US$650 million loan granted by BNP Paribas to Metro de Santiago for the new 33 km Line 4. Route alignment to run underground between Tobalaba and Grecia, at grade between Grecia and Gran Avenida, and elevated between Américo Vespucio and Puente Alto. Underground section to cost US$50-60 million. Construction to start in October, 2002. Opening second-half 2005. Visit www.metro-chile.cl or www.metrosantiago.cl 50/01. Basic engineering stage underway, with studies being carried out by the Systra-Cade Idepe (SCI) consortium. The line involves aboveground, underground and viaduct sections and 22 stations. Budget is divided up into US$509 million for civil works, US$214 million for systems and equipment and US$284 million for trains. Visit www.metrosantiago.cl and www.cadeidepe.cl 22/02.Bidding rules available until 19th May, 2003 to build Las Mercedes station and surrounding tunnel portions of line 4 under construction in Santiago's eastern and southern suburbs. Deadline to submit offers: 30th June, 2003. Cost is estimated at US$1.03 billion. Construction of the line began in July last year and is scheduled to end in the second half of 2005. The 33 km-long track will extend from Tobalaba station in Las Condes through 22 stations to the municipality of Puente Alto, on the southeast outskirts of the capital. Line 4 will have a complementary stretch, known as 4A, that will connect at the line's halfway point - Vicuna Mackenna station - and continue southwest to municipality La Cisterna. Visit www.metrosantiago.cl 21/03.OHL has bagged a €17 million contract to build a 1.2 km section of Line 4. This section is divided in two pieces, Plaza Egaí±a station and the south and north tunnels to be built on both sides of the station, at a depth of 17 m underneath Américo Vespucio Avenue. The works will require the removal of 112,580 m³ of spoil and the use of 35,000 m³ of concrete, 1,600 t of steel and 200,000 m² of wire mesh. Construction is to start this month to end in October 2005. €850 million will be invested in the 33 km-long new line 4. Visit www.ohl.es 44/03.

New Zapata II tunnel, 1,080 m-long with two 3.5 m-wide lanes, and new Lo Prado II tunnel, 2,760 m-long, inaugurated respectively on 26th July, 2001 and 14th September, 2001 on the Santiago-Valparaiso-Vina del Mar highway. Lo Prado II cost is US$50 million. Traffic in both directions while the old Zapata I and Lo Prado I tunnels are under repairs. Concessionaire Rutas del Pací­fico is a jv of Sacyr and ACS. 47/01.

Public Works Ministry to relaunch first half of 2002 awarding process of US$160 million concession for expressway to connect the town of Colina, north of Santiago, with the capital's Vitacura borough. Four-lane highway with eight tunnels totalling 7 km. Concession will last 40 years. Visit www.moptt.cl 45/01. The public works ministry will invite bids for the US$160 million northeast access to Santiago this quarter. The project consists of a 20.5 km four-lane highway connecting Santiago's Americo Vespucio beltway and Costanera expressway in the northeast of the capital with Route 57 to the town of Los Andes and Route 5, the Pan-American highway, both north of the city. It will include eight tunnels - four in each direction - totalling 7.2 km in length. Bids for the concession to build and operate the road for 30 years will be due in the fourth quarter and the contract should be awarded by year-end or early 2003. A previous attempt to award the concession in 2000 failed to attract viable bids. Construction will take three years. Visit www.vialidad.cl 30/02. The ministry of public works is to invite bids on 30th October, 2002 for the 21 km-long northeast access expressway, also known as northeast orbital road. The scheme is a four-carriageway highway connecting the Américo Vespucio highway in Santiago and the Costanera highway in the northeast area of the capital with Route 57 in Los Andes and Route 5, the Panamericana road, both located north of the city. There will be four double-tube tunnels totalling 7.2 km. Visit www.moptt.cl 43/02. Bids invited for concession of the 21.5 km-long northeast access expressway which includes four double-tube tunnels in La Pirí¡mide, Manquehue I, Manquehue II and Montegordo. Total length in tunnel 7.2 km. Deadline 6th March, 2003. Visit www.moptt.cl. To know the contractors who already bought the tender documents, read E-News Weekly # 50. 50/02.The public works ministry has extended to 23rd May, 2003 the submission of bids for the US$130 million northeast access expressway. The 21 km project, called radial nororiente, is a 30-year concession for a four-lane highway connecting Americo Vespucio beltway and the Costanera expressway, northeast of Santiago, with Route 57 to the town of Los Andes and Route 5 (the Pan-American Highway), both north of the capital. Technical offers will be opened 23rd May and economic offers 23rd June. Potential bidders include El Chamisero consortium, Tradeco, OHL, Infraestructura 2000, Impregilo, Sacyr and Delta. Works will also include four double-tube tunnels totalling 7.2 km in length. Visit www.moptt.cl 20/03.Itinere, a subsidiary of Spain's Sacyr Vallehermoso group, is the preferred bidder with a US$130 million bid for the northeast access expressway concession to be built in Santiago. The 30-year concession involves building a 21.5 km, four-lane highway connecting capital Santiago's Americo Vespucio beltway and the Costanera expressway (under construction) in the city's northeast sector with Route 57 to the town of Los Andes and Route 5 (the Pan-American highway), both north of the capital. The public works ministry will now review documents for a 90-120 day period, before the contract is officially signed. Work is estimated to take three years and will include eight tunnels - four in each direction - totalling 7.2 km in length. Visit www.moptt.cl 38/03.

Informal invitation to contractors to prequalify for construction of two drill/blast tunnels, 8 km-long x 5 m-wide x 4.5 m-high, and 5 km-long x 4 m-wide x 4 m-high, steel supported and concrete lined, for Minera Los Pelambres at elevation 1.5 km in Andes. Contact Raíºl Paredes, e-mail rparedes@pelambres.cl 38/01.

  Chilean Government approval to Merval S.A. for construction of 5 km-long tunnel on alignment beneath existing track through Vina del Mar on the 43 km-long Valparaiso-Limache railway. One of the two existing tracks must be kept available for operation throughout the construction period, so TBM may be chosen rather than cut and cover because of space considerations. Details from ailiman@cuartaetapa.cl Sept 2000. Work to commence in May, 2002 including a 5.2 km tunnel between the Chorrillos station and the Capuchinos bridge. Cut-and-cover method with 18 m-deep diaphragm walls. The tunnel will lie 11 m below ground level. Cost of $300 million. Completion in September, 2004. 13/02. The US$16.8 million contract for the first section Capuchinos-Miramar (B) of the 5 km railway tunnel required for the regional metro line through downtown Vií±a del Mar, between Caleta Abarca and Chorrillos, has been signed. This section is 1.2 km in length from Caleta Abarca to Traslavií±a street. The contractor is Méndez Junior y Asociados. The 8 m-wide x 7.2 m-high double-track tunnel will be built in cut-and-cover between 18 m-deep diaphragm walls. Both tracks will be laid at a depth of 14 metres. The line will serve four underground stations in Miramar, Vií±a del Mar, Hospital and Chorrillos. Visit www.cuartaetapa.cl 52/02.Regional urban rail service Merval has awarded to OHL the civil works contract to build stretches D (Vií±a del Mar-Hospital) and E (Hospital-Chorrillos) of the 5 km tunnel portion of its US$300 million, stage 4 metro expansion and improvement project. Contract signing for the stretches is slated for this month, with preliminary works set to begin immediately. Mendes Junior previously won the contract for the tunnel's US$16.8 million, 2 km Capuchinos-Miramar (B) first stretch. The winner of the remaining Miramar-Vina stretch (C) should be announced this month. Stage 4 aims to improve services between Valparaiso, neighbouring city Vií±a del Mar, and the town of Limache in the interior. Work began in July 2002 and the line should enter operations in the second half of 2005. Visit www.cuartaetapa.cl 02/03.

Aquatic Sciences Inc reports it has recently completed a challenging underwater tunnel inspection for Empresa Nacional de Electricidad S.A. Using an underwater remotely operated vehicle, they inspected the intake tunnel for the power plant, locating and delineating a collapse from which debris was impeding the water supply to the turbines and threatening the electricity supply to the district. The Canutillar hydropower station draws water through a 7 km-long tunnel from Lago Chapo where levels have decreased over 20 m from normal due to ongoing drought. More information from www.aquaticsciences.com February 2000.

Tamrock reports contractor Necso is using its fully-computerised Datasuper 316-150 and computer-aided Paramatic 205-90 drilling jumbos. Visit www.sandvik.com February 2000.

German consultancy firm TransTec has been retained to provide an analysis of the current public transportation situation and make proposals for improving the traffic system including defining appropriate transport modes, operational solutions and financial proposals, as well as a final recommendation that will advocate a light rail system for the 300,000 population. November 1999.

Northern end of line 5 being extended under Plaza Baquendano and then turning west following Calles Merced, Monjitas and Cathedral to an intersection with Santa Ana station on line 2 downtown. Two stations on new route, both cut-and-cover with platform and mezzanine levels. Bellas Artes station in cramped situation where vertical piles cannot be installed. Instead, 130 x 1.2 m diameter piles have been installed to depths of 15 - 21 m by foundation specialist Pilotes Terratest. Main contractor Neut Latour excavating 16 m wide x 140 m long x 15 m deep station box in stages to allow for pile anchoring using cables of lengths 13 m to 20 m. Ground conditions alluvial deposit of gravel, sand, and coarse cobble beds with boulders.   Consultant Geoconsult, Salzburg, Austria fax +43 662 6596510, E-mail office@gcs.co.at contact F L Jansky. Mar 1999.   4.3 km continuation of northern end of Line 5 under Plaza Baquendano and in a westerly direction following Merced, Monjitas and Cathedral Streets to intersect with existing Santa Ana station on Line 2 in downtown Santiago. Two stations being constructed using cut and cover with platform and mezzanine levels at Bellas Artes Museum and Plaza de Armas, and station boxes at Baquendano and Santa Ana will also be extended. Running tunnels are 60m2, 10 m wide x 9 m high in alluvium comprising coarse cobbles, boulders and fines at depths of 12 m to 17 m accessed by 20 m-diameter shafts at intervals. Work by ByC jv commenced in January, 1998 and is scheduled for completion in 2000. April 1999.   Constructora Internacional reports progress with Plaza de Armas station walling at two pours/week for straight walls and 3 pours/week for curved walls using Efco forms. October 1999.  A 1.9 km westbound extension from Santa Ana to Matucana is under construction by Constructora Internacional, DPS, Inela and Mendes Junior. Cost of US$108 million, including two stations, Ricardo Cumming y Quinta Normal. The 476 m Santa Ana-Cumming tunnel has been completed end of April. Opening first quarter 2004. Visit www.metro-chile.cl or www.metrosantiago.cl 24/02.Invitation to tender, deadline 21st February, 2007 for sale of tender documents and 22nd March, 2007 for submission of bids, for detailed civil engineering design for the Quinta Normal-Lo Prado section on the extension of Line 5 to Maipu of the Santiago metro. All companies or consortia shall obligatorily participate along with a specialized foreign company, either member of the consortium or subcontractor, with expertise in urban tunnel design in soft ground, monitoring and control of strength and deformations. This is the first of four sections to be tendered. Line 5 to Maipu is a project to connect Quinta Normal with Plaza de Maipu, of a length of 14.2 km and 11 stations. It is expected to operate at the end of 2010. The line will run through tunnels and on elevated viaducts as follows: 7 km in tunnel from Quinta Normal to General Bonilla / Teniente Cruz, 4 km on viaduct from General Bonilla / Teniente Cruz to Avenida Pajaritos / Avenida Vespucio and 3.2 km in tunnel from Avenita Pajaritos / Avenida Vespucio to Plaza de Maipu. The project cost totals USD670.1 million. Visit www.metrosantiago.cl/files/licitaciones/ing_detalle_trramo_1.doc or contact Carlos Mercado, Secretarí­a de la Gerencia Lí­nea Maipíº, Avenida Libertador Bernardo O’Higgins, 1414, 3°, Santiago. Tel. +56 22503921, fax +56 26725235, e-mail cmercado@metro-chile.cl 08/07.The deadline for sale of tender documents expired on 19th January, 2007 for the detailed civil engineering design of the stations, tunnels between stations and associated works, based on the conceptual designs and detailed designs of the shafts and connecting galleries between these shafts and the tunnel, and on-site supervision during construction of the 3.8 km extension to Line 1 to Oriente. This extension under Avenida Apoquindo will serve three stations in Manquehue, Hernando de Magallanes and Plaza Los Domí­nicos. Section N is 1.96 km long. Section O is 1.81 km long. Contestants will submit their bids no later than 23rd February. Visit www.metrosantiago.cl/files/licitaciones/detalles_obras_civiles_linea1_oriente.doc or contact Osvaldo Richards, tel. +56 22503904, fax +56 22526050, e-mail orichards@metro-chile.cl 08/07.The deadline for sale of tender documents expired on 18th January, 2007 for construction of the shafts and connecting galleries between these shafts and the future tunnel of section N from Escuela Militar to Esteban dell Orto on Line 1 to Oriente of the Santiago metro. Contestants will submit their bids no later than 6th March. Visit www.metrosantiago.cl/files/licitaciones/piques_galerias_tramo_n_linea_1_oriente.doc or contact Fernando Gonzí¡lez, tel. +56 22503906, fax +56 22526050, e-mail fgonzalez@metro-chile.cl 08/07.CIL has been contracted to build the preliminary works (shafts and connecting galleries between these shafts and the tunnel) of section O on Line 1 to Oriente. In addition, President Michelle Bachelet attended on 25th January, 2007 the groundbreaking for the preliminary works (shafts and connecting galleries to the future tunnel) on the Riesco-Maipu section on the Line 5 extension to Maipu. The contractor is also CIL. Visit www.metrosantiago.cl and www.cil.cl 08/07.