are Leucosia and Ligea, whose names were ... More Information

SELI Overseas: 75 Years of Tunneling with TBMs

From Channel Tunnel to the Brenner Tunnel: When Tunneling Is Synonymous with Innovation ... SELI TBM at work on the construction site... More Information

Road realignment is major step for HS2, says firm

HS2 Ltd A view of the realigned B4525 on an overcast day. · HS2 Ltd An aerial view of the construction of Greatworth tunnel showing major earthworks ... More Information

Amtrak has made real progress in East River Tunnel rehabilitation

The tunnel has been stripped down to the concrete liner. Westbrook was told the project isn't just about modernizing and replacing what was, but also ... More Information

Madrid invests EUR 123 million in new metro stations on Line 11

TBM Mayrit enters into action in 2026 · November 2025 – February 2026: assembly of the tunnel boring machine in Comillas Park (Carabanchel district) ... Facebook Twitter Flag as ... More Information

Jerusalem Light Rail Construction Advances Ahead of Major Tunnel Work

Local reporting on city project materials notes that “the plan calls for a 2-km underground tunnel to be built beneath the city center, including ... More Information

Why and how the Civil Works Alliance changed Sizewell C tunnel designs from Hinkley Point C

Ground conditions around Sizewell C have required intense collaboration between the project’s contractors alliance to come up with new outfall and intake tunnel design solutions... More Information

AI planning of the first railway tunnel through challenging terrain

AI plans first rail tunnel through tough terrain. Artificial Intelligence China Uses AI for the Construction of Railway Tunnels. 2025-12-08 ... More Information

Will Tunneling Projects Be The Next Big Thing For Mumbai's Public Transport?

During the interview, she also called tunnel boring machines the safest and one of the most efficient ways of doing tunelling. "Only the place of the ... More Information

Chipolbrok vessels deliver tunnel boring machines to Sydney and mineral bulk to Peru

Chipolbrok delivers TBMs for Sydney Metro on Chipolbrok Star and loads 29000t minerals in Peru on Taixing, showcasing fleet versatility... More Information

How Seequent's software solutions help to manage tunnelling data

The second phase of Singapore's Cross Island Line (CRL) metro project is under way, assisted by a suite of software from Seequent. Singapore's CRL is ... More Information

Muography to Transform Tunnel Safety Monitoring

Underwater bridge tunnels have become vital arteries for cities, enabling smooth vehicular passage beneath rivers, bays, and inland waterways. More than 200 of these structures operate ... More Information

10 longest tunnels in the world that reshaped global transportation

Modern tunnel construction involves sophisticated techniques, including tunnel boring machines and advanced geological surveying. The project ... More Information

Čučković: Construction of the tunnel boring machine for the Belgrade Metro in final phase

It is a good thing that we, for example, acquired these tunnel boring machines at a lower price than other countries... More Information

Serbia plans to borrow 2.5 billion EUR in 2026 for the construction of the Belgrade metro

It is also stated that two TBMs (tunnel boring machines), the so-called moles, have already been ordered and are expected to be delivered to ... More Information

VSM starts operation at Tilbury

The pioneering Vertical Shaft Sinking Machine (VSM) from Herrenknecht, named “Verena”, after Verena Holmes, a pioneering British mechanical ... More Information

Metrolinx reveals names of Ontario Line tunnel boring machines

Following a contest, Metrolinx has officially named its two massive tunnel boring machines Libby and Corkie... More Information

Montreal blue line metro tunnel boring machine has arrived, time to dig

It's basically building the backbone of the blue line extension,” said project chief Maha Clour, pointing out that crews have reached the bottom of ... More Information

Norway Unveils The World's Longest Road Tunnel In A Majestic Engineering Marvel

The construction cost broke down to about 38,000 NOK (roughly £3,500) per meter, an impressive figure considering the complexity and scale of the ... More Information

Sydney Metro West construction captured on video ahead of 2032 opening

Two giant tunnel boring machines have made their way through the deepest section of Darling Harbour as part of works on the new Metro West. More Information

Bengaluru's ₹18,000-crore tunnel road project inches closer as four major firms submit bids

Four firms bid for Bengaluru's ₹18000 crore tunnel project linking Hebbal to Silk Board, expected to ease city traffic by 2029 under a 34-year ... More Information

Webuild advances Rocchetta Tunnel excavation

Upcoming construction milestones. Webuild is preparing for the next major phase on the Apice–Hirpinia section: the launch of the reinforced concrete ... More Information

MMRDA plans 70-km underground tunnel road network across Mumbai

The project, being prepared in phases, will enhance multi-level connectivity and ease commuting. By KAILASH BABAR · Google preferences in ET Follow us ... More Information

Kathmandu-Tarai Expressway achieves 43.3% progress

The total length of the seven tunnels under the project is 10.979 km. ... Construction progress for the Chandram Bhir tunnel. (2,250 metres) has ... More Information

MMRDA plans 70-km underground tunnel road network across Mumbai

The project, being prepared in phases, will enhance multi-level connectivity and ease commuting. By KAILASH BABAR · Google preferences in ET Follow us ... More Information

Hong Kong: Robotics And AI Enhance Tunnel Construction

It is leveraging artificial intelligence (AI), robotics and automation to advance the Trunk Road T2 and Cha Kwo Ling Tunnel project. These ... More Information

Single-Bore Tunnel Method Chosen for BART Silicon Valley Phase II

This decision allows VTA to advance project design towards 60%, stay on a critical path to tunnel construction and meet the projected revenue service ... More Information

Boring Co. begins 'controlled blasting' for Nashville tunnel at TN capitol

The Boring Co. has started excavation work at a state-owned parking lot on Rose Parks Boulevard for the Music City Loop project Wednesday, Aug. 13, ... More Information

TBM arrives in Montreal for delayed metro extension project

A custom-built tunnel boring machine (TBM) has arrived in Canada for use on a 6km extension of the Montreal Metro... More Information

Spain Confirms Feasibility of €8.5 Billion Morocco-Europe Tunnel

The study was conducted by German company Herrenknecht, the world leader in tunnel boring machines, at the request of the Spanish government's ... More Information

TxDOT spends $748M to burrow bus-size tunnels under Central Austin

The first tunnel boring machine will be deployed near ... Industry experts say tunnel boring machines typically advance about 50 feet per day. More Information

6 TBMs on Duty on the 27-Kilometer Line in Körfezray

Two of the six Tunnel Boring Machines (TBMs) that will serve in the first 27-kilometer phase are actively excavating tunnels, while the ... More Information

Construction on HS2's Euston tunnel will start 'fairly soon', says rail minister

Construction on the HS2 tunnel from Old Oak Common station to Euston station will start “fairly soon”, the rail minister has said... More Information

Blue Line Extension TBM Arrives at Port of Montreal

Railway Track and Structures Construction site of the future Vertières station (Pie-IX) in June 2025. Caption and photo courtesy of STM. MONTREAL - The tunnel boring machine (TBM) ... More Information

Tunnel break through milestone for Mt Messenger Bypass project

A 110 tonne excavating machine, called Hinetūparimaunga, has broken through at the northern end of the project's 235 metre-long tunnel ... More Information