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Blog by Steve Smading – The Robbins Company

Blog by Steve Smading – The Robbins Company

3 Ways to Bore More Efficiently in Extremely Hard Rock: Maximize your TBM Advance through Minimized Downtime When the rock seems unbreakable, stresses are multiplied: The cutters must be stronger, ... More Information

Russia - Moscow Underground updates

Russia - Moscow Underground updates

Extension of the Kommunarskaya Line On 20 August, at the meeting of the Urban Planning Commission, the project for the extension of the Kommunarskaya line of the Moscow metro to the city of Troitsk ... More Information

Tunnel under Monte Tondo in Bolzano, Italy

On the 21st of August a summit to establish the next steps for the construction of the 2.5km road tunnel under Monte Tondo was held. The interested parties were the Municipality, the Province of ... More Information

EnigmaCG’s 5th Annual Conference on Innovation in Tunnels: Construction, Maintenance, Safety & Fire Protection

EnigmaCG’s 5th Annual Conference on Innovation in Tunnels: Construction, Maintenance, Safety & Fire Protection

With over 55 live tenders for construction/development of new tunnels in just Spain, Switzerland, Italy and Belgium at the time of writing this, it is safe to say that tunnel construction/ ... More Information

Delaware Aqueduct Bypass Tunnel breakthrough

A Tunnel boring machine built by the Robbins company “holed through” Tuesday morning, breaking through shale bedrock in Dutchess County to complete its excavation on the $1 billion ... More Information

The ITA Tunnelling Awards Shortlist 2019

The ITA Tunnelling Awards Shortlist 2019

Press release - The 17-strong expert judging panel, chaired by the ITA President Jinxiu (Jenny) Yan, has concluded its deliberations and based on detailed evaluation, 32 entries have been chosen ... More Information

Short courses on tunnelling - Nepal

Short courses on tunnelling - Nepal

Dr. Manoj Verman, President of a new ISRM Commission on Hard Rock Excavation, will be the speaker for two short courses on tunnelling to be held at the Radisson Blu, Kathmandu, Nepal from the ... More Information

Brescia – Verona – Padova Railway

Brescia – Verona – Padova Railway

On July 3, 2019 the MIT (Ministero delle Infrastrutture e dei Trasporti) completed the evaluations for the new Brescia – Padova High Speed/High Capacity railway section and have now ... More Information

Second TERRATEC EPBM delivered for Argentina’s landmark Agua Sur water tunnel project

Second TERRATEC EPBM delivered for Argentina’s landmark Agua Sur water tunnel project

The second of two new 4.66m diameter TERRATEC Earth Pressure Balance TBMs to be delivered for a 13.5km potable water tunnel system, in Buenos Aires, Argentina.  At the end of July, ... More Information

STUVA 2019

STUVA 2019

The final sprint: Only 5 months to go to STUVA Expo 2019 - Register now! Reserve your trade fair stand for STUVA Expo 2019 now from the 26th to the 27th of November 2019. Take advantage ... More Information

The Broadway Subway project

The Broadway Subway project

The Broadway Subway project is an extension of the Millennium Line and a key link in Metro Vancouver’s transportation system. The 5.7-km line will extend the existing SkyTrain system ... More Information

TBM Launched for the RijnlandRoute

On July 24th , 2019 the official inauguration ceremony of the RijnlandRoute TBM took place (click here for a video). In early August the 100 m long TBM, built by Herrenknecht and named Gaia, after ... More Information

TBM Annie arrives at Greenwich

A giant tunnelling machine set to create part of London’s new super sewer arrived in London this week, with parts unloaded from a ship onto the Greenwich Peninsula. The machine will be used ... More Information

Obigarm - Nurobod Road Section in Tajikistan

Obigarm - Nurobod Road Section in Tajikistan

The Obigarm-Nurobod road section of the existing M41 - part of the Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation (CAREC) network (Corridors 2, 3 and 5) and connecting the northeast region of ... More Information

A Robbins TBM for Salvasskardelva HEPP in Norway

A Robbins TBM for Salvasskardelva HEPP in Norway

In early July, a 2.8 m Robbins Main Beam TBM began boring the 2.7 km long Salvasskardelva HEPP in Bardu, Norway. The TBM, specially designed for Norsk Grønnkraft's (NGK) ... More Information

Twenty years of FRC tunnel final lining: Lessons learnt, design proposal and new development

Twenty years of FRC tunnel final lining: Lessons learnt, design proposal and new development

B. De Rivaz Bekaert Maccaferri Underground Solutions, Erembodegem-Aalst, Belgium ABSTRACT: New guideline concerning the use of FRC precast segment has been recently published to provide detail ... More Information

Agenda Set for 12th Annual Breakthroughs in Tunneling Short Course

Course organizers have announced the agenda for the 12th annual Breakthroughs in Tunneling Short Course. The Breakthroughs in Tunneling Short Course will be held Sep. 9-11 at the University of ... More Information

Grand Paris Express update

Grand Paris Express update

On 19.07.2019 the teams of the Horizon Consortium (Bouygues Travaux Publics / Soletanche Bachy / BESSAC) - working on lot T2A of Line 15 South of the Grand Paris Express - left the construction ... More Information

Paris Line 11 extension

Paris Line 11 extension

The Paris Line 11 extension to Rosny-Bois-Perrier will be built with cut  & cover, conventional and TBM methods. The central part of the new alignment between the Serge Gainsbourg ... More Information

Press release for the 3rd ASEAN Rail Summit

Press release for the 3rd ASEAN Rail Summit

As the fastest growing region in the global economy, Southeast Asia emerging economies have attracted worldwide attention. It is estimated that by 2020, ASEAN is expected to become the ... More Information

Cooling the Tube

Retired Chartered Engineer CALVIN BARROWS proposes simple but innovative solutions to the age-old problem of overheating metro networks. Worldwide there are a significant number of Metro networks ... More Information

The Blue line extension in Montreal

On July 4th , 2019 Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, joined by Mayor Valerie Plante, the Quebec Junior Transport Minister and Minister Responsible for Montreal, Chantal Rouleau and ... More Information

Purple Line Extension in Los Angeles

Purple Line Extension in Los Angeles

New allocation from the FTA for section three of the Metro has received a new allocation of AUD100 million from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) for the third and final section of the ... More Information

Boring begins on the West Gate Tunnel

Boring begins on the West Gate Tunnel

The launch site - from where the 90 m long TBMs will dig south west to build the twin tunnels to connect the West Gate Freeway to the port, city and CityLink in Melbourne - has taken a year to ... More Information

Tallinn-Helsinki tunnel memorandum of understanding signed

Finest Bay Area Development has signed a memorandum of understanding with three Chinese companies, as part of plans to build the 100 km (60 mile) double undersea train tunnel from Tallinn in ... More Information

Melbourne Metro - Breakthrough at State Library Station

Melbourne Metro - Breakthrough at State Library Station

Three roadheaders have met 30 metres underground in the first major breakthrough, connecting two excavated caverns that will become State Library Station. The road headers have dug out more ... More Information

Bahrain Rail Congress 2019 – Press release

The Bahrain Rail Congress 2019 will be held under the theme “Designing & Developing a Well Connected, World Class, National Rail Network in the Kingdom of Bahrain” which is ... More Information

Excavation of the western section of the M4 completed

On  the 10th of July 2019 a second TBM arrived at Parco Solari station in Milan. Thus completing the excavation of the tunnels from San Cristoforo to Solari, part of the western section of ... More Information

Joint venture for tunnel project

Element Construction are looking for a tunnel construction company to be part of a joint venture on a tunnelling project. The tunnelling project is to build two parallel tunnels for a highway, ... More Information

West Gate tunnel update

Before tunnelling for the West Gate Tunnel Project begins in 2019, they need to divert a 600 metre section of the North Yarra Main Sewer. Diverting a sewer is a massive job that involves ... More Information

Thames Tideway Tunnel: Aerial Photos Reveal £4.2 Billion Project's Progress

London’s £4.2 billion super sewer is seen from the air as new pictures reveal deep shafts carved into the banks of the River Thames. The Thames Tideway tunnel snakes alongside the ... More Information

TBM Sandy arrives at Redcliffe

TBM Sandy arrives at Redcliffe

On Saturday, July 6th , the second 130m-long TBM arrived at Redcliffe Station for the Forrestfield Airport Link project. TBM Sandy broke through into Redcliffe Station, emerging from her most ... More Information

Ghella wins Cross River Rail Tunnel, Stations and Development Package

Ghella, as part of the Pulse consortium, which is led by CIMIC Group, has reached contractual and financial close with the State of Queensland to deliver the Tunnel, Stations and Development (TSD) ... More Information

Purple Line - TBMs Harriet and Ruth named and unveiled

Purple Line - TBMs Harriet and Ruth named and unveiled

Metro NET celebrated the ceremonial naming and unveiling of its second set of tunnel boring machines that will dig twin subway tunnels between Beverly Hills and Century City. Subway tunnelling is ... More Information

ISRBT2019

The International Seminar on Roads, Bridges and Tunnels, the ISRBT2019 will take place in Thessaloniki, 7-9 November. It will consist of three daily Sessions, 7th November: Roads, 8th November: ... More Information

TERRATEC TBM breaks through on Bangkok tight radius curve

TERRATEC TBM breaks through on Bangkok tight radius curve

TERRATEC’s tight radius TBMs are enabling a highly challenging project alignment for Bangkok’s Metropolitan Electricity Authority in one of the city’s busiest downtown areas. In ... More Information

Tunnelling News

New game-changing tunnel boring, reef cutting 'meeting and beating' all expectations

UG2 reef at Bokoni is the target of the twin mobile tunnel boring and narrow reef cutter. Tunnelling will be done with the mobile tunnel borer for ... More Information

Mota-Engil CEO confirms winning bid for Santos-Guaruja tunnel

The company's subsidiary, Mota-Engil, has won the tender for the construction and operation of Brazil's first underwater tunnel, connecting the ... More Information

Metro Vancouver Utility Nearing Finish of $288M Annacis Water Tunnel

“Resilience is at the heart of this project,” said Nedim Alca, COWI's North America market director. “What makes this milestone so significant is not ... More Information

Fehmarnbelt: Danish tunnel portal nears completion

The work on the entrance to the Fehmarnbelt tunnel at Rødbyhavn on Lolland is almost complete. photo courtesy of The Fehmarnbelt Project. More Information

Final decision on airport tunnel 'now or never'

Alderman Jim Stevenson and City administrators are making a dramatic last push for the airport tunnel before construction on the new north/south ... More Information

Athens Metro Line 4 works to finish by 2029

The construction of Athens Metro Line 4 is progressing steadily, with the entire project ... Tunnel mistakenly excavated in Athens metro project. More Information

First trains on track to run through Metro Tunnel within three months

Melbourne's $15.5 billion Metro Tunnel could be switched on in as little as three months as construction wraps up at two CBD stations and trains ... More Information

Petersburg crews to begin tunnel project in response to ongoing flooding, damage - WRIC

As ongoing water issues have caused significant damage to infrastructure around Petersburg, the Old Towne neighborhood ... More Information

Intelligent optimization framework for tunnel construction

Tunnel construction forms the foundation of railway development and is essential for ensuring route continuity and operational efficiency. However, ... More Information

São Paulo positions TBM for next phase of Line 2-Green

A major milestone was reached on Monday (1 September) with the lowering of the cutter head of the tunnel boring machine (TBM) Cora Coralina... More Information

The 700-ton machine that'll dig NYC's Second Avenue subway extension

NYC has a new tunnel boring machine in its toolbox for the expansion of the line under 2nd ave. If you've never seen some BIG earth moving machines, ... More Information

Light at the end of the tunnel showing for Mount Washington transit project

The project is expected to be completed in October. New tracks finally emerge from the Mount Washington Transit Tunnel as a part of Pittsburgh ... More Information

Davao City Bypass South Tunnel hits breakthrough towards improved connectivity

The Construction Project with the ceremonial breakthrough of the southbound tunnel, marking the complete excavation from opposite ends of the ... More Information

Which companies are bidding for the US$2.3bn highway and tunnel contracts in Brazil?

The project in Brazil, as it will be the country's first underwater tunnel,” the person added. The project involves construction of a 1.5km tunnel ... More Information

US Northeast Rail Corridor Gets a Major Makeover with Tunnel and Bridge Replacements

This project is designed to replace tunnels severely damaged by Superstorm Sandy, ensuring smoother and more reliable service for Amtrak, NJ Transit, ... More Information

DPWH, JICA celebrate breakthrough of Southbound Tunnel in Davao Bypass

The event marked the successful connection of the tunnel's north and south ends. The ... More Information

Jacobs joins Ramboll on Marselis road tunnel project in Denmark

Danish Road Directorate senior project manager Michael Schmidt Vosgerau said: “It is a complex task to build a tunnel on one of the busiest access ... More Information

Planning continues for Midway Tunnel, Safe Streets for All projects

The Midway Tunnel project is a $13.4 million plan ... construction of a new overpass bridge and pedestrian and bicycle walkway above the tunnel. More Information

Four million tons of clay moved in HS2 excavation

Construction on HS2's second-longest tunnel started in October 2022. The rotating cutters cut away clay and other material at a rate of about 50ft ... More Information

Jacobs Has Design-CM Role on $640M Denmark Tunnel, With Ramboll as Key Consultant

Set to begin construction in 2028, Marselis Tunnel project is core component of the country's 10-year Infrastructure Plan 2035. By Emell D. Adolphus. More Information

Elon Musk's $760,000,000 plan to build underground tunnels beneath Houston, Texas

Elon Musk's next big construction plan from The Boring Company could build $760000 worth of tunnels beneath Houston to help with flooding... More Information

Kerala Moves Closer To Vizhinjam–Balaramapuram Tunnel Rail Project

The Kerala government is preparing to invite bids next month for the tunnel rail project linking Vizhinjam International Seaport with ... More Information

Norway's Ship Tunnel Project Under Threat as Costs Rise

New cost estimates suggest the ambitious project will far exceed its approved budget, raising questions about whether it will ever be built. More Information

Davao City Bypass southbound tunnel nears breakthrough

The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) announced that the southbound tunnel of the Davao City Bypass Construction Project (DCBCP) is ... More Information

CA should pursue better alternatives to the costly Delta Tunnel Project Stocktonia

Governor Gavin Newsom is attempting to fast-track the construction of a massive, budget-busting water tunnel through the Delta to ship freshwater to ... More Information

Physical Origins of Shear Strength Fluctuations in Fault Gouges

Fault gouge is rock texture within fault zones that may include rock fragments (RF) and foliated structures. Previous studies have primarily focused on remould soils, the natural structure ... More Information

Webuild expands its role in high-speed rail projects

Four modern tunnel boring machines will be deployed to ensure precision and safety in complex geological conditions. Once completed, the old single- ... More Information

Hudson Tunnel Project advances as tunnel boring machines near completion

The Hudson Tunnel Project hit a key milestone as massive tunnel boring machines near completion, with delivery set for November. More Information

Nagdhunga tunnel in final stages of construction

If we look at the history of road construction and development in Nepal, there are various records of road construction starting from the Rana period. According to articles published in ... More Information

Boring of tunnel across Yellow River completed in China's Shandong

Constructed by using a "Shanhe" shield machine with a 17.5-meter excavation diameter, this double-deck, two-way, six-lane tunnel stands as the world's ... More Information

The £1.6bn plan for world's deepest underwater road tunnel leaving 'no room for error'

Opening of Rogfast tunnel under construction. The Rogfast tunnel will be the longest and deepest undersea road tunnel on Earth. (Image: SKANSA). A ... More Information

Tunnelling complete on NSW's Coffs Harbour bypass project

Tunnelling has been completed on the A$2.2bn (£1.1bn) Coffs Harbour bypass project in New South Wales, Australia, with the excavation of the third ... More Information

Veidekke acquires tunnel construction contract for Gothenburg's West Link Project

Veidekke has received a contract from the Swedish Transport Administration to build the Stora Hamnkanalen tunnel, a component of the West Link ... More Information

German Rail completes construction of Rastatt Tunnel

GERMAN Rail (DB) has completed civil works on the new 4270m twin-bore Rastatt Tunnel, a major component of the project to widen to four tracks the ... More Information

Final contracts signed for Eastern Freeway transformation

A huge amount of work is underway to build North East Link and upgrade the freeways – two tunnel boring machines are digging deep under Rosanna ... More Information

Progress on Sydney pipeline duplication

Bouygues Construction Australia and Rob Carr have launched a tunnel boring machine (TBM) on Sydney Water's Thornleigh pipeline duplication ... More Information

The latest plan to connect BART to downtown San Jose: One tunnel rather than two

When BART and Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority first discussed plans to send trains rolling under downtown San Jose, transit officials contemplated a design with two tunnels ... More Information

Nashville Tesla tunnel: Here's when construction could start on the Music City Loop

Elon Musk's The Boring Company is currently in the design phase of constructing a tunnel connecting downtown Nashville to the Nashville ... More Information

World's longest underwater 'mega tunnel' to cost $46 billion but will halve 21-hour drive

Oddvar Kaarmo, the Rogfast project manager, cited additional motivation for the tunnel's construction: "The port at Mortavika is quite exposed and ... More Information