Two lines to be built: north-south between Sto Ovido, Trinidad and Hosp S Joao with 3 km underground, and east-west between Mercado, Trinidad and Campanha, with 2.7 km underground. Concession signed with Metro do Porto and contract placed with Normetro. Civil works by jv of Soares da Costa, Impregilo and Soconstroi. Consultant: Geoconsult E-mail office@gcs.co.at contact F L Jansky. February 1999.   Arge Transmetro will use 8.71 m-diameter Herrenknecht EPB for 5.7 km twin-track extension in mixed loose and solid hard rock comprising 50% to 90% granite, commencing early-2000. Visit www.herrenknecht.com April 2000.   Kaiser Engineers providing construction management services to $1 billion light rail transit system in jv with Cinclus and Gibb. System will comprise four lines totalling 70 km route length with 7 km in tunnel and 66 stations of which 10 will be underground. Project completion is scheduled for 2005. Visit www.kaiserengineers.com for a full statement. May 2000.   Second Herrenknecht tunnel boring machine ordered by Metro do Porto to link the Salgueiros and Trindade stations under assembly for tunnelling start at summer 2002. Visit www.herrenknecht.com 45/01.  Mott MacDonald and Geodata of Italy have been appointed by Transmetro, a jv of Soares da Costa, Somague and Impregilo, to provide detailed design and construction supervision for all the tunnelling works, which comprise 7 km of bored tunnels lined with reinforced concrete segments for Lines C (2.3 km), S (4 km) and J (700 m). The team will also review and coordinate the design of the civil works with the mechanical, electrical and systems contractors to ensure compatibility and compliance of the works with international best practice. To cope with the varying ground conditions, ranging from massive fresh granite to decomposed and often loose weathered material, two Herrenknecht EPB tunnel boring machines of 8.7 m and 9 m-diameter will be used. Visit www.metro-porto.pt, www.mottmac.com, www.geodata.it or www.herrenknecht.com 09/02.Open call for tenders, deadline 21st January, 2008 for construction of the Estí¡dio do Dragí£o-Venda Nova section of the Gondomar line, including a 980 m tunnel. Visit http://ted.europa.eu/udl?request=Seek-Deliver&language=en&docid=252962-2007, OJ S 208, or contact Metro do Porto, Porto, fax +361 225081001. E-mail geral@metro-porto.pt 44/07.The deadline for submission of tenders for construction of the Estí¡dio do Dragí£o-Venda Nova section of the Gondomar line, including a 980 m tunnel, has been extended to 4th March, 2008. Visit http://ted.europa.eu/udl?request=Seek-Deliver&language=en&docid=305459-2007, OJ S 250, or contact Metro do Porto, Porto, fax +361 225081001. E-mail geral@metro-porto.pt 02/08.The eight candidates to construct the 6.5 km Estí¡dio do Dragí£o-Venda Nova section of the Gondomar line, including a 980 m tunnel, are Mota-Engil, Somague, Soares da Costa, Monte Adriano and Efacec; Lena, Abrantina and Bento Pedroso; Conduril and Tecnovia; Isolux Corsí¡n-Corviam, DTS (Domingos da Silva Teixeira) and Alexandre Barbosa Borges (ABB); Teixeira Duarte, OFM and Thales; Ramalho Rosa, FDO, Gabriel Couto and FCC; Zagope, Hagen and Siemens; and Edifer and Opway. Construction will take 21 months for opening in end 2010 or early 2011. 13/08.A consortium of Somague, Soares da Costa, Mota Engil, Efacec and Monte Adriano has been awarded the construction contract of the light rail line between Porto and Gondomar, which has an estimated investment of EUR97.5 million. The offer presented by this consortium is EUR10 million higher than the low bid submitted by one of the eight candidates that participated in the tendering, but the ministry of public works, transportation and communications justifies its decision saying that the selected consortium is the strongest. The Gondomar line will be 6,625 m long and serve ten stations, connecting the Dragí£o Stadium with Venda Nova. It includes a 980 m 65 sq m tunnel, between the future stations of Joí£o de Deus and Parque Nascente, that will be excavated using NATM (drill and blast as well as roadheader), and a 150 m cut-and-cover tunnel. Work will last 19 months. Visit www.somague.pt, www.soaresdacosta.pt and www.mota-engil.pt 36/08.