Public enquiry considered route proposal which may include 54 km tunnel under Mt Ambin amongst others. March 1998. Mt Ambin base tunnel now known as AlpeTunnel and 52 km alignment is being defined by long exploration boreholes. Proposed railway will shave 3 h off the journey from Lyon in France to Turin in Italy and is a top priority project within the EU. Route will carry 10.5 million passengers and 14 million t freight each year. Tunnel will take six years to construct and will cost $5 billion. Design is for twin 8 m-diameter tubes with 30 to 50 m separation linked by cross passages. Located mainly in calceschists, metamorphic basement rocks, Triassic dolomites and quartzites with schists, Jurassic marls and limestones, sandstones and flysch. Window access at Venaus (7 km-long), Modane (6.5 km-long), La Praz (8.7 km-long), and St Martin la Porte (1 km-long). $315 million preliminary design investigation programme will include some tunnels between 2001 and 2007, when work should commence on main tunnels for six years. Commissioning scheduled for 2015. Second 12 km-long tunnel required on Italian side to bypass Bussoleno. Sept 1999. Six deep exploration holes of between 2 and 3 km underway on Alpetunnel alignment between Torino and Chambery by jv AlpExploDrilling comprising Dentag Europe, BRR and Foralith. Currently completing 1.8 km hole at Avrieux using Wirth B5 and will move to Etache for a 3 km hole using a Dentag drillrig. Visit www.foralith.ch for more information. Sept 1999. Underground station at Modane will increase projected cost to $6 billion. Preliminary work schedule under consideration for 2001-2006 financed 50% by EU to include geotechnical investigations in the Suze valley and construction of adits and pilot tunnels. Decision due later this year on final alignment. June 2000. Agreement signed between governments for $10 billion Lyons-Turin (F-I) line with 52 km base tunnel for construction 2006-2015. Access tunnels should start at St Martin la Porte (F), La Praz (F), Modane (F) and Venaus (I) during 2002. Feeder routes will also require tunnels, notably for 14 km beneath Epine (F) and Dullin (F) ranges, 20 km beneath Chartreuse (F) mountains, and 12 km under Belledonne (F) mountains. The 12 km Bussoleno (I) and 8 km Borgone (I) tunnels are also on the main alignment. Visit www.alpetunnel.fr 07/01. Italian-Swiss committee will promote new $3.5 billion, 160 km-long railway on Paris-Turin alignment with 48.5 km-long tunnel under Grand St Bernard Pass between Martigny and Val d'Aosta. Visit www.cff.ch and www.alpetunnel.fr 22/01. Invitation to negotiate contract, deadline 3rd September, 2001, for construction of 4 km-long access adit and two investigation tunnels at Modane for Lyon-Turin rail link. Also, prequalification, deadline 6th September, 2001, for engineering design of same. Contact Alpetunnel-GEIE, fax +33 47 960 9704. Visit www.alpetunnel.fr 34/01. Negotiated procedure, deadline 29th November, 2001, for soil investigation and on site tests as part of the Lyons-Turin HSR. Lot 1 is for excavation of a 2 km-long 72-96 sq m drift to be drilled/blasted. Lot 2 is for two 30-40 sq m tunnels, 1.5 km each. Option for another two tunnels of 500 m and 300 m. Visit http://ted.eur-op.int, document S 206-141380 or contact Alpetunnel GEIE, Chambéry, fax +33 4 79609704. Also visit www.alpetunnel.com 45/01. Tenders invited by Lyon-Turin Ferroviaire, the former Alpetunnel GEIE, for engineering services to analyse the bids, prepare the contracts, manage and follow up the excavation of a 2,000 m drift (contract 1), and two investigation galleries, 1.5 km to 1.8-2 km (contract 2). Part of the Lyon-Turin basis tunnel. Visit www.alpetunnel.com and www.transalpine.com 49/01. Tenders for work supervision, deadline 14th January, 2002, for a 4 km drift (contract 1) and two investigation tunnels (contract 2) of 2.5 and 3 km. Visit http://ted.eur-op.eu.int, document S 240-165437 or fax +33 479685659. Visit www.alpetunnel.com and www.transalpine.com 52/01. Award to a jv of EEG Simecsol, SNCF Ingénierie, Geodata of Italy, and Bonnard et Gardel of Switzerland of an engineering assistance contract for the draft and detailed design and the preparation of documents as part of the La Praz adit and pilot tunnel. The adit is approx. 2.8 km-long for the east option and 3 km for the west one, cross section 70 sq m. The pilot tunnel is approx. 3 km for the east option and 2 km for the west one, cross section 25 sq m. Visit www.alpetunnel.com 04/02. Two negotiated procedures for the construction and work supervision of the 70 sq m adit and 25 sq m pilot tunnel. Deadlines for construction set to 4th March, 2002 and for work supervision to 21st February, 2002. Visit http://ted.eur-op.eu.int/ojs/en/frame.htm, OJ S 13, document 9950-2002, and OJ S 15, document 11422-2002 or contact Lyon-Turin Ferroviaire, Chambéry, fax +33 4 79685659. Also visit www.alpetunnel.com 05/02. Negotiated deal for hydrogeological studies for the international section of the Lyon-Turin high speed link between Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne and Cianocco. This section includes the Maurienne-Ambin basis tunnel (52.7 km) and the 12.5 km Bussoleno tunnel. A first report is due in October, 2002. Visit http://ted.eur-op.eu.int/ojs/en/frame.htm, OJ S 43, document 34038-2002, fax +33 4 79685659 or E-mail alpetun@icor.fr with copy to sabine.dallacosta@ltf-sas.com 10/02. Restricted procedure, deadline 8th April, 2002 for geotechnical studies as part of the draft design for the passenger and freight link across the Belledonne massif. Lot 2 deals with core drills for the Belledonne tunnel. Geology consists of alluvium, glacial deposit, limestone, schists, micaschists, gneiss, granite, etc. Visit http://ted.eur-op.eu.int/ojs/en/frame.htm, OJ S 51, document 39894-2002 or contact Réseau Ferré de France, Lyon, fax +33 472840579. 12/02. Restricted procedure, deadline 11th April, 2002 for technical studies dealing with the draft design of the Belledonne tunnel, civil engineering structures and earthworks. Visit http://ted.eur-op.eu.int/ojs/en/frame.htm, OJ S 66, document 51951-2002 or contact Réseau Ferré de France, Lyon, fax +33 472840579. 15/02.Eiffage, in jv with Condotte d'Acqua and GRA, has scooped a €82 million contract to build a 4 km drift in Modane, 3 km of which with a high gradient. This is the first tunnelling contract. Work has started on 18th March, 2002. Completion in 2005. Visit www.eiffage.fr and www.condottespa.it 15/02. Fiat Engineering has won a contract to draw up preliminary designs for work and safety equipment for the 53 km Turin-Lyon tunnel. The contract is worth €1 million and will be carried out in cooperation with Italferr and French companies Setec, Systra and SNCF Ingénierie. Visit www.fiatengineering.it 20/02. Award to a jv of EEG Simecsol, SNCF Ingénierie, Bonnard et Gardel, and Sea Consulting of a work supervision engineering contract for a 4 km drift (lot 1) and two investigation tunnels (lot 2) of 2.5 and 3 km in Modane and Villarodin-le-Bourget. Contract value €2.1 million. Visit www.alpetunnel.com 29/02.Award to a jv of Scetauroute and Antea-Alpina of work supervision engineering contract for a 2 km drift in Saint-Martin-la-Porte. Contract value €2.37 million. 29/02. Negotiated procedure, deadline 12th November, 2002 for geophysical exploratory services for the Chartreuse tunnel to identify lignite galleries in Saint-Didier-de-la-Tour and Saint-André-le-Gaz on a length of 2 km and a width of 400 m. Visit http://ted.eur-op.eu.int/udl?request=Seek-Deliver&language=en&docid=159061-2002, OJ S 201, or contact Réseau Ferré de France, fax +33 472840579. E-mail alain.colomb@rff.fr 44/02. Restricted invitation to tender, deadline 14th February, 2003 for core drilling for the 12 km-long Bussoleno tunnel. Lot 1 is for eight vertical boreholes in alluvial ground spread out on a length of 580 m with a maximum depth of 150 m, or ten vertical boreholes on a length of 840 m, maximum depth 200 m. Lot 2 is for six vertical boreholes in rock, length of execution 2,140 m and maximum depth 540 m, or seven vertical boreholes, length 2,720 m and maximum depth 580 m. Lot 3 is for five vertical boreholes in rock on a length of 2,530 m at a maximum depth of 870 m, or four vertical boreholes, maximum depth 950 m, plus one 400 m horizontal borehole, to be executed on a length of 3,100 m. Visit http://ted.eur-op.eu.int/udl?request=Seek-Deliver&language=en&docid=202642-2002, OJ S 252, or contact Lyon Turin Ferroviaire, Chambéry, tel. +33 479685666 or 67 and +39 0115579221. E-mail pierre.dhe@ltf-sas.com, franco.gallara@ltf-sas.com and xavier.dermendrail@ltf-sas.com 02/03. A JV of Razel, its mother company Bilfinger Berger, Pizzarotti and Granulats Rhône-Alpes has been commissioned to build the 2,040 m descending drift in Saint-Martin-la-Porte (lot 1) for €40.4 million. Visit www.ltf-sas-com and www.razel.fr 11/03.Open call for bids, deadline 9th April, 2003 for geological investigation and core drills. Lot 1 is a 1.3 km-deep 30° inclined borehole in the Modane-Chavières area including data logging, BHTV, and tests. Lot 2 is a 100 m-deep vertical borehole in the Saint-Julien area including tests. Lot 3 is a 1.1 km-deep vertical borehole in the Houiller (Orelette) area including data logging, BHTV and tests. Visit http://ted.publications.eu.int/udl?request=Seek-Deliver&language=en&docid=036403-2003, OJ S 42, or contact Lyon Turin Ferroviaire, Chambéry, fax +33 479609704. E-mail pierre.dhe@ltf-sas.com for administrative info and xavier.darmendrail@ltf-sas.com and nathalie.monin@ltf-sas.com for technical info. 11/03. Atlas Copco will rent a Rocket Boomer XL3 C drilling jumbo to the JV composed of Razel, Bilfinger Berger, Pizzarotti and GRA for drill/blast excavation of a 2,040 m drift in Saint-Martin-la-Porte, 7 km from the French entrance of the future base tunnel. This exploratory drift features a variable cross section of 80-100 sq m. The drive will be slightly climbing on the first 900 m and then descending on 1,100 m (8% gradient). Geology consisting of limestone and marls, dolomites, anhydrite, gypsum, sandstone, schists and carbonaceous schists. Up to 169,000 cubic metres of spoil will be removed, 29,000 cu m of concrete and 6,400 cu m of shotcrete will be necessary as well as 2,100 tonnes of steel arches and 77,000 metres of anchoring bolts. Other machinery at the worksite include, in particular, an Atlas Copco Boltec 435H rock bolting rig. Preparatory work started on 4th March, 2003 and the project will last 25 months. The first blast is planned for July 2003. More from franck.boudreault@atlascopco.com. Visit www.atlascopco.fr and www.razel.fr 22/03.