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Viatec and Brenner Congress 2012

The three-day Viatec fair takes place in Innsbruck starting 15.02.2012. More Information

Trans-Andean multimodal tunnel proposed

Trans-Andean multimodal tunnel proposed

The authorities in Lima, Peru are funding EUR1.4 million for feasibility studies for a 31 km-long multimodal road/rail tunnel on the route between Huancayo and Lima, reducing journey times from seven to four hours. More Information

Austunnel partners with Globalchimica

Austunnel have partnered with EPC Consulting www.epc-consulting.it and Globalchimica to provide sales and support for the Globalchimica range of tunnelling and mining products within Australia and the surrounding region. Globalchimica manufactures More Information

New agreement for Lyon-Turin line

On 30.01.2012 France and Italy signed a new intergovernmental agreement for the construction of the Lyon-Turin railway line for submission to the parliaments of both countries for ratification. More Information

Independent certification for Aker Wirth

Aker Wirth, a leading supplier to the tunnelling industry for more than a century, was recently audited by the accredited certification body DNV. More Information

Tunnel Technology 2012 for Shanghai

The third Tunnel Technology Summit will be held 28th-30th May, 2012 in Shanghai, China organized by Shine Media and Shanghai Transportation Trade Association. The theme is new technology, equipment and construction methods for propelling tunnel design, construction and operation. More Information

Final breakthrough for Sorbas tunnel

On 18.01.2012, excavation of the second tube of the 7.5 km-long Sorbas tunnel on the Sorbas-Barranco de los Gafarillos section on the Almeria-Murcia Region high-speed railway was completed. More Information

CEVA rail link under construction

CEVA rail link under construction

Work on the 16 km-long Cornavin-Eaux-Vives-Annemasse (CEVA) rail link commenced on 15.11.2011 to provide a 20 minute connection between Cornavin station (Geneva) and Annemasse municipality in France with five new stations at Lancy-Pont-Rouge, Carouge-Bachet, Champel-Hopital, Geneve-Eaux-Vives and Chene-Bourg More Information

Wayss & Freytag awarded Emscher sewer tunnel

W & F, a subsidiary of Royal Bam group, has been awarded the EUR420 million construction contract for a 35 km-long wastewater tunnel between Dortmund and Bottrup in Germany. More Information

Conceptual design for Feltre tunnel

On 18.01.2012 Anas Veneto presented the conceptual design to complete the SS50 Feltre bypass, which includes construction of a 3.5 km-long bi-directional tunnel under the Telva mountain. More Information

Xiushan rail tunnel completed

Xiushan rail tunnel completed

The 10,303 m-long Xiushan railway tunnel on the 141 km-long Yuxi-Mengzi line of the Pan-Asia Railway eastern line was completed on 10.01.2012, after six years’ work. More Information

Toven tunnel holing imminent

Construction of 13.5 km of dual carriageway from Brattlia in Drevja to Leirosen in the county of Nordland, Norway is underway as part of the new Fv 78 link between the E6 motorway in the east and Rv 17 county road in the west. More Information

Jacobs Engineering awarded I90 contract

Jacobs Engineering Group has been awarded a contract by Washington State Department of Transport WSDOT to provide design services for fire and life safety systems improvement in the Interstate 90 Mount Baker and Mercer Island tunnels. More Information

Cairo metro breakthroughs

Despite a year of political upheaval in Egypt, on 10.01.2012 the 9.46 m-diameter NFM TBM on Line 3, Phase 2 of Cairo metro project broke through into Stadium station after a 1,579 m drive during which best production figures were 24 m/day and 109.5 m/week. More Information

Robbins opens office in Chile

The world presence of Robbins Company has increased with the opening of their 14th office, in Santiago, Chile. More Information

Tender 053/2001 – First Stage - PQ for the Design Build of TBM tunnels contract for Tel Aviv metropolis RED and GREEN LINES

NTA Metropolitan Mass Transit System Ltd is an Israeli government owned company in charge of the design and construction of the mass transit system in Tel Aviv metropolitan area, Israel. More Information

Lai Chi Kok drainage tunnel breakthrough

Construction of Hong Kong’s Lai Chi Kok drainage tunnel has entered its final stage following main tunnel breakthrough in December. The EUR1.3 billion project involves construction 3.7 km of 4.9 m-diameter tunnels to intercept and transfer stormwater from the uphill areas of Lai Chi Kok More Information

CIFA announces new shotcrete machine

CIFA will be unveiling its new CST 8.20 compact shotcrete jumbo at Intermat in Paris on April 16-21. The CST 8.20 joins the established CIFA shotcreting line-up alongside the CSS-3 Step 3, the CSS-3 Crawler, and the PCS 209. The CST 8.20 is designed for tunnels up to 10 m in height and for mining applications. More Information

Sandvik jumbos on five-lane tunnel in Brazil

Sandvik jumbos on five-lane tunnel in Brazil

Four Sandvik drill jumbos are engaged in developing the widest tunnel in Latin America to house four conveyor runs and a service road. More Information

HS2 railway London-Birmingham approved

The second high speed railway line to be built in the UK will run 225 km from London Euston to Birmingham New Street. The first section out of Euston will require a 4.4 km tunnel at Ruislip, and a second new 2.25 km-long tunnel will be driven beneath the Chiltern hills at Amersham. More Information

Odebrecht and Robbins triumph at Olmos

Odebrecht and Robbins triumph at Olmos

The Olmos aqueduct in the high Andes will transfer water from the Atlantic basin to the Pacific basin to irrigate one of the driest regions of Peru. Breakthrough of the final 12.5 km-long section was achieved by a 5.3 m-diameter Robbins main beam TBM on 20.12.2011 after an epic drive through bursting rock using novel support and operating techniques. More Information

Big Chinese TBM for Yangtze crossing

The first independently developed compound slurry TBM has been presented by China Communications Construction Company Tianhe. More Information

Turin Hosts INTERtunnel 2012

INTERtunnel 2012 will be held in Turin 27-29th March, 2012 at Lingotto Fiere exhibition centre along with the rail EXPO Ferroviaria. INTERtunnel is an established platform for the international tunnelling industry to showcase new products and technologies. More Information

Spain – Updates from Line 9 at Barcelona

The EPB/hard rock mixed-mode 11.95 m-diameter tunnelling machine known as Besi, supplied by NFM for the excavation of metro line 9 in Barcelona, has reached Lesseps station. More Information

Crossrail tunnelling to commence from Royal Oak

The first of eight TBMs for London’s Crossrail project is a 140 m-long, 1,000 t machine manufactured by Herrenknecht, which is currently undergoing factory testing prior to being shipped and reassembled at Westbourne Park. More Information

Happy holidays to all our readers!

The management and staff at tunnelbuilder ltd send greetings and good wishes to all our readers around the world at this festive time. It has been a tough year for some of our supporters, but a good year for the tunnelling industry, with over 500 valuable bids advertised on our front page. So eat, drink and be merry! And be thankful that our industry is proving resilient enough to survive the ongoing financial trauma facing everybody else…..51/11. More Information

Chile cross-border priorities

According to the new ten-year plan agreed by Union de Naciones Suramericanas, 31 major projects are to be undertaken in South America. Chile’s priorities have not changed, and remain: the ... More Information

Letter of intent signed for Karawanken dualling

Slovenia and the Austrian province of Carinthia signed a letter of intent on 09.12.2011 to build a second tube for the 7,864m-long Karawanken road tunnel. More Information

Robbins EPBs bore Final Meters in Zhengzhou

Robbins EPBs bore Final Meters in Zhengzhou

Zhengzhou, China is one step closer to becoming a national crossroads for rail traffic with the breakthrough of two EPBs. The 6.3 m (20.7 ft) Robbins TBMs have set a Chinese EPB record in the process, excavating up to 720 m (2,362 ft) in one month. The swift machines boring the Metro Line 1 holed through in October and November 2011—at least two weeks ahead of schedule. More Information

Atlas Copco to acquire GIA.

Stockholm, Sweden, December 16, 2011: Atlas Copco AB has agreed to acquire the underground business of GIA Industri AB from Vätterledens Verkstad AB. With the acquisition, Atlas Copco broadens its offering with products including electric mine trucks, utility vehicles and ventilation systems. More Information

Listec line type heat detector

Listec GmbH of Isen, near Muenchen in Germany is supplying its line type heat detector to two major European projects: Line C of Rome metro, and Frejus road tunnel. More Information

Crossrail unveils its first tunnelling boring machine

Crosssrail has unveiled the first of eight, 1,000 tonne tunnel boring machines that will construct the its tunnels under central London More Information

Emcor SA seeks agents to promote their products.

Emcor SA, a Spanish company that manufactures and supplies materials for the tunnelling and mining industry, is looking for agents and/or companies to introduce and sell these products in Austria, Germany, France, Finland and Russia. More Information

New Rotterdam river crossing approved

New Rotterdam river crossing approved

On 08.12.2011 Dutch transport minister Melanie Schultz van Haegen gave the green light to build the Blankenburg road tunnel, west of Rotterdam. More Information

Chile – Seli has completed the exploratory tunnel for Los Bronces mine

On November 17, 2011 just over two years after works began, the Seli TBM completed the excavation of an 8km exploratory tunnel for the Los Bronces mine. Los Bronces is one of the largest copper mines in the world, and is located near Cordigliera in the Andes. More Information

USA – The state of Virginia signs off road and tunnel contracts worth USD 3 Billion

A joint venture between Skanska Infrastructure Development and Macquarie Group worth US$2.1 Billion was approved by VDOT to build a new Midtown Tunnel and to rehabilitate the existing Midtown tunnel in Virginia. 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