No tunnelling activity being monitored at present. However, 2.7 km-long Salang tunnel was the site of the worst recorded road accident in a tunnel when two Russian military fuel tankers collided and exploded killing and maiming over 700 troops. Sept 1999.

  The new electrified dual-track railway from Oued Tlélat to the Moroccan border is 200 km long and includes 12 tunnels. Its route is divided in three sections: Oued Tlélat-Sidi Bel Abbès, Sidi Bel Abbès-Tlemcen and Tlemcen-Moroccan border. In June 2007, ANESRIF - the national agency for railway investments - awarded a DZD143.4 billion contract with a duration of 39 months to the Italian joint venture of Condotte (leader) and Rizzani de Eccher to construct the Oued Tlélat-Sidi Bel Abbès-Tlemcen section (130 km). A group of companies headed by TPF PLANEGE in partnership with Getinsa and Saeti was appointed in March 2008 to carry out the control and supervision of the studies, procurement and construction of this section. Their contract is worth DZD2.6 billion. Visit www.condotte.it, www.rizzanideeccher.com, www.planege.pt, www.getinsa.es, www.saeti-dz.com and www.anesrif.dzBetween chainage 95 and chainage 130 near Tlemcen, three tunnels will be constructed (570 m, 360 m and 650 m going from east to west), for a total length of 1,580 metres. The first and third tunnels will be bored in dolomitic limestone and Upper Jurassic dolomites. The rock mass appears to be little to averagely fractured and often weathered. The second tunnel crosses dolomites with intercalations of tectonic breccias and rauhwacke. The bedrock is fractured to very weathered. Altogether, there are seven typical cross-sections (B, C1, C2, C3, F, F* and G). According to the cross-section type, drilling and blasting will be used as well as hydraulic hammers and roadheaders. For ground reinforcement, different techniques will be employed, like Swellex Mn24 type bolts, forepoling, glass fibre nails, fibre-reinforced shotcrete, steel arches, welded mesh and netting. The top heading, benches and invert will be lined with reinforced or unreinforced concrete, with thicknesses ranging from 50 cm to 120 cm. 39/08.

  Restricted invitation to tender, deadline 10th June, 2001, for construction of four 2.5 m-diameter tunnels with total length of 12 km for Agence Nationale des Barrages, fax +213 212 99471. Published 10th May, 2001 at http://ted.eur-op.eu.int 22/01. €225 million loan approved by the European Investment Bank for the construction of a pipeline to supply drinking water to Greater Algiers and several towns in Kabylia. Project to link the Taksebt dam and Algiers. Involves construction of four tunnels with a total length of 12 km. Works between 2002 and 2006. Visit www.eib.org 48/01. Bids invited for work supervision of the Taksebt-Algiers water transfer including the Tizi Ouzou tunnel, length 3 km, the Draa Ben Khedda tunnel, length 1319 m, the Naciria tunnel, length 2621 m, and the Thénia tunnel, length 4820 m. Diameter 2.5 m for all. Bids also invited for technical consulting. Visit http://ted.eur-op.eu.int/ojs/en/frame.htm, OJ S 93-72813 and -72815 or contact Agence Nationale des Barrages, Algiers, fax +213 21299471. 21/02.Agence Nationale des Barrages (ANB) has shortlisted two consortia, one headed by Dragados and the second led by SNC-Lavalin, for the construction of the water transfer from the Taksebt dam to the cities of Tizi Ouzou, Boumerdès and Algiers. Dragados proposed 10 billion dinars, taxes and tariffs not included, and €272 million for construction. SNC-Lavalin offered 23 billion dinars with taxes included and €386 million for construction. The project requires two treatment stations, two pumping stations, ducts, 30 reservoirs approximately, and four tunnels totalling 12 km. Work to start in February 2003. Both consortia proposed 37 months to complete the job. European Investment Bank to finance €225 million and French Development Agency (AFD) €30 million. 49/02.SNC-Lavalin, Ondeo Degremont, Enac (Entreprise Nationale de Canalisation), GTP (Entreprise Nationale des Grands Travaux Petroliers) and Inerga (Entreprise Nationale de Realisation d'Infrastructures Energetiques) have been awarded a CAD750 million contract to design and build the 600,000 cu m/day water treatment plant and pumping station at Taksebt, about 100 km east of Algiers. The contract with the Agence Nationale des Barrages also includes the operation and maintenance of the facilities for a five-year period once construction is completed. SNC-Lavalin will design several water treatment plants, supply and install 90 km of ductile iron pipes, and construct four tunnels, each 2.5 m in diameter, totalling 11.7 km. The pipe and tunnel systems from the treatment plant will supply water to the provinces of Tizi Ouzou, Draa Ben-Khedda and Boudouaou, as well as Algiers. Design and construction work on the plant and pumping station will be completed in different stages, with full completion in the fall of 2007. Visit www.snclavalin.com 05/05.The two Lovat TBMs, Isabella and Susanna, are ready to drive the Tizi Ouzou aqueduct. At end-December, the first TBM had already arrived in Algeria. Its assembly was scheduled in January 2006 for tunnelling start at end-January 2006. The assembly of the second TBM is programmed from end-January 2006 and tunnelling will commence in mid-February 2006. The two shielded TBMs, 3.7 m in diameter, will excavate 11.35 km of tunnel for a drinking water line from Taksebt dam near Tizi Ouzou to Algiers. The first TBM will drive the 2,377 m Tizi Ouzou tunnel and the 2,600 m Naciria tunnel. The second TBM will excavate the 1,208 m Dra-Ben-Kedda tunnel and subsequently the 4,768 m Thenia tunnel. Click dz/13 and here. Visit www.lovat.com and www.cmcra.com 07/06.

Metro Authority is seeking bids for completion and commissioning of the initial phases of Line 1, the 9 km-long underground city centre section with ten stations and its link to the surface railway of SNTF at Hamma. December 1999.   Tenders expected 2002 for 10 km-long underground sector of $600 million, 12.5 km line 1 to run NW-SE. 5.2 km in NW will be single-tube, 64 sq m finished section, drill/blast in gneiss and schist; 4 km in SE will be excavator or roadheader in marl. All supported by steel arches and shotcrete. Designers Sofretu/RATP, construction managers SGTE, Setec, Simecso, and SMM. Visit www.setec.fr 23/01.   Extra $1 billion financing sought to complete the construction of Emir Abdelkader-El Hamma section of the first metro line, plagued by endless delay due to lack of financing, insufficient experience of local companies Geni Sider and Cosider, and land expropriation problems. Work, commenced in 1990, is only 60% complete. Study underway to update the project both economically and financially to serve as a base to develop the project under concession. To date, 4 km of tunnel and four stations remain to be built to reach Haí¯ El-Badr (Gué de Constantine). Visit www.cosider-groupe.com 18/02.   The eight bidders for the building of a 4.1 km tunnel section for the Algiers metro between El Hamma and Haí¯ El Badr are Nurol (Turkey); STFA (Turkey); Polat (Turkey); Lesi (Italy); Toto Costruzioni (Italy); Génie-Sider / Pizzarotti (Algeria/Italy); ETRHB / Razel / Bilfinger Berger (Algeria/France/Germany); and Cosider / Infrafer / Dywidag (Algeria/Germany). 15/03.   The three shorlisted bidders for construction of section El Hamma-Haí¯ El Badr, 4.1 km in tunnel and four stations, are Dywidag / Cosider TP / Infrafer (lowest bidder with 14.6 billion dinars); Razel / Bilfinger Berger / ETRHB (16 billion dinars); and Pizzarotti / Gesi TP (17 billion dinars). 19/03.  The Cosider / Infrafer / Dywidag JV has secured a contract worth 14.6 billion dinars to build El Hamma-Haí¯ El Badr section (4.1 km) on Line 1 but the Génie Sider / Pizzarotti JV is objecting to the award. Visit www.cosider-groupe.com, www.infrafer.com/text.htm and www.walter-bau.de 33/03.A consortium of Siemens Transportation Systems (lead company), VINCI Construction Grands Projets and Spain's CAF (rolling stock) has just signed a EUR380 million contract to equip the first metro line in Algiers. VINCI's share of the contract amounts to EUR121 million and covers development of ten stations (nine underground and one above ground), construction of a 16,000 sq metre technical building and technical works packages relating to smoke extraction, ventilation and escalators. The project is scheduled to take 35 months to complete. Civil engineering works of the 9 km line, which will link Tafourah to Haí¯ El Badr, will be completed in June 2006. Read E-News Weekly 21/2005. Visit www.vinci.com 05/06.Entreprise du Metro d'Alger (EMA), the Algiers metro company, has awarded the contract to provide assistance with the follow-up of design studies, installation and fitting-out of fixed equipment for all systems on Line 1 (phase 1) of the Algiers metro, including stations, rolling stock and workshops to a consortium of Systra and RATP Developpement.Phase 1 runs from Tafourah Grande Poste station to Hai El Badr, through 11 km of tunnel. The line has 10 stations. Main construction of both the tunnel and stations is nearing completion. It also includes the high voltage substation, the control centre and the partly completed Bachdjarah maintenance complex. The consortium is therefore responsible for follow-up, inspection and coordination of the construction of the whole transport system. Visit www.systra.com and www.ratp-developpement.fr 17/06.Groupe Algéro-Allemand du Métro d'Alger (GAAMA), a joint venture between Dywidag International of Germany (51%) and Algerian contractors Cosider (35%) and Infrafer (14%), submitted the lowest bid (EUR215 million) for the second phase of the Algiers metro, from Haí¯ El Badr to El Harrach. The other bidders are Razel of France (EUR224 million), a Portuguese joint venture (EUR233 million) and French giant VINCI (EUR244 million). The Haí¯ El Badr-El Harrach section includes a 2.8 km tunnel with four stations (Bachdjarah 1, Bachdjarah 2, El Harrach Gare and El Harrach Centre) and a 252 m viaduct. Read E-News Weekly 45/2006 & 25/2005. Visit www.dywidag-international.com, www.cosider-groupe.dz and www.infrafer.com 32/07.The international consortium Gaama (standing for Groupement algéro-allemand de métro d'Alger) formed by Dywidag of Germany and Algeria's Cosider TP, with Italian subcontractor Trevi, has won the international bid for the 2.8 km extension of Line 1 of the subway in Algiers. The contract for the civil engineering works relates to lot 1 and totals DZD23.2 billion (around EUR215 million, of which EUR46 million for Trevi). The project includes four stations (Bachdjarah 1, Bachdjarah 2, El Harrach-Centre and El Harrach-Gare) and a multimodal station to provide rail, metro, bus and taxi interactivity. Work is expected to commence in early 2008 and last 32 months until July 2010 after the contract signing scheduled within the next few months. The first 9.1 km section of Line 1 should be operative in September 2008. Read E-News Weekly 45/2006. Visit www.dywidag-international.com, www.cosider-groupe.dz and www.trevispa.com or www.trevifin.com 50-51/07.Dywidag International of Munich, as leader of an international consortium with Cosider of Algeria and Trevi of Italy, was awarded the contract for the civil works of the second extension of Line 1 in Algiers, from Hai El Badr to El Harrach in the eastern part of Algiers. The new contract covers the construction of a 2,712 m-long tunnel, four stations (Bachdjarah 1, Bachdjarah 2, El Harrach Gare, El Harrach Centre), a bridge over the motorway, a river crossing as well as several ventilation buildings. In a planned period of 32 months, construction works will be carried out in an area of four kilometres and will amount to approximately EUR252 million including taxes. The tunnel will be built using NATM while the four stations will be built in open cut. Visit www.dywidag.com, www.cosider-groupe.dz and www.trevispa.comDywidag International already carried out the civil works for the first extension of Line 1 from Hamma to Hai El Badr for approx. EUR188 million. These works started in April 2003 by a German-Algerian joint venture of Dywidag International (leader) and Cosider and Infrafer of Algiers, covering a 4.1 km-long tunnel, four stations and several ventilation buildings. For this section the NATM and open cut methods were applied too. The works ended in May 2007. Click dz/12. 22/08.

The civil works of the Dos Valires tunnel have been awarded to a JV of Trebisa, a local company, ACS Dragados and Obras Subterraneas for EUR71.5 million. This first phase comprises of three tunnels, 2,925 m in length. One dual-lane tunnel heads up to Encamp with its La Massana-bound twin running parallel. Between both will be the third bore, a service tunnel. Tunnelling will commence from the east portal (Encamp side), very near to the Feda building on road 2, and progress up to the exit of the Sant Antoni tunnel on road 3 in La Massana. Contract duration: 48 months for entry in service scheduled for 2009-2010. Construction will begin in the first quarter of 2005. Construction management contract awarded to a JV between Enginesa, Suport, Euroconsult and Eurogeotecnica for EUR2.2 million. The second phase, which is not part of the contract, will be for the electromechanical outfit of the tunnel. Subscribe to E-News Weekly 19/2004. Visit www.grupoacs.com and www.obrassubterraneas.es 53/04-01/05.

  TBM pilot drive for 1.2 km-long bi-directional NATM road tunnel completed at rates up to 2 m/h by Subterra for FCC using Wirth 4.5 m-diameter TB 390/420E owned by Murer in Devonian hornfels and shales with two granodiorite sections of UCS 125 Mpa and RMR 50-65. TBM will now mine parallel emergency exit tunnel. Full report in Tunel 2/2002. Visit www.subterra.cz and www.wirth-europe.com 28/02.

The Buenos Aires government plans to build the Maldonado Creek rainfall flood mitigation project. The creek currently flows into a rectangular conduit under Avenue Juan B. Justo. The project will alleviate flooding in Villa Crespo and Palermo. It will mainly consist of two flood relief tunnels, each featuring a 6.9 m outer diameter. The longest tunnel, 10 km long, will run under the avenue up to La Plata river. It will be connected to the current conduit in Cuenca and Honorio Pueyrredon. The second relief tunnel, 5 km long, will run under Godoy Cruz from Niceto Vega. It is also planned to build 40 km of secondary ducts to channel rain waters to the new tunnels. Both tunnels will be built using two EPB or mixshield TBMs. The project would require a USD130 million investment, financed by the World Bank. Tenders would be invited by year end and a contract award is expected for September 2005. Construction will take four years. More details on the TBM design directly from Ing. Ricardo Rebagliati, Subunidad de Proteccií³n contra Emergencias (SUPCE), Avenida Cí³rdoba 1261 Piso 2° (1055) Capital Federal. Tel./Fax +54 1148168074 / 8410 / 8411. E-mail ppi@supceba.com.ar 43/04.Prequalification, deadline 13th October, 2005 for construction of two tunnels to relieve Maldonado Creek main sewer and associated works. Innder diameter of 6.9 m for both tunnels, lengths of approx. 4,600 m and 9,900 m between shafts. Tunnelling in ruban area by closed face EPB shields or mixshields, in cohesive on non-cohesive soils, at varriable depths of 13 to 23 m. Associated works includes circular shafts, 14 m in diameter and about 20 m deep, and 15 m-diameter 30 m-deep discharge and pumping structures, two of which will be connected to the tunnels. Muck volume of 735,000 cu m. Visit www.buenosaires.gov.ar/areas/planhidraulico/?menu_id=10153 or contact Gobierno de la Ciudad autí³noma de Buenos Aires, UECBA-SUPCE, Avenida Cordoba 1261 2° Piso contrafrente, 1055 Buenos Aires. Tel. +54 114816 8410 / 8411 / 8074, fax +54 114816 8074, e-mail ppi@supceba.com.ar and nlietti@buenosaires.gov.ar 40/05.Ghella scooped a ARS454.2 million contract to build two flood relief tunnels from the main storm drainpipe of the Maldonado creek basin, with important associated works, as well as reinforcement works of the storm water secondary system of collectors, to avoid significant inconveniences generated by floods that are produced by storms. The Maldonado creek crosses Buenos Aires from southwest to northwest. The relief scheme consists of two 6.9 m-diameter tunnels and associated structures, i.e. three diversion and connection structures, which will transport the water from the main outfall to the two new relief tunnels; a discharge and pumping structure to enable the discharge to La Plata river through an outlet canal; and two ventilation chambers (one for each tunnel). The short tunnel (Tunnel 1) is 4,579 metres long and the long tunnel (Tunnel 2) is 9,864 metres, for a total of 14,443 metres. Construction will last four years and will multiply by five the level of protection against floods, in line with the level of protection of other major cities around the world. Click here to view a map of the alignment. Visit www.ghella.com 07/08.

Tenders for 14 km-long tunnel expected H2/2010 for award by bi-national committee in 2011 and completion in 4-5 years. Budget estimate EUR390 million. Key funding agreed with national development bank BNDES of Brazil. For project history visit tunnelbuilder archive ar/20. 37/10.

The governments of Argentina and Chile received 23 expressions of interest for the bi-tube 13.9 km-long Agua Negra trans-Andean road tunnel project. The companies are from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, China, Italy, Korea and other countries. The tunnel will link Argentina's San Juan province with Chile's Coquimbo region (region IV). The bilateral body Ebitan will produce a list of pre-qualifiers over the coming weeks for a tender process set to begin next year. Click here for more info on the project and ar/20 and cl/24 for tunnelbuilder archive. Visit

http://www.ebitan.org/ebitan/descargas/resultadoActoApertura.pdf. 45/13.

Transport for NSW (TfNSW) is inviting, deadline 16/07/2021, suitably experienced and qualified organisations to pre-register their interest to participate in the procurement process for the delivery of the Coffs Harbour Bypass project.  Contact Transport for NSW, attn Robert Newberry, email CoffsHarbourBypassConstruction@transport.nsw.gov.au. For further information, please click here. Ref.n. 21.0000137075.0252-ROI. 26/21. 

Tenders are invited, deadline 02/07/2021, for an Acoustic Advisor (AA) and back-up AA who is independent of the design and construction personnel for the Coffs Harbour Bypass Project. Contact Transport for NSW, attn Scott Lawrence, email Scott.Lawrence@transport.nsw.gov.au.  For further on the tender, please click here. Ref.n. 20.0000302555.2406. 26/21. 

Zitrón has been appointed by the CBGU Design and Construction Joint Venture (CPB Contractors, Royal BAM Group nv, Ghella, UGL) to design and manufacture the tunnel ventilation axial fans for the Cross River Rail Project (CRR) in Brisbane. The project comprises a new 10.2-km rail line from Dutton Park to Bowen Hills, that includes 5.9 km of twin tunnels under the Brisbane River and CBD.   

The axial fans that will be supplied under the contract will be manufactured and subjected to comprehensive testing at the new production facility currently being built by Zitron Australia in Perth.   

This new state of the art facility will be fully operational by January 2022. It will increase fan production capacity to meet growing demand and will allow for the testing of fans to the highest standards, thereby providing the validation of fan performance parameters demanded by our customers.   

The awarding of the CRR project reinforces Zitrón’s industry leadership and strong commitment to the Australian rail sector. Zitron fans are currently driving the ventilation systems providing a safe operating environment for the workers and users of underground infrastructures in all major Australian cities: Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne and Perth. For further on the projects click here and au/37. Visit https://zitron.com/. 37/21.