A 6.7 km cross-border railway is under planning between Stabio, in the Tessin Canton and Arcisate in Lombardy. The link will connect directly Lugano to the Milan Malpensa Airport in 50 minutes. On the Italian side, a 985 m tunnel is planned prior to the Gaggiolo station. A bi-national coordination committee has been set up between the Tessin Canton, Lombardy, the Swiss federal railways and Rete Ferroviaria Italiana. Work may start end of 2005. Visit www.rfi.it and www.rail.ch 15/02.As part of the preliminary studies on the alignment of the new Gotthard railway link through the Alps, south of Lugano, the feasibility and opportunity analysis of the four alternatives has been commissioned to the consortium RBM (Rapp Trans, Basler & Hofmann and Ingegneria Maggia), that gathers ten companies altogether. The study, awarded by the federal office of transport (OFT) on behalf of the federal department of the environment, transport, energy and communications (DETEC), will analyse the feasibility and opportunity of the four alternatives along the Lugano-Chiasso corridor, three of which plan to cross Lake Lugano under water. A steering group, comprising officials of the OFT, the canton of Ticino and the Swiss railways, will be in charge of following up the choice of the path until the Italian border. The results will be available in end 2008 or early 2009. Visit www.rapp.ch/trans.html, www.bhz.ch and www.im-maggia.chItaly is studying also three options (Cadenazzo-Laveno, Lugano-Laveno, Lugano-Luino) for the new section along the Cadenazzo-Luino-Laveno corridor (the so-called “Gronda Ovest”) and has already released the first results. The Italian experts are currently examining the opportunity of the alternatives. These studies will also be carried out in coordination with Swirterland. Read E-News Weekly 22/2006. 09/08.

  Single tube, 807 m-long, 11 m-wide, Collombey tunnel under drill/blast excavation on 65 sq m full face using 4.5 m-deep rounds by Züblin-Schlittler-Murer-Etra SA. Tunnel climbs at a 7-12% grade with a side slope of 5-7% describing a curve. 30 m to breakthrough. Full-length pilot tunnel driven by Wirth 3.5 m-diameter TBM, together with 400 m-long escape tunnel running parallel with upper portion of main tunnel. Opening to traffic, including 500 m cut and cover section and bridge scheduled 2003. Tunnel by-passes Monthey to give easy access to mountain resort of Morgins and Val d'Illiez. Visit www.wirth-europe.com 48/01.

Award of $50 million TBM construction contract for twin 1.2 km-long, 10.2 m-diameter tubes to consortium led by Marti AG for completion 2007. Visit www.emsch-berger.ch 23/01.

Open invitation to tender, deadline 8th June, 2001 for construction of 2.1 km-long Muniberg sewer tunnel. Contact Rothpletz, Lienhard, 5001 Aarau. Published in SCJ 26th April, 2001. 21/01.

Construction of 2.29 km-long x 10.2 m-diameter Chienberg underway in swelling Triassic formation of marls and anhydrite by contracting jv of Batigroup, Frutiger and Itin for completion end-2003 at value $100 million. 1.4 km to be bored and 850 m cut-and-cover. Visit www.batigroup.ch December 2000.

Open invitation to tender, deadline 30th November, for 960 m-long, twin-tube Hubit tunnel on T9 main road between Sierre and Leuk in Rhone valley to commence March, 2001. Contact DSF, tel +41 27 6063500. Work proceeding on adjoining 2.8 km Varen and 1.37 km Leuk tunnels. Parallel 4.2 km A9 motorway tunnel on opposite side of river in design. October 2000.Award of $50 million, 960 m-long, twin-tube Hubil road tunnel for proposed $350 million Sierre-Leuk A9 motorway to consortium of Losinger, Evequoz, Deneriaz, Imboden, Theler, Arnold and Zufferey. Sponsored by DSF, tel +41 2760 63500. Visit www.losinger.ch 29/01.  

Second underground station with four tracks to be built beneath central station with 4.8 km-long single-tube tunnel connection to Oerlikon in sedimentary rock and molasse. CFF has set aside $80 million for preparatory work with a view to starting main construction in 2005 for opening 2012. Contact through www.cff.ch November 2000. SFr580 million financing approved by an overwhelming majority (82%) of the Zurich people by referendum on 22nd September, 2001. Construction start delayed to 2006. The project had been earlier approved by the Zurich Canton so that final approval is now pending by the federal government. 42/01.   Preliminary design contract for approximately €1.4 million for two out of four design lots of new 11.8 km railway line, of which more than 50% will be underground through the city centre, awarded to Electrowatt Infra and Basler & Hofmann as part of Rail 2000 programme. Project co-financed by the Swiss Federal Railways and the Canton of Zurich. Visit http://www.bahn2000zh.ch/new.htm, www.poyry.fi and www.ewe.ch 44/01.  A JV between Electrowatt Infra, part of the Jaakko Pöyry Group, and Basler & Hofmann has been commissioned by the Swiss federal railways and the Canton of Zurich to design a new four-track underground station beneath the Zurich main station, a 5 km-long 11 m-diameter double-track railway tunnel, four escape and rescue galleries, and a construction shaft with a diameter of 22 m. The underground station and the tunnel are part of the new centre line between Zurich airport and the main station. The new line will be opened to service by 2012 and the total project cost will be about €1 billion. Visit www.poyry.com, www.ewi.ch and www.bhz.ch 35/03.Electrowatt Infra, which is part of the Jaakko Poyry Group, has been awarded in JV with Basler & Hofmann a tunnel engineering contract by the Swiss Federal Railways and the Canton Zurich. The engineering services will be delivered between September 2005 and July 2013. The value of Electrowatt Infra's contract is EUR8 million. This contract is for section 2 Loewenstrasse station and section 3 Weinberg tunnel and is a continuation to the assignment commenced in 2003. It comprises the design of a new underground station beneath Zurich's main station and a 5 km railway tunnel. The station and tunnel are part of the new circle line, which will link Altstetten in the west of Zurich with Oerlikon in the north and increase the transport capacity of the railway network in the business area of the city. Electrowatt Infra's services include the preparation of tender documents, technical and financial bid evaluation, detail design, supervision, settlement monitoring, quality control and project management. Visit www.ewi.ch, www.poyry.com and www.bhz.ch 43/05.Open call for tenders, deadline 19th January, 2007 for construction of the Weinberg tunnel (lot 3.2) on the Altstetten-Zurich central station-Oerlikon line, section 3. The contract is for the Brunnenhof launch shaft, a 4.5 km 95 sq m twin-track tunnel to be built by means of a TBM in soft rock for most of the length (4.1 km), 100 metres of tunnel using conventional methods, four escape and rescue tunnels totalling 2.4 km, with a section of 21 sq m, to be built also using conventional means, and approx. 115 metres of wide forepoling. Read E-News Weekly 33/2006. Visit http://ted.europa.eu/udl?request=Seek-Deliver&language=en&docid=161247-2006, OJ S 149, or contact CFF, Zurich, tel. +41 443871500. 33-34/06.A consortium of Implenia, Wayss & Freytag, Bilfinger Berger and PraderLosinger will build the Weinberg tunnel as well as the underground pathway of the existing station's southern part. Access shafts are also part of the contract, worth CHF350 million. The 4.5 km single bored dual-track Weinberg tunnel will feature a 9.74 m inner diameter and a 10.94 m outer diameter. Other underground structures include a 22 m-diameter 34 m-deep temporary access shaft and a new underpass in the southern part of the railway station. The geology is molasse (marls and sands). The tunnel will be driven using a mixshield TBM and lined by 30 cm-thick precast concrete segments and 30 cm-thick cast-in-place concrete. A conveyor belt is envisaged to evacuate the spoil. Tunnelling is scheduled to commence in September 2008 for breakthrough in 2010. Visit www.implenia.com, www.wf-ingbau.de, www.bilfingerberger.de and www.praderlosinger.ch 49/07.The new Löwenstrasse station will be built by a Marti-led consortium. The station will be 500 m long, whereof 420 metres for the platforms, its inner height will be five metres and its outer height 11 metres. Its width is variable (up to 45 metres). Click here. Visit www.martiag.ch 49/07.

$100 million new line with 14 stations to be built for Vaud Canton between Ouchy in the south and Epalinges in the north will be 6 km long with 1.8 km in single 7.5 m-diameter tunnel excavated by roadheader in molasse and moraine with sprayed concrete support. Restricted invitations to tender closed 7th July, 2000 with a view to starting construction early-2002 for commissioning 2005. Contact Service des Routes, tel +41 213 167069. Alstom will supply $25 million fully-automated, driverless train control system and $50 million 15 two-car, rubber-tyred train sets. Visit www.alstom.com July 2000. The Swiss Confederation is to grant Sfr70 million until 2007 to finance the 6 km extension of Line 2, known as Métro-Ouchy, between the central station and Croisettes in Epalinges in the northeast thus reducing the financial burden of the Vaud Canton to Sfr305 million. At least 70% of the alignment will be underground. There will be 14 stations on an average gradient of 5.7%. The overall budget totals Sfr590 million. Visit http://www.dinf.vd.ch/target/body/gp_transport/doss_avenir/b_dav_metro_ne.html 09/02.Preparatory work has started on Line 2. Contracts 1100 and 1200 will be built by a consortium formed by Deneriaz, Zschokke Locher, Grisoni Zaugg, and Walo Bertschinger. Contract 1100 includes two tunnels (238 m and 246 m), a 28 m-long cut-and-cover stretch and a 77 m-long station. Contract 1200 encompasses two tunnels (306 m and 265 m), two cut-and-cover portions (41 m and 12 m) and one 33 m-long station. Visit www.deneriaz.chContract 1300 has been secured by Losinger and Frutiger. It includes a 136 m tunnel. Contract 1400 goes to Losinger. It requires two tunnels (63 m and 486 m), a 161 m cut-and-cover tunnel and a 33 m-long station. Visit www.losinger.chJPF Construction, Induni, Evequoz and Getra secured contract 1500 which includes a 503 m tunnel, a 69 m cut-and-cover tunnel and a 58 m-long station.Contract 1700 will be constructed by Marti Tunnelbau and Batigroup. It includes a 665 m tunnel, a 41 m cut-and-cover stretch and a 33 m-long station. Visit www.martiag.chContract 1900 includes a 452 m tunnel, a 72 m cut-and-cover portion and a 100 m-long station. It will be built by Infra Tunnel and Bernasconi. Visit www.infratunnel.chContract 2000, awarded to Batigroup, Marti Travaux, Perrin Frères and Bertholet & Mathis, includes a 30 m cut-and-cover stretch. Visit www.batigroup.comContract 2100 has been awarded to JPF Construction and includes a 68 m cut-and-cover portion. Also visit www.t-l.ch 22/04.

  Joint venture of Ilbau, Cogeis and Scheifele taking delivery of 4.5 m-diameter Herrenknecht shielded hardrock TBM for 5.2 km gas pipeline tunnel through marl and disturbed sandstones, siltstones and mudstones erecting six-piece 3.8 m i.d. dowelled and gasketed precast concrete segmental lining in rings 1.5 m-wide and 250 cm thick. Possibility of gas in sedimentary deposits. Boring to commence July on 15-month schedule. Visit www.herrenknecht.com May 2000.5.3 km extension of gas pipeline between Belgium and Italy in Canton Lucerne awarded to jv with Ilbau as technical leader, value $30 million. Rockmore will supply drilling consumables from its Austrian plant. Visit www.strabag.at and www.rockmore-intl.com October 2000. Consortium of Strabag, Cogeis, Specogna and Scheifele using 4.56 m-diameter Herrenknecht hardrock TBM with trunk conveyor belt on 5.2 km segmentally-lined tube at 5 % gradient in Sörenberg mélange, flysch and globigerina marl. TBM, which has automatic power cut-off if gas is detected, launched August, 2000 on ten month run. 2.2 km completed by end-November. Best week 200 m; best day 38 m in 18 h. Unique compact 26 m-high belt storage tower with 300 m capacity. Visit www.strabag.at and www.herrenknecht.de 02/01.4.56 m-diameter Herrenknecht hardrock TBM averaging 18 m/day working 24/7 with 18 h/day operating, peaking at 36 m/day. Around 4 km of 5.2 km drive completed, all at 5% upgrade. Up to 150 m/week being maintained in Sorenberg melange. Lining with rings of six tapered, gasketed segments 1.5 m wide and 250 mm thick, with internal diameter 3.8 m. TBM ahead of schedule, with completion expected May, 2001. Visit www.strabag.com and www.herrenknecht.com 14/01.

Herrenknecht 9.53 m-diameter TBM equipped with two rockbolting drills ordered by Marti AG for 2.5 km drive at Vigier cement plant commencing in Spring, 2000. Details from www.herrenknecht.com April 2000.