Work proceeding on 75 km of difficult tunnels. August 1999.   Tunnelling commenced October, 1996 and is due for completion end-2002. Seven running tunnels are involved as follows, from Bologna to Firenze: Pianoro (10.7 km), Sadurano (3.77 km), Monte Bibele (9.1 km), Raticosa (10.39 km), Scheggianico (3.54 km), Firenzuola (15.06 km), and Vaglia (18.35 km). Also 12 access tunnels total length 8.8 km are required to split the route into sections of not more than 3.5 km.   Main contractor Cavet reports 20 km of 71 km alignment has been excavated to date, 60 % of which has also been fully lined. Some 32 x 130 m² faces open at present. The access tunnels are generally 60 m² with 14 % maximum gradient, and 2.4 km have been fully lined on Raticosa tunnel due to poor ground conditions. North portal of Firenzuola at San Pellegrino is being driven at 21 m wide for 600 m to accommodate siding for spare train. All equipment used in these tunnels is flameproofed. October 1999.   Boring of 6.5 km Vaglia segmentally-lined service tunnel to commence in June using Wirth double telescopic shield TBM from a quarry near the Firenze end of the proposed 18 km-long main tunnel. Geology is marly limestones and lime marls with marly strata. Contract also includes 2.7 km of access adits. The northernmost 7.5 km of Vaglia running tunnel was completed a year ago, and completion is now scheduled for 2005. Visit www.wirth-drilling.com May 2000.Restricted tendering for construction of section of 9.243 km Monte Bibele tunnel, deadline 1st August, 2000. Contact Cavet, fax +39 051 651 8327 and visit www.rocksoil.com July 2000.   Tunnel advance on 32 faces currently averaging 1.6 km/month with less than 5 % variation from budgeted cost. Crown excavation and lining of 728 m-long San Pellegrino chamber at the north end of Firenzuola tunnel nearly completed at 2-3 m/day average advance. Final design of 18 km-long Vaglia tunnel at south end of alignment includes 9.26 km-long x 5.6 m i.d. service tunnel to be driven using double telescopic shield Wirth TBM type 630 E/TS erecting 250 mm-thick trapezoidal reinforced concrete segmental lining. This will run parallel to main tunnel for 6.5 km, with connections at 250 m intervals. Main tunnel currently underway from Carlone access and north portal at 7 m/day of finished tunnel in marly limestones and lime marls with marly strata. Visit www.rocksoil.com and www.wirth-drilling.com July 2000.  Rocksoil has reported progress on the Bologna-Firenze (BO-FI) section of the Italian high speed railway. Around 59 km of main and service tunnels, constituting 64% of the total, and 10 km of access adits, have been completed.Some 7.2 km of the 10.71 km-long Pianoro tunnel is complete, and work continues on four faces. The 418 m-long caverns required for interconnection with the existing railway are still in design. The 3.77 km-long Sadurano has been completed at an average of 4 m/day of finished tunnel. Some 5.87 km of the 9.1 km Monte Bibele has been excavated, with 3 m/day average advance from the north portal, and 1.66 m/day from the south. Work has started from the base of the 1.54 km-long Quinzano adit on two faces, advancing around 1.2 m/day apiece. At Raticosa, 7.2 km of the 10.37 km-long main tunnel has been driven, and work is proceeding on the north face and two faces each from the Osteria and Castelvecchio adits. Excavation of the 3.56 km-long Scheggianico was completed in 1999, and lining is in progress, and 75% complete.The 14.34 km-long Firenzuola is being developed in sections, with the San Pellegrino chamber and 3 km of main tunnel at the BO end complete, together with 1.8 km in each direction from the San Giorgio adit, and 300 m in each direction from the Marzano adit. The central 1.5 km Osteto adit is also complete, and faces are being formed at its base. Four faces are being worked at present, one from Rovigo, two from Marzano, and one from San Giorgio. The 528 m-long Borgo Rinzelli shallow tunnel near Mugello was completed in May, 2001, and the adjacent and similar 654 m Morticine is underway. Excavation of the 18 km-long Vaglia main running tunnel is 50% complete, and the BO end is advancing off a single face from the Carlone adit at 5.8 m/day. The FI section is still in design. Some 1.6 km of the 9.26 km-long, 5.6 m-internal diameter Ginori service tunnel has been completed using an innovative Wirth TBM which is setting 25 cm-thick trapezoidal lining segments. The service tunnel will run parallel with the main tunnel with connections at 250 m intervals. More from rocksoil@tin.it. Visit www.rocksoil.com and www.tav.it 44/01.Italferr appointed Astaldi to build the underground station for high speed trains in Bologna. The 640 m-long 40 m-wide station will be dug 23 m under the surface on three levels. Contract value: €300.6 million. Visit www.italferr.it, www.tav.it and www.astaldi.it 43/03.Open call for tenders, deadline 24th March, 2006 for executive design, work supervision and construction of the high speed line in Florence for the Bologna-Florence fast trains. The new 9 km-long line includes a 2 x 5,574 m-long single-track tunnel to be built by TBM, the new underground station in Belfiore (600 m), trenches and cut-and-cover tunnels at the north portal in Rifredi (1,768 m) and the start shaft in Campo di Marte. Total value: EUR915.3 million. Visit http://ted.publications.eu.int/udl?request=Seek-Deliver&language=en&docid=06936-2006, OJ S 6, or contact Italferr, fax +39 0649752445. E-mail appalti.italferr@legalmail.it. Visit www.italferr.it/gare/1018-ALL5b-ELENCO-VOCI.pdf and www.italferr.it/gare/1018-ALL1-SCHEMA-CONVENZIONE.pdf 04/06.The successful bidder for the executive design and construction of the high speed rail tunnel under Florence is a JV headed by Coopsette, with consortium Ergon Engineering and Contracting, whose partners are CO.ES.TRA., Inso and the Etruria consortium. The contract is worth EUR685 million and includes a 2 x 5,574 m-long single-track TBM-built tunnel from Ponte al Pino to Castello, the new underground station in Belfiore (600 m), trenches and cut-and-cover tunnels at the north portal in Rifredi (1,768 m) and the start shaft in Campo di Marte. The TBMs are scheduled to commence boring in the second half of 2008. Visit www.coopsette.it, www.coestra.it, www.inso.it, www.gruppoconsorzioetruria.com 13/07.