Proposed rail link between Sundsvall and Umea will require three or four hardrock, drill/blast tunnels totalling 10 km. Alignment still subject to change. December 1999.   Contractor Lemminkainen reports a start on the first 1.1 km-long tunnel of the proposed Bothnia railway using its Tamrock three-boom Data Titan drillrig at a single face from the north end. The new 190 km track will run northwards along the shore of the Gulf of Bothnia from Nyland through Ornskoldsvik, Husum, and Nordkoping to Umea. Cement slurry is to be injected into the gneissose granite with amphibolite to prevent water seepage, and the entire tunnel will be lined with shotcrete. Several more tunnels totalling 30 km will be required, and a new round of bidding is due soon. Visit www.sandviktamrock.com for more equipment information. March 2000.   Botniabanen AB responsible for finance, detailed design, construction, testing and leasing of the $955 million Botnia railway line, which is planned for commissioning early in 2006. Swedish state owns 91 % of the company, with four municipalities holding the remainder. $7.9 million Kalldal tunnel, under construction by Lemminkainen, is located 10 km north of Oerskoeldsvik. It is being driven mainly in sedimentary gneiss at a width of 8 m and cross-section of 72.3 sq m, and will have an operational height of 7 m above track level. Visit www.lemminkainen.fi March 2000. Lemminkainen reports breakthrough on 1.1 km-long Kalldal tunnel through dolerite, granite, and gneiss. Contract for 1.26 km-long drill/blast Hjolta tunnel in good quality granite awarded to AF Spesialprosjeckt, value $5.7 million, to start August, 2000 using Atlas Copco Rocket Boomer 353 for completion February, 2002 using selective bolting and shotcrete finish. Visit www.atlascopco.com Sept 2000.   Government approval for 120 km-long southern section of line with 14 tunnels from Nylan to Husum to start construction 2002 for completion 2006. Overall, Botnia line will be 190 km-long with 25 km of tunnels. Visit www.banverket.se 33/01.   Finnish contractor Lemminkainen has received a FIM100 million construction contract for the 1,600 m Stranneberg tunnel in Ornskoldsvik. The tunnel construction will involve demanding ground freezing and jet grouting techniques and is expected to take some two years. Visit www.botniabanan.banverket.se 47/01.  Periodic information notice, deadline 18th October, 2002 for civil engineering work for the 32 km Offersjön-Bjällstaí¥n section of the Bothnia line, including the Namntall tunnel (5,985 m) and Björnböles tunnel (5,160 m). Cross section 70 sq m. Drill/blast excavation. Support with rockbolts and shotcrete. Design and build contract. Award in March 2003 for work start in August. Visit http://ted.eur-op.eu.int/udl?request=Seek-Deliver&language=en&docid=145399-2002, OJ S 184, or contact Botniabanan, í–rsnköldsvik, fax +46 660294909. E-mail staffan.ericson@botniabanan.se and karin.vestin@botniabanan.se. More in E-News Weekly # 24. 41/02.Skanska has secured contract E 3541 for design and construction of section Offersjön-Bjällstaí¥n (31.8 km), including the two longest tunnels on the line in Namntallhöjden (6 km) and Björnböleshöjden (5.2 km), both single-tube tunnels with a 25 m² parallel service tunnel. Contract value: SEK1.3 billion. Time frame for construction: November 2003-spring 2007. Visit www.botniabanan.se and www.skanska.com 46/03.NCC has received a SEK201 million order for the construction of a railway section including a 965 m-long tunnel through the Asberg mountain in central Ornskoldsvik. This tunnel is for single-track traffic, including also a 400 m-long service tunnel. Work will commence at the beginning of December and the project is scheduled for completion in July 2005. Read E-News Weekly 24/2002. Visit www.botniabanan.se and www.ncc.info 48/03.